"Cripple" is the word Nancy Mairs uses to present herself in the passage. Mairs presents herself in this passage through the ways of rhetorical devices such as tone, word choice, and rhetorical structure.…
“About Being Considered ‘Retarded.’” by Amanda Baggs gives a great perspective on how those who have a disability are considered to be inferior or less human due to them being different from the societal standard of “normal”. To Baggs the way she looks and processes information is normal however compared to standards that society has placed she is different. To me Baggs is conveying the message that we label individuals who are different in this case those who have a cognitive disability and segregate them being considered normal due to the label of retarded.…
her condition, and how she feels calling herself “crippled” best defines her situation. According to Mairs, “‘cripple’ seems to me a clean word, straightforward and precise.” Although Mairs doesn't mind being called “crippled”, she understands there are other words used to describe someone who might have a similar condition. Mairs proves to be a smart and straightforward person when discussing a topic that others might find uncomfortable.…
In the passage, Mairs brings forth a tone of seriousness, while also explaining her reasoning as to why she calls herself a "cripple." She has accepted of her state of well-being. "As a cripple, I swagger," she says knowing that she is in a condition where she does not have control of some of her limbs. She does not let her disability her in a negative way. Mairs does not prefer the title, "disabled"…
Imagine having a disease that cannot be cured called multiple sclerosis. People are staring at you calling you handicapped and disabled. Just take a second and imagine you losing the full use of your limbs. Nancy Mairs has this heartbreaking condition. But, Mairs does not refer to herself as handicapped or disabled. In this passage, Mairs presents herself as "crippled."…
Mairs has multiple sclerosis, as described in the passage. She describes herself as “crippled” even though there are other words to use in a case as such. In her essay, Nancy Mairs uses rhetorical devices such as tone, word choice, and rhetorical structure to present herself and her ailing condition.…
The word choice used by any writer can portray or hide any of the author's points or secrets. Nancy Mairs uses repetitive diction in which she repeats words such as "handicapped", "disabled", and "crippled" in order to propel her self-definition across to the reader. Mairs uses a mediocre choice of language in her passage that allows her to be clear and precise as simply stated in line15, ""Cripple" seems to me a clean word,…
“I am a cripple.” In this essay, Nancy Mairs, who has multiple sclerosis, refers to herself as a “cripple.” Throughout this essay, Mairs is very straightforward and has a unique use of word choice and rhetorical structure.…
Nancy Mairs author of Disability- a self-claimed “radical feminist and cripple” with many accomplishments and degrees under her belt, Nancy is known to “speak the ‘unspeakable’” in her poetry, memoirs and essays, especially in Disability which was first published in the New York Times in 1987.…
Later, Mairs shifts by appealing to the readers logic. She proceeds to show the faulty logic of local advertisers; when she asked why he did not include disabled people in his advertisements, he responded “We don’t want to give people the idea that our product is just for the handicapped.” Mairs explains the holes in his faulty logic by pointing out that if you saw a disabled person on a commercial, you would not think that the product is purely for the…
Nancy Mairs starts her essay by describing herself as a crippled woman with multiple sclerosis. She talks about her condition and how she’s never seen a crippled woman like her in the media. Then she mentions some television shows about disabled people that focus almost entirely on disabilities and neglect the person’s character. Mairs states that although disability changes a lot in one’s life, it doesn’t kill him/her. She for example, can do what every other woman her age can do. And although she’s a great consumer, advertisers never choose someone like her to represent their products publicly; and the reason for that, according to Mairs, is that people cannot yet accept the fact that disability is something ordinary. The consequences of this situation are hash on disable people, for they might feel like they don’t exist. Finally, Nancy Mairs says that anyone might become disabled. But if one sees disability as a normal characteristic then it…
Throughout the essay, “Becoming Disabled” by Rosemarie Garland-Thomas, her main claim that she argues is that she wants the disabled community to be politicized in the eyes of society. First, Garland-Thomas talks about politicizing disabilities into a movement. She compares and contrasts movements for race and sexual orientations to the movements about disability (2). Disability movements have not gained as much attention as race or sexual orientation movements because so many Americans do not realize how prominent disability separation is in America. She wants people to start recognizing that disability is just as important as race and other movements. Next, Garland-Thomas speaks about different types of disabilities and how they aren’t always…
Word choice plays an important role in this article, “On Being a Cripple”. This was a very descriptive article that went into much depth about this woman’s illness and how she faces the challenges it brings into her life. The creative word choice is very evident and she even describes why she chose such words. She explains what the word “cripple” means to her, not just a literal definition but in a greater sense. Most people would agree that the words “crippled”, “handicapped” and “disabled” all share similar meanings. However, according to Nancy Mairs they all carry a different significance. She chose to call herself “cripple” because it carries a straightforward and honest meaning. Unlike the definitions of “handicapped” and “disabled” she believes that people “wince at the word ‘cripple’”. She wants to be seen as a “tough customer” and a survivor.…
Discourses surrounding those with a disability have undeniably evolved within the past century, in conjunction with an evolution in the portrayal of disabled people in the media. Whereas once, people with a physical or intellectual disability were depicted in the media as simplistic and pitiable figures who burden society, modern media has now sought to portray this minority group in a more positive light, as strong and independent figures who should not be solely defined by their condition. The term ‘disability’ is said to refer to “a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses or activities” [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/disability]. Those who have been diagnosed with a disability are considered…
Mairs makes this emphasis and confidence in her character by distinguishing between short and long sentences. The majority of sentences Mairs incorporates in her passage are short to create the emphasis of what her condition is, how the condition has affected the way she describes herself, and how people should not be pitying the affected patients of the disease, such as herself. For example, in her first paragraph, the first two sentences are short consisting of words not exceeding ten. These definite sentences where she states “I am a cripple. I choose this word to name me.” establish an initial bluntness in tone that makes people want to read on to understand why she has chosen this politically incorrect term to describe her. Throughout the rest of this paragraph, Mairs writes lengthier sentences, causing the audience to be more understanding behind what went on in her brain when making the decision of choosing this specific term to describe her. However, Mairs does not keep this lengthiness going on for long, as she uses the same strategy with her abrupt specificity in diction after thoughtful words, by finishing off the paragraph and the following paragraph with short sentences that finalize her thoughts about the idea of using the term to describe her condition. The first paragraph ends off with a five word sentence stating “As a…