Please read the first three chapters of Henrietta Lacks and post a response to the material in the comments section below. Feel free to comment on any chapter or section of a chapter that you found particularly interesting, relatable, or relevant to the essay topic.
I found plenty of interesting parts in the first three chapters, however, what stood out the most was when Henrietta went to the hospital and Dr.Gey took some of her tissue without her consent. Henrietta body was suffering and she was in denial for a while. Henrietta just happened to be a calm character through everything she went through. During Jim Crow it was a plethora of things colored people couldn't do and it made me appreciate life a little more. I also found that it was plenty of incest in the second chapter, it scared me a little bit, although I knew that back in those days family members always got married. I'm intrigued to find out what's going to happen in the other chapters because my eyes were glued to the book the entire time.
ReplyDeleteHenrietta Lacks was any other black woman during the segregation of colored people. she had a husband, had kids, and lived like any other housewife did. her life growing up must have been really hard on her because she went through so much and know she is diagnosed with cervical cancer. what really disgusted me was that she married Day(her cousin) and had two kids with him. her family was crazy because her other cousin crazy joe was in love with her as well. Henrietta lacks lived a very mellow life, she didn't let the cancer affect her. she did not want to worry anybody with what she can handle by herself. I think that Dr. Gey does not know what to expect with Henrietta's cells. I think that they will have a different reaction than anybody else's cells.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was reading the first chapter of Henrietta Lacks i was really surprised how she took the news of having cervical cancer. I think that if she would of been white, this story woyld of been very different. I believe that her cells wouldn't of been taken without her consent. Not having the same power as white people it was very interesting knowing that Henrietta would still be able to go to the doctor and get treated. I was expecting this book to be alot different but once I started reading i couldn't put it down.
ReplyDelete“During the school year, after taking care of the garden and livestock each morning, she’d walk two miles – past the white school where children threw rocks taunted her…” (Pg. 20) Henrietta Lacks led an interesting life to us but, to her peers at the time, she led a normal life. The things that surprised me were the struggles of the Jim Crow “era”. When Henrietta worked at the fields when ever she could to help her family but then she went school right away where people threw rocks at her. And when she went with her uncle to help her families unload tobacco at warehouses where they had to sleep in basements. For a kid coming from pretty much the city with no farms and coming from an era where racism isn’t as bad as it was half a decade ago made me think. I’ve never had to haul tobacco, work on fields, or walk to school even half a mile to get to school. It made me think about how strong Henrietta’s drive, love, and selflessness for her family truly was.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the reading, I was confused when the doctor told Henrietta that she had cervical cancer. I did not know whether to think that she was strong enough to not to tell anyone about the cancer or she did not understood what it really ment. But after thinking about it for a while, I remembered that she worked and took care of her family since she was little. Having to deal with many responsabilities shows a strong character; that is when i realized that she was really strong and did not want to worry anyone about the cancer.
ReplyDeleteThe immortal life of Henrietta Lacks portrays perfectly the time period of the Jim Crow law, where people were "separate but equal" which wasn't equal because color was a major factor. The book implies that during this era society was corrupt and malignant to the poor and people of color. In chapter three we see that these physicians believe that because the poor were receiving free health assistance, they did not need to ask for permission when extracting cells from them to do research. I believe that as individual we have the right to decide what is done to what is ours being rich or poor. No one should take anything from us with out our consent or informing us.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested when I read that Henrietta lacks was sent to live with her grandpa Tommy. She was sent to live with her grandpa and her 9 year old cousin Day. That was the beginning of a long life for Henrietta in her farming and harvesting life. I also was interested when crazy Joe nearly went chaotic over Henrietta.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that grabbed my attention about the book was the quote she used by Elie Wiesel. The first time I heard about him was in his book called "Night". I think that it is very difficult for an author to use this quote, considering how sensitive it is to others and the background it comes from. It made me wonder how this quote connects to the book and Henrietta. The fact that color segregation was going on during this time period, made her story all the more real and makes you think about how time has changed. I feel that the most important rhetorical modes used in this book is compare and contrast. The fact that she uses dates for each chapter, makes me think of what could have happened differently if it were to occur in today's life time. Although time plays a big role in this book, segregation is just as important. It makes me question about if she were white, what would have happened? I thought it was very interesting how Henrietta avoided or declined any type of treatment or reason to go to the hospital. Henrietta also didn't go to the doctor after she has talked to her cousins about the knot she had. It makes me think that she didn't care much about her health.
ReplyDeleteReading up to " This was the era of Jim Crow... even if it meant they might die in the parking lot." (pg 15). i paused and took a break from there. I was so into the book that i fell into imagining myself in her time. the suffering of people that was not able to get the check up in the hospital was so chaotic and horrible. After coming back out of the book i have to say that i am so glad that time has past and that we evolve from a sever and chaotic segregation to all people are equal (at least not as bad). For Day dropping out of sixth grade i was reflecting on the education we have now. We are able to go to school until high school is such a luxury to have. They endure and obey to those laws and i have to say i can feel a pity on Henrietta. If Henrietta was not black, i would expect that instead of taking her cells without notifying her she would be told: but if she was not black i would never think this book would be interesting than it is already.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting in the book when Dr. Howard Jones read Henrietta's chart , it is obvious that Henrietta was a woman to not do any treatments or medications for herself unless it meant life or death which until that point she has not believe any of her conditions were worth getting treated. So when Henrietta was in the operating room and Dr. Lawrence Wharton Jr. shaved off a dime-size of her healthy cervical tissue without her agreeing to it during operating supposably only on her tumor , it would have seemed if she was asked, she would have said no to the unnecessary procedure.
ReplyDeleteDeborah's Voice was the first thing I read when I opened this book. I was captured by the way this was written as I read it I actually felt as if I was listening to Deborah however, what captured my attention overall was when she questioned "if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can't afford to see no doctors?' This quote made a huge impact in my reading. It's ironic that being the daughter henrietta lacks a women who's cell's were evidently used to cure and to make so many changes in the world for good cannot afford medical assistance. This to me is absolutely unfair. Chapter one taught me many things about Henrietta. On the first page of this chapter it mentions how Everyone in Henrietta's family always visited the Jesus statue laid flowers prayed and rubbed his big toe for good luck before seeing a Hopkins doctor. The day Henrietta attended she skipped this traditional action. Henrietta walking into John Hopkins hospital without first stopping at the Jesus statue brought to my head that it was very likely she felt so sick she didn't remember or want to waste any time to get medically assisted as soon as possible. On the second page of this chapter it talks about how when pain first emerged when having sex henrietta thought it might be from giving birth not too long ago but she also kept in mind that it could be "the bad blood David sometimes brought home from other women" I don't think I have the words to explain how much this bothered me not only was Day committing adultery but he was also bringing back diseases to his wife. Chapter two made me realize Henrietta was a tool however she was a strong one she slept in a bedroom with a boy who was four years older than her. I don't know if theirs ever a time where I would believe it okay to let a female child sleep with a male four years older than her. This led to her having her first child at fourteen and eventually having four more its completely ironic that she has five children when in chapter one she mentions she has no liking for sex. This brought to my mind that the sex might have not been consensual and it irritated me more when It was mentioned that she had been treated for Gonorrhea. By chapter three I was angry at each and every aspect of her life besides all the things that are completely unfair about this women's life she must still deal with racism. And having doctors use her for reaserach without her knowledge is a complete disrespect. As I kept reading it was confirmed to me that Henrietta was nothing but a strong tool when she found out about the bad news she decided to keep them to herself because she chose to not bother anyone with something the thought would be so simple. This not only proved to me that she thought of herself strong enough to handle a situation but also that she cared about others more than herself she didn't want to worry anybody. So far In my opinion this book is full of injustice racism inequality and several types of abuse.
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ReplyDeleteReading the first 3 chapters had me feeling some type of way. It still shocks me that people were treated that way and didn't have a say about it. I think the Jim Crow era played a huge role in who and how Henrietta Lacks was. I understand Henrietta, the time they lived in, and why she took the news of her having cancer the way she did. I think Henrietta knew that as long she was black being equal to a white woman would never happen.She will never get the care that they receive and she will not be treated the same. Henrietta plays a amazing role in my eye. She plays the housewife who takes care of the kids, cooks, cleans, and works in the hard, and continues to do so in sickness or health. When she married her cousin I was shocked but I expected that to happen.
ReplyDeleteWow! I can really see why the book reviews of, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," written by Rebecca Skloot is just a book you don't want to put down. From the very beginning, there is a quote from Elie Wiesel that says,"We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures,with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of purpose." This quote opened my eyes to realize we all have our individual challenges, wars, and triumphs. I opened mind to grasp what and Henrietta's life came to be through her cervical cancer treatment. I really enjoyed how Skloot made input as a high school student to research Henrietta and her family, especially Deborah's Voice intro. When Henrietta feels as if there is something wrong with her she only tells her cousins. During Jim Crow era, there was segregate states and so for Henrietta being a "colored" she didn't receive the medical attention she needed to prevent or treat her cervix cancer. She finally goes to get checked because she felt there was a knot in her stomach, and her medical chart was terrible. It read how her husband, Day, slept with other women, how she had syphilis, was a housewife and a mother of five. Henrietta basically worked like a slave as a child and didn't really have a choice, since her dad couldn't take care of her and nine siblings after her mother's death. It is sad and difficult for a child to mentally and physically develop under such bad conditions. The lack of a mother and father figure really affects a child into there adulthood, such as Henrietta. She is a strong women yet ignorant of what was really going on with her. Henrietta thought she was just going to get "fixed" and not "experimented." I can already feel how Deborah must have felt and the family struggle the Lacks went through in such a racist, segregated, and unjust time they lived.
ReplyDeleteHenrietta Lacks, like many other blacks in the Jim Crow era, had to struggle for basic survival. She had several setbacks with not only racism, but technology, poverty, and several other factors. I’m almost positive the outcome would have been different, had this been set in the 21st century. The study of medicine has come a long way since the 1950s. Chapter one really caught my attention when she said “(Henrietta) has a lump in her womb” and no one understood the gravity of the situation because of their limited knowledge. In chapter 3 page 29 states that more than 15,000 women were dying each year from cervical cancer. I give HeLa props for even knowing that this was more than just a simple problem. She knew the problem was serous before it escalated. Its astonishing how life was just two generations ago for African Americans in the south. My grandmother grew up in Louisiana and went to a segregated school. She used to tell us stories on how hard they had to work with little opportunity. Henrietta Lacks had to walk miles just to go to her school. So far I am really enjoying this book and just imagining what life was like for someone who was poor and ill like Henrietta Lacks.
ReplyDeleteI was drawn into Henriettas story and how the wriiter uses Herniettas background to inform the reader on who she was as a person. The writer tells us the good and the bad thingss that happened in her past to help us understand why she will make the desicions that are goin to come up in her future. Henrietta as a person is amazing, she is strong and even thing she does is to protect her family.
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