The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Analysis

The 1950s were a time of turmoil between Blacks and Whites. Caught amid racism and segregation, blacks were viewed as inferior to whites, which resulted in unfair treatment by whites in almost all socio-economic circumstance. Hospitals and medical (facilities) were no exception, African-Americans were looked upon as test subjects rather than human beings, doctor’s experimented on black patients without proper consent. (from them). One instance where this occurred was Henrietta Lacks from the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Following her recent contraction of cervical cancer doctors were able to take Henrietta’s cells and test on them without her consent. After Henrietta’s death, the Lacks family (would later learn

The purpose of Rebecca Skloot’s book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” is to tell the story of Henrietta Lacks, her illness, and how she completely changed science without even knowing it. Henrietta Lacks, a name that had been known to the world only as HeLa up until recent years; the first two letters of a name that belonged to a poor African American tobacco farmer. Henrietta Lacks was a woman who died of cervical cancer in 1951 and HeLa, the line of cells taken from Henrietta that were the first line of cells to reproduce and survive in the lab indefinitely. Rebecca Skloot uses rhetorical devices throughout the book such as; logos, ethos, and pathos to appeal to the audience and help spread public awareness of this

Rebecca Lee Crumpler is a woman that history knows little of other than her degree and the little she wrote about herself in the beginning of a book. What makes this woman so important to history, and so important to me, is that Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first African-American woman to earn an M.D. degree in the United States, and one of the first African Americans to write a book of medical advice.

Imagine your mother, sister, wife, or cousin was diagnosed with cervical cancer and you believed the doctors were doing everything in their power to help her. Only later you discovered her cells were used for research without consent and she was not properly informed of the risks of her treatment due to her race. This story happened and is told by Rebecca Skloot in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot use of narrative and her writing style enhances the understanding of the story. Henrietta Lacks was a young black woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital. Her doctor collected cancerous cells and healthy cells from her cervix and gave them to the cancer researcher, George Otto Gey, who was trying to keep cells alive for more than a couple days. Henrietta endured intense radium treatments, but she still died at the age of 31, leaving her husband and five children behind. An amazing discovery was made Henrietta’s cell were immortal. Racism is prevalent in this book through the limited availability of healthcare, unethical behaviors of the doctors, and how racism affected her family.

How can you take cells from a human being and treat them as clothes that you’re just selling. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot told the story of the woman behind the famous cell line and the fact that her family did not know about Lacks’ immortal cells until more than 20 years after her death. Some believe it was legal to take Mrs. Lacks cells, while others disagree and say it’s illegal. It was definitely illegal for the doctors and scientist to take Henrietta’s cells without her consent. Taking cells was not a part of her surgical procedure. Henrietta was a human being that should have been treated with respect. But mainly, George Gey treated her with everything but that. Taking 20+ years to tell her children

Dissociation with subjects caused harm with the subject’s families. The Lackses suffered from racial inequality as many black families did. The Lackses had little money, and ironic to the situation HeLa cells sold for “Twenty-five dollars, sometimes fifty” while the Lackses received no money from the cells of a deceased member (81). To bring attention to issue facing the Lackses, Skloot displayed the lack of monetary compensation. The lack of compensation and involvement caused the animosity of the Lackses towards the hospital and scientist involved with HeLa. The lack of involvement also displays with the state of Deborah and Zakariyya described as “trance,” “mouths open,” and “cheeks sagging” after having learned of the fate of Henrietta (265). Henrietta’s children grew up not knowing and understanding what happened to heir mother, which Skloot used to display the sufferings of the Lackses. Dissociation with families of scientific subjects caused harm to the

She repetitively discusses the process she went through in order to get an interview with Henrietta’s family and friends, more specifically with Deborah. Not only does she personally interviews family member and friends but she also discusses HeLa cells and other essential information by finding credible sources. For example, “According to Judith Greenburg, director of the Division of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the National Institute of General Medical Science, the NIH now has “very stringent guidelines” requiring consent for any tissues collected for their banks.” (Skloot 318) She cites scholarly articles and credible sources to establish her knowledge in the subject before writing a novel about Henrietta’s life, as well as to show the readers the credibility of her sources. This particular act conveys to the reader that Skloot wanted to be concise and precise while informing the audience about Henrietta’s

From helping create vaccines to the diagnosis of genetic disease, the cells were very useful in medical research. The existence of the cells was concealed from her family, both to allow the research to go uninterrupted and because the identity of the person behind the cells remained a public mystery. Even after the truth came out, the family did not receive any special medical care or assistance, despite being related to Henrietta, who made many of the medications and medical procedures possible through her cells. This may have been an effort to observe any possible effects that a genetic HeLa presence would have on an individual, at the risk of the well-being of the individual. Stemming from this controversy, debate regarding the moral obligation that individuals have to provide their cells for research has begun. The Lacks family would probably disagree with this argument, since their experience with a cell “abduction” has led to neglect, withholding of information, and a dehumanization resulting from lack of credit and recognition given to Henrietta Lacks. Despite all of the grievances and injustices, the Lacks cannot deny the scientific uses and progress enabled by the cells; one can only wonder what would have become of medical research if the HeLa line had not been

Despite centuries of change in African American society, inecst and physical abuse continue to be a prevalent problem in many black households. The number of lives and families affected by these types of abuse is truly astounding and appalling. Perhaps the most appalling element of these situations is the fact that it continues to occur frequently today. As described in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the types of abuse play a critical part in many African American families. These issues need to be earnestly acknowledged and resolved.

The importance of Henrietta’s story is to recognize the women behind the story.  The book focuses attention on Henrietta Lacks a poor, black tobacco farmer with a middle-school education. It particularly draws attention to her role as a wife, mother and her desire to have more children. Henrietta Lacks story revealed the social, cultural

The story of Henrietta Lacks life and legacy is one that I find heartbreaking but also bittersweet. Learning about her story over 60 years after her death makes me wonder if it were me, how I would feel about what happened.

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a well-thought of, touching and inspiring book. Each chapters are beautifully written, in a way that as a reader myself, feels as if I am indulge in a virtual reality trip along with Skloot. The characters are well-developed, and written in a way that allows the reader to relate and empathize with. Skloot is a meticulous writer that not only focus on the main lead, Henrietta Lacks, but also extends to Henrietta’s family. From the lives of the Lackes before Henrietta dies to the aftermath of her death and embracing the truth behind Hela cells, through each chapters, allow reader to witness the Lackes’ growth from time to time. At the same time, let the reader to fully understand the harsh reality behind

“You make sure Day takes care of them children” stated Henrietta with her last few gasps of breath (Skloot 85). This powerful statement shows just how caring and selfless Henrietta Lacks was. She wanted the best for everyone else, even though, she was on her death bed fighting for her life. She tried to mask the excruciating pain that she was in until it overcame her and she was forced to visit the hospital. In turn, this could have dampened her chances of curing the cancer. Skloot does a phenomenal job of subtly explaining the importance of HeLa cells and their impact on the world, while explaining the life of Henrietta Lacks and her family.

Throughout the process of reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, there are a great deal of recurring themes that run central to the story’s plot. However, the theme of spirituality, which is often intertwined with the beliefs of the Lacks family, is one that captures the reader’s attention starting as early as the prologue. Even the author, Rebecca Skloot, provides a contrast between herself and Henrietta’s youngest daughter, Deborah, to illustrate how one’s beliefs can drastically shape his or her worldview. In terms of this particular story, it is important to take a closer look into how these faith-based beliefs interact with their counterpart of drawing conclusions based on evidence, thus introducing the question “How did level of

Initially, the Lacks family had no idea that Henrietta’s cells were used in groundbreaking accomplishments. Adding salt to the wound, the family was never, even poorly, compensated from a multibillion dollar profit earned by cell line companies who made use of Gey’s HeLa cells. Moreover, even the family of the “most important woman” considered by the research community did not even have the chance to access treatments that were developed using HeLa cells. The Lacks’ could simply not afford them.