The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

The Lives of a Cell, by American physician and essayist Lewis Thomas, is an informational and clarifying piece of work that explains the interdependence of living things. Lewis Thomas is known most for his contributions to biology through countless essays and writings that educate and allow for readers to understand difficult scientific theories, such as the topic covered in this essay. Beginning on page 358, Thomas writes about the vast yet simple Planet Earth, and starts by describing the individual importance of a cell and all of its miniature components. He emphasizes the fact that each organelle within a cell has its own purpose and role, and that they depend on each other in order to function properly as a whole.

Thomas also relates the importance of cells in humans to their equally significant role in plants. Using personification he covers the theory of evolution and how viruses in all living objects, “from plant to insect to mammal to me and back again” are “passing around heredity as though at a great party” (360). Towards the end of the essay Thomas struggles to figure out exactly what our planet is most like. He presents this question to the audience in a form of a hypophora and later comes to the mind-blowing realization that the Earth is just like one single, simple cell. Every little mechanism and element on the Earth helps contribute to its enormity and complexity.
            By comparing the intricate idea of Earth to a minuscule cell, Thomas is able to achieve the purpose of educating his audience. He provides a way for them to easily wrap their minds around a challenging subject and increase their understanding of the world. It is incredibly important to obtain as much knowledge on life as possible, and with the help of expert scientists like Lewis Thomas readers have the ability to gain this priceless information.

This picture represents how the Earth is just like one big cell. 

(http://magazine.jhsph.edu/2007/Spring/features/dna/)

The Figure a Poem Makes by Robert Frost

 In The Figure a Poem Makes, written by Robert Frost, the topic of poetry and its diversity as a form of literature is addressed. Frost, who is one of the most widely read and adored American poets of all time, strongly believed that there was no specific and singular way in which a poem could be expressed. To him it was the beauty behind having variety and an endless amount of different options to choose from that mattered most. Each poem has its own character and wildness to it and does not need to follow any strict rules or resemble the way that others are written. Nevertheless each poem should “begin in delight and end in wisdom,” and enlightened its readers with information that makes them think hard and reconsider certain aspects of their lives (177).

Frost wanted the world to know that poetry is an art form, and that the originality of words and phrases strung together should have the freedom to “move about and establish relations regardless of time and space” (177). He educated his audiences in this essay with the knowledge that he gathered through his experiences at several prestigious universities, such as Harvard and Dartmouth, while still managing to incorporate his own special style. In his conclusion he ends with a simile that further enhances the image of poetry by stating that even if you “read it a hundred times; it will forever keep its freshness as a metal keeps its fragrance” (178). This form of rhetoric encourages the audience to respect poetry and always acknowledge the meaning behind every message. Frost accomplished his goal of informing why he believed that individuality is essential in poetry and made it clear that one of the greatest triumphs that any writer could have is to accurately express their emotions through words.

This cartoon demonstrates that people who follow the "rules" of poetry and don't take risks or add variety to their writing will be the ones who suffer in the long run.

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/business-commerce-rules-breaking_the_rules-playing_by_the_rules-begs-begger-hsc3245_low.jpg) 

Knoxville: Summer of 1915 by James Agee

In this essay, James Agee writes about childhood experiences during a hot summer in Knoxville, Tennessee. He goes through his entire evening, paying close attention to every single smell, sound, sight, and touch as the dark night creeps closer. Agee’s incredible imagery, paired with alliteration and similes, allow readers to feel like they are viewing these images and actions through their own eyes. This is a common skill demonstrated throughout Agee’s work, as he is well known for his poetry and film critics in which he writes “as a fellow viewer rather than as an insider with superior opinions” (James Agee | Biography). He feels comfort in ensuring that his audience is able to connect to his writing and be engulfed by it, as opposed to just simply reading words off a page.

It is evident that summer nights like these are important to Agee, and are where he gathered a majority of his memories as a child. He clearly was able to appreciate life around him as it passed by, and discovered that the simplest things, such as even the noises and movements of a garden hose, could have beauty. The words that Agee used, for example when he said the wide and alive stars are “like a smile of great sweetness,” or the dewy grass that was “low on the length of lawns, a frailing of fire who breathes,” seemed to make their own music (174). He was able to understand countless things about the world and his family through observation, however, towards the end of the essay later expresses that the one thing he does not think he will ever be able to understand is himself.

The desire to peer deeply into the lives of others is fueled by Agee’s struggle for self-discovery, and he accomplishes this purpose and cry for help by making himself blend in. Agee grew up in Tennessee “successfully disguised as a child” among all of his older family members (171). The only time he felt significant was when he concentrated his attention on the objects around him, and this was demonstrated through well-crafted sentences that make the audience believe they were experiencing their own type of summer night in Knoxville.  

"James Agee | Biography - American Author." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 June 2015. Web. 20 Aug. 2015.

This picture represents Agee's ability to appreciate the little things in life due to the fact that he is very observant, and how it allows him to understand the world around him better. 

(https://www.pinterest.com/jenpelt/the-final-frontier/)