Essay
One of Henrietta's relatives said," If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest." In other words, it means that it’s untruthful if people change others' speech as one pleases. In this book, Skloot adopted the exact dialect used in which people spoke to her the Lacks speak in a heavy Southern accent and Lengauer and Hsu speak as non-native English speakers by interviewees. Nevertheless, why did Skoot maintain to do it? How about readers' thinking when they see those obscure words? I think those questions will appear in many readers' mind. But, if readers think deep inside of this book and the author's intentions, then everything becomes clear.
Certainly, those non-native English words and words in dialect are confusing to readers. However, I believe Skloot already expected it while she still used those words. The most important reason is I think she wanted to keep the truth about the stories of Henrietta Lacks and her family as much as she could. As a non-fiction or other works, the only thing to make reader accept it, trust it, and enjoy it that is keeping the realness. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot did a good job and made great successful for this main point about realities, because she spent thousands of time to research the real story and exact words about Henrietta Lacks and her family. In addition, because of those unknown words, they indirectly reflect the Lacks family’s education, local language and local culture during that time. Those words are strange but interesting to modern people. Furthermore, they also make readers who can better grasp the realism in the book, and make " The characters become more than characters; they become people with real personality, joy, and pain."
From the website http://ecuhonors.blogspot.com/2012/05/immortal-life-few-words.html
That is why Skloot took trouble to write those exact information and did a lot of research by interviews.
However, some people make negative judgments about the way characters speak in this book. How can they say those words are spelling wrong just because they don’t know them? The only word I can say to them is “Ignorant”. I can imagine if the author had not added those character 's responses by the special words they were given, then we would have been unable to get the exact information, so that would cause us not to authentically realize characters who really are and their true meaning they presented. As the result, "Skloot have Henrietta's family their original voice complete with their own slang, grammar, and poise to provide towards their heritage as well as how closely portrayed the accounts are going to be in this books."
From the website http://ecuhonors.blogspot.com/2012/05/immortal-life-few-words.html
If those words were not exact, this vital perspective and its value will be lost, then this book will run out the vitality and seem unattractive and bland. Thus, Skloot decided to write truthfully as much as possible in this book.
In conclusion, any literary work should keep its authenticity as much as Skloot did. This way will makes people to be convinced, believe it, and appreciate it. If people change the essence, no matter how fanciful the words are, it never can cover up the inauthentic fact. This is why, a wise person said, “If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest."
One of Henrietta's relatives said," If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest." In other words, it means that it’s untruthful if people change others' speech as one pleases. In this book, Skloot adopted the exact dialect used in which people spoke to her the Lacks speak in a heavy Southern accent and Lengauer and Hsu speak as non-native English speakers by interviewees. Nevertheless, why did Skoot maintain to do it? How about readers' thinking when they see those obscure words? I think those questions will appear in many readers' mind. But, if readers think deep inside of this book and the author's intentions, then everything becomes clear.
Certainly, those non-native English words and words in dialect are confusing to readers. However, I believe Skloot already expected it while she still used those words. The most important reason is I think she wanted to keep the truth about the stories of Henrietta Lacks and her family as much as she could. As a non-fiction or other works, the only thing to make reader accept it, trust it, and enjoy it that is keeping the realness. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot did a good job and made great successful for this main point about realities, because she spent thousands of time to research the real story and exact words about Henrietta Lacks and her family. In addition, because of those unknown words, they indirectly reflect the Lacks family’s education, local language and local culture during that time. Those words are strange but interesting to modern people. Furthermore, they also make readers who can better grasp the realism in the book, and make " The characters become more than characters; they become people with real personality, joy, and pain."
From the website http://ecuhonors.blogspot.com/2012/05/immortal-life-few-words.html
That is why Skloot took trouble to write those exact information and did a lot of research by interviews.
However, some people make negative judgments about the way characters speak in this book. How can they say those words are spelling wrong just because they don’t know them? The only word I can say to them is “Ignorant”. I can imagine if the author had not added those character 's responses by the special words they were given, then we would have been unable to get the exact information, so that would cause us not to authentically realize characters who really are and their true meaning they presented. As the result, "Skloot have Henrietta's family their original voice complete with their own slang, grammar, and poise to provide towards their heritage as well as how closely portrayed the accounts are going to be in this books."
From the website http://ecuhonors.blogspot.com/2012/05/immortal-life-few-words.html
If those words were not exact, this vital perspective and its value will be lost, then this book will run out the vitality and seem unattractive and bland. Thus, Skloot decided to write truthfully as much as possible in this book.
In conclusion, any literary work should keep its authenticity as much as Skloot did. This way will makes people to be convinced, believe it, and appreciate it. If people change the essence, no matter how fanciful the words are, it never can cover up the inauthentic fact. This is why, a wise person said, “If you pretty up how people spoke and change the things they said, that's dishonest."