On Being a Cripple, by Nancy Mairs - 1276 Words

â€Å"On Being a Cripple†, Nancy Mairs In her essay â€Å"On Being a Cripple†, Nancy Mairs presents her audience with an honest inside view of her life and perspective as a cripple, a word she openly uses to define herself. She brings her world to us by discussing a wide variety of things including language, family, and humor, and how these all relate to her life. Through various stories and insights, she allows her readers to gain an understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. She examines the public’s view of the disabled, as well as the views they have of themselves, and compares them to her own. She makes it clear that she is not to be defined solely by her disability. In discussing honestly her views, as well as†¦show more content†¦She talks about the progression of MS throughout her life, and gives numerous examples of other people she knows who are also afflicted, and different ways she reacts to them. She ranges from the aforement ioned two older women to another friend, Michael (243), providing her readers with a variety of people to identify with. Once she has them seeing themselves in the piece, they are also able to see themselves in her. By seeing the good and bad aspects of Mairs’Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of `` On Being A Cripple `` By Nancy Mairs1407 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"On Being a Cripple†, Nancy Mairs, an American poet and essayist, describes her personal battle with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system with no known cure. She begins with a personal account of falling into a toilet because she loses control over several motions. Mairs prefers to be called a cripple rather than a disabled or handicapped person, although she acknowledges that this is not the same as others’ preference. She explains her journey from being a youngRead MoreAnalysis Of Nancy Mairs s On Being A Cripple 1083 Words   |  5 PagesIn Nancy Mairs On Being a Cripp le, she deliberates the relationship between the English Language, American Society, and her struggle with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mairs criticizes people for wincing at the word cripple, and using terms like â€Å"differently abled,† because they lack reality and accuracy. She equivalents society’s inability to accept crippledness with death, war, sex, sweat, and wrinkles. Through the usage of ethos, pathos, logos and other rhetorical devices, she effectively tellsRead MoreAnalysis Of Nancy Mairs s On Being A Cripple1187 Words   |  5 PagesNancy Mairs is the author of the controversial essay On Being a Cripple. Here, she writes of her experiences dealing with the degenerative disease, Multiple Sclerosis, on a daily basis as well as her preferences on the proper terms are for what to call a person who is disabilities. Although she uses the term crippled to describe herself, she believes that no one should use it to describe another. Her argument, though it stands o n unstable grounds, is effective in bringing attention in sharing oneRead MoreReview of Mairs Autobiography Entitled, On Being a Cripple Essay600 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"On Being a Cripple† is placed under the genre of autobiography because it focuses on a significant personal experience in Mairs’ past and draws out the meaning as she tells her story and reflects on her experiences. The key factors of an autobiographical essay include dramatic events or episodes, vivid details and narration, and an interweaving of narration with reflection on and interpretation of the essayist’s experiences (Norton xxvii). This essay focuses on Mairs’ experiences and personalRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of Being a Cripple761 Words   |  4 Pagespity and sympathy from others, but do cripples always want this? In this passage entitled â€Å"On Being a Cripple,† Nancy Mairs uses interesting word choice, repetition, and a sarcastic tone to touch upon a subject that most mature non-crippled Americans are not entirely comfortable with; using the so widely feared word â€Å"cripple† instead of the common â€Å"handicap ped† or â€Å"disabled† to be polite or politically correct. Elaborating to a society, so infatuated with being politically correct, that using a wordRead MoreAnalysis of Disability by Nancy Mairs1019 Words   |  5 Pagesof â€Å"Disability† by Nancy Mairs Priscilla Farah May 11, 2012 Author of disability Nancy Mairs who’s a feminist and a cripple, has accomplished a lot in writing and teaching. Her remarkable personality shows in many of her essays especially in Disability which was first published in 1987 in the New York Times. In this essay, Nancy Mairs shows how disabled people are constantly excluded, especially from the media. By giving out facts and including her personal experiences, Mairs aims for making someRead MoreAnalysis of Disability by Nancy Mairs1008 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Disability† by Nancy Mairs Priscilla Farah May 11, 2012 Author of disability Nancy Mairs who’s a feminist and a cripple, has accomplished a lot in writing and teaching. Her remarkable personality shows in many of her essays especially in Disability which was first published in 1987 in the New York Times. In this essay, Nancy Mairs shows how disabled people are constantly excluded, especially from the media. By giving out facts and including her personal experiences, Mairs aims for makingRead MoreLanguage, And A Better Understanding1251 Words   |  6 PagesLanguage is a topic that will never cease to adapt, from slang being developed in suburbs of urban cities, to new additions to the Oxford dictionary. We, students of English, use different concepts of language almost everyday and most of the time we don’t even realize it. To get a better understanding of the English language and concepts developed within it, one would turn to look at the arguments of scholars including George Orwell, Nancy Mairs, S.I. Hayakawa, Nicholas Carr, and the dispute of the SunlightRead MoreEssay On Being A Cripple922 Words   |  4 PagesChange is Crippling In Nancy Mairs short story, â€Å"On Being a Cripple†, she reflects on her life handling her disability of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how it has changed different aspects of her existence. She defines herself as a cripple despite the negative connotations the word may have. Over the past ten years, Mairs has had her MS slowly progress as her body deteriorates. She sees her life as fairly average, but seemingly small tasks have become difficult to her and has required helpRead MoreComparing Mairs And The Myth Of A Latin Wom I Just Met A Girl Named Maria1328 Words   |  6 PagesAs human beings, we like to put labels on people around us to help us identify them. Most of these people around us are strangers and we do not know any personal detail about them. We tend to identify them based on their appearance, rather than who or how they are as people. We are often unaware of the impacts our labels have on these people. In the essay â€Å" On being a cripple† by Nancy Mairs and â€Å" The Myth of a Latin woman : I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the writers have successfully