1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.
Rosalind Franklin- A Crystallographer (deals with the science of crystal structure and phenomena). Franklin was a very smart and strong woman (inappropriate at the time)
‘The Patterson’- A method used by Rosalind Franklin and other scientists for circumventing the difficult ‘phase’ problem of measuring x-ray’s peaks and troughs.
James Watson- A Scientist who stole Rosalind Franklin’s photos and took credit for it.
2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.
“ With her photographs increasingly clear and sharp, Rosalind took a set to Oxford to show Dorothy Hodgkin…Hodgkin exclaimed that Rosalind’s photographs were the best she had ever seen- so clear, in fact, that it might be possible to work out the space group of the crystal.”
Rosalind Franklin, the protagonist, was a very strong and intellectual woman. She was a crystallographer who could have been known as one of the greatest crystallographers thanks to her amazing photographs of DNA. Her work was superb. The only problem was that she was not given all the credit that she deserved. While she was working and improving on herself, a man named James Watson came along and saw that her amazing work was not published, rapidly stealing her photos and publishing the discovery of them, taking credit for Franklin’s work. Watson’s view on life was different than Franklin’s; he viewed research as a competition. Watson points out that there are many ways to come to a conclusion. By this chapter we can see that creating one icon (Watson) puts another down (Franklin). They were also talking about undeclared race.
3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.
Would Rosalind Franklin have more fame and recognition today if she was given all the credit that she deserved for her work?
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3 comments:
Yes Rosalind would have more fame and reconiztion today if credit was given to her. But We have to realize that competition rules the world. If she was too slow in her work she left the feild wide open for someone to take her place.
Yes, I believe that Rosalind would have more fame and recognition today if credit was give to her. Watson should not have stolen the photos and should have pleaded himself guilty in doing so. Watson should not have any credit for the photos at all.
Yes, she definitely would have. Its a pity how women were discredited in those times, especially in a male dominated field. Most female scientist of that time got ahead in by collaborating with male scientists, but in this case he completely betrayed her by accepting all the credit for photos he did not take. Regardless of the circumstances of that time, she could have always fought harder.
Natalie Shields
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