In John Barry's The Great Influenza, Barry characterizes the tedious and uncertain work of scientific investigators and compares their work to the minimal rewards reaped in order to convey the immense courage required to become a scientific investigator. Barry analyzes the qualities and virtues of scientists to paint a picture of the uncertainty of science. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of Barry's main points in his passage is the metaphor where he compares scientific research to the literal exploration of the unknown. He writes: “Would analyzing the water after it has passed over the rock reveal anything useful? How to analyze it? Barry expresses the difficulties of exploring the unknown by pointing out that it is difficult to make the right decisions when everything is suspended in a state of uncertainty. The analysis of anything is called into question: should scientists analyze the substance? How do they analyze the substance? What should they do once the analysis is complete? By conveying the difficulty of the situation in which researchers often find themselves, Barry successfully characterizes the tedious and uncertain work of scientific investigators. Barry also writes about the virtues and qualities necessary to become a competent scientific researcher. He writes that in addition to intelligence and curiosity, “passion, patience, creativity, autonomy and courage” are necessary. Not only are these virtues necessary to be productive in science, but Barry writes that these virtues are very difficult to develop and acquire; these are not everyday virtues. Barry particularly emphasizes the virtue of courage. He writes that uncertainty causes fear and that true courage is accepting uncertainty. In a field where everything is uncertain, scientific researchers must “act with force and aggressiveness”, even if the situation is uncertain. To do this, researchers must possess “a confidence and strength deeper than physical courage.” By articulating the large number of virtues and qualities necessary to become a competent scientific researcher, Barry expresses the fact that not only is scientific work tedious and uncertain, but it requires a great deal of courage on the part of the researchers themselves. Finally, Barry describes the difficulties researchers face after all this tedious and uncertain work. He writes that ultimately, even after a success, "a stream of colleagues will open roads on the traced path, and these roads will be orderly and straight, leading an investigator in a few minutes to a place that the pioneer has passed months or years of searching. ..the perfect tool will be available for purchase. Barry explains that after all the hard work the researchers have done, there are only minimal rewards to be reaped, and the product of their hard work will be sold to the masses and treated as nothing more than "lab mice." . In doing so, Barry characterizes not only the tedious and uncertain work of scientific researchers, but also the fact that investigators must demonstrate great courage, not only during the research, but also in the years that follow. only a sample.Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom Essay Barry characterizes the tedious and uncertain work of scientific investigators and compares their work to the minimal rewards reaped in order to convey the immense amount of courage required to become scientific researcher. Barry.