“Oh no, late again professor Arch is going to fail me for sure this time”, the thought loomed at the top of my mind as I reached for the brass handle of the door. I creepily peered through the crack of the frame as I pushed the door open. I could safely say I knew what a fly must feel like before being devoured by its furry menace the spider. A class of twenty, I could feel all forty- two eyes glaring straight at me. I stood there frozen at the entrance just staring right back until a harsh voice broke me from my metaphoric web.
“You’re early Mr. Duty.” With such a statement I gave a puzzled look in response to my biology professor Dr. Arch.
“My next class doesn’t start until ten tomorrow morning but since you’re so enthusiastic about my class I will let you stay for the last half hour of this one.” He said with a smirk on his face and an audience that approved of his ever so witty and sarcastic humor with laughter.
“Thank you sir”, I whispered in response as I hurried to my seat, “It won’t happen again I promise”.
“Let's hope not for your sake. Anyways class let’s get back to our topic at hand. All life as we know it are made of living micro-organisms called cells, which are our essential building blocks of life containing DNA, our information bank of chromosomes that make us who we are today. Scientists like I believe that life formed from single cells called prokaryotic cells which are known as bacteria and archea. The archea is the first cell to have broken off the original cell and adapted to earth’s harsh surroundings by evolving through self reproduction known as mitosis with each generation after generation changing to suit its environment. While obtaining its membrane the cells began to ingest other cells such as types of bacteria which give us our plant and animal cells. These gather and form tissues, which lead to organ systems to the end result an organism like you and me.”
This logic and reasoning is makes a lot of sense and yet doesn’t at the same. Sure these maybe the building blocks but I come to question how was this first cell created.
Slight tension building and my nervous cause me to shake as I force myself to blurt out, “How is this beginning cell known as the creator of life formed?”
H e looked directly at me with the same smug grin on his face ready to show off his Yale education. “ Well if you showed up on time you would know that cells are made up of molecules which, for living molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids are made up of atoms carbon and hydrogen. The earth was a very molten planet 5 billion years ago with very large amounts of Carbon and hydrogen atoms that under the right circumstances created life.” Quite impressed with himself he looked away from me and looked back at the class waiting for their approval and again they responded with acceptance with another cackle.
“That is true professor that is what makes a cell, I have read the book and also did my research on the topic like you asked. You didn’t answer my question though I asked how this creator cell was formed. Sure it may be made with the same molecules as cells but how did this become alive?” Sick of my embarrassment I decided to turn the tables on my professor. “You don’t know is the answer, no one knows. Scientists in the 1950 created simple proteins the founding of DNA yet these are not the same and the proteins in DNA still have not been created in labs. Even more strange is the fact that having a completed cell does not mean it is living. Dead cells cannot be brought to life by any human means and we don’t know how begins live. You explain it so simply yet you cannot be positive a natural cause formed life and you refuse to accept that there might be some supernatural force that has created some genetic life form. But as a scientist you refuse to explore the supernatural. But who sets that boundary? Is the boundary fixed or does it just represent the limit of our current understanding? Significant scientific discoveries in the past have often forced us to move the boundaries. Illnesses once thought to be caused by spirits are now known to be due to micro-organisms. Even Einstein had difficulty accepting the truth of quantum mechanics.”
Silence fell upon the room and again I felt like the fly. I sunk back into my seat and put my head down to my book, but it didn’t work I could feel his eyes burning into my head.
“Class dismissed, except for you Mr. Duty. I wish to speak to you about being “LATE”.”
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2 comments:
Is the author stating his beliefs clearly?
Does he give facts and information to only one side of the arguement?
I did this article not based solely on my beliefs but on the lack of evidence on both sides of the arguement of ho we became who we are today
This is an interesting approach to a contentious set of beliefs (i.e. the nature of life and the existence of supernatural beings). It's difficult to write a narrative that addresses a belief and to make it an interesting story as well, and I think you do a good job. I'd like to see you develop it more by breaking up the dialogue. Right now, there's a few long monologues by each character and they interact very little, making it seem like they're not responding much to each other's statements. You could, as I explain below, include the class as well in this dialogue to help make it more organic.
A few questions that could help identify your attitudes about scientists/science:
- Do you think scientists in general feel much more certain about their knowledge than they should?
- Would any scientists claim they know how life started, or this a type of question that science simply doesn't deal in? (in other words, should science concern itself with just the natural world, or the supernatural as well?)
- Do you think the scientific understanding of cell formation, and the idea that a supernautral being created life are incompatible?
Part of the origin of these questions is that I'm not sure you're putting words in the mouth of Arch that a scientist would use when you have him say things like "archea is the first cell to have broken off the original cell." I'm not sure scientists concern themselves with an "original cell" that all life comes from. You refer to it later as the "first cell" and as the "beginning cell known as the creator of life.” I'm just not sure this focus on the "first cell" allows you to focus the discusion on evolution, as your title suggests, or on the existence of God. And it seems an odd thing for a scientist to claim to know anything about.
- The idea of the moving boundaries of what we consider knowable is, to me, the most interesting part of your narrative. (And would seem to be the reason scientists call their beliefs "hypotheses.") Your example that "Illnesses once thought to be caused by spirits are now known to be due to micro-organisms." shows the boundaries moving in one direction (from superstitious belief to scientific belief). Does this boundary ever move in the other direction as well?
A few other narrative suggestions:
- words like "creepily" in the first paragraph suggest something about the experience of the students looking at you (who get creeped out looking at you?). This takes the focus of your experience opening the door and having everyone look at you. If you'e going to be the narrator, focus on things that you, the narrator, feel.
- The class is put to little use, and the amount of smugness in the room makes the situation seem a bit unrealistic (especially because teachers are generally used to handling student skepticism). Consider having the class question/contribute to/defend these beliefs. If you want them to simply side with the professor, have them do it in some active way, rather than just sniggering.
I look forward to seeing your revised draft.
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