Spite Analytical Summarry
Taylor Wiemken
Instructor Spaulding
English 110.02
January 17, 2010
Emotional Logic The family in the essay “Spite,” by Anne Trumbore, fights through the adversity of having a mother with multiple sclerosis. As the reader starts to delve into the meanings behind the words, it shows there is more of a mental quarrel going on between the family members. “Spite” expresses the battle between the logical and emotional aspects of the human that begin to coincide with each other as conflicts and complex situations arise. The repetition of logical ideas and conversations throughout “Spite” shows the importance Anne Trumbore places on having a logical perspective during adverse situations. Anne says, “The facts are indisputable.”(1). The word “facts” and “Three ribs, weakened by twelve years of steroids, snapped on impact.”(1) emphasizes the exact recounting of the moment her mom fell in the shower. It helps represent that even in a dire situation, Anne places the logic of the negativity she receives from her mother over the emotional response of rescuing her from the scalding water. She recounts how her mother would call her a fat ass. Instead of an emotional response of displeasure such as crying, she takes time to analyze her body characteristics and concludes that her ass is fat compared to the rest of her body. Anne sees that the facts simply state that helping her would be counterproductive to exceeding the expectations of the class by solving the equation. The constant changing between the equation and her mother screaming brings up the question of whether logic is stronger than the emotional appeal to help. The satisfaction of solving the equation involves a greater sense of accomplishment than helping her naked, screaming mother out of the shower. Contemplating Anne’s actions shows how the mind can categorize an emotional situation into a logical equation of finding the greatest benefit. The logic placed throughout the essay, “Spite”, infers
Instructor Spaulding
English 110.02
January 17, 2010
Emotional Logic The family in the essay “Spite,” by Anne Trumbore, fights through the adversity of having a mother with multiple sclerosis. As the reader starts to delve into the meanings behind the words, it shows there is more of a mental quarrel going on between the family members. “Spite” expresses the battle between the logical and emotional aspects of the human that begin to coincide with each other as conflicts and complex situations arise. The repetition of logical ideas and conversations throughout “Spite” shows the importance Anne Trumbore places on having a logical perspective during adverse situations. Anne says, “The facts are indisputable.”(1). The word “facts” and “Three ribs, weakened by twelve years of steroids, snapped on impact.”(1) emphasizes the exact recounting of the moment her mom fell in the shower. It helps represent that even in a dire situation, Anne places the logic of the negativity she receives from her mother over the emotional response of rescuing her from the scalding water. She recounts how her mother would call her a fat ass. Instead of an emotional response of displeasure such as crying, she takes time to analyze her body characteristics and concludes that her ass is fat compared to the rest of her body. Anne sees that the facts simply state that helping her would be counterproductive to exceeding the expectations of the class by solving the equation. The constant changing between the equation and her mother screaming brings up the question of whether logic is stronger than the emotional appeal to help. The satisfaction of solving the equation involves a greater sense of accomplishment than helping her naked, screaming mother out of the shower. Contemplating Anne’s actions shows how the mind can categorize an emotional situation into a logical equation of finding the greatest benefit. The logic placed throughout the essay, “Spite”, infers