Immortality has long been the subject of both science fiction, and science journals, and while it may seem unbelievable to some, the harvested cells of one woman never died. This launched a revolution that shifted the course of medical history and lead to innumerable discoveries that have in some way affected nearly every human being on the planet. In her best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a kind and caring black women in the 1950’s who never ever knew her cells were being taken for research, and while Skloot certainly establishes both ethos and logos, her most effective writing and argumentation comes through her use of pathos.
While writing her novel, Skloot understands the importance …show more content…
The author tells a story that deals largely with the concepts of biology, and through her presentation of information, the story becomes accessible to those who have no previous knowledge of the discipline. When the topic of cell cultivating is discussed in the book, Skloot gives a detailed history of how this practice first began and states, “It all started on January 17, 1912, when Alexis Carrel...grew his ‘immortal chicken heart’ ”(58). By providing the background history regarding topics discussed in the novel, the reader is more likely to become interested in the content. Skloot continues this presentation of logos throughout the novel and builds an intimate story upon the facts and research she …show more content…
Unlike many doctors who treated Lacks, the author of this novel humanizes and presents her as the meaningful person that she was. Skloot noted a family member saying. “She 's the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother is so important to science, why can 't we get health insurance” (168). The family is dumbfounded at their current situation and can not understand how they have not benefited from their mother’s immense contribution. By including these real and heartfelt stories, Skloot pulls at the heartstrings the readers and forces them to actually care about the individual involved in the story. In this we find the overwhelming power of pathological appeals and their effect on the reader. Although Skloot’s implementation of both ethos and logos is effective and thorough, without her implementation of appeals to pathos, the book would not be nearly as enticing and enjoyable to the mainstream audience. Furthermore, people want to read something that is meaningful and makes them feel something, a characteristic that the reading of science journals or a textbook rarely
While writing her novel, Skloot understands the importance …show more content…
The author tells a story that deals largely with the concepts of biology, and through her presentation of information, the story becomes accessible to those who have no previous knowledge of the discipline. When the topic of cell cultivating is discussed in the book, Skloot gives a detailed history of how this practice first began and states, “It all started on January 17, 1912, when Alexis Carrel...grew his ‘immortal chicken heart’ ”(58). By providing the background history regarding topics discussed in the novel, the reader is more likely to become interested in the content. Skloot continues this presentation of logos throughout the novel and builds an intimate story upon the facts and research she …show more content…
Unlike many doctors who treated Lacks, the author of this novel humanizes and presents her as the meaningful person that she was. Skloot noted a family member saying. “She 's the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother is so important to science, why can 't we get health insurance” (168). The family is dumbfounded at their current situation and can not understand how they have not benefited from their mother’s immense contribution. By including these real and heartfelt stories, Skloot pulls at the heartstrings the readers and forces them to actually care about the individual involved in the story. In this we find the overwhelming power of pathological appeals and their effect on the reader. Although Skloot’s implementation of both ethos and logos is effective and thorough, without her implementation of appeals to pathos, the book would not be nearly as enticing and enjoyable to the mainstream audience. Furthermore, people want to read something that is meaningful and makes them feel something, a characteristic that the reading of science journals or a textbook rarely