Popular Science Article

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Context

This piece was composed in the course Writing Science taught by Dr. Strickland. Through initial assumption, I thought this course was going to emphasize how to technically write for a scientific audience. Though this was something we worked on and discussed, the course overall was definitely much broader, and for the better. We consistently discussed science in the news, climate change, the rhetoric surrounding science and its political innuendos, etc. We were given the freedom to explore any branch of science of our choosing for this project, whether soft or more technical. It began with a book report on a scientific book of our choosing, in which I chose How the Body Keeps Score, written by a trauma specialist who focused on the effects that trauma has on our bodies, genetics, and future generations. The findings from this book led me to writing an article about Audrey Hepburn's experience in the Holocaust; how its negative effects may have played a part in her petite figure and ultimately altered her genetic makeup.

Rhetorical Strategies

The basis of this article stood on two rhetorical concepts that depended on each other: allusion and ethos. Allusion, in this context, is Audrey Hepburn herself. Using a popular figure or reference that the audience is expected to know to infer the remaining direction of the piece not only pulls them in with a hook, but serves as a credible approach to start the piece. Overall, this contributes to the ethos of the article itself (the credibility of the author), as Audrey Hepburn did genuinely struggle with an adequate diet throughout her childhood and maintained a slim figure in her Hollywood days. These facts alone contributed to the credibility in the direction that the conversation of epigenetics began to take throughout the rest of the piece. Additionally, visual rhetoric of infographics were used towards the end of the piece to provide accurate information on the expression of genes for those who have survived trauma.

Reflection

This was one of my favorite pieces to write during the spring semester of my junior year as I was given the flexibility to explore my interests. As I explained in the cover letter, psychology was a major I considered before choosing PWR. I took AP Psych my senior year of high school and loved the knowledge I gained, and have maintained an interest in human behavior as a whole. Being able to converge this interest in a writing course and ultimately find connections between trauma and genetics is something I am grateful that PWR students have the option to do. Additionally, I was able to grow my abilities as a writer to venture in a more exploratory genre of science-interest writing, which I had yet to practice in previous coursework. I believe this type of writing enhances my skills in a creative and opinion based fashion (though I utilized scientifically-backed resources, this type of writing still possesses a sense of presumption and persuasion) that overlap with my work as a Creative as well.