Questions
1. How does Mairs organize her essay? What connects the different parts to each other?
Mairs organizes her essay in a narrative. There is no chronological order, as far as the reader can be aware. She retells different parts of her life, specifically stories of her experience with multiple sclerosis. This has a couple of purposes; it helps us learn of a life of multiple sclerosis through her experiences and how she personally deals with the disease. For example, she retells a small experience with her daughter, Anne. The essay is also written with a lot of her monologue and inner musings. Each section of the essay highlights the struggles and disadvantages of living with multiple sclerosis and being crippled. Maris then follows up …show more content…
She seeks to counter with a set resolution to not fall to this stereotype and by giving examples. There are two women she describes in her story, one who is a solitary hermit and living a sad life, and the other one who lives a life full of new adventures and fun. It shows that that some people don’t let the disease define them, rather they define themselves by how they live with the disease. Mairs also describes how she lives her own life to the fullest, which contradicts the fact that her multiple sclerosis defines how her role in this world. There is also the stereotype that disabled people do not like to be called “crippled”. This is false, according to Mairs. She chooses to call herself as such because it is the word that most accurately describes her. It may make people wince, but for all intents and purposes, she is “crippled”. Another stereotype is that dealing with a disability means a cheery disposition and optimism. This is not true at all. Mairs contradicts this by giving her own specific experiences. There are times where she is livid and times where she is full of self-loathing and depression. The path to coping and living with multiple sclerosis is not easy and one cannot deal with it just by joking. A last stereotype is that disabled people absolutely need a cure. Mairs counters this by describing a hypothetical situation. Even if she could make a deal for a life without multiple sclerosis, she would put no one in her place and give up
1. How does Mairs organize her essay? What connects the different parts to each other?
Mairs organizes her essay in a narrative. There is no chronological order, as far as the reader can be aware. She retells different parts of her life, specifically stories of her experience with multiple sclerosis. This has a couple of purposes; it helps us learn of a life of multiple sclerosis through her experiences and how she personally deals with the disease. For example, she retells a small experience with her daughter, Anne. The essay is also written with a lot of her monologue and inner musings. Each section of the essay highlights the struggles and disadvantages of living with multiple sclerosis and being crippled. Maris then follows up …show more content…
She seeks to counter with a set resolution to not fall to this stereotype and by giving examples. There are two women she describes in her story, one who is a solitary hermit and living a sad life, and the other one who lives a life full of new adventures and fun. It shows that that some people don’t let the disease define them, rather they define themselves by how they live with the disease. Mairs also describes how she lives her own life to the fullest, which contradicts the fact that her multiple sclerosis defines how her role in this world. There is also the stereotype that disabled people do not like to be called “crippled”. This is false, according to Mairs. She chooses to call herself as such because it is the word that most accurately describes her. It may make people wince, but for all intents and purposes, she is “crippled”. Another stereotype is that dealing with a disability means a cheery disposition and optimism. This is not true at all. Mairs contradicts this by giving her own specific experiences. There are times where she is livid and times where she is full of self-loathing and depression. The path to coping and living with multiple sclerosis is not easy and one cannot deal with it just by joking. A last stereotype is that disabled people absolutely need a cure. Mairs counters this by describing a hypothetical situation. Even if she could make a deal for a life without multiple sclerosis, she would put no one in her place and give up