The Great Infleunza Barry Analysis

He portrays scientific research as dangerous by declaring that a “single step can also take one of a cliff.” This further emphasizes the courage prerequisite to scientists and hearkens back to the fear of the unknown. The fact that all of one’s work may be dashed into pieces by a single finding in the laboratory conveys the tenacity of researchers. Barry’s description of the process by which a scientist decides which “tools” are appropriate to the task at hand, exemplifies the tedious and often inglorious labor involved in most scientific research. Barry finally predicts that if a scientist is successful a “flood” of colleagues and others will “pave roads” over the paths so painstakingly laid, taking one within minutes to the very place the scientist spent so long searching for. This suggests that in the wake of major discovery, the actual pioneer of this breakthrough may be forgotten. Countless researchers have made valuable contributions to the human understanding of the world, and faded into obscurity over the course of the history of science. Barry’s conceit conveys the fact that, like exploring uncharted wilderness, scientific research can be both treacherous and thankless, but all the more noble for

In his nonfiction text, The Great Influenza, John M. Barry explains that scientific research is an uncertain process. Barry supports this explanation by using rhetorical strategies such as repetition and a metaphor. Barry’s purpose is to prove scientific research is a confident process that allows one to be courageous on the side of uncertainty. Barry uses formal tone with his audience that goes beyond researchers.

John M. Barry, the author of The Great Influenza, writes about scientists and the obstacles they face. He claims that scientists are explorers in the wilderness that is science. There is no charted path to go down and no one to follow. Scientists will always be uncertain, however scientists should possess certain characteristics to overcome the doubt. He appeals to our emotions to explain the necessary characteristics a scientist has to posses. John M. Barry uses anaphoras, motifs, and pathos in his definition of what scientists do.

The first claim that Barry makes is that scientists need to be courageous in order to be heroic. To get this point across, he uses the rhetorical strategies of antithesis and diction. He says, “Certainty creates strength. Certainty gives one something upon which to lean. Uncertainty creates weakness. Uncertainty makes one tentative if not fearful, and tentative steps, even when in the right direction, may not overcome significant obstacles.” By presenting two contrasting ideas, certainty and uncertainty, Barry starts to suggest that a scientist’s job can include a lot of uncertainty.

The quote delivered by the intelligent and insightful John M Barry states, “To be a scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage” (Barry 5). Scientists endure a great amount of adversity than most people think. They have to retain a wide variety of skills to assist them in different circumstances that form in their laboratory. Scientist need to have persistence, so that when they fail, they will be willing to try again. As well as, acceptance to come to terms with the fact that an experiment turns out the opposite of their theory. In John M Barry’s passage,“The Great Influenza” he utilizes direct diction and powerful punctuation to characterize scientific research.

In John M. Barry’s “The Great Influenza” he states, “All real scientists exist on the frontier”(Barry 23). During the 1918 influenza epidemic Barry wrote “The Great Influenza” to describe the research that was happening revolving influenza. He describes different characteristic the scientist had to have researching the flu. He recognized the challenges that came with it. He also believes that if you are a scientist that you must be courageous to accept the uncertainty that comes with the job. “The Great Influenza” written by John M. Barry utilizes metaphors and descriptive diction to analyze the characteristics regarding scientist.

Instead of droning on and on about his opinion in convoluted language, Barry illustrates to the audience what he means by giving a clear example, and in this case, he gives the example of studying a rock. At this particular point in the passage, he is trying to explain to the audience why scientists need to have creativity and a strong work ethic. Since the audience of his book is simply anyone who is interested in reading more about the flu epidemic, it is likely that the reader may not know be able to comprehend detailed descriptions of intricate scientific experiments. Hence this particular example of an experiment of a rock serves Barry well to explain a complex idea to an everyday person. Another example Barry gives is when he states that “the perfect tool will be available for purchase”. This sentence in itself may confuse readers not in the scientific world, as they may wonder why scientists can’t just make things along the way, as the previous paragraph in the passage was about creativity and making things. Yet, by bringing up the example of being able to order lab mice from supply houses, the audience can then understand where Barry’s statement of needing to purchase items comes from. The average reader can acknowledge through this example that yes, supplies can be made just like scientists can breed mice, but constantly making the “perfect” tool is just a hassle, and hence this solidifies Barry’s

Attention Getting Device: John Barry, in his writing The Great Influenza, he states, “To be a scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage. It is not the courage to venture into the unknown. It is the courage to accept — indeed, embrace — uncertainty.” (Barry 2). During all eras of time, scientists have endured enormous amounts of adversity. Scientists have to maintain a wide variety of skills in several different are to assist them in different circumstances that they endure. Scientists must have persistence due to their main activity being trial and error. This meaning that once they have failed, they most certainly have to being willing to try it again. A scientist also must posses acceptance, as there will be times when they receive results that are not their predictions. Scientist must obtain acceptance to come to terms with the results found in their laboratory. In John Barry’s The Great Influenza, he utilizes metonymy and rhetorical questioning to characterize scientific research.

Brilliant author, John M. Barry, once proclaimed, “Uncertainty makes one tentative if not fearful, and tentative steps, even when in the right direction, may not overcome significant obstacles… It is the courage to accept—indeed, embrace—uncertainty” (Barry 3-5 & 9-10). These quotes can be traced back to John M. Barry’s passage of “The Great Influenza,” where he writes an account about the 1918 flu epidemic that struck the world. In his account, he goes into further explanation about the rigors and fulfillment of being a scientist, and simultaneously, discusses the tedious process of their research. Ultimately, society is educated that the life of a scientist should not be absolute, but it should consist of persistence and courage. In John M. Barry’s “The Great Influenza,” the author employs innovative metaphors and unique rhetorical questions to portray scientific research.

Attention Getting Device: John Barry, in his writing, The Great Influenza, he states, “To be a scientist requires not only intelligence and curiosity, but passion, patience, creativity, self-sufficiency, and courage. It is not the courage to venture into the unknown. It is the courage to accept — indeed, embrace — uncertainty” (Barry 2). During all eras of time, scientists have endured enormous amounts of adversity. Scientists have had to maintain a wide variety of skills in several different areas to assist them in different circumstances that they endure. Scientists must have persistence, due to their main activity being trial and error. This means that once they have failed, they most certainly have to be willing to try it again. A scientist also must posses acceptance, as there will be times when they receive results that are not their predictions. Scientist must obtain acceptance to come to terms with the results found in their laboratory. In John Barry’s The Great Influenza, he utilizes metonymy and rhetorical questioning to characterize scientific research.

At the beginning of the paragraph John M. Barry uses a metaphor to compare a scientist to the wilderness. If a person goes camping the individual needs the right equipment in order to be successful. The same goes for a scientist in two ways. One is if they are doing an experiment they need the right equipment in order to have a successful experiment. Two is that the scientist needs to have the right knowledge in order to understand and make sense of what they are doing.

Science is taking a step out to discover new things, to build new testable explanations. To design new products that could be beneficial to humans, it not only takes risks, but it could cost you a job. Many occupations do not compare because they lack the feeling of heroism, affection and inquiry. In “The Great Influenza”, John M Barry is describing how a scientist must function and the techniques that they use to complete their research. Through his diction, allusions and figurative language he better illustrates the work of scientist as demanding and to persuade the reader to accept his view on scientific research.

The modern era, which encompasses the period between the climax of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twenty first century, has been a prosperous time for the fields of innovation, which may be composed of advances in technology and intangible knowledge. This period of time has included innovations such as the electrical system upon which nearly all homes operate, more comprehensive understanding of the field of astrophysics, advancements in the understanding of atomic theory, and innovations in the field of aeronautics. However, these advances are not the product of ordinary men; rather, they are the product of extraordinary thinkers, who, in all probability, will provide an influence on the world. In order for a person to be

These duties are not as straight forward as they appear. On the surface, scientists appear to have but one duty: contribute. However, this is a simplistic view of a matter which carries an extreme weight on society. A scientist must go gently to discover the unknown. His creation must become his master. A scientist must be prepared to accept the full consequences of his work, no matter what the personal cost is. To simply create and then abandon one’s creation

The ethos of science was always been about seeking for the truth. Ptolemy wanted to know what was in the heavens. Newton wanted to know about motion and force. Einstein wanted to know about protons and relativity. These scientists and many others have always had that pure desire of wanting to learn the truth about what they were interested. However, if we were to examine the present, scientists today are struggling not because of their truth-seeking journeys but because of the need to produce results so that they can still have the opportunity of keeping their jobs researching the subjects that they have researching for the past few years. In today’s lab, we see researchers scrounging around for grant money and yelling on the phone with