Molecular Anthropomorphism A Creative Writing Exercise Larry L. Miller University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, M N 55455
Anthropomorphism, the assignment of human qualities to nonhuman subjects, can be used to draw metaphors hetween molecules and people. A creative writing assignment in which students portray molecules anthropomorphically provides a n excellent example of writing to learn. It allows students to use their creativity, and i t can enliven the teaching and learning of a n abstract subject. Molecular anthmnomor~hismis often used in chemistrv. especially organic :hemisky, to describe the properties of compounds or the characteristics of their reactions. Chemists oftenuse phrases like "The molecule wants to share its electrons" or "It prefers the folded conformation." Molecules do not "want" and cannot have emotions, but even proper scientific words like "hydrophobic" and "nucleophilic" are laden with emotional content. Molecules do not hate water or love nuclei, but the attribution of human emotions to molerules subtly pervades the thinking of most organicchemists and others nho think about chernistry in tirms of molecular structures, not in terms of mathematics. Metaphors are important in teaching because they put abstract concepts into the student's realm of experience and into comkon language. Anthropomorphic metaphors are used to help chemistrv students understand a central tenet of the subject: chemical reactivity and physical properties are a consequence of molecular structure. I t is necessary to get the student to think of molecules, not a s stoichiometric collections of atoms. but a s the dvnamic entities that explain all experimental observations. Students often connect with this idea if the molecules are given human qualities: Molecules have needs, they are excited.. thev" attack. thev are satisfied. The use of anthmp~morphicmetaphors is also a useful tactic because they can make lectures more interesting and make the lecturer appear more human. Chemistry lectures are usually filled with arcane information and jargon that are new to the student. Information is presented in a very rational, hut often mechanical fashion. This citn be very ineffective for rertnin students, who are talented, but whose skills or interests are somewhat different than those of the traditional scientist.' Anthropomorphism is a tactic that can be used to address those students, and this writing project can effectivly involve them in science. The project also addresses the contemporary concern with the writing skills of students. Writing i n the science classroom can have two main goals2-learning to write and writing to learn. Both goals are laudable, but i t is not easy to incorporate effective writing exercises in chemistry classes. Among other problems, it is difficult to find interesting, yet appropriate writing exercises for beginning chemistry courses. The language of chemistry is molecular formulas, not English. The mate'Tobias, S. They're Not Dumb, They're Different.Stalking the Second Tier; Research Corporation:Tuscon, AZ, 1990. %ee, forexampie, Rosenthai, L. C. J. Chem. Educ. 1987, 64, 996, and references therein.
rial is oRen so remote from the previous experience of the students that they often simply rephrase the textbook. Such writing may be educational, but it is boring. The Class Assignment Organic chemistry classes a t the University of Minnesota have been asked to write essays on "Molecular Anthropomorphism". These are large classes with 100-200 nonchemistrv maiors. Almost allstudents are workine on a major in one oftwo fields: a biomedical science, sucL a s premed, prevet, or prepharmacy; or some area of biology, from cell biology to zoology. Although the students are capable and highly motivated, they have not had previous writing assignments of a similar nature. I t is, therefore, imperative that the assignment be carefully demystified and precisely described. Since "Molecular Anthropomorphism" is a creative writing assignment, the students must think for themselves. Thinking creatively, especially in a science class, is a n uncommon experience and some students will have considerable anxiety. The assignment is introduced with a short explanation of metaphors, anthropomorphism, and the goals of the assignment, that is, my motivation in giving the assignment (see above). Emphasis is immediately placed on creativity. Ahandout describes both the task and the gradingcriteria. Students are reminded of the various anthropomorphic metaphors that have been used in the lectures, like nucleophile-electrophile, and the theme is introduced as follows. Think about molecules as people. Think a b u t a chemical reaction between two molecules as an interaction between two humans. Think about molecular structure as human mativatian. Write a metaphor in which molecules take on human characteristics. For example, a Lewis acid and a base bond together. The reaction a e m n because the base wants to donate electrons and the acid needs more electrons. By bonding together they satisfy their needs, and they are stabilized. The structural element that motivates the base is its unshared pair of electrons. In a metaphor you might make the Lewis base a man and the acid a woman. The reaction is then marriage. They bond. The motivation could he sex or manev or some quality that thev can share. If, for example, money is the metaphoric kquivalent of electrons, the metaphor can be developed by stipulatingthat rich men (strong bases) are more attractive to women (adds) than pwr men. Indeed, chemists often speakof strong bases as being electron-rich. With this metaphor the reactions of various acids and bases can he compared. The students are then referred to the handout which lists the four criteria for madina. These criteria--creativity, accurate chemistry, extensive examples, and good writing-are elaborated by example. Creativity can be expressed in the nature of the metaphor, in the story line, or in the genre. Several students have written poems, and one excellent example of rap music lvrics has anneared. .. Accurate chemistw demands that the student have a thorough understanding of the chemistry described. They must be accurate not only with regard to the fads, but also Volume 69 Number 2 February 1992
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with reeard to the theories that wrrelate the facts. If, for example, they are describing the chlorination of hydrocarbons. thev must get the mechanism correct. It would also be expectid that ;he metaphor explain initiation, propagation, and termination of the chain reaction. Good papers are extensive in their coverage. If the chemical subject is nucleophilic substitution (a topic rich in met~ SNZmechaaphors), they should include both S N and nisms. They should also explain why some molecules behave oneway or the other: They can, for example, include the solvent as the culture which enwurages certain behavior. It may be worth emphasizing to the students that the metaphor must be consistent. If the metaphoric molecule is a familv then all molecules must be families. not individuals. Good writine is the fourth criterion and the oaoers were graded on thiibasis. However, due to the classsi;e and the limited skills of the teacher. no a t t e m ~was t made to kach good writing. In different krcumstahces, this should be possible. Results and Reflections The resulting essays, stories, poems, song lyrics, newspaper reports, comic books, and even one elaborate picture indicated that this was a successful "writing to learn" exercise. The oaoers were not wnsidered to be eood literature. However, the chemistry was almost always accurate, and it was o h n extensive and clearly described. The students were intimately involved with the concept that molecular structure controls orooerties and reactivitv. They learned the chemistry weil enough to draw a n accurate and often-wmolex metaohor. Written cougse evalukions and verbal comments from the students also indicated that this was a good learning experience. I t gave them an opportunity to7're-view" th;? subject, that is to view it afresh with a perspective that has broadened since they learned it initial13 A typical comment was "Now I really understand elimination reactions." In addition, it gave &dents an opportunity to express their knowledge outside ofthe narrow confines ofthe hourexam forced them to think for themselves and - ~ ~ -format.It -describe chemical concepts in their own words, and it allowed them to be creative. There was an additional benefit to this exercise, which ameliorated the time involved in grading. Due to the large class size, it was not possible to know many of the students. but readine the Daoers . . revealed the individuals. They often chose anthropomorphic metaphors from experiences that had touched their lives or from their own societal concerns. They wrote with surprising creativity and meat humor. The reward was largest from students who were obviously bright, but strugglibg with the subject. An example is a D student (second time through) who wrote about NMR spectroscopy in the style of detective writer Dashiell Hammett (apparently no relation to Louis Hammett, the physical organic chemist of s,r fame). The characters were sitting in a saloon along the "NMR bar",
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each in his or her usual spot. That spot (the chemical shiR) was characteristic of their personality. As the story unfolded, the molecular origins of NMR spectra were revealed, as well as chemical interactions between the patrons. The metaphor was accurate and the writing was beautiful. It allowed this student to show for the first time that he was smart and that he really understood chemistry. Anyone who uses this method is likely to expose their own beliefs and prejudices. This is probably quite positive, but caution is advised in one regard. Be careful about stereotypes. Anthropomorphic metaphors usually stereotype people as well as molecules (and I do not mean enantiomeric stereotypes). If your metaphor stereotypes people, as in women being attracted to rich men, explicitly point out to the students that it is a stereotype. It can also be pointed out that the elaboration of the relative properties of various members ofthp class can break down the stereotype. As a related example wnsider Italians. They are often stereotyped as excitable, and they could represent a class of excitable molecules. The counter example, Italians that are not excitable or quick to react, are beautifully described in the book "The Periodic Table", written by the Levi, an Italian, begins this book with a late Primo chapter on argon in which his ancestors are compared "chemomorphically" to the noble gases. The ancestors were important in a way, but inert and out of the mainsteam of life. Although one must be concerned with oversimplification, it is useful to indicate to students that, in general, there are only a few structural aspects that determine properties and reactivity, and there are onlya few human motivations. Sex is the one that students use most often. Money is another. It can be suggested that they think of money in human relationships as being analogous to energy in chemical reactions. An excellent student paper extended this metaphor by considering exothermicity as the profit in a transaction, and activation energy as the investment. The most effective investments correspond to chain reactions. A small infusion of venture capital can yield many transactions and a large profit. Chemistry students themselves sometimes seem like an inert population. However, this assignment, demanding as it is, can energize science students, change their focus from the hour-exam format, and give them an opportunity to be creative. Giving students the chance to be creative is as important as memorizing reactions or writing to learn. Acknowledgment Encouragement from E. Kariv Miller, S. Damme, students and friends; and editorial advice from B. K. Gleason, J. Donaldson, and others.
3Levi, P. The Periodic Table; Schocken Books: New York, 1984.
