TOW #23: "Life and death at his fingertips: watching a brain surgeon at work" by: Erica Wagner

Reading Goals:

• find adequate (but new) devices
• be able to identify her purpose in using each device

Writing Goals:

• to be cohesive in the way that my points flow together
• a strong analysis of evidence

At the top of the article, “Life and death at his fingertips: watching a brain surgeon at work,” sits a simple picture of a wrinkled old man in scrubs. His hands are folded in front of him and he is standing against a white wall. His white hair peeks out of his surgeon’s hat and his round glasses match his equally round face. This is Henry Marsh, Ukraine’s best neurosurgeon. He is 64 years old and will retire next year. In this article, Erika Wagner, writer for the NewStatesman, examines his life and what it takes to be a neurosurgeon, especially in Ukraine, through imagery and a personal narrative.

Wagner’s imagery allows the reader to better understand the world of a neurosurgeon. Not many people can visualize what brain surgeons actually do, but when describing Marsh’s surgery, Wagner states that what she saw through the microscope was, “A glittering, undulating landscape of shining whites and greys and reds is revealed in vertiginous 3D,” she also compares the arteries and veins in the brain to “deltas of a river.” This allows the reader who does not know much about the brain or brain surgery to achieve a better understanding of the very basics of Marsh’s profession and the intricacies of surgery. Once the reader can really conceptualize the difficulty of Marsh’s day to day tasks, Wagner then can branch out and describe, through her personal experience with Marsh, what it means to be the best brain surgeon in the country.

Wagner utilizes a personal narrative in order to connect with Marsh directly, and thus examine his life more directly. Instead of taking a disjointed approach and describing Marsh’s life from a distance, Wagner speaks to him directly, and includes dialogue. “‘What proportion of the body’s blood goes to the brain?’ Henry asks me-- and for a moment my own heart is in my mouth, and I feel like one of the interns he questions in the meetings he holds every day at 8am.” This personal narrative gives the reader a stronger connection to both Marsh and Wagner. Not only that, but it displays their personalities as well. Wagner is able to add personal commentary as well. She thinks aloud: “Would I trust Henry if I were a patient, or a patient’s relative? I reckon I would.” This add an extra layer of dynamic to her writing, making Wagner and the story she is telling all the more interesting.

Wagner is able to capture the meaning of Henry Marsh’s career and the implications of what he has done so far in the surgery world through imagery which furthers understanding, and personal narrative which allows the reader to connect to Marsh and Wagner.

(http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2014/03/life-and-death-his-fingertips-watching-brain-surgeon-work?utm_content=buffered8d3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)