The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas (Text TOW #22)

A famous researcher, writer, and medical professor from Princeton and Harvard University, Lewis Thomas coalesced his knowledge and experience about humanity and the environment into one short essay, “The Lives of a Cell”. Exploring the connection between organisms and Earth, Thomas concludes that the relationship between mother nature and its offspring is mutually beneficial, that Earth is like a singe cell.

Despite his eloquence of beauty between nature and man, Thomas, at the time he wrote the essay, only desired to talk to the intellectuals in the society. Written in 1971 and published in The New England Journal of Medicine, “The Lives of a Cell” is for those who at least received a decent medical education and were interested in the field of biology. The biological jargon such as “mitochondria” and “plasmids” are not for average readers.

Though the audience is limited, the essay is not. Using a wide range of examples, Thomas subtly compares planet Earth with the compositions of a single biological cell and describes the mutual dependencies of the two. Starting off with a components of cells, Thomas wrote “organelles as Mitochondria turned out to be little separate creatures….with their own DNA and RNA quite different from ours”(Oates 339). As he transitioned to the structure of cells, Thomas said “My centrioles, basal bodies, each with its own special genome, are as foreign, and as essential, as aphids in anthills”, concluding with the summary that ecosystem of cells are complex and interlocking with each other

From there, Thomas began to include the elements of Earth, making convincing comparisons between the cell and the planet. He described the uniformity of earth’s life, and remarked how “the enzymes of grass are like those of whales, just as how most organelles of a cell are linked together” (Oates 359). He commented about virus and the mutual dependability of all elements with the single cell structure, saying its astonishing ability to “pass around heredity as though at a great party and a medium for change and mutation”, just as how a cell has little RNA and enzyme molecules to proliferate genetic materials, just as how changes and mutations occur in a cell’s genetic code(Oates 360). The comparison between Earth and the cell is striking, and the elements under the two’s membranes could only thrive through a harmony with the whole.

Earth is like a single cell.

Confession of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins (IRB TOW#21)

If the first half of the book can be described as to raise awareness, then the second half is definitely a call to action. Written only a decade ago, “Confession of an Economic Hit Man” is a telling tale and autobiography of John Perkins, an ex-schemer for the United States to raise the nation’s economic capital. The world Perkin experienced was bitter and cruel, filled with plots, deceptions, and calculations of self-interest. The symbol of liberty, the democratic nation of America, is not what Perkin sees. Perkins already made his readers aware of the Darwinian principle governing modern day society, and now he wants a change.

Perkins revelations appeal to readers worldwide. However, his call to action most directly put the responsibility on the citizens of America, as people of one of the leading nations in the present world.

Throughout the latter half of his book, Perkins gradually shifted the focus from his worldwide negotiations and experiences to the malevolent role United States as a whole plays in a macroscopic view, urging American citizens to take actions. He reflected on Middle Eastern affairs, saying “ a puppet administration is favorable to the United States who was to frighten countries like Iraq into submission”(Perkins 207). When he specifically tackled the event of Panama invasion, he revealed the shocking truth of how “the Bush administration and US army prohibited the Red Cross and outside observers from entering the heavily bombed area for three days” (Perkins 208). The United States, shown by Perkins, is far from the representation of liberty many Americans imagined. The world need Americans to change their nation.

Along with his emphasis on US actions in the macroscopic picture, Perkin also used intimate diction to connect to the readers. The use of the word “I” was slowly but fully being replaced by words such as “you” and “we”. In his conclusion, Perkins accentuated that “one thing we each can-and must- do is to educate ourselves.” (Perkins 276). When he is discussing the motivation for making changes, Perkins again phrased it as “the coincidences of your life, and the choices you have made have brought you to this point” (Perkins 265). Perkins shows his readers all have a responsibility to make a change, and a necessity to do so.

May the world be a better place.

Friendly almighty (Visual TOW#20)

       Who doesn’t know the big brand name of Coco Cola? The dark liquid, red bottle, and double C signature seems to be alongside people’s growth from the origin of time. Coca Cola Company knows the high popularity it holds, and attempts to extends that popularity to the very limit with another advertisement, proclaiming Coca Cola is the “friendliest drink on Earth”.

       Already prevalent on the internet, the “friendly” Cola advertisement is making an impact toward audience worldwide, especially those of relatively wealthier nations. The appeal is simple but direct: encouraging consumers to buy more of Coca Cola commodities. However, the method used is well calculated and brilliant, a well-done example of deductive reasoning, using the universal human assumption and connotation of the word “friend.”

       The advertisement’s head line reads “friendliest drink on Earth”, with a portrayal of planet Earth behind the bottle of Coco Cola. The audience’s immediate reaction to the advertisement will naturally be the connotation of the word “friend”- a positive word with associations such as good, loyal, and beneficial. At the same time, the picture depicted in the advertisement also adds weight to the claim of “friendliest drink on Earth” with the deliberate positioning of Cola bottles before the Earth itself, suggesting the importance of Coco Cola. Even without the picture to back up the minor premise, the universal and astonishing popularity of Coco Cola will naturally appeal to many world-wide audience of the weight associated with the Coco Cola brand name. The conclusion, by deduction, then is clear to the audience through syllogism: if Coco Cola is the “friendliest drink on Earth”, and friendly is good, then Coco Cola drinks must be good and beneficial.

       Nevertheless, the fact still hold true that minor premise of the deductive argument is severely exaggerated, as friendliest itself is a hard term to define. The advertisement will not necessarily elevate Coco Cola to an unprecedented peak, but it will bring them additional wealth, as the advertisement itself, with the symbol of Coco Cola, is enough for appeals.

       So drink up.

The figure a poem makes by Robert Frost (Text TOW#19)

       A famous and renowned American poet of the 20^th century, Robert Frost offers his own perspective of the nature of poems and their making in “the figure a poem makes”. As a preface to “Collected Poems” published in 1939, the essay explores the impact of poems to both the poet and the readers in wisdom and knowledge, in addition to the nature of the poem in sound and pleasure. The message is universal, and therefore Frost’s insight falls not only upon those fervent poem-lovers, or even the Literary Americans in general, but literary people around the world.

       In describing the essence, definition, and impacts of poems, Frost especially relied on personal experiences and didactic teachings. When he discussed the beauty and knowledge a poem brings, he purposefully repeated the word “I”, saying “for me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn’t know I knew. I am in a place, in a situation, as if I had materialized from cloud or risen out of the ground”(Oates 177). When explaining the nature of a poem’s construction, Frost again emphasized upon himself, reflecting that “more than once I should have lost my soul to radicalism if it had been the originality it was mistaken for by its young converts… the originality of a poem run in the way I have: from delight to wisdom”(Oates 178). The drawing of personal experiences, combined with Frost’s already established ethos, give his essay both validity and authority.

       With his personal experiences comes alongside didactic teachings. Frost articulates clearly what he thinks a good poem should be composed of. In discussing the construction of poems, he especially focused on variety, informing the readers that “the resources for that of vowels, consants…is not enough; we need the help of context-meaning-subject-matter”(Oates 176). Later when he describes the wisdom of poetry, a similar didactic fashion is used, “The artist must value himself as he snatches a thing a thing from some previous order in time and space into a new order…”(Oates 178). What originates from the didactic teachings of Frost is explicit criteria of the figures of good poetries; the wisdom and beauty they bring.

       Unlike childhood, Poetry will always stay.