The portion of Caesar’s Last Breath we were instructed to read was an introduction to air as a concept, what it consists of, and the history and varied uses it had, in terms of natural and human.
Kean’s audience appears to be people interested in physical science, or history, who do not have a deep understanding of science, but enough to understand basic concepts. His purpose for writing the book appears to be bringing about an awareness of the space around us, due to the reverence he holds for air when describing it, and its functions throughout all of earth’s processes. This purpose is visible due to the examples he highlights throughout the section, the information he provides, and the detail he goes into his examples and the science behind the processes. Kean tells his story mainly through examples of extraordinary people and situations, or ideas not commonly considered, starting with the idea that the air all humans are currently breathing is the same air that has always existed on the planet, throughout the entire time it has existed. Every example he uses would appeal to some demographic. Those interested in war would be curious on the chlorine gas, or gardeners in the creation of artificial fertilizer. Kean touches on violence, politics, religion, and science interwoven into all of these topics, each of which would relate to any person at least at a basic level. Kean’s process of telling each story, which also covers a property or concept of gas, begins with the history of the situation he uses as an example, then delves into the chemistry involved, and concludes with the end result of the situation, and how that chemistry affects the world today. It is a format that is both easy to read and efficient in delivering the information Kean presents. If anything, it is this format that I would try to employ into the final project of observation / story, and information / logistics. When Kean visits, I would want to ask about how he chooses his examples for a topic he is examining, and how the example interacts with the subject at hand.
1 Comment
Jacob Fies
3/19/2018 06:28:01 am
I had a very similar idea on who Kean's audience is. It seemed to me that, for the most part, it's a group of people who are interested in the history of our planet through a scientific scope, but don't actually have much background in science themselves. I rationalized this through the way Kean explains concepts such as: bond breaking and electron exchange. He touches upon these concepts just enough to get the idea across, but not enough that it would require above a high school education. I also agree with you way of incorporating this way of writing into your finale project. Introducing personal stories could help the audience get a more in-depth look into the environmental sites without the requirement of understanding all the scientific jargon.
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