Scientists are constantly forced to test their work and beliefs. Thus they need the ability to embrace the uncertainty that science is based on. This is a point John M. Barry uses throughout the passage to characterize scientific research, and by using rhetorical devices such as, comparison, specific diction, and contrast he is able show the way he views and characterizes scientific research. One of the most effective methods Barry uses throughout the aforementioned passage, is his comparison of scientists to explorers. The first lines of paragraph four set up the comparison, “All real scientists exist on the frontier,” this furthers the point Barry makes that scientific research is about uncertainty and embracing it, only then will the research that is done yield any answers. Barry furthers the point of uncertainty is the very nature of science with this quote, “There they probe in a …show more content…
In the passage Barry says, “It is not the courage to venture into the unknown. It is the courage to accept—indeed, embrace—uncertainty.” He uses the specific diction of venture, and embrace to further his points on how scientists must embrace the uncertainty, instead of just being prepared to venture into it. This also leads into how he contrasts embracing uncertainty and venturing into uncertainty. He is able to show that although they seem like the same thing, in the end they are very different. Venturing into the unknown does not mean you are prepared to accept it, especially with how most people are scared of the unknown. Though being able to accept the unknown and the uncertainty that comes with it truly defines scientific research. Overall, John M. Barry was able to define and characterize scientific research. Using rhetorical strategies such as, comparison, specific diction, and contrast Barry is able to show how scientific research is uncertainty
In The Great Influenza, John M. Barry educates citizens of the everyday challenges that scientists face through utilizing rhetorical questions, cause and effect, and contrast. Barry’s uses of the rhetorical strategies highlights the beauty of uncertainty because of failure, scientists can make new discoveries everyday. In relation
Barry successfully conveys the many traits that scientists will endure in their work, and the qualities essential in order to be successful by using three effective rhetorical devices-- exemplification, powerful diction, and insightful figurative language. He uses his experience with the flu epidemic and rhetorical strategies to prove his claim that there is much more to science
Generally, I disagree with Barry's view on the topic, his writing technique, and reasoning. His work is a persuasive text meant to entertain; but, in my honest opinion, it does not even succeed in merely swaying the reader in order to shift their perspective or chuckle at the supposed hilarity of his jokes.
...s passage he references “scientists” as the information source, but does not cite any specific people or research.
Barry opens with a universal truth about life which translated well when comparing the scientists of the past and future. He uses anaphora to convey the battle and Certainty Vs. Uncertainty in the first paragraph, he stated “Certainty creates strength. Certainty gives one something upon
Barry depicts the work of a researcher to be complex and challenging, and that each synopsis of a situation has obstacles that can only be surpassed by the necessary characteristics of a scientist. Barry uses the examination of a rock to show the mindset a scientist must have in order to obtain the wanted information. Including how researchers use the traits of not only curiosity and creativity, but also patience and forethought strengthens Barry’s claim of the predicaments a scientist may encounter and how he would overcome them, “Would a pick be best, or would dynamite be better - or would dynamite be too indiscriminately destructive?” (Barry 40-42). Throughout the passage Barry uses several rhetorical strategies to characterize his claims and to allow his audience to grasp an understanding of how scientific research, although difficult and riddled with obstacles, encompasses humankind’s need for
He wants his readers to question each possibility and, ultimately, to question one’s ability to understand reality altogether. As the narrator states, “Nothing is fixed, nothing solved. The facts, such as they are, finally spin off into the void of things missing, the inconclusiveness of conclusion… All secrets lead to the dark,
He says that it is harder for him to doubt something deliberate, and the idea that he can have opportunities that are up to him to decide that fate of an outcome. He goes on to say that we must be wiser with our principles and start adjusting our theories to our data and avoid tailoring our data to our theories.
In the passage, Barry contrasts ideas to differentiate between the positive and negative traits a scientist may have. He begins by pointing out the juxtaposition of “Certainty creates strength. Uncertainty creates weakness” (Barry). By including these sentences near each other, the readers are able to understand the impact hesitancy makes on ones decisions. Barry informs the audience of another characteristic a researcher must acquire by pointing out the difference in right and wrong. He put together “To move forcefully and aggressively even while uncertain requires a confidence and strength deeper than physical courage” to contrast strong physical actions against timid internal feelings. (Barry). Barry includes the opposition of “forcefully
Barry’s use of an extended metaphor in paragraph 4 illustrates the unknown as being a, “wilderness region where [scientists] know almost nothing…” This highlights to the audience that scientists are truly courageous, as they have to trek through the unknown before anyone else. He also says that, “...a single step can take them through the looking glass into a world that seems entirely different.” This allusion to Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass can put the reader in the shoes of scientists who are thrust into a new world that was previously unexplored, as the reader is most likely more familiar with the children’s book than with the life and work of a scientist. It also can give some insight to who the intended audience of the writing is, someone who would have been well-read. After the scientist learns the basics about what they were researching, “a flood of colleagues will pave the road over the path laid, and those roads will be orderly and straight.” This metaphor compares how easy it is for people to go into the once unknown after at least a little has been found out about it, versus the scientist who had to go into it knowing nothing. It is those who do the former that Barry believes are truly
However, one can argue that not all research findings are to be believed (Hunt, 1987). A good research should capture the problem and find ways to improve in the setting.
Opportunistic scientists, the most hypocritical deviants of the modern age, revolve around the scientific method, or at least they used to. The scientific method once involved formulating a hypothesis from a problem posed, experimenting, and forming a conclusion that best explained the data collected. Yet today, those who are willing to critique the work of their peers are themselves performing the scientific method out of sequence. I propose that scientists, or the "treasure hunters" of that field, are no longer interested in permanent solutions, achieved through proper use of the scientific method, and rather are more interested in solutions that guarantee fame and fortune.
Competition is often useful as a means of motivation. However, in the scientific world, competition has the potential to cause many scientists to forget their main purpose in research. The main goal of scientific research is to develop knowledge that will better society. When scientists work together to help each other reach a common goal, science is working as it should.
At the beginning of the passage, Barry implements a parallel sentence During the discussion on certainty. The effect of making the first two sentences is parallel to stress the "certainty". It defines what is known with certainty, arguing that people believe that science and discoveries SafeGuard Theme of the unknown. Then Barry proceeds to juxtapose the certainty and uncertainty. This creates an antithesis that most likely the audience can relate to personally. With the mysteries of science, all that is not well documented is scary. Thereafter, Barry provides two definitions of a new word. He describes what he firmly believes that the popular definition of courage is incorrect. Rather than simply explore the unknown with courage acceptance of "uncertainty". In this sense, to refute the popular belief and assume that this is a misconception, Barry applies Fortitude of his argument, leaving no reason for the public to disagree. The implied statement is that science does not discover at once, so people should stop relying on what is known to keep them happy and alive. In fact, Barry cites Claude Bernard, who said, "Science teaches us to doubt." In a society full
Core Question 1: What is the purpose of comparing and contrasting several scientists within small excerpts?