The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
Dependent question 2: One of Henrietta's relatives said to Skloot, "If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest" (page xiii). Throughout, Skloot is true to the dialect in which people spoke to her: the Lackses speak in a heavy Southern accent, and Lengauer and Hsu speak as non-native English speakers. What impact did the decision tomaintain speech authenticity have on the story?
In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Rebecca Skloot tried her best to give readers a nonfiction story.
A nonfiction story is based on keeping the speech authenticity. It requires writing down exactly what the interviewers
aid and not changing the words. It is important for the story. When we maintain speech authenticity on the story,
it has many influences about the book. A nonfiction story has many benefits about medicine, biology, ethic, history
etc. In addition, Rebecca remembers that one of Henrietta's relatives said to her, “If you pretty up how people
spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest. It's taking away their lives, their experiences, and their
selves.” when she began writing this book.
First of all, it is the most important way to maintain speech authenticity that write what those interviewees said
and not change the words. For example, Rebecca keeps a dialogue about Bobbetta and Gardenia’s brother-in-law (pg.181). It is a difficult to record that dialogue. In the book, Rebecca presents the following explanation: "I'd done my best to capture the language with which each person spoke and wrote: dialogue appears in native
dialects; passages from diaries and other personal writings are quoted exactly as written.” (pg. xii) Throughout,
Rebecca tried to record what the Lacks’ family members spoke to her. Because of they spoke in a heavy Southern accent and non-native English, it is difficult to record. Moreover,the author use a direct method that hire
someone to describe their worlds and experiences to record any information about Henrietta Lacks from Lacks
family (page. xii). She knew what is they want to express to her, then she wrote down those real data. If she
did not know the interviewer’s language, she won't give us a real story about Henrietta Lacks. However, the process to write this speech is difficult. After Henrietta Lacks died decades, Rebecca began writing this book.
So much information about Henrietta Lacks is missing; her family members have faded memories about Henrietta
Lacks; the medical records are incomplete. So these are many difficulties for Rebecca, she drove to Baltimore to
speak with Day’s second son and she drove to Clover, Virginia where Henrietta Lacks grow up and live in to know about Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca spent ten years on collecting the records about Henrietta Lacks. She tried to maintain speech authenticity on the story.
There are many influences about keep the speech authenticity. Frist, a nonfiction story about Henrietta Lacks
whose sells are immortal and the first cancer cell that human cultured in Lab. It is a significant thing of biology.
And those cells launched a medicalrevolution. Doctor can use those cells to research some decease. On the other hand, people did not know who provided those cells, most researcher ignore the black lady. Rebecca did the real
story about Henrietta Lacks is a choice to know where HeLa cell from. Then, there are much medical experimentation
including some involuntary medical experimentation, like “The Tuskegee Study”. Students can learn medical history
from this book. Finally, the story was written by a white, racial discrimination also presence in that time. So keep
the speech authenticity on the story is impact Lackses and other interviewees.
In conclusion, Rebecca tried her best to overcome the language barrier to maintain speech authenticity on the
story, so this book became a good teaching for people. I think students should read this book, special some students
who study medicine or biology. “I could not put the book down.(Entertainment Weekly),this sentence express people have thought who read this book. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a nonfiction and interesting story.
by Rebecca Skloot
Dependent question 2: One of Henrietta's relatives said to Skloot, "If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest" (page xiii). Throughout, Skloot is true to the dialect in which people spoke to her: the Lackses speak in a heavy Southern accent, and Lengauer and Hsu speak as non-native English speakers. What impact did the decision tomaintain speech authenticity have on the story?
In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Rebecca Skloot tried her best to give readers a nonfiction story.
A nonfiction story is based on keeping the speech authenticity. It requires writing down exactly what the interviewers
aid and not changing the words. It is important for the story. When we maintain speech authenticity on the story,
it has many influences about the book. A nonfiction story has many benefits about medicine, biology, ethic, history
etc. In addition, Rebecca remembers that one of Henrietta's relatives said to her, “If you pretty up how people
spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest. It's taking away their lives, their experiences, and their
selves.” when she began writing this book.
First of all, it is the most important way to maintain speech authenticity that write what those interviewees said
and not change the words. For example, Rebecca keeps a dialogue about Bobbetta and Gardenia’s brother-in-law (pg.181). It is a difficult to record that dialogue. In the book, Rebecca presents the following explanation: "I'd done my best to capture the language with which each person spoke and wrote: dialogue appears in native
dialects; passages from diaries and other personal writings are quoted exactly as written.” (pg. xii) Throughout,
Rebecca tried to record what the Lacks’ family members spoke to her. Because of they spoke in a heavy Southern accent and non-native English, it is difficult to record. Moreover,the author use a direct method that hire
someone to describe their worlds and experiences to record any information about Henrietta Lacks from Lacks
family (page. xii). She knew what is they want to express to her, then she wrote down those real data. If she
did not know the interviewer’s language, she won't give us a real story about Henrietta Lacks. However, the process to write this speech is difficult. After Henrietta Lacks died decades, Rebecca began writing this book.
So much information about Henrietta Lacks is missing; her family members have faded memories about Henrietta
Lacks; the medical records are incomplete. So these are many difficulties for Rebecca, she drove to Baltimore to
speak with Day’s second son and she drove to Clover, Virginia where Henrietta Lacks grow up and live in to know about Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca spent ten years on collecting the records about Henrietta Lacks. She tried to maintain speech authenticity on the story.
There are many influences about keep the speech authenticity. Frist, a nonfiction story about Henrietta Lacks
whose sells are immortal and the first cancer cell that human cultured in Lab. It is a significant thing of biology.
And those cells launched a medicalrevolution. Doctor can use those cells to research some decease. On the other hand, people did not know who provided those cells, most researcher ignore the black lady. Rebecca did the real
story about Henrietta Lacks is a choice to know where HeLa cell from. Then, there are much medical experimentation
including some involuntary medical experimentation, like “The Tuskegee Study”. Students can learn medical history
from this book. Finally, the story was written by a white, racial discrimination also presence in that time. So keep
the speech authenticity on the story is impact Lackses and other interviewees.
In conclusion, Rebecca tried her best to overcome the language barrier to maintain speech authenticity on the
story, so this book became a good teaching for people. I think students should read this book, special some students
who study medicine or biology. “I could not put the book down.(Entertainment Weekly),this sentence express people have thought who read this book. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a nonfiction and interesting story.