Writing Prompt in the Article, “die, Selfish Gene, Die”

Writing Prompt

In the article, “Die, Selfish Gene, Die” written by David Dobbs he uses many analogies in order to explain situations related to genes and genetics. Dobbs is able to explain the very little knowledge the average person knows along with the new knowledge we are gaining on genetics and its function. Genes is both a difficult and avoided subject by many people. The analogies David Dobbs uses is able to support his claims through the way he uses them. The article’s analogies makes the text easier to understand and the topics easier to grasp through using what we have already learned before.

The analogies in the article easier to understand because the vocabulary is not as difficult. When the article used analogies it was in order to increase the reader’s understanding through a comparison of a scientific concepts to something related to basic knowledge. For example if the threw two balls with the same amount of force the larger one would not go as for. That is similar to how larger dna strand move less in the gel through gel electrophoresis. If you are still trying to understand these sort of concepts and are not familiar with the vocabulary it will be harder to comprehend. Analogies are a useful way to be descriptive in a way people understand.

There are multiple examples of analogies used in this text. For example in the seventeenth paragraph a maintenance crew analogy is made to describe a gene rather than as a single architect. “...we need to see the gene less as an architect and more as a member of a collaborative remodeling and maintenance crew.” (Dobbs, 17). This analogy shows how different genes cooperate with each other to make you up while one architect would be more isolated in creating their part for a project. In paragraph 53 the text states, “In a poker hand, the significance and effect of a two of hearts — its ‘trait’