The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Analysis
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Summer Reading Assignment by: Hannah Nelson
Question: Who is the Speaker?
Answer: The Speaker, also the author, is Rebecca Skloot.
Find 3 specific passages that establish the writer as a trustworthy and/or qualified speaker.
Below each quote, explain how the passage establishes the writer’s credibility.
1. “This is a work of non-fiction. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no event fabricated. While writing this book, I conducted more than a thousand hours of interviews with family and friends of Henrietta Lacks, as well as with lawyers, ethicists, scientists, and journalists who’ve written about the Lacks family. I relied on extensive archival photos and documents, scientific and historical research, and the personal journals of Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah Lacks.” (page xiii)
This passage shows the writer’s credibility by reassuring the authentication of the book itself. She states her sources of information and …show more content…
“I became fixated on the idea of someday telling Henrietta’s story. At one point I even called directory assistance in Baltimore looking for Henrietta’s husband, David Lacks, but he wasn’t listed. I had the idea that I’d write a book that was a biography of both the cells and the woman they came from—someone’s daughter, wife, and mother.” (Prologue, page 6)
Explain how the tone effects the effectiveness of each passage.
The tone of the author’s writing was informative, inquisitive and passionate. Skloot informs her audience in a professional manner, but the connotation of her words shows her passion for the subject. Her inquisitive nature shows in the way she dares to question the unknown and pushes past the boundaries of mere science and facts and into something deeper, into something unidentified. She proves that HeLa cells are just a minuscule part of Henrietta’s life. She shows that before the tumor devoured Henrietta’s body, she was a person, with a life, a family, and a
Summer Reading Assignment by: Hannah Nelson
Question: Who is the Speaker?
Answer: The Speaker, also the author, is Rebecca Skloot.
Find 3 specific passages that establish the writer as a trustworthy and/or qualified speaker.
Below each quote, explain how the passage establishes the writer’s credibility.
1. “This is a work of non-fiction. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no event fabricated. While writing this book, I conducted more than a thousand hours of interviews with family and friends of Henrietta Lacks, as well as with lawyers, ethicists, scientists, and journalists who’ve written about the Lacks family. I relied on extensive archival photos and documents, scientific and historical research, and the personal journals of Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah Lacks.” (page xiii)
This passage shows the writer’s credibility by reassuring the authentication of the book itself. She states her sources of information and …show more content…
“I became fixated on the idea of someday telling Henrietta’s story. At one point I even called directory assistance in Baltimore looking for Henrietta’s husband, David Lacks, but he wasn’t listed. I had the idea that I’d write a book that was a biography of both the cells and the woman they came from—someone’s daughter, wife, and mother.” (Prologue, page 6)
Explain how the tone effects the effectiveness of each passage.
The tone of the author’s writing was informative, inquisitive and passionate. Skloot informs her audience in a professional manner, but the connotation of her words shows her passion for the subject. Her inquisitive nature shows in the way she dares to question the unknown and pushes past the boundaries of mere science and facts and into something deeper, into something unidentified. She proves that HeLa cells are just a minuscule part of Henrietta’s life. She shows that before the tumor devoured Henrietta’s body, she was a person, with a life, a family, and a