The Great Influenza Rhetorical Analysis Essay
n Aaima Ikram April 18th, 2013
Rhetorical Analysis
Essay #3 Believe it or not, it was once illegal to teach the theory of evolution to children in school. A teacher in Tennessee named John Scopes had violated this law in the 1900s, which resulted in the John Scopes trial. This trial marked the shift of the beliefs of Americans from religion to science. Scientific research has been going on for decades and it has, for the most part, helped improve our lives, but it is a very tough field. In The Great Influenza, author John M. Barry used juxtaposition, listing, and structure to characterize scientific research as a challenging and uncertain field that requires a lot of courage to accept defeat, but also have the determination …show more content…
to move on. Scientific research is not concrete information that we can rely on, but it is rather something that will continuously change with time and with new findings.
Barry uses juxtaposition in his first paragraph when he states that “Certainty creates strength…uncertainty creates weakness.” Science is not something we can be sure of because the possibilities of something new coming up are endless. He also explains that uncertainty can be a good thing because uncertainty can slowly lead us in the right direction, if not at our destination. Barry also listed the characteristics of a scientist to explain all the traits that scientists require. One does not only require “intelligence” and “curiosity”, but they also need “patience, creativity, and courage” to be a scientist. The work of scientist is very tough, because their research and beliefs can all fall apart with a little new discovery. Many people believe that one needs to be scientifically intelligent and curious enough to explore the unknown, but what one requires more than anything is to be able to accept uncertainty but continue making practical theories and predictions. Claude Bernard put it best when she stated, “Science teaches us to doubt.” The uncertainty of science and the fact that most research is based off of predictions brings one to wonder, how much of what we know is true? And how can we prove it? That is one of the major questions that many scientists
face.
Science is known to be vast “wilderness” that contains endless possibilities and is it up to scientists to do the “grunt work” and dig the information up. Barry uses structure to explain the nature of scientific research, and then the process of how scientists go about with their work. In the first half of the passage, Barry helps the reader understand that uncertainty is the path that scientists must follow. Their ideas can fall apart at any second, with any kind of new breakthrough. They are supposedly always teetering on the edge of a cliff and “a single step can also take one off a cliff.” They are always unsure of anything and everything because they know that science is uncertain. In the second half of the passage, Barry explains how scientists use uncertainty in their work. They need to figure out what tools they need and how to set up their experiment. They must take everything in mind and set up something that would not alter or destroy the source. Barry used several rhetorical questions where he shows the thought process of scientists when he states, “A shovel can dig up dirt but cannot penetrate rock. Would a pick be best, or would dynamite be better – or would dynamite be too indiscriminately destructive?” All these questions show how many factors scientists must take in account before they take any action. Science is a very bizarre path. You may think you are going in the right direction, but then a new road shows up. Science is continuously changing and scientist must, in an environment of uncertainty, force an answer out of the unknown and prove themselves. John M. Barry used juxtaposition, listing, and structure to explain to the reader how difficult scientific research is and how it primarily leans on the shoulder of uncertainty.
Rhetorical Analysis
Essay #3 Believe it or not, it was once illegal to teach the theory of evolution to children in school. A teacher in Tennessee named John Scopes had violated this law in the 1900s, which resulted in the John Scopes trial. This trial marked the shift of the beliefs of Americans from religion to science. Scientific research has been going on for decades and it has, for the most part, helped improve our lives, but it is a very tough field. In The Great Influenza, author John M. Barry used juxtaposition, listing, and structure to characterize scientific research as a challenging and uncertain field that requires a lot of courage to accept defeat, but also have the determination …show more content…
to move on. Scientific research is not concrete information that we can rely on, but it is rather something that will continuously change with time and with new findings.
Barry uses juxtaposition in his first paragraph when he states that “Certainty creates strength…uncertainty creates weakness.” Science is not something we can be sure of because the possibilities of something new coming up are endless. He also explains that uncertainty can be a good thing because uncertainty can slowly lead us in the right direction, if not at our destination. Barry also listed the characteristics of a scientist to explain all the traits that scientists require. One does not only require “intelligence” and “curiosity”, but they also need “patience, creativity, and courage” to be a scientist. The work of scientist is very tough, because their research and beliefs can all fall apart with a little new discovery. Many people believe that one needs to be scientifically intelligent and curious enough to explore the unknown, but what one requires more than anything is to be able to accept uncertainty but continue making practical theories and predictions. Claude Bernard put it best when she stated, “Science teaches us to doubt.” The uncertainty of science and the fact that most research is based off of predictions brings one to wonder, how much of what we know is true? And how can we prove it? That is one of the major questions that many scientists
face.
Science is known to be vast “wilderness” that contains endless possibilities and is it up to scientists to do the “grunt work” and dig the information up. Barry uses structure to explain the nature of scientific research, and then the process of how scientists go about with their work. In the first half of the passage, Barry helps the reader understand that uncertainty is the path that scientists must follow. Their ideas can fall apart at any second, with any kind of new breakthrough. They are supposedly always teetering on the edge of a cliff and “a single step can also take one off a cliff.” They are always unsure of anything and everything because they know that science is uncertain. In the second half of the passage, Barry explains how scientists use uncertainty in their work. They need to figure out what tools they need and how to set up their experiment. They must take everything in mind and set up something that would not alter or destroy the source. Barry used several rhetorical questions where he shows the thought process of scientists when he states, “A shovel can dig up dirt but cannot penetrate rock. Would a pick be best, or would dynamite be better – or would dynamite be too indiscriminately destructive?” All these questions show how many factors scientists must take in account before they take any action. Science is a very bizarre path. You may think you are going in the right direction, but then a new road shows up. Science is continuously changing and scientist must, in an environment of uncertainty, force an answer out of the unknown and prove themselves. John M. Barry used juxtaposition, listing, and structure to explain to the reader how difficult scientific research is and how it primarily leans on the shoulder of uncertainty.