LB 492 Blog Post 2 Assignment: Radioactive
In the beginning of Radioactive, it talks about how Marie was trying to make something of herself. She was a simple foreigner from Poland trying to make her mark in France. As I continued reading the book, I could relate to her a lot. She had to put herself out there to make herself and her work known. This same concept goes for me to as a college student because I’m first generation and an African American woman trying to make an honestly for myself. It made me feel like anything was possible with hard work and dedication because she didn’t quit.
I also felt that a major limitation that she faced was being about to get her work recognized with a man being involved. Even though her husband was a very great help to her she was the one who discovered radium and polonium. Another limitation would be that she was away from home and she had to sacrifice being away from home in order to have a better life which could cause her to feel home sick. In the book Marie writes to her friend decide how much she misses home, “It is a sorrow to me to have to stay forever in Paris, but what I am I to do? Fate has made us deeply attached to each other and we cannot endure the idea of separating” (Redniss 2010). The fact that she wrote this to her friend lets us know that he was feeling homesick, even though it is not a limitation it still explains how she was feeling.
When she arrived in France, she didn’t have the warmest welcome into the new country. In the beginning when she moves from Poland to France her adjustment was kind of a rough start. She stated, “The room I lived in was a garret, very cold in the winter…. To be able to sleep I was obliged to pile all my clothes on the bedcovers…. I…carried the little coal I used up the six flights…. This life…had real charm for me. It gave me a previous sense of liberty and independence” (Redniss 2010) Even though these are not limitations these were obstacles she had to face in order to adapt to her new environment. Neither the less, Marie was still happy that the fact that she could still do what she loves with the person that she loved too. I feel as if it shouldn’t be that way, it should be the only way she has access to a laboratory to do her research is through male scientist.
During her studies with Pierre, they made great discoveries together, but she got pregnant with their second child and had a miscarriage. The definitely took a tole her mentally and physically which took away her time from her studies. She stated, “I had grown so accustomed to the idea of the child that I am absolutely desperate and cannot be consoled” (Redniss 2010). As a woman, not being able to conceive can really be a major setback but with the help of her husband she gained her strength and get back to work. Overall, these are the setbacks/limitations she had to face in scientific discoveries.
