American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Research Simulation Task

Rationale: Throughout the years, there has been an immense increase in the number of plastic surgeries. People of all ages are risking their lives to achieve ‘perfection’ or to simply look ‘normal,’ and fit in with society. Society places a major emphasis on appearance and gives people the idea that in order to be accepted, they must physically appear a certain way. Due to science and technology, people have succumbed to plastic surgery, and therefore, millions of people are going under the knife and risking their lives to achieve this societal image of beauty and perfection. Task: You have reviewed four sources regarding surgery as a method to achieve beauty and ‘perfection.’ These four pieces provide information regarding the benefits and risks associated with this type of surgery. Source A: “The Birthmark” Source B: “The Modern Significance of Hawthorne’s Suspicion of Science” Source C: “Cosmetic surgeries: What children will do to look ‘normal’” Source D: Statistics Using source A, and at least one other source, you must answer the question: does plastic surgery lead to a happier lifestyle? Write an information piece that addresses the question and supports your positions with evidence from the two sources. Be sure to acknowledge competing views. You may refer to your sources by their titles (Source A, Source B, Source C, Source D). Steps to Success:

• Read the question carefully and determine if you are being asked to convey an opinion. o Although the questions might require your opinion, do not use “I” in the essay!

• Take notes on each of the sources and identify each source’s main point (graphic organizers).

• Decide which pieces of evidence you will use in your response; mark them. • Look at the relationship between/among the sources you are using as evidence.

o Do they agree with each other? Disagree? How will you use this to support your thesis?

• Compose a brief outline or chart to use as a framework for your writing. • Write and proofread. Make revisions if necessary!

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Source B The Modern Significance of Hawthorne's Suspicion of Science By Rick Huffman

Many of Hawthorne's characters are burdened by inner conflicts which are never resolved into a tidy resolution. "The Birthmark," however, has a more clearly defined moral than some of Hawthorne's other work. The social significance of this story that was written over 150 years ago endures into our modern era with alarming clarity. An obsession with physical perfection and the battle between scientific progress and human morality are paramount in the minds of many in today's society.

Hawthorne's mistrust of science is evident in the "mad scientist" motif employed in many of his tales. In "The Birthmark," Aylmer is a megalomaniacal scientist who thinks himself omnipotent: "No king on his guarded throne could keep his life if I, in my private station, should deem that the welfare of millions justified me in depriving him of it." To put the theme of "The Birthmark" into a modern perspective, we need only to reiterate that the pursuit of physical perfection and the willingness to go to any lengths to get it is one of the grand themes of modern-day thinking. Georgianna's birthmark symbolizes her liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death and she is willing to forego the danger involved to have it removed: "There is but one danger-that this horrible stigma shall be left upon my cheek... Remove it, remove it, whatever be the cost." We need only recall the Phen-fen and Redux debacle of a few years ago and reflect on the present "perfection" techniques now being widely used such as breast implants, liposuction, and scores of other dubiously "safe" cosmetic surgery procedures to see that the mindset of Aylmer and Georgianna is still quite relevant today. While it is true that Georgianna did not appear to have an issue with her birthmark until Aylmer made it an issue, it must be stated that the influence of family and peers plays a significant role in the way people think about themselves and in their decision making. Let us compare the response of Georgianna to that of a modern woman who is contemplating plastic surgery. Author Kathy Davis takes us into the examining room of a health insurance agency on the morning for applicants who are seeking coverage for cosmetic surgery: I have no idea what to expect as the patient enters the room. She is a slender, pretty woman in her early twenties who looks a bit like Nastassia Kinski... Hunched forward and with eyes cast downward, she begins to explain that she is "unhappy with what she has." "I know I shouldn't [compare] myself to other women," she whispers, "but I just can't help it." The Aylmers of today are the plastic surgeons and drug-peddling physicians who feed the unrealistic notion that a woman's body is unacceptable unless it appears to be a jackpot winner in the "genetic lottery." Despite the changes in cultural beauty ideals over time, one feature remains constant according to Davis; namely, that beauty is worth spending time, money, pain, and perhaps even life itself. The hand-shaped birthmark which pervaded the world of Georgianna and Aylmer also has an obsessive vice-like

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

grip on our century-it is squeezing the life out of some, and the humanity out of others. As H. Bruce Franklin points out, "The Birthmark" is both an intricately wrought science fiction and a commentary of what Hawthorne saw as the fiction of science. The dichotomy of Hawthorne's time and ours can be merged when we consider an issue such as cloning. Dr. Bruce Donald of the Church of Scotland offers: "Faced with such a fertile prospect, the human imagination runs riot... we might clone humans to select out genetic defects or select for desirable traits (Donald). Some would argue that this is a good thing but Donald contends that the motives proposed turn out to be for the benefit of the person who wants the cloning done, not for the person so produced. This sounds remarkably close to Dr. Heidegger's motives, because we have evidence to support that he created the elixir "for his own amusement" rather than chiefly for the benefit of his friends. With these three tales, Hawthorne extends his list of scientific grievances. Hawthorne's foresight into the future was quite remarkable. Although his work is dated, the ethical questions which he raises remain valid today. Georgianna's absorption of Aylmer's obsession can be likened to today's women jumping on the bandwagon of fad diets and questionable cosmetic procedures. On another point, Hawthorne's suspicion of science seems a little less unreasonable now that it might have in his day when we consider our capacity to destroy the planet with nuclear weapons. Fogle comments that while Hawthorne's conception of science has generally been considered old-fashioned by his critics, the joke would seem to have turned against them with the growth of modern science and technology. Aylmer, Rappaccini, and Heidegger all represent the claims of modern science, from the miracle diet pills, cosmetic surgeries, and anti-aging creams and potions, to Minoxidil, to Viagra which allows the "soldier"on permanent KP duty to finally issue a sharp military salute. Some of our "miracle" science appears to work, but some has dire consequences. Finally, we have examined how Hawthorne's themes form a common bond to modern-day practical and ethical questions. Hawthorne, himself, had an obsession with his ancestral past, so it is ironic that he produced work that would prove to be a prelude to the future. Hawthorne wants us to see that "human perfection" is an oxymoron. On this point, Fogle notes that Aylmer's tragic flaw is failing to see the tragic flaw in humanity. Hawthorne's "mad scientists" cannot come to terms with the fact that humanity and imperfection are inseparable. But still today, we are no less apt to buy into the rantings of our own mad scientists and snake oil salesmen on late night infomercials who infest our society and promise us perfection. Madison Jones sums up the foresight of Hawthorne supremely: "Like many a reformer in our day, Aylmer would have human nature reconstituted or else not at all. Hawthorne, if unconsciously, was looking well ahead. But genius has always been at least one part prophecy." Hawthorne's moral makes a plea to us to accept our own imperfections. This moral can be expressed through a quotation from-of all people-David Letterman. In an interview that I remember from a few years ago, Letterman was asked by an actress what he would change about his physical appearance if he could. Letterman's reply was, "Well, I wouldn't change anything. I figure, these are the cards I was dealt-what the hell- I'll play 'em." Hawthorne would have probably liked Letterman.

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Source C

Cosmetic surgeries: What children will do to look 'normal' By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY

A decade or two ago, life was simpler for teens who didn't like their looks. Girls pushed socks under their sweaters, and awkward, acne-faced boys hid behind shaggy bangs. And for better or worse, kids grew out of or adapted to their bodies. These days, more youngsters are altering the body parts that give them angst by going under the knife or laser or lipo tube to get the look they want. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 160,283 children 18 and under had cosmetic interventions in 2008. The figure was even higher in 2007, tallying 205,119, but industry experts say a slowing economy probably forced the numbers down in 2008. In 2000, the number was just 145,094. Those under 18 who opt for such procedures are not only children with cleft palates or disfiguring birthmarks. Some children are having more controversial procedures, such as "Asian eye" surgery to widen the appearance of eyes in people of Asian descent. But for the most part, these are otherwise healthy kids looking to improve an awkward but functional feature, such as a large nose or small breasts, says Donn Chatham, a plastic surgeon in Louisville and president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. "The kids I see, their desire is almost uniformly to be normal, non-deviant. Kids don't want to stand out in a negative way," says Gerald Pitman, a plastic surgeon in New York City. Many parents and cosmetic surgeons believe that if the technology is there and a child would benefit emotionally, there is no harm done. Others are not so sure. "One of the challenges is that there is not a lot of evidence that it improves psychosocial well-being. The goal is admirable, right? Better lives. The question is: Does it work and is it necessary?" says Alice Dreger, professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at the Feinberg School of Medicine atNorthwestern University. What constitutes "medically necessary" when it comes to cosmetic surgery and children is a gray area, says pediatric plastic surgeon David Staffenberg, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Though some say certain procedures, such as breast surgery, aren't needed to function better, others argue that if a child's psychological well-being is enhanced, then the procedure truly is medical in nature. "I never know whether people are on the same page when they say 'medically necessary,' " Staffenberg says. To one person, the term may refer to a life-threatening condition, while another may consider it something that interferes with daily activities or a healthy self-image, he says. Limited guidelines for pediatric plastic surgeons and scant research on the benefits and drawbacks of cosmetic surgery in kids complicate the debate. "We need to do better studies," says Brian Labow, pediatric plastic surgeon at Children's Hospital Boston and director of the Adolescent Breast Clinic, where adolescents with benign breast disorders — boys with too much breast tissue, for example — are evaluated by a range of medical experts and sometimes have surgical correction. "It's very much an ad hoc system right now. No one has the data. We do not know the impact of these 'benign' conditions on kids. The suggestion is that these adolescents can be really devastated," Labow says.

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Like others in his field, Staffenberg says only a small percentage of the surgeries he conducts are for aesthetic reasons alone. But he says there is a place for these procedures in his practice or he would not perform them. "Children who are looked upon by their peers or teachers as something different from other kids … can experience things that really interfere with their development," he says — for example, a child with no ear. Ryan Cunningham was born without an outer ear but with perfect hearing. His parents asked Staffenberg to build one for their son, 8, after his mother heard a peer pointing out his lack of the feature during a playdate. "He never said anything about it before, but now he says, 'Mommy, thank you, thank you,' " says Carolina Cunningham of Scarsdale, N.Y., who does not regret the three operations involved. In other cases, it's the child who drives the choice. When Kate Deleveileuse was 16, she asked her parents whether she could have liposuction on her calves. For years, her lower legs had made her self-conscious and limited her fashion choices. Deleveileuse, now 21, says, "I didn't feel confident wearing shorts and Capri pants and knee-high boots." Her mom, Mary Lou Fermo, says that her 5-foot, 10-inch daughter's weight was normal but that she'd always been heavy below the knees. Fermo said she struggled with the decision. "I did all my research. There were risks, and I thought if something happens to my 16-year-old-daughter, they'd say about me, 'What kind of nut was she?' " Fermo says. In the end, Fermo agreed to let her daughter go through with liposuction, and Kate says she doesn't regret it. "I by no means think I have a perfect figure, but I am proportionate. It helped my self-esteem." Many reasons for procedures The range of procedures performed on kids spans everything from Botox injections to laser hair removal to more complex procedures such as breast augmentations, rhinoplasty and Asian eyelid surgery, called blepharoplasty. Blepharoplasty — performed on 369 young people last year — is a particularly controversial procedure, according to an essay called "Eyes Wide Open: Surgery to Westernize the Eyes of an Asian Child," published in the report on cosmetic plastic surgery in children by the Hastings Center for Bioethics this year. Blepharoplasty adds an upper eyelid crease above the eyelashes, a fold many people of Asian descent lack. The surgery widens the eye. Though critics of the procedure have difficulty swallowing the idea that a person of Asian descent would deny their cultural heritage by Anglicizing the shape of their eyes, facial plastic surgeon Min Ahn, medical director of the Aesthetic Wellness Center in Westborough, Mass., says that why Asians have the procedure is misunderstood. "Asian people pursuing eye surgery aren't trying to look more Western or Caucasian. That's a myth. There is a cultural correlation with certain facial features and the person's underlying personality and characteristics, even their potential for future success," Ahn says. Unusual cases aside, why are otherwise healthy children asking for physical alterations? Since when is a big bottom or small breasts not OK in a 16-year-old? The reasons vary, Chatham says. Some parents allow children to do it to avoid getting teased or bullied for their looks. "Teens are not little adults, but they also have desires to look reasonably attractive and sometimes want to be beautiful," he says. For many patients, a more "normal" feature can lift self-esteem, they say. Dara Reiter, 23, a New York City public relations specialist, says she was born with her dad's nose. A diminutive 5-foot-1, Reiter says, "My nose was just too big for my face." Teasing from boys didn't help, either. So on her 14th birthday, the Bergen County, N.J., native had rhinoplasty.

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Reiter says her ski-slope nose fits her slim face now. "I have no shame about it at all. I feel very confident about my looks." There's less of a taboo about plastic surgery than ever before because of reality shows focusing on it and more celebrities who acknowledge they have had it, Chatham says, so children know it's an option. And today's parents are more willing to consider it for their kids. "Boomer parents may themselves even be undergoing cosmetic surgery and may feel for our children that it's not such a stretch," he says. Surgeons screen carefully Pediatric plastic surgeons say they vet their patients carefully, making sure eating disorders are not at play. And they watch closely to be sure it's the child's choice, not a pressuring parent or boyfriend or the desire to look like a particular celebrity. "It's treacherous, that age group, and I don't want to support something going on in an unhealthy way," says Stephen Colen, chairman of the department of plastic surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. He has performed about a dozen breast augmentations in women under 18 in the past five years. Lloyd Krieger, medical director of Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, says his practice gets many calls from youngsters. "We turn away a good two-thirds of them after a phone evaluation," he says. For some surgeons, certain procedures are off-limits in younger patients. Washington, D.C., dermatologist and cosmetic and laser surgeon Hema Sundaram says. "No cosmetic Botox, no fillers, no lipo, no Brazilian bikini waxes and no laser skin rejuvenation for children" — nothing that aims to make inappropriately adultlike or sexual changes. And what about the theory that scars and physical flaws build character and make someone stronger in the face of adversity? asks Dreger of Northwestern University. It's a huge question, Chatham says. "Should a person learn to live with 'how God made them' and persevere and overcome a handicap?" he asks. "Life's hard enough without adding a physical burden. But at the same time, does that teach them that problems have a surgical solution?" Second thoughts? Now grown and with more perspective, some patients wonder whether their youthful operations were really necessary. Heather Locke says being a flat-chested cheerleader from Dallas was stressful at the time, so at 17, with her mother's blessing, she had her breasts augmented — from a 34A to a 34D bra size. "Now, looking back, I realize boobs aren't that big of a deal," says Locke, 23, "At that point in time, I thought that is what boys found very attractive, but now I know guys could care less. I am not unhappy, but I should have waited until I was older." Aviva Katz, a pediatric surgeon and medical ethicist at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, and the mother of twin 5-year-old daughters, says that in theory, it's all very nice to say it would be best if we could raise our children without the expectations of appearance. "You want them to feel good and whole within themselves without having the body that looks back at them in the mirror be a model," she says. But that's a challenge when we live in a world with TV, movies and magazines, Katz says. "My biggest concern is that we take away an opportunity for kids to choose for themselves, and I don't want to see that happening. We want to as much as possible encourage our kids that there's so much more to life than the appearance of their breasts or nose," Katz says.

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

And as children continue to file by images of Victoria's Secret models in mall windows and clamor to see films featuring the perfect-skinned, chiseled Hollywood teen elite, the debate will continue. Says Chatham: "If there's one message I'd leave you with, every child, every teenage patient needs to be respected and be partners as much as possible in this choice."

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Source D

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Research  Simulation  Task  Graphic  Organizer  for  “The  Birthmark”  

=

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Research  Simulation  Task  Graphic  Organizer  

 

“The  Modern  Significance  of  Hawthorne’s  Suspicion  of  Science”  

 

Reasons  that  people  want  plastic  surgery:   Causes  of  people’s  dissatisfaction  with  their  appearances:  

What  is  the  trend  that  has  resulted  from  these  surgeries?  

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Research  Simulation  Task  Graphic  Organizer  

 

“Cosmetic  surgeries:  What  children  will  do  to  look  ‘normal’”  

Positives  of  Plastic  Surgery   Negatives  of  Plastic  Surgery      

 

Reasons  that  people  get  plastic  surgery:  

American  Lit.  Survey     Ms.  Lentino  

Research  Simulation  Task  Graphic  Organizer  

 

 

Plastic  Surgery  Statistics  

The  surgeries  that  increased  most:  

Reasons  these  increased  the  most:  

Something  I  learned:   Something  I  learned:  

Questions  to  consider: