The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Question 1

Other nonfiction books fail to record themselves as nonfiction since, in many languages, there is no agreed translation of fiction. Mostly many books that are labeled nonfiction are related to religion and morals. Thus many authors see no need to mark their books as nonfiction. Elie Wiesel is set as the epigraph of the book since his words lay the foundation of the book’s primary theme. Elie treasures the existence of all human beings and believes that no one is to be taken for granted. His words set the background of Rebecca’s book as she sees him as an icon that deserves reference (Skloot, 2013). Deborah’s voice is relevant to the beginning of the book since she is a representative of women who have suffered many of the atrocities that the author expounds. Her voice is expected to show the audience that they should live their own life with a purpose.

Question 2

All the characters in Skloot’s book are real and nonfiction; they are the people he encountered in his life and who had a part in the making of the story. However, in the book, he labels them as the cast of characters because he wants the audience to perceive the relationships that she had with these characters. Even in dramatic books, the character list is not only about the plot but to help the audience visualize the relationships that these characters had with each other. Though the book is not dramatic, the characters are very relevant and imagine the life of the main characters through the relations that they had with her (Skloot, 2013). The true intentions of a good story are to evoke emotions, and there is no better way of doing that but showing the relationship that was between the characters. For this reason, Skloot uses the character list that resembles that of a dramatic book.

Question 3

The author uses traditional bibliography to mark the points that need clarification or documentation. She uses written numbers raised above the text of reference. Notably, the numbers follow a series from one through the whole book. The numbers aimed to draw attention to specific points in the book and are placed at the end of a relevant sentence. The reason behind such referencing is to recognize quotes from a secondary and primary text (Javitt, 2010). Also, they are aimed to direct the reader to the argument which supports the opinion of the author. The referencing is also designed to identify instances when the author is paraphrasing the ideas of another writer.

Question 4

From Henrietta’s medical chart, it can be seen that she is a poor woman with low-quality education. However, her perception towards the doctors was cold because she did not feel comfortable about them. One other thing we learn from the chart is that her family was not educated too, and she had to work on a tobacco farm. However, her examination became one of the most astonishing discoveries in the field of medicine. It leads to the development of Hela cells that are immortal (Javitt, 2010). We learn that cancer originates from a single abnormal cell and is categorized according to the type of cells they arise. However, the medical clue of those days did not care about their patients. They believed that black people were to be used as lab rats until the Jim Crow laws came and changed the situation. Henrietta is then moved to the John Hopkins hospital, where she is treated better. The new medicine clue cares about the perception of the patient and thus is slightly different from that of Henrietta’s days.

Question 5

Skloot uses literal journalism to show that the doctors did not respect the patient’s perception and only treated them as lab rats. She uses the character, Henrietta, to reflect the relationships between the doctors and the patients. In those days, the patients were uncomfortable before the doctors because the doctors ranked them in terms of class color and background. The rich had access to superior medication while the poor were left on their own and were not allowed to speak their minds. Today patients have the right to speak against medication methods and are treated regardless of their background color or creed (Nisbet, & Fahy, 2013). The author suggests a horizontal kind of communication where the patients can speak freely to their doctors.

Question 6

In the introduction, Skloot uses her story to evoke the emotions of her audience. She tells of her difficulties and how she struggled with poor education and an uneducated family. The story connects the reader to the daily struggles that we as humans face and the strength we need to overcome these struggles. I would think of Deborah as more motivational than a nonfiction author. Her characteristics involve bravery, perseverance, and patience (Nisbet, & Fahy, 2013). She can tell of her disturbing story without fear and with consideration of what people faced in a medical facility in her days.

Question 7

The public is afraid of death and believes that the invention of the Hela cells is a pathway to immortality. The media reflects the family of the patient as poor and uneducated (Nisbet, & Fahy, 2013). The media believes that the family was manipulated by the medical department and deserves compensation for their troubles that led to the great discovery of immortal cells. Thus the media portrays the family as heroes of the nation.

References

Javitt, G. (2010). Why Not Take All of Me: Reflections on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the Status of Participants in Research Using Human Specimens. Minn. JL Sci. & Tech., 11, 713.

Nisbet, M. C., & Fahy, D. (2013). Bioethics in popular science: evaluating the media impact of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on the biobank debate. BMC medical ethics, 14(1), 10.

Skloot, R. (2013). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, the sequel. New York Times, 23.