What literary devices does Nancy Mairs use in her essay "On Being Cripple" to effectively convey the issues that arise around disability? In your paragraph, reference and analyze at least three examples of literary devices from the text.
(Use your Literary Terms Handout to review literary devices)
Joanna Dimas
ReplyDeleteNancy Mairs is a woman trying to live life being disabled. Writing her personal story she uses several literary devices to intensify her details, allowing the reader to really have a mood while reading. Mairs clarifies, “I am a cripple. I choose this word to name me”(267). The word “cripple” is a literary device of euphemism, and the reason she prefers this term is because “disabled” is stating that Mairs is limited to options in life. Mairs would rather just own who she truly is and enjoy her life not being perfect like every other human being. Another literary device is symbolism. Mairs mentions, “One may also lose one’s sense of humor. That’s the easiest to loose and the hardest to survive without”(270). One of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis is not loosing humor, but living without humor symbolizes pain, anger, and sadness, allowing the reader to understand the author’s tone. Being diagnosed with a disease that can take your life away is hard to cope with. Humor is the most helpful cure and without it is emotionally disturbing one’s health. Mairs also uses similes, “I dropped from his view as through a trap door; I find the image as silly as something from a Marx Brothers movie”(272). Mairs purpose for the simile is to show some positive in falling and hurting herself. This also shows a change in tone from the author. She has know received her humor and seems to be letting loose on life. In Mairs case there may be no cure, but as she mentioned, “why not me”. Mairs has now accepted the fact that she has to live in a different life style and is just thankful to be alive. All the literary devices make her writing much more powerful, and allows the reader to feel Mairs emotions whether it is pain or happiness.
In “On Being Crippled,” by Nancy Mairs, The protagonist, Nancy is a crippled but wasn’t always one. She used the literary device of Omniscient narrator when she was explaining her character and her background. For example, she was saying, “I will never run again, except in dreams, and one day I may have to write that I will never walk again,” (Mairs 270). Nancy has MS which stands for Multiple Sclerosis. She has a really hard time walking since her left leg is getting completely weak. Nancy doesn’t really like being called “disabled” or “handicapped,” she much rather be called crippled. She explains why she doesn’t like being called disabled or handicapped using first-person narrative. She admits, “ ‘Disabled’ by contrast, suggests any incapacity, physical, or mental. And I certainly don’t like ‘handicapped’ which implies that I have deliberately been put at a disadvantage, by whom I cant imagine,” ( Mairs 260). Nancy shows several literary devices in her essay, “On Being Crippled”.
ReplyDeleteNancy Mairs talks about how her disability has effected her life. She uses literary devices to make her essay more interesting. For example, she uses a humourous and sincere analogy when talking about the expectations socitty places on cripples. She says "like fat people, who are expected to be jolly, cripples must bear meekly and cheerfully" (Mairs 8). From the beginning of her narrative, Mairs sets up a humorous mood with the story of her accidentally sitting back on the toilet after having gotten up. The reader naturally becomes amused and continues reading. By talking in the first-person narrative Mairs is able to use her own stories to teach the reader about her condition, rather than using a less appealing approach. For example, she talks about the two models she looks up to and how they have inspired her to not let her condition take control of her life. Finally, Mairs uses her stream of consciousness to justify her condition. She says "whenever I try, the only response I can think of is 'Why not?'" (Mairs 13). Mairs makes herself more relatable to other human beings using this alliteration
ReplyDeleteIn Nancy Mairs’ personal essay, “On Being a Cripple”, she uses literary devices to make her essay stronger so the reader can get a deeper understanding of her lifestyle. Mairs has a multiple sclerosis and this disease affects her life, this disease is were “one may lose vision, hearing, speech. The ability to walk, control of bladder and/or bowels,” (Mairs). Although she is different from everyone else, she still works, has a spouse and children. She considers herself as a “cripple” rather than a “handicapped” or a “disabled” because to her it seems “a clean word, straightforward and precise” (Mairs). This literary device is Euphemism, a “political correctness” term. The author also use imagery to get the image in your head of how much she struggles in very simple things, “ So many movements unbalanced me, and as I pulled the door open I fell over backward, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat with my legs splayed in front of me,” (Mairs). The reader starts to feel empathy for this poor, young lady because of the disadvantages she has. Although she suffers from this disease, she has a few advantages of getting attention and being well taken care of “you always get what you want” (Mairs). Although some may say that they don’t want others to feel “pity” for them. She loves the life she is living and accepts things, she doesn’t blame god for her disease. The disease does have its ups and downs but she enjoys every second, every minute, of every day because she never knows when it may be her last.
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn’t use page numbers, I couldn’t see them because of the whole punches.
In Nancy Mairs essay "On Being a Cripple" Mairs writes about her life and being crippled. Throughout the essay she uses a variety of literary terms to intensify her story. For example, Mairs writes,"I choose from among several possibilities, the most common of which are handicapped and disabled"(Maires 267). This is an example of an archetype because it's an original model or form. The terms "handicapped" and "disabled" are the original words used to described someone who is disabled, which is an archetype. Another example of Maires using literary terms to intensify her essay is when she uses a metaphor. Mairs uses it to describe what happened to her in the womens room in her office building. Mairs states,"...and as I pulled the door open I fell over backward, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat with my legs splayed infront of me:"(Mairs 267). This paints a vivid picture in the readers mind about how Mairs fell on the toilet because too many movements threw her off balance. Lastly,Mairs uses literary terms to sway the audience. For example,Maires writes,"I will never run again, except in my dreams, and one day I may have to write that i will never walk again"(Maires 271).This is an example of a rhetoric because the way she writes is very emotional and definitely convinces the audience of her pain. The literary terms used by Nancy Mairs in her essay "On Being a Cripple" intensifies her message and sways the audience.
ReplyDeleteIn the essay “On Being Crippled”, Nancy Mairs uses literally terms to make her writing appear more interesting and give the reader a better understanding of her disability contributing to her life. Nancy Mairs a protagonist writes about her disability, Multiple sclerosis that has put her in a spot of disadvantages. She starts to notice the symptoms at the age of twenty-eight when she has just begun graduate school. She describes how her body is slowly progressing to the disease and she lost body functions. Nancy Mairs uses Analogy; she makes a comparison between the women that have nice bodies in the media to her immobilized body. She writes, “Today’s ideal woman, who lives on the glossy pages of dozens of magazines seems to be ...her hair has body, her teeth flash white, her breath smells minty” (Mairs). Then she relates to her disabled disease, “But she is never a cripple” (Mairs). Nancy uses analogy to explain how her disease has affected her life and image because of the comparison she gives between her image and other women’s appearance with a normal life. Furthermore, another analogy that Nancy puts in her essay is what she could do when she was perfectly fine, then after she got affected by MS, the limited options she can now serve. She gives an example, “I will never run again, except in dreams, and one day I may have to write that I will never walk again” (Mairs). She applies this analogy before she starts talking about her disability of not being able to walk through the trails when her family goes camping. On the other hand, Nancy provides a humorous and angry mood. She discusses how she may find it easier to amuse herself then other “Cripples” and her amusement towards her students because she paints her own fingernails. Although, she writes about her disability being stressful because of no cure, faking, losses, disabled, image, and basically being a “Cripple”. She writes after tomato juice has splatter all over her, “I’m so sick of being crippled” (Mairs). This quote gives a significant mood of madness against her disease, the tomato can slips and falls on her weak arm so she can’t get a hold of the can and falls on her. Nancy Mairs uses literary terms to convey the issues that arise around her disability.
ReplyDelete*couldn’t see pg #’s
Nancy Mairs uses imagery,similes,and metaphors to convey the issues that arise around disability. These literary devices work so well to explain the issues about disabilities because it brings the issue to the personal level and lets one relate to the author. Maris writes, "I wriggled back to my feet, my voice bouncing off the yellowish tiles from all directions" (Mairs 267). Mairs explains how hard it is to do something as simple as getting up from a seated position. Mairs says, "i tramped alone for miles along the bridle paths that webbed the woods" (Mairs 269). Mairs references to her sanctuary as a very natural place by using a simile which allows the reader to see this magical place the same way she did. "Every day for the past ten years, then, has been kind of a gift" (Mairs 269). Mairs is telling the reader about how fortunate she is by using a metaphor. She relates this feeling she has for being so fortunate for live which not everybody understands and compares it to a gift which most everyone has received. This is why she effectively conveys the issues surrounding being a cripple.
ReplyDeleteNo, shut up.
Deletestop being mean
DeleteOne of the first literary elements that Nancy Mairs uses in her essay is her repetition of the word "cripple". She uses the word multiple times to show that it has become a part of her identity and says multiple times that "I am a cripple" (25). She repeats the word to show the reader that she is proud of her identity and that she does not need polite euphemisms that will cover up her disease. After reading the word so many times one can understand what a frank and blunt personality Nancy Mairs has. Another main literary device that she uses is satire. She uses humor to show that she has been able to add optimism to her misfortune when she states "my God is not a Handicapper General"(?),her use of satire shows that she keeps an open mind about her disease and does not pity herself. Another literary device she uses is her ironic tone as she states, "as I cripple, I swagger" (26). This represents Irony because, obviously, since she cannot walk she cannot swagger. Her Ironic tone helps show the metaphorical "swagger" that shows a brave show she puts on. Her use of Irony Satire and repetition might also help cover up for the frustration that she feels about being an "other" in her society.
ReplyDeleteIn the personal essay, "On Being A Cripple," by Nancy Mairs, Nancy uses literary devices to give a deeper understanding of her life as a cripple. In her essay, she refuses the fact that she is disabled or handicapped. She writes, "'Disabled,' by contrast, suggests any incapacity, physical or mental. And I certainly don't like 'handicapped,' which implies that I have deliberately been put at a disadvantage" (Mairs 268). Mairs uses the literary term euphemism to make a harsh, negative, term less negative. For instance, she calls herself a cripple instead of handicapped or disabled because she feels that "Cripple seems to be a clean word" (Mairs 268). This gives the reader another perspective on the term “cripple” and one for “handicapped” and “disabled,” as it can also be offensive. The author also uses imagery to give the reader a visual understanding of the difficulties a person deals with while having a disability. She writes “As I pulled the door open I fell over backward, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat” (Mairs 267). The author shows a setback of being crippled, which is that the simplest movements can be the hardest challenges. In this case, it is when Nancy Mairs opened the door and could not steady herself and she fell into the toilet seat. As Mairs writes her essay, the reader can get a sense of her tone when she addresses her disability. She does not let her disability get in her way and she does not mind it. For instance, after she fell on the toilet seat, she “laughed aloud” feeling embarrassed, not ashamed, that she could not get up. Also, although she prefers to be called crippled, she states, “I don’t care what you call me… But call me ‘disabled’ or ‘handicapped’ if you like. I have long since grown accustomed to them” (Mairs 268). This gives the reader a sense of her self-esteem being that her disability does not affect her personally, even though she is different, and feels comfortable with herself.
ReplyDeleteThe life that Nancy Mairs is born into is conveyed so powerfully because of her own specific writing style and how she embraces the fact that she is a cripple. She accepts who she is; thus, allowing her to express her emotions by the differentiations of literary devices used. The vivid imagery that Nancy writes places the reader in the moment. The reader is able to perceive the detail that Nancy writes because of how imagery relates to one’s five senses. When “[Nancy] fell over backward, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat…the old beetle back routine,” the description in how this came about and how it ended really produced an image in the reader’s head about what happened (Mairs 267). Descriptive detail allows any reader to feel any situation similarly to how the author felt. Another literary device used in the reading is satire. A constant satirical language when Mairs is stating her own opinion on the different terms of handicapped, disabled, and crippled. She specifically wants others to “wince [and see herself] as a tough customer, one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind” (Mairs 268). Mairs uses the term cripple to deliberately attack those who “wince” at it. She does not want to euphemize her own condition by calling herself handicapped or disabled. The truth is conveyed in the text and Mairs has no intention of lightning the blow of reality. Those terms: crippled, handicapped, and disabled all connote different definitions, yet they denote similar ones. From those given words, there is only one word that truly connotes a definition that is truly negative. It is “‘differently-abled,’ [this] strikes [her] as pure verbal garbage” (Mairs 268). Even if it denotes a similar definition to crippled, handicapped, or disabled, the connotation of the term is what is truly offensive to Mairs.
ReplyDeleteThrough a vast variety of different literary devices, Mairs is able to convey her true feeling about her own situation. She is able to express to the reader how she feels, which allows the reader to truly be in “her shoes.” From the vast amounts of imagery used to the differences in connotation and denotation, it is clearly seen that every word reflect every bit of her own emotion. Through that emotion, this essay becomes so much more powerful.
In Nancy Mairs essay "On Being a Criple", she describes her life as a cripple and delivers it in a very personal way, letting readers connect with her. She uses many literary devices to explain the story in an abstract way. Throughout her entire work, she uses tone to express her hatred toward being a cripple. When she says, "This lively plenty has its bleak compliments, of course, in all the things I can no longer do", we are sure of her feelings on crippleness (no pg #s). She uses point of view to describe how others around her think and feeling about her MS. She claims "My kids deny it", which is something she assumes her kids do in order to hide the fact that their mother has MS. She also uses denotation to explain what MS is. She writes "Multiple sclerosis is a chronic degenerative disease...", giving us a straight forward definition of what her disease is.
ReplyDeleteSorry it's late, I was exhausted last night and got home at about 12:30 AM
ReplyDeleteIn Nancy Mairs'"On Being a Cripple," she describes the problems as well as the upsides to her lifestyle as a cripple. Because it is a personal essay, Mairs uses many literary devices and descriptive language to engage the reader and help make the image that she is describing as clear to the reader as possible. For example, at one point Mairs describes the mobilized wheelchair that she uses for traveling distances. At first, I couldn't picture the wheelchair in my mind, but she immediately follows up with a description saying that it "looks rather like an electrified kiddie car" (Mairs 270). With this use of a simile and imagery, I was able to picture the electric wheelchair in my mind. At one point in the essay, she describes her limp itself in a very detailed manner. She describes that as she walks, her "shoulders dropp and [her] pelvis thrusts forward as I try to balance myself upright, throwing [her] frame into a bony S. As a result of contractures, one shoulder is higher than the other and [she] carries one arm bent out in front of [her], the fingers curled into a claw" (Mairs 275). From the vivid imagery and descriptions in this sentence, I was able to bring up a very clear image of the extent of her disabilities. In one part, she talks about her opinion on the words society uses to describe "cripples" like her. she says that she prefers being called a cripple, because it is simple and to the point. She dislikes euphemisms like "differently abled" or "handicapped" because of "its ability to describe anyone, to describe no one" (Mairs 268). She says that our language has degenerated to the extent that she refuses to acknowledge that she has any differences between her or anyone else. With all of these various literary devices, Mairs is able to create a vivid description of her situation as a cripple. It allows the reader to thoroughly understand the author's problems and feelings, as well as directs the reader toward a new perspective of "crippled" people.