ipl-logo

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Analysis

800 Words4 Pages

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is a profoundly moving and thought-provoking drama television film that combines historical and ethical exploration with a strong focus on human relationships and resilience. Directed by George C. Wolfe, the film showcases the exceptional acting talents of Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne, who bring depth and emotion to this incredible story. Based on Rebecca Skloot's bestselling book, the film delves into the life of Henrietta Lacks, a woman diagnosed with cervical cancer in the 1950s, and the unprecedented consequences of her cancer cells, known as HeLa. Since its premiere on HBO on April 22, 2017, the film has continued to spark meaningful conversations about consent, race, and the ethical challenges faced …show more content…

This groundbreaking finding has led to countless medical breakthroughs, such as the polio vaccine development, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, and cancer treatments, among others. Despite the far-reaching significance of Henrietta's cells, her family was never informed of their contribution to medicine. Her identity remained largely concealed until Rebecca Skloot's tenacious investigative journalism brought her story to light.

Oprah Winfrey gives an unforgettable performance as Deborah Lacks, Henrietta's daughter, embarks on a deeply personal quest to uncover the truth about her mother's cells and their far-reaching impact on modern medicine. Alongside her is Rose Byrne, who portrays Rebecca Skloot, the steadfast journalist who supports Deborah as they navigate medical research's intricate and often emotionally charged realm. Together, these two women forge a connection as they delve into the Lacks family history and bring Henrietta's story to the world's …show more content…

It invites viewers to consider the ethical boundaries of scientific research and the responsibility of the medical community to acknowledge and rectify past injustices. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks serves as a poignant reminder that behind every scientific discovery lies a deeply human story that deserves empathy, recognition, and understanding.

One of the film's strengths lies in its ability to present complex scientific concepts in a manner that is both accessible and engaging for a broad audience. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks masterfully intertwines the scientific and the personal, making viewers feel invested in the story and the real-life implications of the ethical questions it raises. The film's attention to detail, both in terms of historical accuracy and the portrayal of the emotional landscape of its characters, adds depth and authenticity to the

Show More
Related
1695 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction In this book, author Rebecca Skloot sets out to give a biography of the late Henrietta Lacks. She had first heard of Henrietta Lacks in her freshman biology class at 16 years old. After only learning her name and skin color, Skloot became very much curious. Twenty-two years later, all her research was published as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Read More
572 Words | 3 Pages

These cells, however, turned out to be unique in that they were able to grow and multiply outside the human body, making them invaluable in medical research. The movie follows the journey of journalist Rebecca Skloot, as she investigates the story of Henrietta Lacks and her "immortal" cells. Skloot travels to Baltimore to interview Henrietta's family and learn more about her life and legacy. She uncovers a complex and often painful history that sheds light on issues of race, class, and medical

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

The book, clips, and movie have shown the controversy of medicine and research, as a patient’s cell is currently being used without the family’s consent. The overall story and plot of this book and film have been overly emotional because of the grief of the family as they face hardship without Henrietta. The story starts with the author, Rebecca Skloot, and her experiences with Deborah in discovering the backstory of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca got in contact with Deborah’s family to write her book about “HeLa” cells because she got interested after a lecture with her professor. The reasoning is because no one is aware of the background of these cells.

Read More
1665 Words | 7 Pages

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot, is a pivotal novel in the world of scientific research that has not only shaped science, but society as a whole. From growing up as a poor tobacco farmer, to becoming a part of one of the most essential researches in medical history, Henrietta's story is highlighted for the person she was so more people can become knowledgeable of the life she lived before she became well known for her extraordinary cells that cured many lives. Rebecca Skloots portrays these elements of literature in order to reflect and tell her story in a new light, using many different tactics and techniques that allow the reader to grasp and focus on these small, important details that make all the difference

Read More
1474 Words | 6 Pages

Deborah was struggling with her family, Zakariyya was in jail, and the discovery of their mother cells had been a cultural shock. It was by word of mouth that the Lacks family heard about Henrietta’s cells being immortal. It was 1973 and Bobbette was having a conversation with her friend’s brother in law. What happened was that he eventually told her that he worked at the National Cancer Institute and that he has been working with a cell from a woman named Henrietta lacks that died of cervical cancer at Hopkins in the fifties. After hearing about this new discovery, Bobbette relayed the message to her family.

Read More
1444 Words | 6 Pages

Language Arts Question 4 In the beginning of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the author, Rebecca Skloot, stated her goal and reason of writing the book. Learning biology in college, her professor mentioned Henrietta and her cells very briefly. Fortunately, this was enough to catch Skloot’s curiosity. She desired to learn more about the woman responsible for so many scientific breakthroughs.

Read More
1276 Words | 6 Pages

The Unintentional Story of Deborah Lacks Negative incidents in one’s past can have an enormous impact on that individual’s future. A person should not linger on the negative, they should try to learn from their past and move forward, and look for positive aspects in life. In Rebecca Skloot’s, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, proves that the memories and struggles that Deborah Lacks endured, impacted the way that she lived her life, and helped with molding her identity. “I used to get so mad about that where it made me sick and I had to take pills. But don’t got it in me no more to fight.

Read More
782 Words | 4 Pages

In Rebecca Skloot’s compelling narrative, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot begins the novel with a quote by Elie Wiesel, “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 triumph.” The quote gives the reader a reason to explore the unknown life of Henrietta Lacks. Throughout the book, Skloot delves into the life of Henrietta, a young African-American woman whose cells were taken without her consent. Her cells would later become the only line of immortal cells.

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

Knowing that her life carries on through her heavenly blessing that will forever live on as an angelic body. Skloot’s personal stance of opening a case of history that not many people currently know about. Without Henrietta, and all the cruel negative experiments that were performed upon her. We wouldn’t have made such a scientific leap in advancement and knowledge towards our health discoveries today and the future that is laid out in front of human

Read More
239 Words | 1 Pages

Henrietta Lacks was a black tobacco farmer from the south who, in 1950, at the age of 30, she was diagnosed with aggressive cervical cancer. Lacks went to John’s Hopkins medical center for treatment for her cancer. In April of 1951, she underwent surgery to remove the larger tumor on her cervix. Henrietta Lacks, died three days following the surgery. Even though Henrietta Lacks died, her cells from the tumor have lived on and have made a major impact on the biomedical community.

Read More
663 Words | 3 Pages

Despite the wrongdoings Henrietta Lacks was put through her cells did a lot to help advance science. Her cells helped develop different types of vaccines, which such as her daughter faced. A lot of good and bad came out of Henrietta’s

Read More
1020 Words | 5 Pages

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta, an African-American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line. Told through the eyes of her daughter, Deborah Lacks, aided by journalist Rebecca Skloot. Deborah wanted to learn about her mother, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. It is a story of medical arrogance and triumph, race, poverty and deep friendship between the unlikeliest people. There had been many books published about Henrietta’s cells, but nothing about Henrietta’s personality, experiences, feeling, life style etc.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

Racism in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Imagine your mother, sister, wife, or cousin was diagnosed with cervical cancer and you believed the doctors were doing everything in their power to help her. Only later you discovered her cells were used for research without consent and she was not properly informed of the risks of her treatment due to her race. This story happened and is told by Rebecca Skloot in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot use of narrative and her writing style enhances the understanding of the story. Henrietta Lacks was a young black woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital.

Read More
235 Words | 1 Pages

She had five children when she fell ill and was devastated to learn her radium treatments left her unable to have more. She was protective of her family’s feelings, by keeping her cancer a secret from them so as not to worry them. Her family described her as an outgoing and beautiful woman of God. Henrietta and I have very little in common. I’ve never experienced prejudice because of my skin color or lived in a

Read More
1699 Words | 7 Pages

The absence of empathy extends to the Lacks family. When it was found that HeLa cells contaminated many of the cells lines around the world scientists scrambled for a definite marker unique to the HeLa so they might contain the HeLa infestation. For this they turned to Henrietta’s family. Genetic researcher Victor McKusick and assistant Susan Hsu began to take blood from Henrietta’s children and husband, David Lacks, without having the decency to fully explain the situation to Henrietta’s closest family members (Skloot, 2011). Mourning is a physically, mentally, and psychologically draining experience.

Read More

More about The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document