Topic > What makes us human as explored in the novel Hidden Figures

Human nature encompasses the general psychological traits, feelings, and behavioral characteristics of humanity, considered to be shared by all humans. The novel "Hidden Figures" explores the course's investigation into "What Makes Us Human" through the use of these traits possessed by some of the characters (Katherine Johnson, John Glenn and Dorothy Vaughan). These traits include creativity and human intelligence; faith and trust; the race for greatness and the drive to achieve success. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay First, faith and trust are components of what makes us human and this is evident in the case of John Glenn and Katherine Johnson, where Glenn only chose to continue the mission on the spaceship if Katherine confirms the figures that would take him into space. A quote from the novel that supports this is when the astronaut said "Ask the girl to check the numbers...if she says the numbers are good...I'm ready to go." The astronauts resist the computers because they are new, but John Glenn chooses Katherine Johnson to double-check the electronic computer's calculations for its path to and from space because he thought the calculations were "as simple as eighth-grade math: with the transitive property of equality,” causing John Glenn to have faith and trust in Katherine Johnson. Katherine is the only one she trusts to do the math correctly since John Glenn has "no faith" in the calculations made by NASA's new IBM. This is a historic moment that will put Katherine on the map. This is because John Glenn is a celebrity, and she also becomes a celebrity in her field when she asks Katherine for help. This moment occurs as a result of serendipity: when Katherine's hard work and readiness collide with opportunity and possibility. This also denotes that Katherine Johnson plays the most immediate role in human spaceflight, but Black engineers support every mission throughout the organization. With bated breath, everyone follows John Glenn's trajectory into space. Glenn is landing on Earth safely. Katherine is celebrated with the rest of the team and Glenn is welcomed as a hero. Here, the fates of Katherine and John Glenn are intertwined, and so is she when she can. Her successful spaceflight secures NASA's future, but it couldn't have done it without her. Katherine is not the only person here who has played a vital role, as Shetterly also points out by quoting Dorothy. After all, Katherine wouldn't have gotten as far as she could without Dorothy's help. Secondly, human creativity and intelligence are also components of what makes us human, as seen in the case of Katherine Johnson. His first task is to help identify the cause of a crash involving a small Piper propeller plane. In this assignment, Katherine first plots "data to provide engineers with a visual snapshot of the aircraft's aborted flight." He subsequently agreed to organize an "experiment that recreates the circumstances of the accident" with the engineers. His information leads the team to conclude that the plane had crossed the flight path of a jet plane half an hour before crossing the area. His research catalyzes changes in air traffic regulations requiring minimum distances between flight routes. This scenario denotes that in the flight research division, Katherine's "mathematical skills" and knowledge of higher-level mathematics make her a prominent figure. He uses his intelligence and creativity as much as possible to control his destiny andadvance in your career. It also helps Langley progress in that regard by demonstrating that having women of color in Langley helps the organization achieve its stated goals. Furthermore, Dorothy Vaughan is another character, in the novel "Hidden Figures" who shows the question of the course "What Makes Us Humans" through the use of her intelligence. Dorothy was born in Missouri, Kansas City, in 1910. At the age of two, Dorothy's mother died and Susie Johnson, a housekeeper, married her father, a waiter. Before starting school, Susie taught Dorothy to read, which allowed her to skip two grades. Susie also enrolled Dorothy in piano lessons. Dorothy graduated high school valedictorian early, then won a full scholarship to the country's oldest private black college, Wilberforce University. His scholarship was signed by the African Methodist Episcopal Sunday School Convention of West Virginia. This implies that Shetterly lays the foundation for Dorothy's success by highlighting the resources she had access to thanks to her family and supportive community. Dorothy is clearly hard-working and focused on her job at Camp Pickett, but the description of Dorothy's early life in the novel "Counting" makes it clear that her "superior level of education and intelligence" plays a vital role in her story, ultimately guiding her to succeed at Langley. The drive for greatness and the drive to achieve success is another factor that makes us human, and in connection with the novel, we can see that NASA is under pressure to beat other countries in the space race and establish some form of spatial domain. John Glenn was selected in 1957 "for MA-6, the orbital flight that would cast the dice on the space agency's future." To ensure he is successful, physically fit and ready for the mission, he runs, lifts weights and swims. Complete many Langley simulations. Meanwhile, in Russia, the second man in space is Gherman Titov. As a result, "American government officials, the press, and the public have expressed their disappointment with the delays, many questioning the agency's judgment and competence." So they are starting to wonder whether NASA should cut funding, even though the spacecraft is finally ready for launch in 1962. This shows that Shetterly creates tension by outlining the competition between the Russians and the United States and by explaining both the image of the United States themselves that the very existence of NASA hangs in the balance. Langley events will have both a global and national impact. Furthermore, the drive for greatness and the drive to achieve success can also be seen in the case of Katherine Johnson. Her drive to achieve success, tenacious actions, and "strong" "passion for her work" led to her being chosen above all other mathematicians by astronaut John Glenn to double-check his historical flight calculations. This makes Katherine Johnson a "symbol" and one of NASA's most recognized computers, black or white. The power of her story is such that many accounts misrepresent her as the first black woman to work as a NASA mathematician, or the only black woman to hold the position. It is often erroneously reported that she was sent to the "all-male" Flight Research Division, a group of four other female mathematicians, one of whom was also black. One account implied that the Apollo 13 mission was saved only because of his calculations. It is a sign of the strength of the void caused by the long absence of African Americans from mainstream history that even Katherine Johnson's extraordinary achievements fail to match some of the myths that have grown up around her. Katherine Johnson continues to work hard with NASA.