"On Being a Cripple" Most of us will never know what it is to be handicapped or a "cripple". However‚ accidents‚ illnesses and many other misfortunes cause millions of people to lose use of their arms‚ legs and other parts of their body. In "On Being a Cripple"‚ Nancy Mairs talks about her life struggle with multiple sclerosis‚ a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system. She demonstrates that life is what one makes it to be and that humor will help us deal with its harsh
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On Being a Cripple Nancy Mairs is a cripple. She knows it and she chooses this word to describe herself. But why does she choose this particular word? Why not “handicapped” or “disabled”? Why must she make people cringe at the bluntness of cripple? There is very little that Mairs can control‚ not her fingers‚ not her hands‚ not her mouth‚ arms‚ and certainly not her fate‚ but maybe‚ just maybe‚ she can control the way you see her. Mairs perhaps chose the word cripple because of the way people
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Bonton Karen B. Gilmore ENC 1101 June 23‚ 2014 Summarization of Nancy Mairs’ Disability 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. Mairs starts her essay by describing herself as a crippled woman with multiple sclerosis‚ speaks
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Nancy Mairs had a normal‚ healthy life like any other person. Although‚ as time went by‚ she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis‚ which eats away the protective covering of nerves which interrupts the nerves’ signals that passes through the central nervous system. Mairs piece had a purpose to inform her audience about her personal life and her thoughts about being “crippled”. Mairs also includes the superficial beauty standards society has set. Mairs relates it to her and her audience’s feelings
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“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
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In the essay “Disability”‚ writer‚ public speaker‚ and self-acclaimed “radical feminist‚ pacifist‚ and cripple” Nancy Mairs examines how the general public responds to individuals with disabilities as well as how the media portrays these aforementioned individuals (Mairs 12). She begins her essay by describing herself as a crippled woman with multiple sclerosis‚ speaking about her condition‚ and stating that she has never noticed a cripple woman like herself in the media. When the media does portray
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Wombles English 1301 7 April 2013 Nancy Mairs “Here is my troubled body‚ dreaming myself into life: a guttering candle in a mound of melted wax‚ or a bruised pear‚ ripe beyond palatability‚ ready for the compost heap” (Mairs). Nancy Mairs is a shining example of how mentally strong and passionate a person with an extreme physical disability can be. She refuses to indulge in the societies way of feeling sorry for those who are unfortunate‚ as in her case. Mairs is an independent individualist who
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conquered the lives of many of its victims‚ one of which includes Nancy Mairs. However‚ Mairs writes an essay describing her experience with the disease and how it has not affected her negatively‚ as society assumes about the disease’s effects. Mairs does not write her essay to make her audience feel pity for her disease‚ yet writes to allow people to be more accepting of the disease and of people that have it. She incorporates the word “cripple” to describe the strength MS gave her‚ rather than politically
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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." One of the ways that Mairs presents herself is when she says "I want them to see me as a s tough customer‚ one to whole the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind‚ but one who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely‚" in paragraph 1 lines 10 through 13. Mairs portrays herself as wanting people
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“Disability” Nancy Mair’s “Disability” shows us the view a disabled woman has on how the world perceives people with disabilities. Nancy is “a forty- three year old crippled woman.”(Bedford Reader 13).Nancy is a woman who spends most of her time in a wheelchair. A woman that can be easily spotted in a crowd. She notes that she has not 3show that illustrated her so that people would feel sorry for the woman. They show the woman trying to make one lat trip before she gets crippled. Nancy thinks the show
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