TOW #15- Stiff

Stiff, a book published in 2003 and written by Mary Roach, explores the many important uses of cadavers. The goal of her writing is to make it well know that cadavers are not monsters to be afraid of, but scientific specimens that aid the betterment of human life. Throughout the book, Roach utilizes a combination of imagery and analogies in order to help her audience imagine a normally incomprehensible subject. For example, in the fifth chapter, she states that “The heads have been put in roasting pans—which are of the disposable aluminum variety—for the same reason chickens ae put in roasting pans: to catch the drippings”, “You could be looking at rows of old men reclining in barber chairs with hot towels on their faces”, and that, contrary to Roach’s original thought, the stumps are not “cleanly sliced, like the edge of deli ham”. These comparisons successfully describe the atmosphere of the labs and exactly what someone would see upon walking into one. Roach’s purpose in doing this was to recreate her experiences for her readers. This is imperative in a book like Stiff because the majority of people, especially those reading this book, do not have much experience with dead bodies. Thus, in comparing such a seemingly unrealistic scenario to everyday objects, like aluminum roasting pans, barber shops, and deli ham, makes the setting much more alive and true. Imagery, by definition, is meant to paint a picture in the readers’ heads, and Roach is additionally effective in using this device. The everyday items used to compare not only make the scene more realistic, but make it easier for the audience to picture. Naming tools such as scalpels and forceps would not have been wise in a book with the purpose of informing and teaching; therefore, the diction and descriptions used by Roach in this area successfully appeal to her purpose and audience.  

TOW #14- Stiff

Mary Roach wrote a book on a topic that is not extremely popular among the vast majority of people. Except, perhaps, doctors and morticians. Published in 2003, Stiff documents the many different ways cadavers have helped the living through transplants and tests. In this book, the author uses metaphors and similes in order to describe the importance of human cadavers, and to make cadavers seem less scary. Stiff begins with a comparison between death and cruises. Roach states that on cruise ships “Most of your time is spent lying on your back. The brain has shut down. The flesh begins to soften. Nothing much new happens, and nothing is expected of you,” which, coincidentally, sounds very similar to death (Roach 9). This strange and profound metaphor is the perfect way to begin such a book. The reader is hooked, and forced to look at death in a different way, instead of the sad and morbid image that floods most humans’ brains when thinking of it. The rest of the book has the same light and uplifting tone, which is set directly with the comparison. Rather than a scary book about dead bodies coming to life, Stiff is a nonfiction piece that displays the helpfulness of cadavers, making the uncomfortable topic more personal. In addition to metaphors, repetition is used to ease the minds of the readers. Cadavers are not “depressing or heart-wrenching or repulsive”, but they “seemed sweet and well-intentioned, sometimes sad, occasionally amusing. Some were beautiful, some monsters. Some wore sweatpants and some were naked, some in pieces, others whole,” according to the author (Roach 11). This description of the human cadavers Roach has dealt with in the past successfully calms the reader because, at the point that bodies become cadavers, they are anonymous science experiments rather than living, breathing people. It was imperative that Roach make this point in the beginning of the book because, from this point on, the audience will feel comfortable with hearing about heads being chopped off and bodies being used as crash test dummies. Due to these rhetorical devices, the rest of the books is able to explain how cadavers have help the human species, without scaring away the audience.