I read the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and connected it with The Post-American World.
In Kara Gurvey's blog she talks about how the theme of challenging the status quo was represented in her book. This theme occurs in my book as well. In my book, Skloot describes how Henrietta and her family challenged the status quo during their lives. Henrietta challenged the status quo in the way she carried her self and acted while she had her disease. She was not afraid and always exuded confidence until her disease took over her soul. After her death her family kept strong and didn't accept news reporters or any people who wanted to share or learn about the story of their mother. This was strange, because Black people were still discriminated against in that time and it was odd to not accept help or give information to white folks. These same themes appear in the Post-American World as well.
In The Post-American World, instead of people challenging the status quo, it is countries as a whole challenging the status quo. This is a more major problem in the grand scheme of things. In Kara's blog she talks about how China challenges the status quo. China is a country with the largest population yet viewed as a "sleeping giant." What people don't understand is that what happens in China today and in the future will affect the entire world. China is constantly challenging the status quo with rallies, protests and other efforts against the government. With these types of challenges going on, China will keep the world on edge to see what will play out in the future. Just like how HeLa cells keep the world up to date and on edge with the latest and greatest medical research.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Meeting 2
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Meeting 2 Pages 56-137
Summary of Reading:
In the next few chapters the author takes us through parts of her journey in finding out about Henrietta’s story. Skloot goes in depth about how HeLa cells revolutionized the medical world; she describes how the cells were used in labs and in research. Skloot also gives the reader a closer view into Henrietta’s life before her death and the years after.
Major Claim Quote:
“HeLa cells grew much faster than normal cells, and therefore produced results faster. HeLa was a workhorse: it was hardy, it was inexpensive, and it was everywhere” (Skloot 97)
Response:
This claim sets the foundation for why HeLa cells became a medical breakthrough. It was because HeLa cells were cancerous, that they were able to grow them efficiently and hardy. The cells lead to reasons behind the discoveries like Down syndrome, one extra chromosome. HeLa cells lead to the development of a standardized culture medium, for cells to grow in. Along with many discoveries, HeLa cells were popularly used to test effects of drugs and probes. Therefore the HeLa cell line made a huge impact in the medical world and still impacts it today. In the quote is states “HeLa cells grew much faster than normal cells…” this was critical to the breakthrough HeLa caused because the cells were easily replenished where quantity was in dire need. When the HeLa cell line boomed, the cold war was escalating there was a large demand for HeLa cells to be exposed to nuclear chemicals. HeLa cells were in high demand many place; therefore this claim is sets up the basic reasoning and knowledge behind the research and demand for caused by HeLa cells.
Meeting 2 Pages 56-137
Summary of Reading:
In the next few chapters the author takes us through parts of her journey in finding out about Henrietta’s story. Skloot goes in depth about how HeLa cells revolutionized the medical world; she describes how the cells were used in labs and in research. Skloot also gives the reader a closer view into Henrietta’s life before her death and the years after.
Major Claim Quote:
“HeLa cells grew much faster than normal cells, and therefore produced results faster. HeLa was a workhorse: it was hardy, it was inexpensive, and it was everywhere” (Skloot 97)
Response:
This claim sets the foundation for why HeLa cells became a medical breakthrough. It was because HeLa cells were cancerous, that they were able to grow them efficiently and hardy. The cells lead to reasons behind the discoveries like Down syndrome, one extra chromosome. HeLa cells lead to the development of a standardized culture medium, for cells to grow in. Along with many discoveries, HeLa cells were popularly used to test effects of drugs and probes. Therefore the HeLa cell line made a huge impact in the medical world and still impacts it today. In the quote is states “HeLa cells grew much faster than normal cells…” this was critical to the breakthrough HeLa caused because the cells were easily replenished where quantity was in dire need. When the HeLa cell line boomed, the cold war was escalating there was a large demand for HeLa cells to be exposed to nuclear chemicals. HeLa cells were in high demand many place; therefore this claim is sets up the basic reasoning and knowledge behind the research and demand for caused by HeLa cells.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Captured Thought: People discriminate against teenagers in stores
I am sure that I am not the only one to notice this but it came to my thought today when I was shopping in a designer store. There were many store clerks there helping ladies find clothes to wear and different styles to try, but no one seemed to want to help me. I even asked one of the ladies for help and then showed me to one side of the store and then let me be. This is not the first time this has happened to me. It seems that people who work in retail segregate the people who walk into their store to those who have money and those who don't. The ones they pay attention to are the ones that "have money." This is disappointing to teens like myself, because what if I was rich? What if I did have a lot of money? They would never know because they take one glance and judge from there. The stores that attract teens are those that have reasonable prices and have good customer service. I am thankful for the stores that are like that, although it is unfortunate that not all stores have as good customer service.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)