Have you ever been crippled or felt so incapable of something? Has anything felt so empowering that you didn’t know what to do or how to tackle the situation? Have you ever felt so much pain where it seemed like it immobilized your body? Have you ever felt so depressed that you really didn’t know where the source of depression was coming from? These are the questions that come to my mind when I think about each and every tear that ever hits my face. I wonder how many tears are actually hitting my
Nancy Mairs - Crippled and Strong Throughout this passage Nancy Mairs uses the word cripple to describe who she is and the beliefs of her condition. She does this by describing her condition in a few different ways; the opinion of others and the opinion of herself. As anyone should she decides what her title as a person should be and she doesn’t listen or care for anyone’s opinion outside of her own. Her tone is very straightforward throughout the passage. Mairs describes her condition and how
Compare and contrast of “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris The two essays “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris are excellent pieces of work that share many similarities. This paper would reflect on these similarities particularly in terms of the author, message and the targeted audience. On an everyday basis, people view those with disabilities in a different light and make them conscious at every step. This may be done
multiple sclerosis, discusses why she calls herself a cripple as opposed to the other names used by society to describe people with disabilities. She prefers the word “cripple” over the words “disabled” and “handicapped”. Nancy Mairs presents herself as a cripple using a straightforward tone, negative diction, repetition, and logical/ethical appeal. In the first paragraph, Mairs explains who she is. She starts off with the simple sentence “I am a cripple”. This sets off the tone as being straightforward;
When you hear the word “cripple,” do you instantly develop a negative image of a person in a wheelchair, who is unable to care for himself or herself in any way? Or do you think of someone with just a minor disability, maybe a physical one, but who still has the brainpower of an average person, such as Stephen Hawking? Both definitely do exist, but it’s a matter of personal perception that affects how you think of inconvenienced individuals. To most people, the life of a cripple seems abstract and unthinkable
different themes with varying degrees of effectiveness. One way to measure the effectiveness is to rhetorical analyze two pieces of writing to each other and see which is best. Take Nancy Mairs and James Baldwin for instance. Mairs’s On Being a Cripple seems very different from Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son from a distance. Only when you begin to rhetorically analyze the texts do you see where the two compare and contrast. Using the soapstone method it is easy to compare and contrast the authors
“I am a Cripple,” when people typically hear these words they tend to feel bad for that person, but that is exactly what Mair does not want. She prefers that people treat her the same as they would if she did not have the disease. Throughout the essay, Mair discuses her disease openly. She uses an optimistic tone, so that the reader will not recoil with sadness when they hear her discuss the disease and how it affects her life. In Nancy Mair’s essay “On Being A Cripple,” Mair uses her personal stories
outside is not a defining factor or who we are as people. Nancy Mairs, author of On Being a Cripple, has to live through this every day. She knows this truth very well, and lives proudly with the fact that as she is disabled. Mairs is admirable for choosing to call herself a “cripple” and not be ashamed of it. Though the word is derogatory and a word that is avoided by society, Mairs identifies herself as a cripple because that is what she is. In explaining her disability, she says, “I haven’t always
“We are flawed creatures, all of us. Some of us think that means we should fix our flaws. But get rid of my flaws and there would be no one left,” -Sarah Vowell. Throughout the composition On Being A Cripple, by Nancy Mairs, she explains how she is slowly becoming fed up with people sympathizing with her because she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mairs does not want people to perceive her as delicate or unlucky; she wants people to get an outlook on how she lives her everyday life. Although
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
humor to portray herself as a “cripple”, Mairs word choice demonstrates that she is proud of being who she is, while using humor and irony to demonstrate her condition. Mairs recognizes herself as a “cripple” although many people would not want to be called a cripple since they would find it offensive, but Mairs believes it fit her perfectly. Mairs does not like the term “handicapped” or “disabled” because they are not flattering which is why she prefers the word “cripple”. Although she has a serious
On Being a Cripple Essay Nancy Mairs, who has multiple sclerosis calls herself a “cripple” in a passage she wrote about herself describing in detail why she chose this word to call herself. Because Mairs studies language, she conveys her message by using assertive tone, strong word choice and rhetorical structure. Mairs starts out the passage by very bluntly stating her claim. “I am a cripple.” This is the name that she chose for herself. By making this statement the audience can tell that there
disabilities. Nancy Mairs is one of those people as she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 28 years old. In her essay “On Being a Cripple”, she writes, “People- crippled or not- wince at the world “cripple”... Perhaps I want them to wince. I want them to see me as a tough customer… who can face the brutal truth of existence squarely.” The choice of cripple over “disabled”
Memories cripple the consciousness of reality. People’s perception evolved within illusions and memories, thus reflects identity. The mind can both function to forget and remember. Are memories something we have or something we have lost? A memory that is being stored often deviates from the memories being recollected. People tend to say that memories last forever. But can those memories in a persons mind be always so true or accurate enough for the story to be behold? Not every memory that people
Nancy Mairs’ “On Being a Cripple” is centered around a teacher/writer with a psychocentric personality that chooses the synonym cripple as the way to define her chronic degenerative disease called multiple sclerosis. Also she takes you on her personal life journey, which is plagued with challenges, depression, realizations, joy, hatred and acceptance of the disease. Mairs’ hates the way society views physical appearance and abnormality. Mairs’ has a distinctive concern about the language used in
Cripple Creek Miners Strike: At the end of the 19th century, Cripple Creek was the largest town in the gold-mining district that included the towns of Altman, Anaconda, Arequa, Goldfield, Elkton, Independence and Victor, about 20 miles from Colorado Springs on the southwest side of Pikes Peak. Surface gold was discovered in the area in 1891, and within three years more than 150 mines were operating there. As the silver miners came into the gold mines they caused a lowering of wages. Mine owners
think about how other people would label you. Personally, would you prefer to be characterized as handicapped, disabled, differently abled, or crippled? While these names may sound a bit harsh, Nancy Mairs, the author of an article called “On Being a Cripple, easily chose her preference. Among the several
the trial, Orchard narrated the specifics of his wrongdoings without hesitation. Just last year, 1906, he with another fellow had implanted an explosive in the Vindicator Mine at Cripple Creek, Colorado, that shattered and exterminated two innocent workers. Later he notified the administrators of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad of a conspiracy of the Western Federation to below up one of their tracks, as he had not been paid for his efforts at the federation. He observed the residence of Gov
to be judge by others. What if people waited before judging and they were in their shoes for a day. The stories that caught my eye and analyzed were “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and the second one was “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner. The first story is on a woman who is disabled but likes to use the word “cripple” to describe herself. The second story is about a man who has to survive out in the streets but has interesting facts about different foods. These essays both have
her essay “On Being a Cripple,” Mairs describes her path of acceptance of her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis by declaring that she is a “cripple” in alternative to the more broadly acceptable terms: disabled or handicapped. Her essay is written with humor, satire, an open heart, and open eyes. Mair’s purpose is to describe her acceptances of her condition by using rhetorical elements and appeals, such as ethos and pathos, in order to allure her audience. “I am a cripple” - this succinct and precise