Finding Her Way Analysis

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

the novel Passing, Nella Larsen explores the consequences and disadvantages of two African Americans living in a segregated society. The reconnection between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry illustrates two different paths in regards to how they portray themselves in their own community. Larsen displays Clare Kendry as a light – skinned women who tolerates her husband’s racial comments in order to live in a higher society. Clare’s decision to secretly hide her racial background because of the desire of wanting to be accepted by individuals of an upper social class greatly affects Irene. Clare’s determination of overcoming racial barriers by passing as a white individual is similar to the Rhinelander/Jones case. In 1924 the son of the wealthiest families in New York married the daughter of a taxicab driver. However, Leonard Rhinelander appealed to have is marriage annulled due to “believing his wife to be white when he married her” (135). Rhinelander suspected Alice Jones was hiding her racial background by passing as a white individual. As the trial progressed it was concluded that that Rhinelander had an understanding of her racial background before marriage was an option between the two. The Rhinelander/Jones case demonstrates how Clare Kendry decided to pass as a white individual in order to obtain wealth and social status by marrying a white male. The three criticism texts chosen demonstrates how racial passing between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry contributes to social status.

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.

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.

B). The main character in “On Being a Cripple” is Nancy. Nancy wants to prove that being a cripple is still can do lot of things like normal people do. She wants to changes society opinion how they think of disability people like her. She wants other treat her as if she was not cripple. For example, “The terror that people are kind to me only because I am a cripple”.

In Nancy Mairs short story, “On Being a Cripple”, she reflects on her life handling her disability of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how it has changed different aspects of her existence. She defines herself as a cripple despite the negative connotations the word may have. Over the past ten years, Mairs has had her MS slowly progress as her body deteriorates. She sees her life as fairly average, but seemingly small tasks have become difficult to her and has required help from her family. Despite their support, Mairs still fears that people's kindness is out of pity. The stigma around physical disfigurement and being crippled causes added suffering to her life. Although the disease dictates much of her existence,

The final comparison you can make between the two is that they both came from troubled backgrounds, poor families, and bad neighborhoods with little to no opportunities before KIPP and OneGoal. Kewauna had a very troubling childhood until OneGoal, she was arrested at 15 for punching a police officer and she was also homeless for a time in her life. She decided to change her life for the better and start doing better in school after a family intervention about her behavior. There is the only slight difference between Kewauna and Marita, Marita was not a problematic child like Kawauna she just is one of the unfortunate people born in a not-so-nice neighborhood which lessened her chances of being successful significantly. Luckily, for both of Marita and Kewauna they have beaten that stereotype to pieces and they both enrolled in higher education.

It is often said that kids don’t usually understand race or racism, and that is true until Janie is met with kids who have faced oppression all their lives. Janie is a young girl who is raised by her grandmother in the deep South during the 1930’s. Janie lives among many white kids and doesn’t realize that she is not white until she sees a photo of the children and cannot identify herself in the picture. “Dat’s where Ah wuz s’posed to be, but Ah couldn’t recognize dat dark chile as me. So Ah ast, ‘where is me?’ Ah don’t see me’”(9). Janie didn’t know that she was a black girl because she had always been treated the same as the white kids, and they never treated her any differently than anyone else. The only kids that ever abused her with their words were the other black kids at school, they always teased her for living in

In Cammie McGovern’s novel, Say What You Will, she definitely dismisses “overcoming” the disability. The author shows that just because someone has a disability does not mean that they have something to overcome, they just have to find their own way of living with the disability. Amy does not pretend that she is normal, she knows she is different, but she doesn’t let that stop her from carrying out a fun, loving teenage life. “We can dwell on our limitations, or we can push ourselves past them” (McGovern, Loc 1014). In this quote, it is clear that Amy is saying it is obvious she has limitations, but we can always push ourselves past them.

To begin with, Hazel, a white teenage girl, caught screaming to the back of another teenage girl’s head, black teenage girl named Elizabeth, claims that in the act she wasn’t feeling any towards of hatred or disapproval towards Elizabeth making her way into school. However, in the heat of the moment this photograph captured her at the wrong moment in time, a moment in which appeared full of hatred. Story is though that Hazel tagged along into the mixt of the crowd, not knowing exactly what she was thinking or doing but just wanted to do what everyone else was doing. This very act touches upon one aspect of racism, how your society influences your thoughts and actions. Growing up in the south, this was just a custom, to Hazel just like to everyone else. Individuals come as a whole to torment someone who they were taught was inferior to them.

It’s to have people see her instead of her conditioned. That's all anybody with a disability wants. Don’t sum up the person based on what you see, or what you don’t understand:get to know them.” I appreciate this statement of her because she hits the key point on giving the voiceless a voice to be themselves and that we shouldn’t treat them

According to the article "The Amazing Powers of Jen Bricker" by Kristin Lewis and the poem "Can't" by Edgar Albert Guest the quote connects to these pieces of text because it illustrates to never give up. Many people such as Jen are born with disabilities that can often hold them back but with quote proves that people can do anything they want if they put there mind to it. This quote applies to the text because it connects with Jen Bricker and because how it relates a ton to the poem. The first reason why this quote applies to the text is because of how it connects to Jen Bricker. Jen Bricker was born without legs and she accomplished many astounding things.

Freedom writers is a 2007 film starring Hilary Swank as a new teacher starting her career in a racially divided high school. The movie shows a harsh reality for youth living in a rough urban environment and a teacher that ignores race and only wants to help her students succeed in life. There are many social issues involved in this movie including crime, discrimination, and family. Along with that, the film constantly shows examples of the labeling social perspective. While being mostly a dark and grim tale, the movie will shift gears, and our perspective on how we view the students will change from how we viewed them in the beginning of the movie.

In this poem is such a big shock and may wonder why these people did such a thing. In Africa these people culture is way different than ours. They have to work for what they want in life. They are all strong no matter what, they still try to get through life.

The film, Away from Her, tells a story about a couple whose marriage is tested throughout the film. The couple in the film are Grant and Fiona. Their marriage is tested when Fiona starts to suffer from Alzheimer’s and moves into a nursing home. There, she losses almost all the memories she had of her husband, Grant. She, then, begins to develop a new relationship with one of her nursing home peers. As much as it hurts Grant, he must protect Fiona’s happiness.