Book Review: Good Kings, Bad Kings

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

In Cathedral, the unnamed narrator, husband, defines the character of Robert as an anomaly in which he doesn’t comprehend. “He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver 1983). The media has been able to lead people like the narrator to develop negative opinions towards those with disabilities creating a type of phobia. After hearing stories about Robert, told by his wife, he could not imagine this blind man having a good life, one worth living. He assumes that Robert’s wife, Beulah, had lived a very pitiful life as well, not having her husband ever knowing what she looked like or what subtle nuances her facial expressions could only show through sight.

In her essay “On Being a Cripple”, Nancy Mairs presents her audience with an honest inside view of her life and perspective as a cripple, a word she openly uses to define herself. She brings her world to us by discussing a wide variety of things including language, family, and humor, and how these all relate to her life. Through various stories and insights, she allows her readers to gain an understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. She examines the public’s view of the disabled, as well as the views they have of themselves, and compares them to her own. She makes it clear that she is not to be defined solely by her disability. In discussing honestly her views, as well as

In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.

She identifies as “a cripple”, saying “I choose this word to name me.” She states that she recognizes the uncomfortable feeling it inflicts on all people, proposing that “perhaps I want them to wince.” These statements criticize the stigma around disabilities, and their blunt tone emphasizes the benefits of a “straightforward and precise” nature to labels. In this passage from paragraphs two to four, Mairs explains the true meaning of the words (i.e. “disabled”, “handicapped”, and “differently abled”) abled and disabled people use to identify those with disabilities. She continues to discuss these terms and includes her blunt opinion – it is typically against the use of these labels for their lack of “accuracy with which [they] describe [her] condition.” This shows the abled audience why the stigma surrounding disabilities should be removed because they would not understand her perspective as a disabled person without that explanation. On the other hand, her blunt tone and language is used to convince disabled readers to agree with her message: “I refuse to pretend that the only difference between [abled people] and [disabled people] are the various ordinary ones that distinguish any one person from another.” Both of the effects of Mairs’s blunt tone work to achieve her goal of acceptance of disabled people, but they differ in order to be most effective for their targeted

Someone who is crippled often receives pity and sympathy from others, but do cripples always want this? In this passage entitled “On Being a Cripple,” Nancy Mairs uses interesting word choice, repetition, and a sarcastic tone to touch upon a subject that most mature non-crippled Americans are not entirely comfortable with; using the so widely feared word “cripple” instead of the common “handicapped” or “disabled” to be polite or politically correct. Elaborating to a society, so infatuated with being politically correct, that using a word considered derogatory to most may be necessary according to exact definition is Mairs’s purpose in writing this passage.

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 some changes regarding the relationship between the media and people with disabilities. Mairs thesis is shown implicitly in the first

In Nancy Mairs ' "On Being a Cripple," she deliberates the relationship between the English Language, American Society, and her struggle with multiple sclerosis (MS). Mairs criticizes people for wincing at the word "cripple," and using terms like “differently abled,” because they lack reality and accuracy. She equivalents society’s inability to accept crippledness with death, war, sex, sweat, and wrinkles. Through the usage of ethos, pathos, logos and other rhetorical devices, she effectively tells her story and proves that there is power in words, from which she could come to terms with a new fact of her identity, and to accept the incurability of her disease.

In “On Being a Cripple,”  Nancy Mairs describes her life as a “cripple,” being treated different for her multiple sclerosis. She describes how society views her as handicapped or disabled both which are terms that the author dislikes.  Her viewpoint makes readers question their own beliefs on how the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple influences a person to think differently about each term and its meaning. One of the reasons I chose this essay was because the author shows how different terms could affect the way society thinks about a person. Mairs believes that society often judge others based on their physical appearance and use the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple to label. She argues that the outcome of this is creates an idea where being a cripple, or being disabled is considered a taboo where you're expected to be treated differently. Mairs claims that society i

Physically incapable of living a normal life, Nancy Mairs writes “On Being A Cripple” and Matthew Soyster writes “Living Under Circe’s Spell,” having both experienced the hardships of a disability. Struggling to form somewhat of a pleasurable life, they both share similarities in their writings. With these similarities, both Soyster and Mairs, attempt to express their newfound challenges in their lives, but, they both compose different ideas in their writings.

Throughout “I AM a cripple”, Mairs conveys allusions on her disability and how she feels about her current quality of life. In the start of the essay, Mairs discusses labels society uses to elaborate on people with limitations. She appreciates some but loathes others, such as the term handicapped. As she states in the text, “my god is not a Handicapper General, in order to equalize chances in the great race of life” (Mairs). Handicapper General is a character from “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Mairs uses Handicapper General as a reference due to the character, giving out handicaps to everyone: masked women for beauty, and others being chained for being ‘too strong’. Referring to Handicapper General, Mairs indicates no one is to blame for her disability. Mairs’s

The book, Mean Little deaf Queer, a memoir, by Terry Galloway, is a powerful autobiography that gives insights about her life. Not only has she coped with a disability, but she also had to deal with being queer and overcoming the many obstacles of accepting this reality. Terry Galloway, grew up viewing herself as an outsider because of the responses she received from other individuals as her body transformed. She proclaimed herself as a child freak from the moment her body began to change, and when her hearing was diminishing and her hallucinations became a frequent occurrence, she would address her fury and discontent with her hearing aids and thick round glasses. Nevertheless, the moment she feigned her own drowning at a summer camp for crippled children, she knew she had discovered a new passion. Her hardships were overlooked and renovated into a love for theater and speech that would not only defy her reality, but that would surpass her expectations.

David Anthony Durham once said, “A king is the best and worst of men” (Durham). By this, he was saying that kings have the potential to leave great legacies or a trail of failures. As a result of kings being chosen by royal succession, rather than actual qualifications, many kings throughout history have been unfit for leadership of a nation. An example of this is The Count of Artois, Charles X of the France. He was uneducated and led a frivolous life. When Louis XVIII died in 1824, Charles X was faced the difficult task of becoming king when no one expected it to happen. He was ultimately unprepared for the job, and exemplified all the qualities of an unfit ruler. When Dr. Seuss wrote “Yertle the Turtle”, he was not only creating a meaningful children’s story, but also providing adults with an important lesson on leadership. He used Yertle as a metaphor for oppressive governance. Yertle’s actions can be compared to the actions of Charles X of France and other tyrannical rulers.

How does the book depict individuals with a disability or the family? Throughout the book, DeClements portrays the main character, Helen, as the class clown provoked from her escape from reading due to her reading difficulties. Although the school’s administration and current and past teachers have recommended evaluations for Helen’s reading difficulties, Helen’s mother insists on teaching Helen herself opposed to a special education class. Unfortunately, the assistance from Helen’s mother has not improved Helen’s reading or grades.

Although not a thematic stereotype reinforced throughout this whole film, it is typical of a disabled character to be represented as a victim or object of violence (Safran, 2000). At the climax of the film, Gilbert’s overwhelming frustration and anger of his life situation overflows into a violent episode directed at Arnie. On occasions throughout the film, Arnie is portrayed as an innocent a victim or object of violence from his