The Six Million Dollar Man | Class 11 English notes

The Six Million Dollar Man Summary in Short

The Six Million Dollar Man | Class 11 English notes

The six million dollar man by Harold J. Morowitz is about the chemical value of the human body. This essay also presents a statistical evaluation of the human body in terms of chemical mixes and arises at a very surprising concluding note.

The author receives a birth date card from his daughter and son-in-law. The birthday cards bear a statement that “materials that make of the human body are only worth It” At this low evaluation of the human body the author becomes quite surprised. So, he wants to make a thorough story about it. He writes down the names of chemicals used in the human body. Then, he goes to the gymnasium in order to wage his body. The total weight of his body appears as 168 pounds to which he converts into gram and the figures stand out as 76, 3634 gram. As he knows that the human body contains some amount on it. He makes 68% of the total weight and figure now appears as 24554 which results in 6 million dollars(6000, 015.44$). It gives great relief to his heart. However, he does not become satisfied with the bottoms of his heart. He tries to bridge the gap between 97$, previously quoted, and the 6 million dollars, recent evaluation. He knows that the big difference between these two is because of the information.

The author believes that a 6 million dollar evaluation is just the rough sketch of the human body. He does not include the internal mechanism or system of the human body which can accelerate the price beyond the limit. So, the purchase of chemicals from the market does not signify that one has purchased a human being. The chemical purchased should be synthesized in human cells, tissues, organs and a portion which is beyond the capacity of size. If a human being cannot be formed even after assembly the chemicals into tissues, organ and so on. The attempt to evaluate him in terms of money is worthless. So, we can realize that each human being a priceless and precious gift of nature.

1) What definition of the human body is implied in the statement on the greeting card? Why does Morowitz question it?

Answer: The author is very much surprised to see the statement quoted in the greeting card. The statement clarifies that the materials that make the human body are only worth 97$, which is the extreme low evaluation of the human body. The author is compelled to make a question that such a low evaluation of the human body has degraded them to worthless materials. He believes that the statement clearly signifies the easy purchase of human beings just by spending 97$ only. So, before any biochemical company finds out what is reality is, he wants to make a thorough study about the entire matter listing out the chemical used in the human body along with their current price in a gram.

2) At what strikingly different definitions does the author finally arrive?

Answer: The author does not become satisfied at his heart despite the fact that he has brought out the evaluation of the human body as 6 million dollars. He believes that a natural man who is a matchless gift of nature, cannot be estimated from the point of the view of monetary aspect. It is so because the purchase of chemical from the market can never signify that human being has been purchased efficiently. A natural man endowed with natural gifts about the feeling of love, hatred, pain, pleasure and so on. Can seldom be expected from a chemically formed man. Science needs to synthesize the chemicals into cells, cells into tissues, tissues into organs and organs into a person, where it becomes totally failure. It is beyond the capacity of science to produce natural human being with the compositions of chemicals. So, the attempt to evaluate the human being with the help of money is a totally insignificant or worthless effort.

The author also quotes a famous statement from a famous mathematician and philosopher, Alfred north whitehead, “the human body is an instrument for the production of art in the life of the human soul”.