Using creative literary devices in scientific non-fiction writing may make for a more palatable read, however, can it affect the validity of the writing itself? Here, certain literary devices are explored that are used in Junk Food Monkeys by Robert Sapolsky to see what affect it has on such writing:

Narrative Elements Can Help Make a Story More Interesting, But May Come at a Cost

According to Mio Jeffery and Katz Albert, authors of Metaphor: Implications and Applications, scientific writing usually presents a credible piece of writing in order to inform a reader of factual information. Using narrative techniques and storytelling may make science writing more palatable, it helps the reader to identify with or understand the text. However, the use of creative storytelling adds bias to scientific writing as the author’s subjective views influence the reader’s understanding of the information provided.

Therefore, the reader may be informed of the writer’s own interpretations of a situation, possibly making the writing less valid. It may b important then to find the right balance of basic fact and literary device. This is evident in the creative scientific piece, Junk Food Monkeys, where the use of metaphor and characterisation will be discussed.

Using Characterisation in Science Writing

People often assume scientific writing is real and accurate, as they generally read it to be informed of the truth. The narrative device of characterisation is used in Junk Food Monkeys, a creative scientific piece. On page 109, Robert Sapolsky speaks of Joseph Kemnitz, ‘a primatologist at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center’ and how he ‘found that levels of insulin were more than twice as high in the Garbage Dumpers as in those eating a natural diet’. Sapolsky has simply given Joseph a professional title and the reader does not know much else about him.

Theodore A. Rees Cheney, author of Writing Creative Non-fiction, says that this can cause the reader to assign Joseph with too little or too much credibility based purely on his title. Cheney goes on to say that using devices like this can be a good thing however it does mean writers of this genre must be careful in how characters are portrayed, as when using this device, it is easy to give a reader the wrong impression of someone, thus the research presented may lose some validity.

Metaphors Can be Useful But May Also be Misleading

Metaphors are evident in Sapolsky’s scientific piece. According to Jeffery Scott Mio and Albert N. Katz, authors of Metaphor: Implications and Applications, metaphors are used to create relation between concepts in order to help readers understand texts. On page 106 of Junk Food Monkeys, Sapolsky uses the metaphor of ‘winning the lottery’ to describe what it is like for baboons to find food. Mio and Katz state that a reader can not always recognise a metaphor.

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