Lab Girl Revision Notes

Lab Girl Revision Notes

• You stated I should use a better word choice in using the word novel so I decided to delete it as it was unnecessary.
• The word prevalent was replaced with “is shown throughout the novel”
• “in her use of allegory was removed from the essay”
• You stated that I needed to be more specific in the sentence stating how jahren uses the metaphor human lives as plant lives so I added an example from chapter 3 of how jahren compares the two.
• You stated that paragraph two should be more specific so I analyzed the text
• Transition was fixed in paragraph four and compared the similarities in the previous paragraphs
• Added more analysis to paragraph four as you suggested
• Works cited page fixed

Lab Girl Essay

As author Hope Jahren brings to light the trials and tribulations she faces as a female scientist, she stresses the importance of patience and survival through her journey in Lab Girl. Jahren is exposed to the harsh stereotypes and rigorous field work in her studies, but instead of letting her struggles define her, she is resilient. The power of language is shown throughout the novel as Jahren afflicts to her audience the importance of the relationship we as humans need to build with nature. Throughout the novel, Jahren uses language literally and figuratively in her chapters in order to express the value of a human and nature relationship. In each chapter, Jahren can make science more approachable. The metaphor of human life as plant life is constantly presented as Jahren compares us to plants. To the see the metaphor of humans as plants, she names part one of the novel: “Roots and Leaves”. The name is very significant as it is used to show the growth of both plants and the life of the author. She compares her formative experiences and struggles to life of plants, stating that plants are patient throughout their life cycle. For example, in chapter three of “Roots and Leaves” Jahren begins the chapter off with a seed knows how to wait. She goes into further detail by explaining how a seed while wait for a period of time in order to grow. (Jahren 30) The seeds are simply waiting for the perfect moment to stretch out and begin to grow. Jahren ends the chapter by stating “Each beginning is the end of a waiting…Each of us is both impossible and inevitable. Every replete tree was first a seed that waited.” Here Jahren stresses the importance of both humans and plants waiting until the right moment and under the right circumstances to stretch out into what they are supposed to be.  Jahren’s aim is to depict to her audience that humans should emulate a plant’s behavior of patience and the measures it takes to withstand death when striving to reach towards the things that they want in life, an ultimate goal you are set out to achieve.

 Growing up in her father’s laboratory, Jahren developed a very special relationship with the natural world. Part one of the novel is dedicated to her childhood where she is first exposed to science. In chapter two, she speaks of a tree memorable to her childhood, the “blue-tinged spruced…that stood defiantly green through the long months of bitter winter.” (27) The closeness that she felt with the tree, and the realization that plants are much like humans in the way the we too struggle for survival, is a prime example of how Jahren uses language figuratively throughout her novel. The blue-tinged spruced tree staying strong through the most terrible times is much like the behavior that a human would emulate. Though things may be taxing in a human’s life, the tenacious and determined mentality helps them survive.

An example of Jahren using figurative language to explain the metaphor of human life as plant life, is stated in part one; chapter three “A seed knows how to wait” (30).   Jahren is implying that just as seed wait to grow, humans should do the same as well. Through patience and survival Jahren remained alert in her process of physical and mental development.  In her memoir, not once did Jahren become impatient during her research. In chapter four of part one, Jahren tells us of the different jobs she held when she was an undergraduate. More specifically, she tells of the job opportunity that was presented to her at the university hospital. Her job requirements as a runner was defined by hand delivering intravenous pain medicine to nursing stations (33) A few months later, Jahren was offered a better job opportunity in the pharmacy laboratory in which she tediously injected tiny amounts of pure painkiller into a floppy bag of fluid. (33) She knew a better job opportunity would come if she did well in her work and was patient with the authority she was under. In my personal experience, I can relate to this as well, beginning my studies in nursing, I must be patient and determined with the classes I am enrolled. For I know this is only the beginning to becoming a nurse. Jahren continuously reminds us that patience is key to development.

Similarly, in part two of Lab Girl, Jahren continues to compare the human life to plant life.  “a vine makes it up as it goes along” (126) Jahren brings this to her reader’s attention as she wants them to go beyond and see a deeper meaning. The meaning that plants and humans are one in the same. By using figurative language, she again uses the metaphor and compares human lives as plant lives. By saying that a vine makes it up as it goes along (126), she is referring to how we as humans live our lives day by day. We don’t necessarily have a plan for what may come next, we seem to live in the moment. Jahren lives in the moment when she steps foot in her laboratory. Each experiment she conducts, is out of her control. As a scientist, she makes up her results by forming hypothesis.   In chapter six Jahren, also uses literal language to correlate the idea of human life as plant life. “Vines resolve to fight their way up to the light by any means necessary” (126).  The use of the word fight, is very strong in the way that we realize we are much like plants. Humans will do almost anything to conquer the darkness and achieve happiness. When comparing humans and plants in this sense, you can see that both are very determined to achieve their purpose. Just as the blue-tinged spruced tree in Jahren’s childhood stood defiantly throughout the harsh winter weather, a human will stand defiantly in their hardest times for they know if they do, happiness will soon be achieved. Each time Jahren was faced with difficulty she fought to achieve her happiness. For example, when Jahren and Bill worked countless hours working in the laboratory, they were working to a better life. Although they were sleeping in cars and laborites, it did not matter because it was all for happiness. They worked to figure out science and when they had done so, a smile spread upon their faces.