The Secret in the Marrow

521 Words3 Pages
“The Secret in the Marrow” by Daniel C. Weaver was interesting and captivating for a medical article. The curious portrayal of this article is in debt to the author’s skillful use of devices such as imagery, narration, tone, structure, and dialogue. The imagery helped readers not only understand, but also to visualize the meaning of the author’s words. For instances, when the author explains how the abnormal cells in the bone marrow biopsy appeared beneath a microscope, he wrote “…they looked like soldiers linked arm in arm, marching to the horizon. And as they went, they were pushing aside the normal members of the marrow community.” The author also used similes throughout the story to keep the reader’s mind stimulated and support the images he wanted to convey. For example, “I adjusted the scope to its lowest power and looked down over the entire slide, like a bird soaring high in the sky to see a while field below.” Through narration, the writing began to feel like a story and not another scientific article about a rare disease. The author starts out with the setting in a hospital elevator where he introduces the character of Mrs. Fortner, before going into a brief description of her case. The article imitates the basic outline of a story going from rising action to reach the climax then dropping into the falling action and finally landing at the conclusion. Adding to the overall presentation of the article is the tone. The tone gives the article a sense of suspense, which keeps the reader attached and wanting to continue, yet still held a medical atmosphere. “I removed the center stylet and waited for the thick, dark marrow to ooze out into the needle hub. Normally it begins within seconds. But nothing came…” The diction in the sample carried a foreboding feeling, raising more concerns. This method urged the audience to continue reading to find an answer to
Open Document