TOW #3 "Letters To A Young Scientist" (Written)

The book Letters To A Young Scientist is by renowned entomologist (ant biologist) and author E.O. Wilson. An excerpt from the book is titled "First Passion, Then Training." In it, E.O. Wilson uses a narrative technique to illustrate his purpose, which he outlines at the end. Wilson writes, "My confessional instead is intended to illustrate an important principle I've seen unfold in the careers of many successful scientists. It is quite simple: put passion ahead of training." Wilson directs his writing toward young high school and undergraduate students. He hopes to either inspire them to become scientists or guide them along their career paths.

However, Wilson is not entirely successful in achieving his purpose. His goal is to convince readers of the importance of passion -- especially above any technical training. At the end of the excerpt, Wilson writes, "Feel out in any way you can what you most want to do in science, or technology, or some other-science-related profession. Obey that passion as long as it lasts....Decision and hard work based on enduring passion will never fail you."

This attempt fails because Wilson is not being sensitive enough to his audience. Very few high school students feel an affinity with their childhood interests. At least, very few feel an affinity that would be strong enough to constitute a career. His advice to "feel out" potential careers is simply too vague and almost laughable. High school and undergraduate students are sometimes presented with so many options (even those only looking in the field of science) that "feeling out" different courses is impossible. Cost and time are also factors that would limit a student's ability to try on different scientific hats for fun.

It would be unwise to assume that high school students are completely jaded and cynical. They can be inspired to place passion before any other factor in choosing a career. Before that, though, they require truly inspirational reading to do so. In order to inspire his readers, Wilson required a great appeal to pathos, such as using figurative language or more descriptors in his anecdotes. Because Wilson failed to include these devices, his attempt to inspire readers fell flat.