Article Analysis Essay on Fixing Nemo

In her New York Times Magazine Article, Fixing Nemo, Rebecca Skloot attempts to use varying opinions from different fish lovers and fish medicine experts to make sense of how far medicine has come. At first, based on the accounts of this article, Rebeccas experience with Bonnie and Robert as they perform surgery on a goldfish, sounds ridiculous. However, the truth is, there indeed are fish veterinarians. This being said, the core intent of this essay is to give a critical and focused response to the article.

In as much as the idea of a fish, doctor sounds a bit unusual and ridiculous, everything begins to make sense when Rebecca cites the occurrences o the 1950s when people would opt to shoot their sick dogs instead of giving them some medical attention. Today, however, Skloot confirms that taking sick dogs and birds to a medical expert is entirely normal. Therefore, based on this context, Skoolt draws the readers attention on how modern day medicine extends to fish medicine. Similarly, at the beginning of the article, the author draws the attention of the readers where one, most probably assumes that she is describing a surgical operation on a human being. In my opinion, upon reading the very last sentence of the paragraph, my attention levels to article skyrocketed upon realizing that the described operation was being performed on a goldfish. Yes, Roberts and Bonita (Bonnie) Wulf were doing surgery on a goldfish.

Skloot skilfully uses imagery to portray the broad fish medicine passion that is shown by different people. This is excellently illustrated when Robert and Bonnie conduct the operation on the goldfish. The two medics are overly drawn to what they are doing, and Skloot takes note of their concern when the goldfish indicates signs of fin movement. In a similar regard, the unique relationship between Marsha and her pet fish substantiates the deep passion and human-fish-bond that compels an individual to want to offer the sick fish the proper medical attention. The love and great concern for the fishs health are exemplified in the article when Skloot states that both Marsha, the fish owner, and Dr. Roberts thought that the fish had a personality. She reports that, When Sushi swam by, their eyes widened, they smiled, touched the glass, said hello. When she turned, they said things like ''Isn't he amazing?'' and ''She's so funny.

Also, the authors tone, which at first, appears humorous, is quite informative when it comes to fish veterinarians. Through her experiences, which, in most cases, she perceived as absurd, Skloot effectively shines light upon a topic that not so many people know about. This is evidenced in the article when she states that, When I tell people I'm writing about fish medicine, their reaction is almost always the same: why not flush the sick fish and get a new one? Actually, for several reasons. This indicates how most people are not aware of the importance of according the proper type of medical attention to the sick fish.

In conclusion, for me, the concept of a fish doctor seemed a little bit absurd and at the same time ridiculous. However, as the author described the position and the enthusiasm of those who benefited from a fish doctor, the idea began to feel a lot more appealing and sensible. Besides, having cited both the monetary and emotional aspects, Skloot gave the readers a more relatable reason for having a fish doctor. Thus, in a nutshell, while reading the article, I felt that the authors use of imagery scenes and short anecdotes allowed her to create a pictorial image that showed rather than told these aspects to the reader especially in regards to the emotional aspect.