Life That Inspired My Left Foot

When Alice Walker was eight years old, her brother accidentally shot her with a BB gun in her right eye. She lost the use of that eye and was left with scar tissue that was noticeable. Other kids would ridicule and laugh at her. This caused her to become very withdrawn. She became more of an observer and she started composing poetry in her head. She was afraid to put them on paper because she thought that her siblings would find her writings and tear them up.

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 “On Being a Cripple”, Nancy Mairs, an American poet and essayist, describes her personal battle with multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the central nervous system with no known cure. She begins with a personal account of falling into a toilet because she loses control over several motions. Mairs prefers to be called a cripple rather than a disabled or handicapped person, although she acknowledges that this is not the same as others’ preference. She explains her journey from being a young, active child, to losing control of her body and developing a blurred spot in one eye in her late twenties. As her body continues to break down, Mairs tries to stay involved by participating in activities like bridge and

Most children are not very fond of reading books in school. I was one of those children until I read a novel called, “The Other Side of Dark” written by Joan Lowery Nixon in the 4th grade. My school had held a book fair during the week of open house. As a child, all children want the toys and games they had at the book fair, not bothering to even glance at the books. My mother told me to look for a book that was not only easy for me to read but something that I would enjoy. I walked around our petite library, which was where the book fair was being held, and scanned the various novels that were displayed until one caught my eye. I was only 10 years old looking for a book without the knowledge of what types of literature that interested me. As I turned the corner at the end of the library I caught a glimpse of a hardcover novel called “The Other Side of Dark”. On the back of novel I read the synopsis which was about a 13 year-old girl who was shot and put into coma until she was 17 years old waking up to discovering that her family was also murdered by the same person who shot her 4 years ago. I was quickly captivated by this summary on the back of the novel and persuaded to read further. Open house was coming to an end and my family and I headed back to our house in La Mirada, California. One of our homework assignments was to read at least 20 minutes a night to improve our reading skills. We quickly arrived at our home and I

Cerebral palsy is a brain and nervous system disorder that was discovered in the mid nineteenth century by a group of people with a generous commitment of improving the lives of people with disability (MyChildatCerebralpalsy.org, 2014). One of such individuals is William Little, who pioneered customary studies relating to cerebral palsy by using his childhood disability to substantiate the causal relationships between natal complications and physical and

People with disabilities are not completely gone. They are still there and have a mind of their own. They feel emotions and sometimes have a more complex mind than others. Two authors help enlighten this idea that disabled people are much more than helpless bodies. Both Christy Brown and Jean-Dominique Bauby perfectly illustrate their lives and what it is like to be disabled, and they prove by their stories that they think and feel, and can even develop enough to share what they feel with the world. My Left Foot is about the journey of a boy suffering from cerebral palsy. His entire life he was labeled as a loss cause by doctor after doctor, but his mom never gave up hope. Slowly, he started showing signs of development by random movements responding to certain situations. In the end he ends up being able to communicate with his left foot. The next story, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, is about an individual who suffered a stroke at the age of 43, leaving him paralyzed, only able to blink his left eye as communication. He develops his own alphabet inspired by the French language in order to exchange conversations with others. His thoughts in the story jump from the present, him currently disabled, and the past, when he was not. Both memoirs, with very different stories, show the lives of two individuals that are not like others. One who had their disability since birth, and the other who obtained one after a tragic event. In My Left Foot by Christy Brown and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby, both authors use characterization to show readers the struggles of disabled people and help them understand that just because they can’t use motions such as hand gestures to express how they feel, doesn’t mean that they don’t think and feel.

Two-year-old Alice Walker was as boastful and energetic as they come. She was a product of her environment;

“On Being a Cripple” is placed under the genre of autobiography because it focuses on a significant personal experience in Mairs’ past and draws out the meaning as she tells her story and reflects on her experiences. The key factors of an autobiographical essay include dramatic events or episodes, vivid details and narration, and an interweaving of narration with reflection on and interpretation of the essayist’s experiences (Norton xxvii). This essay focuses on Mairs’ experiences and personal struggles with multiple sclerosis.

Everyone has their own way of achieving victory: scoring the winning point in a sport, getting chosen for a job or acing a test in school. A writer for Sport Illustrated's, Rick Reilly, tells Ben Comen’s story, a teenager with cerebral palsy who runs for his high school’s cross-country team, in his article “Worth the Wait.” In the article, Reilly informs the audience of the previously mentioned situation that Ben is in, while also mentioning Ben’s process of overcoming all odds and managing to finish the races with the entire crowd cheering him on. Reilly establishes a triumphant tone with the aid of pathos and arduous-like diction to make light of people with cerebral palsy and to show how they can accomplish goals in life like everyone else

The novel, The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, is the story of Taylor who just finished high school. She never had the easiest life, but she was determined not to end up like her other classmates, barefoot and pregnant. “Mama always said barefoot and pregnant was not my style. She knew. It was in this frame of mind that I made it to my last year of high school without event,” (Kingsolver, 3). Thinking like this she thought she would never end up with a baby, then Turtle came. An abused three year old girl was left with her at a bar without an explanation. Instead of leaving her behind, Taylor took her in and was raising her on her own without help. This was only one of the many hardships she went through, but her mother taught her well.

In the essay “On Being a Cripple”, Nancy Mairs shows us a class of two subcultures: being a parent and being disabled. Looking at the intersection between these culture and identities will show us important facets of disability that all people should understand. Throughout the essay Mairs explains the effects Multiple sclerosis and how it negatively and positively affects her life and the lives of her gracious family.

List at least 7 practical lessons that can be summarized in a sentence Provide an anecdote from the history of Barefoot Wines that illustrates each of the nuggets you identify.

The book “On My Own Two Feet” by Amy Purdy and Michelle Burford is one the bestselling book that has sold millions of copies all over the U.S. This book is about how nineteen year old Amy Purdy contracted bacterial meningitis and had less than two percent of survival. While Amy was dealing through life and death, she was given a choice to live or to let go but if she decided to live there will live changing experiences that she will have to deal with throughout her life. Amy had decided to live. The tough part was she had to get her legs amputated.

Melody Brooks was born with cerebral palsy. Her parents have done all they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often frustrating for Melody because she cannot speak or communicate her wishes. In fact, Melody was even diagnosed as profoundly retarded when she was five. Despite this, Melody's mother enrolled her in public school to give her the opportunities she needed to succeed.

"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen is a short story that talks about a handicapped child. Emily had to struggle a whole lot on her short life, but at the end she proved to be a very strong child. Tillie Olsen's characterization of Emily shows a strong female protagonist who overcomes numerous odds: loneliness, humbleness, vulnerability, and her disability.