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Lacks blog #6 & secondary #6

One part in the end of the book that was crazy to me was Deborah’s emotional attachment to Elsie. Deborah wasn’t old enough to have any recollection of her before she was shipped off to the asylum. But still the thought of Elsie being treated horribly haunts Deborah. It haunts her so much that she gets panic attacks. Even though they didn’t know each other, these two are so closely bonded because they are family. It makes me very sad that Deborah passed being in the same financial debt she had been in. Even after learning everything about her mother, she still didn’t get any profit from the cells.

My secondary source is an interview of Rebecca Skloot. This interview shows the length that Skloot had to go through in order to publish this book. It proved that she was truly invested in the story.

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Lacks blog #5 & secondary #5

At this point in the book, you can see how much Deborah has changed. She finally starts to open up about her mother. Because of this change Skloot is finally given the information she’s been looking for from Deborah. You can also really see the love that the family has for each other. Earlier in the book, they stayed away from anyone who wanted to do with their mother. Now, these her are determined to unveil the truth about Henriettas condition. Even though they are uneducated, they want to know all of the science behind these cells. Even when Deborah can’t physically handle the information she receives (her stroke and spiked blood pressure) she still is determined to know everything. Deborah says, "All this stuff I'm learning, it make me realize that I did have a mother, and all the tragedy she went through. It hurts but I wanna know more, just like I wanna know about my sister. It make me feel closer to them, but I do miss them. I wish they were here."

My secondary source is a poem written by Edgar Guest

This poem embodies what the lacks family is all about. In the end of the book, you can see how strong the lacks families bonds become. They are sticking by each other in order to honor their mother. This poems theme is there’s nothing quite as valuable as family.

The stick-together families are happier by far

Than the brothers and the sisters who take separate highways are.

The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make

A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.

And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun

Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done.

There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,

And they're very quick to shatter all the little family ties.

Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way,

Each with strangers likes to wander, and with strangers likes to play.

But it's bitterness they harvest, and it's empty joy they find,

For the children that are wisest are the stick-together kind.

There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,

That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home.

That the strange friend is the true friend, and they travel far astray

they waste their lives in striving for a joy that's far away,

But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,

Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.

It's the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,

That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;

It's the old home roof that shelters all the charm that life can give;

There you find the gladdest play-ground, there the happiest spot to live.

And, O weary, wandering brother, if contentment you would win,

Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin.

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Lacks Blog #4 & Secondary Source #4

At this point in the book, scientist are making huge discoveries from the use of HeLa cells. I have noticed the theme of family relations. Even though Deborah’s mother has been gone for more than 50 years, she still hears about her everyday. They say that if a white person tries to talk to the Lacks family, they know it’s going to be about Henrietta. Deborah doesn’t even remember her mother but she still is told about her all the time. Even if they are tied together through word of mouth, the Lacks family still doesn’t get any profit. So they have to go through all of the trauma without any gain all because they are from the same bloodline. Family is always bonded together in weird ways.

While reading I noticed that the same thing happened with someone other than Henrietta. Moore didn’t give permission for scientists to gather his cells and grow them, however, they did anyways. The following document contains details about the court case of Moore vs Golde. It proves that doctors didn’t just make a one time silly mistake. They are willing to do the same thing over and over again for their research.

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Lacks Blog #3 & Secondary #3

One of the most obvious chunks of this book is the Lacks family. When the book isn’t talking about science and medicine, it is interviewing the lacks family members. You can see that the Lacks family isn’t very ordinary. Henriettas life as a child was all dependent on her relatives. Although the story is rooted from Henrietta, the book goes on to decompress the life of Henriettas children. It explains how They work hard to overcome poverty, fear and anxiety to learn the truth about their mother's life and what it means for them. If there wasn’t any family attached to Henrietta, her cells would’ve gone unidentifiable for years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/05/medicines-racial-divide-measured-in-minutes-spent-waiting-to-see-a-doctor/

My secondary source is an article looking at racial discrimination in hospitals today. While reading the book, I was curious if skin color still effected medical treatment modern day. This article touches on minority inequality in waiting rooms. It goes on to say how minorities spend way longer in the waiting room, and that racism in the health industry is still very prominent today.

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Lacks blog #2 & Secondary Source #2

At this point in the book you can really see the theme of alienation because of race. In the end Henrietta could’ve been in a better place if the doctor had treated her to the best of their abilities. She avoided treatment because of the amount of hospitals that accepted black people. And then, when she finally got treatment, doctors lied about the condition she was in. She wasn’t even informed she was going to be infertile after radiation treatment. You can tell the author has lots of passion towards this subject. Every time she runs into a problem, she fights her way around it. I feel bad for anyone related to Henrietta. It seems they have constant phone calls from scientists asking about HeLa cells.

Once source that I found deepened my understanding of the book was an article on the science behind HeLa cells. While reading the book I constantly ask, why only her cells? So, I did some research in order to get some answers. This article dives deeper into why Henriettas cells were so special. Because of the specific mutations in her cells, they were able to become immortal. Now while reading the book, I will be much more aware when the science of the cells is being discussed.

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Lacks blog #1 & Secondary Source #1

Reading the first 50 pages of this book made me really excited. So far, I am fully in captured in Henrietta Lacks’s story. I especially like how each chapter is set in a different point in time. This style makes it so I don’t get bored. I’m always hearing about different stories from different times. I’m also enjoying the biology portion of this book, not only am I reading for enjoyment, but I’m also learning some biology in the process. It’s seems as of now, the book has spent a lot of time focused on family. There is obviously a very strong connection to Henrietta and her big family. The writing is also very easy to follow, which I appreciate.

One secondary source I found for this chunk of writing is The Immortal Life if Henrietta Lacks: the movie. This is obviously directly related to the book. The movie takes on different perspectives from the book, with the main characters being Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks. These characters are portrayed by actress Rose Byrne and Oprah Winfrey. This film uses many of the same themes and main ideas as the novel. It also helps you to visualize more of the story and the setting.

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I have to admit I do love movies, especially this one. However, today movies are hard to associate with the category of art. Nowadays movies are treated as pure business. It doesn’t matter if the acting is amazing or the set is fantastic, it’s all based on what would bring in revenue. This I think defeats the purpose of art. Movies aren’t creative, or unique anymore. They are society based and safe. Now, going back to Hollywood blockbusters I can understand. These films were created with so much creativity.

Mamma Mia! (2008) dir. Phyllida Lloyd

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Now I think this is a special type of art, haunted houses. I personally have always loved the thrill of a good haunted house. I think it takes a special mind to develop all that comes out of a haunted house. The combination of design, layout, makeup, sculpting, and acting are all put together to exude fear out of the customers. It’s hard to create a good haunted house, and to create such suspense all through imagination. It’s almost like script writing, creating a story and using actors to tell it. Haunted houses aren’t for everyone, it takes a special strength to enjoy these works of art. Another neat thing that comes from these houses is the history. Behind almost every attraction there is a unique story. A story that sends chills down your spine.

Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris 🕸🦉🦇

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I do have to agree with you, fashion is one of my favorite art forms. The idea of showcasing your personality through an outfit is so fun! I do however would give more credit to designers themselves. Sure it’s somewhat artistic to pair together two articles of clothing, but I believe the real art comes from the scraps of fabric and an idea. Behind every piece of clothing is a team of fashion designers. They cut and sewed in order to make the perfect blouse or skirt. When you buy this skirt, you are just buying someone else’s work. The hard work and thinking is all rooted in the designer.

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in 1991

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This is something called a multiple. It is an example of one that was brought to a competition last year. Multiple is a style of forensics piece that can be done. You are supposed to cut a play or movie down to ten minutes, and perform it without looking or touching each other. This is one of the many categories forensics has to offer. There’s also storytelling, poetry, sales, broadcasting, and more. Forensics is a very unique style of art, that I hold very close to my heart. It gives you the opportunity to tell a story, while also limiting you in certain aspects. In order to have the best pieces it takes technique. This form of art can bring you to tears and then have you on the floor laughing within minutes of each other. I love watching kids share there stories through scripts, or speeches. Forensics appeals to everyone with all it has to offer.

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I am also a photography lover. I think certain images can be breathtaking. Although lots of photography takes talent, I also believe sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. It’s amazing how quickly a scene can emerge from nothing. And some people can’t see this, and that’s why I think photography is so amazing.

A magical morning at Lake Louise by Cumacevikphoto

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I definitely agree with you, that TV Can be an entertaining way to express emotion. However, I do believe TV Is on a very different spectrum from most art. It’s head to generalize TV as an art form because it is so varied. Shows mean pull out happiness sadness and laughter out of someone all in a 30 minute period. One of the greatest things about TV is it’s ability to develop characters on a deep level, something usually film can’t touch on. Not only do the actors express emotion

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Some art, comes together almost instantly while some pieces may take months, even years to form. I have always admired this piece of art. The reason it’s so appealing is because of its backstory. Michelangelo, a famous Italian painter, spent four years on this masterpiece. In order to paint the cealing he spent hours laying on his back on top of a scaffold. The painting is centered around seven scenes of the Old Testament, it tells a story. He took something ordinary, and created something people everywhere want to come visit. I think painted ceilings are such an underrated art form. It’s the most breathtaking feeling to walk into a room with art surrounding you. It’s tedious work and isn’t very common. However, when it’s done well, it is gorgeous. To this day, the Sistine chapel is one of the most valued pieces of art worldwide, and I can see why. It uses such intricate detail and expresses a story.

Michelangelo (1475–1564), The Creation of Adam, circa 1511, fresco, Sistine Chapel

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One art form that I’ve always loved is Murano glass making. This method of glass-making results in unique creations with rich coloring and beautiful, sometimes surreal, patterns and shapes. Anyone traveling to Venice will be instructed to go to Murano factories, and get Murano glass souvenirs. They fill up the store fronts, and vendor carts on the canals. These art pieces may just look like normal vases or glass sculpture to some, however, there is a ton of history behind Murano and it’s up bringing. Not only is the end result art, but so it the making process. It takes true artist to hear and shape the glass in a way that makes gorgeous patterns and figures. This art form dated all the way back to the 8th century. Murano’s glass industry grew steadily through the middle of the fifteenth century. During this time its production of blown glass was remarkable, and it established Murano as the leader in the international market. Since then, Murano has made a name for itself and is known world wide. Murano glass can also meet the needs of any individual. It’s sold as jewelry, bowls, vases, figures, and much more.

Murano glass 

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One art that I have expressed lots of interest into is cooking. Unlike other art forms, cooking engages all of your senses. Finding the right balance between ingredients to perfect the taste is essential. The presentation of a dish can be very pleasing to the eye. Finally, the aroma and texture is just as important as all of the other factors. Food is something that makes me so happy every day, and when someone’s takes this and perfects the art form, I am ecstatic. This is a style that every individual can relate to on a personal level. There is nothing else as good as a well cooked meal.

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Last year, as a part of theater, I studied Commedia Dell Arte. This is a type of art style that is not very common today. It has layers and layers of timeless history, making it the stylistic piece of theater it is today. Not only is the acting style one of a kind, but they use characterized masks to disblay facial expresssions. In order to get emotion across, the actor would have to use their body, because most of their face is covered. It is a rollercoaster of emotion and laughter through each performance. Learning this style comes with new technique and improv skills.

“Penny plain, twopence coloured.”

19th-century toy theatre sheets (and two assembled kits). Sold at opera houses and vaudeville theatres, toy theatres, or miniature theatres, were a popular family pastime in the early 19th century, a celebration of the fun of storytelling and performance. Occasionally they’ve seen a brief resurgence—Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde and, years later, Laurence Olivier were fans—until cinema and TV forever washed away the colorful clowns and soldiers, the giants and ugly stepmothers.

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What I want from my education.

I’ve always wished for my education to be something that helps me find myself. I believe it should be a very helpful resource that takes a confused child, and helping them see what kind of life they want to persue. School should be able to pull out your interests and values, and extend on them. Most kids get out of highschool not knowing where they fit into society, and I find this alarming. This should be a period to experiment and dive deeper into ones interests. This way the problem with individuals hating their lifestyle, can change. If our school syestems can overcome this challenge in most people’s lives, I believe our society would be happier as a whole. This type of syestem would require a lot more individual focus on students. Instead of base curriculums, students can work on the subjects that interests them. I think this would also result In a happier generation of students. Much discomfort comes in school when the subject matter bores kids. All in all, schools systems need to use more individuality to assist kids in finding their perfect fit.