Katherine Delle
9/16/08
Dr. Adam Johns
Seminar in Composition
Anecdotes in “Challenging Nature”
Throughout Lee Silver’s book, “Challenging Nature”, he includes many personal anecdotes, or stories relating to his life. They usually appear at the beginning of the chapters but he also occasionally includes them within chapters. They include such stories as going to participate in a debate at Princeton and going to see a traveling circus as a 12-year-old boy. Such anecdotes that are included in this sort of controversial non-fiction may seem inappropriate and un-relatable to the text. However, in my opinion, Silver’s anecdotes not only enhance the book and make it more enjoyable to the reader, but they also strengthen his many arguments.
The first anecdote that I noticed to particularly strengthen one of Silver’s arguments was at the beginning of chapter 7 of Part II titled “The Embryonic Soul.” In the anecdote, Silver visits Princeton University to participate in a debate called “When Does Human Life Begin?” Silver was attempting to support his “irreverence toward human embryos” (p.99) so he showed a slide of a type of tumor called a teratoma. He explained that it had been removed from the buttock of a young child and then thrown away as medical waste. His point was that at first glance a teratoma just seems as though it is a common tumor; however, Silver later explains that teratomas have very humanlike characteristics. They are covered in human skin and hair and inside are things like muscle, teeth, bone, and sometimes even a beating heart or human eye. Some have even been reported to have a human hand extending off the surface. People have argued for years that even fertilized embryos deserve respect so why was this teratoma any different? By including this anecdote Silver was able to strengthen his argument because he challenged the idea that embryos should be respected by comparing this respect for embryos to that of teratomas. The anecdote was very relevant and it was also able to effectively introduce what was to come in the remainder on the chapter (all about what is considered to have a soul). Also, it kept the reader interested in the topic at hand which is important since this kind of topic can easily confuse and/or be dull
Anecdotes such as these are extremely appropriate in Silver’s style of writing. They successfully draw the reader into the book and make them interested in the topic discussed. Since not everyone is a scientist or even knows a lot about science, the anecdotes are what make the book relatable and easily understood by a wide range of people. They allow us to remember that Silver is a person just like us who is simply sharing his opinion, rather than someone forcing his views on us. Without anecdotes in this style of writing, the book would be duller and it would move slowly. By including the anecdotes both at the beginnings of chapters and throughout them, the reader is continually drawn back into the topic without getting confused or lost in the complicated scientific explanations.
Chapter 9 of part II titled “Counting Souls” includes two connecting anecdotes that are able to simultaneously strengthen one of Silver’s arguments. The first anecdote tells a story of when Silver was 12 years old and he and his cousin went to see a traveling circus. He explains paying a dime to see a “baby with two heads; born alive, stayed alive.” (148). Silver reported circling the tank, which encompassed a baby with two heads and necks connected to a single body, and wondering if this baby had been considered one person. This anecdote allows us to familiarize ourselves with the topic at hand (conjoined twins) and to introduce what is to come in the text. The chapter following the anecdote is all about things such as conjoined twins, people with “ parasitic twins” growing out from their own bodies, people with two faces, split brain patients, and other physically abnormal yet amazing people. The point of the chapter was to introduce the debates over things like human individuality in these kinds of people, what counts as a person in certain abnormal situations, and what should be considered “just” when having to do things such as split conjoined twins.
Silver’s curiosity in this anecdote further provided an opening for the second connecting anecdote taking place 35 years later at a medical museum where he and his young daughter visited in order to view similar “sideshow” exhibits. The anecdote ended with Silver’s daughter asking a question about a pair of female conjoined twins, “if they get pregnant, which one will be the baby’s mother?” (151) This quote from Silver’s daughter was able to provide the basis for his argument. This argument is that there is so much question and debate over people born as conjoined twins and with related abnormalities that we simply don’t know how to treat different situations regarding their individualities. I think that Silver wanted to express in the chapter that there just isn’t enough known about these types of people and all their different cases.
Both the anecdotes at the beginning of chapter 9 about the “two-headed baby” at the circus and visiting the museum provide a strong introduction for all that Silver continues to explain in the remainder of the chapter. The anecdotes also help to get the point across that these sort of people are no longer seen as “circus freaks” or sideshow attractions but more as medical mysteries. Also, the anecdotes certainly helped to keep the readers attention, and to understand some of the more complicated explanations.
Overall, the anecdotes throughout “Challenging Nature” are extremely helpful to the reader in keeping interested, in understanding what the chapter is about, and in strengthening Silver’s argument throughout the chapter. Non-fiction, above any other type of writing in my opinion, should include anecdotes. They are able to break up complexities throughout the book, they introduce new topics without over complicating things, and they make the reader want to continue on in reading it because of the simplification of the topic. Silver’s arguments are strengthened by the anecdotes because they are extremely relevant to the chapter and they incorporate just the right amount of simplicity to complement the science of the topic. Because of these things, the anecdotes do the opposite of distracting us from Silver’s argument; they focus the reader in on the topic.
3 comments:
In your introduction you do a good job of stating your argument in regard to both questions.
In your next paragraph your topic sentence is wordy and awkward, "The first anecdote that I noticed to particularly strengthen one of Silver's arguments...". Also try to connect the two paragraphs discussing the first anecdote more so that they flow together. Incorporate your examples of Silver in the paragraph discussing the appropriateness of the first anecdote.
For the paragraphs discussing the anecdotes in chapter 9 you do a better job of connecting the examples with your argument which makes it much smoother.
In your conclusion you did a good job of tying everything together.
Overall you did a good job of stating your argument and providing examples to back it up.
Katherine Delle
9/20/08
Dr. Adam Johns
Seminar in Composition
Anecdotes in “Challenging Nature” (re-write)
Throughout Lee Silver’s book, “Challenging Nature”, many personal anecdotes, or stories relating to one’s life, are included. They usually appear at the beginning of the chapters but Silver also occasionally includes them within chapters. They include such stories as going to participate in a debate at Princeton and going to see a traveling circus as a 12-year-old boy. Such anecdotes that are included in this sort of controversial non-fiction may seem inappropriate and un-relatable to the text. However, in my opinion, Silver’s anecdotes not only enhance the book and make it more enjoyable to the reader, but they also strengthen his many arguments.
The first anecdote to strengthen one of Silver’s arguments was at the beginning of chapter 7 of Part II titled “The Embryonic Soul.” In the anecdote, Silver visits Princeton University to participate in a debate called “When Does Human Life Begin?” Silver was attempting to support his “irreverence toward human embryos” (p.99) so he showed a slide of a type of tumor called a teratoma. He explained that it had been removed from the buttock of a young child and then thrown away as medical waste. His point was that at first glance a teratoma just seems as though it is a common tumor; however, Silver later explains that teratomas have very humanlike characteristics. They are covered in human skin and hair and inside are things like muscle, teeth, bone, and sometimes even a beating heart or human eye. Some have even been reported to have a human hand extending off the surface. People have argued for years that even fertilized embryos deserve respect so why was this teratoma any different? By including this anecdote Silver was able to strengthen his argument because he challenged the idea that embryos should be respected by comparing this respect for embryos to that of teratomas. The anecdote was very relevant and it was also able to effectively introduce what was to come in the remainder on the chapter (all about what is considered to have a soul). Also, it kept the reader interested in the topic at hand which is important since this kind of topic can easily confuse and/or be dull
Anecdotes such as these are extremely appropriate in Silver’s style of writing. This example was able to successfully draw the reader into the book and make them interested in the topic discussed. Not only did the reader learn something fascinating about science, but also they will most likely retain the information about teratomas sine it was so compelling. Part of the reason why this example engrosses the reader is because it doesn’t confuse him or her. Not everyone is a scientist or even knows a lot about science, so the anecdotes are what make the book relatable and easily understood by a wide range of people. They remind us that Silver simply wants to share his opinion, not force his views upon us. Without anecdotes in this style of writing, the book would be duller and it would move slowly. Also, by including the anecdotes both at the beginnings of chapters and throughout them, the reader is continually drawn back into the topic without getting confused or lost in the complicated scientific explanations.
Chapter 9 of part II titled “Counting Souls” includes two connecting anecdotes that simultaneously strengthen another one of Silver’s arguments. The first anecdote tells a story of when Silver was 12 years old and he and his cousin went to see a traveling circus. He explains paying a dime to see a “baby with two heads; born alive, stayed alive.” (148). Silver reported circling the tank, which encompassed a baby with two heads and necks connected to a single body, and he wondered if this baby had been considered one person. This anecdote allows us to familiarize ourselves with the topic at hand (conjoined twins) and to introduce what is to come in the text. The chapter following the anecdote is all about things such as conjoined twins, people with “ parasitic twins” growing out from their own bodies, people with two faces, split brain patients, and other physically abnormal yet amazing people. The point of the chapter was to introduce the debates over things like human individuality in these kinds of people, what counts as a person in certain abnormal situations, and what should be considered “just” when having to do things such as split conjoined twins. Overall, Silver wanted the reader to consider how these things affect human nature.
Silver’s curiosity as a child in this anecdote at the circus provided an opening for the second connecting anecdote taking place 35 years later. He and his young daughter visited at a medical museum to view similar “sideshow” exhibits. The anecdote ended with Silver’s daughter asking a question about a pair of female conjoined twins, “if they get pregnant, which one will be the baby’s mother?” (151) This quote from Silver’s daughter was able to provide the basis for his argument. This argument is that there is so much question and debate over people born as conjoined twins and with related abnormalities that we simply don’t know how to treat different situations regarding their individualities.
Both the anecdotes at the beginning of chapter 9 about the “two-headed baby” at the circus and visiting the museum work together to provide a strong introduction for all that Silver continues to explain in the remainder of the chapter. The anecdotes also help to get the point across that these sort of people are no longer seen as “circus freaks” or sideshow attractions but more as medical mysteries. They both strengthened Silver’s argument that the different abnormal situations (such as conjoined twins, parasitic twins, or split brain patients) challenge the “norm” of what human is defined as. Also, the anecdotes certainly helped to keep the readers attention, and to understand some of the more complicated explanations.
Overall, the anecdotes throughout “Challenging Nature” are extremely helpful to keep the reader interested, to be able to understand what his happening, and to strengthen Silver’s arguments throughout the book. Non-fiction, above any other type of writing in my opinion, should include anecdotes. They are able to break up complexities, they introduce new topics without over complicating things, and they make the reader want to continue on in reading the book because they make the topic engrossing. Silver’s arguments are strengthened by the anecdotes because they are extremely relevant to the chapter and they incorporate just the right amount of simplicity to complement the science of the topic. Because of these things, the anecdotes do the opposite of distracting us from Silver’s argument; they focus the reader in on the topic.
Your introduction did far too little - you don't have the luxury of spending this much space on this little in such a short paper. This broad introduction also sets you up to bit off more than you can chew - an argument focusing more clearly on a subset of anecdotes might have been a good move.
Here's the thing about the teratoma paragraph. Nobody in their right mind would deny that Silver has an interesting, worthwhile argument here. But you focus entirely on the argument itself. You *claim* that it's important that it's an anecdote - but you only discuss it as an argument. You have nothing to say about this anecdote *as* an anecdote - hopefully that makes sense.
The next paragraph is simply generalizations. Not bad ones - but between this and the intro there's a lot of wasted space. Arguably most of this material should have been in the intro.
Your discussion of the anecdotes from chapter 9 is very much stronger; the paper should probably have focused entirely on them. I still think you wander too freely between talking about the *content* here (conjoined twins) and the significance of the personal background. You could have done more, if you'd been more focused on the impact of the personal nature of this material, by focusing on how the connection between Silver-as-child and his daughter effected *you*. Since you're arguing that "the personal" has a huge impact here, it's weird that you don't really say much about how it impacts *you*.
You're moving in a good direction in your discussion of chapter 9, but it would have been better to find your focus more quickly.
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