Analyzing My Text's Cultural Setting

In this blog post, I will address three questions regarding the cultural setting of the article I have chosen to write about. This article was published on November 24, 2014 in The New Yorker. Throughout the article, the author discusses recent advancements in 3-D printing and its implications in the field of medicine.

Geralt, "Science Slate Chalk Leave Atom Board Hand Learn." October 2014 via Pixabay. Public Domain License.

1. What values, ideas, norms, beliefs, even laws of the culture play an important role in the text?
The text centers around the value of scientific progress in today's society. Our culture places a great deal of value on progress (whether it's scientific, social, or otherwise), and this article specifically uses these beliefs as a foundation for the text. The belief in progress and the betterment of society is a fundamental aspect of our society, and the author demonstrates one way people are using this idea to advance society.

2. Does the text address these cultural values, beliefs, etc., directly (by directly mentioning and responding to them) or indirectly (by presenting a scenario or narrative that addresses them)?

The text does not directly address these values and beliefs; rather, it alludes to them in a series of anecdotes throughout the article. The author uses stories that demonstrate how 3-D printing is bettering the field of medicine and society as a whole in order to address these beliefs. For instance, he speaks of a child getting an implant made out of 3-D technology, and explains how this has bettered the child's life. By using small anecdotes like this, the text indirectly addresses and shows how the idea of 3-D technology embodies these cultural values and beliefs.

3. What is the relationship of the text to the values, beliefs, etc.? Is it critical of these aspects of the culture? Is it supportive? Does it seek to modify these aspects of the culture in a certain way?

The text supports these ideas of progress, challenge, achievement, and success. It supports our society's ultimate goal to better society, and it shows that 3-D printing is directly related to these values. The text seeks to modify our idea of these cultural values by including this technological advancement in our belief of progress and achievement. It ultimately tries to use these cultural values to show that this biotechnology directly relates to the values that our culture supports, and thus it is an important advancement in today's day and age.