The Box Man Essay

In the excerpt from Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay “The box Man”, Ascher uses contrast to provide emphasis on the box Man’s living situation and his desire for loneliness compared to the masses. Ascher’s desired audience is suggested towards those who have been secluded from the normal societal standards of life whether it be unaware or known of their circumstance. Ascher is more so writing to the interest of secluded females rather than the rest with some knowledge of the stereotypical housewife or lover who longingly awaits to have a partner who understands them and makes them feel whole.

We come alone in this world and one day we will be alone once again; therefore, we must formulate the choice to achieve things ourselves. That is why in the essay “The Box Man”, Barbara Lazear Ascher writes about the evening customs of diverse people that live alone and by observing these people, reflects on the nature of solitude. She demonstrates that solidity doesn’t necessarily mean being lonely, just alone and explains how lonely and alone are unlike. Ascher uses the rhetorical strategies compare and contrast and imagery and description to demonstrate her views on solidity.

In the essay ‘The Box Man’ Ascher invokes many stylistic devices and rhetorical strategies to portray her message that you should accept loneliness. The devices she uses include the rhetorical strategy “Ethos” and the stylistic device Anecdote. She uses many more which will be discussed later in this essay. She portrays the message “accepting loneliness” throughout the whole piece and even provides real life examples to support her message. These Examples include The Box man, the Soup lady, and the Television lady. All of these examples are lonely Individuals however, they go about it at different ways. The Box man chooses to accept loneliness and the other two ladies don't accept it and therefore live miserably.

The main point that Ascher is making in the “Box Man” is the fact that some people choose loneliness and are comfortable with it while others are uncomfortable in their lonesomeness and seek company and cannot find it. Ascher does this by using 3 examples; the first one is the Box Man, he chooses to be by himself and enjoys the quiet and the loneliness. “Although it would appear a life of misery, judging from the bandages and chill of the night, it is of his choosing. He will ignore you if you offer an alternative.” She later also states that he is “not to be confused with the lonely ones.” Then she goes on to describe two other women whom she classifies as lonely because they do look for company. Asher does this by describing to us part of their daily routine and her observations about the first lady in paragraphs eleven and twelve. And later telling us about the nightly routines of the lady with “six cats, 3am lights and television…”

The Box Man is an essay written by Barbara Ascher that addresses and criticizes how American society does not give homeless people the respect they deserve. In the essay, Ascher describes a night of the life of an average homeless man. Ascher accomplishes this by using her character the Box Man to represent the homeless people of America and to display how society sees the homeless. Barbara Ascher’s The Box Man utilizes thoughtfully chosen diction, precise negative and positive imagery, and effectively placed tone shifts to argue that the homeless, represented by the Box Man, are worthy of respect.

“But, I 'm already resigned to this fate / Looking over my life, I recall / If it hadn 't been / for the loneliness / I 'd have no companion at all. ” This stanza from “Loneliness”, by Lora Colon evokes the negative impact a lonely fate has on a person. Words like “resigned” and “loneliness” establish a sense of depression and resignation. During the times of the Great Depression, many people felt similar feelings of melancholy and stoicism. Jobs were hard to come by, and realistic dreams of success were scarce. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, allows readers to see the life of the Great Depression. The two main characters, George and Lennie, search for jobs, like many other migrant workers. They dream of owning their own land, however, Lennie’s habit of getting in trouble prevents their dream from being reality. After he accidentally causes more trouble at their new job, George is forced to kill him out of mercy. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck shows that even if one meticulously plans out the road to their American Dream, fate will inevitably intervene and lead one to desolation and loneliness.

The organization of the passage is not necessarily in a chronological order but is still presented in an orderly manner. It is organized in order to keep the reader captivated and still be interesting within the body of the essay.

The author was very heavy in the Pathos category. He invested strongly in using stories and vivid language to get their point across to the readers. For example, in paragraph 4 the author talked about living north of New York City. Talking about how most of the vehicles people would see on the road would be an SUV or a light truck. They went on saying

In the essay, The Box Man, Barbara Lazear Ascher compares and constrasts to array the idea of solitude. She differentiates the life of “the lonely ones” to that of a homeless man who she labels the box man. She illustrates a reflective tone throughout her essay. By using the strategies; detail, diction, language, and syntax, she creates this piece for those who don’t realize that loneliness is choosen.

The author’s purpose I believe was to teacher the reader to make amends, give forgiveness, don’t forget the wronged person or the deed, and learn how to move on after it. The context of the essay was the story of a person who goes to a prison to confront the murderer of one of their old time friends, the murderer was the husband of the victim, it was a gloomy and very emotionally balanced essay. It never felt like the main

I believe that it is primary nonfiction element that the author weaves throught the essay that allows me to gain additional insight into the essay's overall purpose. For example, " The Innocent Man" by Pamela Colloff used characterization to explained his character that whether he is inncoent or not about killed his wife. She wrote about his emotional speech about his son that he is worried about him and begged them to not lose him. It showed me that he have a good side. On the other hand, few friends think he have issue with his wife because of his bad actions. "A life worth Ending" by michael Wolff is really confusing, I believe it is point of view because the author wrote about his mother who is very sick on bed. He is using first person,

There are many possible situations in life that can separate one person from his or her family and friends, which he or she cannot control a majority of the time. In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, loneliness is a major theme and can be found in most characters. This is inevitable considering the story’s setting: the American Depression, highlighting the journey of the mentally impaired Lennie, and his equally unfortunate friend, George. The ranch they work on is located in the town of Soledad, meaning loneliness. This is appropriate since these two, along with their fellow ranch hand Candy, are all lonely due to circumstances that they could not influence.

At some point in one’s life there is not only contentment or grief, but a state of loneliness. Loneliness is a part of human life, although some suffer from isolation more than others. Being lonely can lead to depression or create a different persona in oneself. Struggling through isolation can eventually kill one’s soul, expecting no hope or ending up in dangerous situations. The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck portrays the theme of loneliness especially through two characters. Crooks and Curley’s wife experience the state of isolation as they crave for a friend or someone they can talk with. Steinbeck urges readers to feel pathos when analyzing Crooks and Curley’s wife through the nature of their isolation, their actions and

1. How is this essay constructed? Describe the parts of the piece (and how many, etc.) Provide brief descriptions of the work that each part is doing and how it goes about doing it.

The Café was quiet and empty on that cold and sunny day. The few people that were there were sipping their coffee and enjoying their meals. None of them knew that they were in the midst of a soon to be flourishing company. Two entrepreneurs of a local entertainment and productions company sit enjoying their coffee. Eddie IV stirs his bitter coffee; mixed perfectly to compliment his brownie. Adrian Ivan prefers his mixed a little sweeter. “Intelligent, deterministic, and technologically proficient” were Adrian’s words when asked how he would describe himself. “As the main character of a Clint Eastwood western” were Eddie’s words. They spoke with confidence and self-assurance; traits required for members of a startup company. The company of