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NameDate

Print out this page and answer three of the following questions based on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Submit your answers by Tues, January 20, 2015.

  1. Henrietta Lack’s family relates her immortality to the actions of an angel in chapter 36. Clarify why this explanation of her immortality makes the most sense to her family.
  1. Skloot begins and ends the book with Deborah’s voice. How does this choice impact the reader’s experience of the story? Does her voice change? If so, explain how.
  1. Consider Deborah’s comment near the end of chapter 33: “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.” Relate the attitude implied in this quote to Deborah and Zakariyya’s meeting with Christoph Lengauer at Johns Hopkins and Deborah’s experiences at the former Crownsville Hospital for the Negro insane.
  1. Compare and contrast the medical research likely performed on Elsie with Gey’s research. Does some medical research seem “more wrong”? Why do you think you feel that way? Be specific.
  1. Reread Chapter 34 The Medical Records. To what word in the autopsy report might Rebecca and Deborah be referring that is not included in this book? Explain your choice by relating it to the confrontation that occurs shortly thereafter.

NameDate

Print out this page and answer three of the following questions based on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Submit your answers by Tues, January 20, 2015.

  1. Henrietta Lack’s family relates her immortality to the actions of an angel in chapter 36. Clarify why this explanation of her immortality makes the most sense to her family.
  1. Skloot begins and ends the book with Deborah’s voice. How does this choice impact the reader’s experience of the story? Does her voice change? If so, explain how.
  1. Consider Deborah’s comment near the end of chapter 33: “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different.” Relate the attitude implied in this quote to Deborah and Zakariyya’s meeting with Christoph Lengauer at Johns Hopkins and Deborah’s experiences at the former Crownsville Hospital for the Negro insane.
  1. Compare and contrast the medical research likely performed on Elsie with Gey’s research. Does some medical research seem “more wrong”? Why do you think you feel that way? Be specific.
  1. Reread Chapter 34 The Medical Records. To what word in the autopsy report might Rebecca and Deborah be referring that is not included in this book? Explain your choice by relating it to the confrontation that occurs shortly thereafter.