TOW #5 - article: "The Lives of a Cell"

            “Perspective is everything”. This common saying is a common theme of the Lewis Thomas’s short essay, “The Lives of a Cell”. The nature of man is analyzed in biological terms, showing how our smaller parts such as the mitochondria and chloroplasts are our everything. Our whole existence revolves around our smaller parts, the smaller units of our anatomy. We could not pursue our dreams and reach our potential without each microscopic piece of ourselves. This comparison is then made to Earth, the oceans, continents, countries and cities make up Earth and the way they are utilized. Earth is compared to a cell, a small unit of life in the midst of the universe.

            The author tries to open the reader’s eyes to a new perspective, one not often looked at. He tries to reach a general audience, one of average, functioning human beings. Lewis Thomas informs the audience of the smaller units of life and how they are compared to the grand scheme of life. The earth, a small planet in the infinite universe, is similar to a cell, an unimaginably tiny unit of life amidst surrounding functions within a human body.

            The message the author is trying to get across is that each small unit of life should not be looked past. Differentiation of cells should be appreciated; our whole lives revolve around the tiny lives of these living things. Lewis Thomas uses figurative language and comparisons to achieve this purpose. Thomas uses metaphors and similes to show how all life on Earth is connected just like all cells connect to make a functioning human. Thomas also uses comparisons to get his point across. His final words describe his realization that the earth can be compared to a cell. A living, thriving unit of life feeding off the resources around it.

            This comparison is successfully made. The author introduces the reader to a new perspective and uses specific rhetorical devices to clearly present his elaborate ideas.