Rhetorical Analysis Of On Being A Cripple

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Recommended: Multiple sclerosis and how it affects people

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it,” says Charles R. Swindoll. This statement, although seemingly inaccurate, is brought to life by the testimony of Nancy Mairs. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Mairs had every reason to give up on life, but in “On Being a Cripple” she shows her audience that pushing forward was worth the challenge. Her life as a cripple isn’t easy, but through her writing, Mairs hopes to explain and create awareness about her life living with MS. Through her personal experience and positive attitude, Mairs shows her audience that not only is she a source that others can trust but that life is exactly what you make it, no matter what cards you are dealt. In Mairs piece “On Being …show more content…

“And I refuse to participate in the degeneration of the language to the extent that I deny that I have lost anything in the course of this calamitous disease; I refuse to pre- tend that the only differences between you and me are the various ordinary ones that distinguish anyone person from another,” (138). Note that she refuses to identify as any other ordinary person. This leads us to believe that even though she may hate her disease, she accepts that it is a big part of her life, and should be treated as so. This in turn connects her with readers who also have been diagnosed with MS disease and furthermore makes them feel like they are not alone in their struggle. Mairs does not try to disguise the fact that she has MS, but instead embraces her differences. This teaches other MS sufferers that instead of trying to deny the fact of their disease, instead they too can embrace their differences and live a good life. She calls herself a cripple because it most accurately describes her, and she does not believe in catering to the “sensitive” phrases society uses to describe people with her condition. This gives her audience a sense of individuality. Furthermore an even more specific audience can connect with her and feel that she understands their very unique personal struggles. This in turn makes her

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