Being A Cripple Essay

The word cripple may mean something different to you versus what it may mean to me, to me it means to be disabled in a way that affects one’s physical abilities. I’m going to expand on the definition of the word and discuss a personal experience with being cripple as well as provide some examples of what I feel may be viewed by other as being cripple, finally I will discuss societies views on the word and how it may affect those it applies to. Generally when someone says the word cripple, they are most likely referring to a person who is physically disabled and in one way or another having an underlying factor that affects their movement. For example, the story “On Being a Cripple” refers to someone with multiple sclerosis also known as MS. MS is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective nerve coverings of the central nervous system, also known as the CNS. MS is often a disease that causes a person to have limited mobility may even be bound to a wheelchair. However, MS is not the only disease that may cause a person to lose their mobility, many other diseases such as Parkinson’s as well as cerebral paisley, both affecting the mobility of someone and ultimately being disabled or crippled. Although many diseases that affect the CNS, also affect the mobility of someone, not…

Nancy Mairs, in her nonfiction essay, “On Being a Cripple,” (1986) coveys her perpetual struggle in “getting the hang of” her debilitating condition—Multiple Sclerosis. Though her view of her condition is turbulent, Mairs acknowledges one constant truth—that she is plainly a “cripple”. Mairs’ utilization of this motif “squarely” elucidates survival amongst inexorable forces. Mairs’ purpose is to identify and generalize her condition in order to express the complexity of its duality, ultimately…

says, “I re-read my paper on the Algernon Gordon Effect and I got the strange feeling that it was written by someone else.” (P.g. 59) This quote proves that Charlie cannot read his own writing, which leads to the sign of dumbness. Also, if you think about it, Charlie wrote the book and he does not know how to read it! The words were too complicated for him to understand causing him to search the words in the dictionary. Also, in “Being a Cripple” Nancy Maris does not like to be a cripple just…

In her work “On Being a Cripple” she describes personally how these sources of pressure, do not specifically come from individuals, but collective societal standards. “Todays ideal woman, .. is never a cripple” (Mairs 76). Due to her overall fortune of having an understanding doctor and family, she does not have to deal with pressure from them, because they realize it would be condescending and unrealistic plus ultimately stressful for themselves. Instead, it is the everyday pressure to be…

different groups of people: The Doctors, the Nurses and the Patients. People hold different styles in almost every aspect in life such as types of music, clothing, colors, books, and films. So when it comes to different writing styles, then one can agree with that also. One just never thinks about it and with people having what they think is “good’ personal writing. Good personal Writing should include humor, graphic details, things I can relate to, and not too much gore. A sense of humor in a…

The story “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs demonstrates how Mairs did not give up and tried her best to live a normal life even though she had a serious disease called Multiple Sclerosis. In the story, she often describes herself as “Crippled”. Mairs can perform many activities like writing, teaching, speaking publicly about MS and depression. Throughout the article she discusses how she had developed the MS and how this disease affected her. She explains how she accepted all the losses she…

Unfortunately, a variety of deadly diseases exist, leaving people to battle for their lives every day. Many people feel helpless and lose hope at a certain stage in their disease, whereas others, fight back and continue to live their life to its fullest potential. In the personal essays “On Being a Cripple” written by Nancy Mairs and “Living Under Circe’s Spell” written by Matthew Soyster, both authors have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a severe disease in which they approach differently.Through a…

Without actually living in another person’s life, someone cannot really tell what the other person is going through or how they are feeling, and this can occur when it comes to disabled people. In “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “Living Under Circe’s Spell” by Matthew Soyster, the reader is lead into the state of mind of people living with disabilities. The essay written by Mairs analyzes how being disabled does not define someone's character, and Soyster expresses the struggles of being…

Reading Response In the article ‘’On Being A Cripple’’, by Nancy Mair’s is about Nancy who struggles with MS, she implies on how her life changed with her diagnoses, and how she learned to cope with her disease. My response to this article was a interesting. I noticed that she hated living with MS at first, because she wasn’t born with it, then she realized that this who she is, she accepted it. For example my cousin who is 3 months younger than me, has a disability. we don’t know what…

Shadoe Lass 9­7­16 On Being a Cripple Analysis On Being a Cripple Analysis In “On Being a Cripple,” Author Nancy Mairs discusses the diction choices of referring to those with disabilities. Through juxtaposition, Mairs discusses the truth of diction towards the impaired, and demonstrates acceptance to her nature. Mairs tackles the tough truth: that many take for granted the ability to perform simple daily tasks other struggle with. In the paragraph (and the entire essay), Mairs utilizes the…