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The Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksCulminating Task

Central Question

How do we tell someone else’s story?

Write an expository essay comparing the portrayal of Henrietta Lacks’s story in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks with its portrayal in one of the unit’s companion texts.

  • Select one companion text from the unit

    • Kadir Nelson, Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine, Painting

    • L. Lamar Wilson, “HeLa,” Poem

    • George C. Wolfe, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Film

    • Brendan P. Lucey, Walter A. Nelson-Ree, and Grover M. Hutchins, “Henrietta Lacks, HeLa Cells and Cell Culture Contamination,” Scientific Journal Article

  • Evaluate which text, the book or the companion text, is the most compelling in relating the story of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells.

  • Analyze which aspects of her story each text enhances.

  • Analyze which aspects of her story each text omits.

  • Explain the techniques that are used in each text to convey her story.

  • Evaluate the effects of the techniques on your understanding.

Be sure to do the following:

  • Form a strong central claim.

  • Use relevant details and evidence from each text to develop your ideas and analysis.

  • Organize your ideas into paragraphs that establish a logical, coherent, and well-developed analysis.

  • Clearly communicate your analysis through effective word choice, sentence and paragraph development, and transitions among ideas.

  • Use the proper conventions of usage, mechanics, and punctuation.