AP Language and Composition 1: Nancy and Amy are Friends

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Nancy and Amy are Friends

http://pnhs.psd202.org/documents/jpatel2/1508346311.pdf

Here is the link to the prompt I would like you to tackle today in class since I did not post a blog this past weekend. This essay is written in the same spirit as "Mother Tongue", but Amy Tan. This is just an excerpt, but the essay is fantastic and worth reading. Here is a link to that must in case you are interested.

https://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/MairsOnBeingaCripple.pdf

45 comments:

AnonymousNovember 10, 2020 at 11:15 AM
Nancy Mairs represents herself in her writing as strong and smart. She isn’t afraid to face the truth and even addresses herself as such. She calls herself crippled to face the truth of her condition. Her writing shows her intelligence and how strong she can be.
In her writing, Mairs is presented as strong. She started with talk about people’s reaction to the word crippled. She explains that she wants people to wince at the word. She wants people to think of her as strong enough to handle a socially rejected word. She wants people to know that she calls herself crippled because she’s not afraid of the word. She faces the truth of her condition by using the word crippled which is an example of her strength.
Nancy Mairs shows her intelligence by her knowledge of words. She brings up the history of words and definitions. This not only makes her seem intelligent, but it also gives her a sense of authority because she knows what she’s talking about.
Mairs represents herself as intelligent and tough which is much like Tann did in her writing. They both used knowledge and strength to get their points across. They both had examples that made sense and added to the point of their essay
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AnonymousNovember 10, 2020 at 11:16 AM
“I am a cripple,” says Nancy Mairs, a woman who has multiple sclerosis. Nancy Mairs does not hide from the truth, she is blunt and lives in reality. She does not use the term “crippled” so much as offend other disabled people, but to classify her multiple sclerosis for what it is. Nancy knows herself and her abilities and she does not try to soften the blow of the truth, she just faces the facts.
Nancy calls herself a cripple because she believes that the terms “disabled” or “handicapped” does not justify her multiple sclerosis. “People-crippled or not-wince at the word"cripple," as they do not at "handicapped" or "disabled." Perhaps I want them to wince. I want them to see me as a tough customer,one to whom the fates/gods/ viruses have not been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of her existence squirrel,” says Mairs, proving the hardships she has gone through and the truth about herself. She believes that “handicapped” and “disabled” give a false sense of reality. She says is not differently abled, she is crippled and she is aware and accepts this reality. Nancy feels that because she is crippled, she is different from other people emotionally and physically. She does not take offense because she is aware of the obvious differences.
Nancy Mairs is a strong, honest, and intelligent person. She is aware of her disability and accepts it. She is blunt with herself about being crippled and she does not fear the correctness of a term. Nancy is not afraid of the truth and although “cripple” may come as an insult to herself. She is tough and does not let the limits of her problems get to her head and let them defeat her.
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AnonymousNovember 10, 2020 at 11:17 AM
Great take on it Abigail! I really like that you pointed out that she believes handicap and disabled gave a false reality.
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AnonymousNovember 10, 2020 at 8:13 PM
Nancy Mairs was an author who wrote about many diverse topics, including spirituality, women’s issues, and her experience with living with multiple sclerosis. She wrote “On Being a Cripple” to speak and normalive her condition. She was sick of people treating her differently just because she had a disease.
Much like Amy Tan’s mother, Nancy felt that she was seen as weaker or less intelligent due only to her having multiple sclerosis. Amy Tan saw that people viewed her mother as less intelligent only because she did not know every single word in the English language. In the passage, Mairs immediately identifies herself as a cripple. She says that she chose this to call herself, it wasn’t something she wanted, but something she accepted and moved on from. By identifying herself as a cripple, Mairs makes sure to clear up the point that she would never call someone else a cripple, that it is a word one can only bestow upon themselves. Having this problem never stopped Mairs from constantly doing what she wanted to do, writing. Even though traveling was difficult, she still did it because she could. Mairs was never one to give up and her essay proves this.
The way Mairs speaks through her essay proves her strength. She uses strong language and has a strong tone to the way she writes. She doesn’t cover anything up with nice, flowery words. Everything is hard and real. As one reads it, they can feel her determination to make her point and to have her voice heard. She plays on her audience’s emotions a lot by talking about the hard subject of disabilities and people who have disabilities. It often makes people uncomfortable to talk about and listen to this subject. Mairs doesn’t shy away from any of it, this is her reality, so why shouldn’t she share it with everyone.
Throughout the essay, Mairs wants to remind people that terms like ‘handicapped’ and ‘disabled’ hide the reality of people who suffer from mental and physical illnesses. She wrote this essay to remind people that just because someone is different to someone else, doesn’t mean they need to be looked down upon. Mairs wants her, and so many others, reality to be normalized, and not seen as a weakness, but as regularity.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 11:11 AM

Nancy Maris was born a cripple and she does not shy away from it, but rather
embraces it. Through religion conviction, mental fortitude, and mental toughness, Maris shows that she accepts who she is, and will not shy away from it, even when others do. Maris proves that her bravery in tackling her condition head on makes her stronger than any other person.
Nancy Maris loves honesty, and she makes that apparent throughout her entire essay. Her essay starts with one sentence, which is, “I am a cripple.” This shows that Maris is serious, she wants to get straight to the point and will not sugar coat anything she says. This also helps grab the reader’s attention. The somber tone that she produces makes her essay feel like a story, as a result the reader wants to see how things will turn out. Throughout her essay she absorbs the belief that herself and the word “cripple,” are together. She constantly proves that “cripple” is the word for her, and that she will not shy away from the truth.
God is considered our shepherd, and Maris knows God has watched over her despite her condition, which is why religious conviction inspired her ideas. This ties into two of her reasons for why she chose the word “cripple.” First, she mentions how the name “handicapped,” implies she was made a cripple on purpose, which she knows is not true. This shows she has a strong belief in God, and that God will protect her no matter what, despite her condition. She also mentions that the word cripple actually originates from the Lindisfarne Gospel, which is just a reprint of the gospel. Maris’ religious standpoint allows her to bare the name “cripple,” and bare it proudly.

Maris chose the name “cripple,” because she is tough and can accept her condition. Maris mentions that she loves the truth, and feels that by choosing the word “cripple” it brings her close to that. In one instance, she mentions how “disabled,” means an absolute loss of functionality, which does not match up with her as she is capable of thinking. Furthermore, she mentions how “differently abled,” hides away from the problems her condition shows. By saying “differently abled,” it means she is as capable as someone else, but she has to go about it differently. She knows that is not true, and she fights through what she has. She feels society uses different names for “cripple,” to hide the condition, but Maris acknowledges the truth. This actually makes her stronger than the people who label her, she is ready to face the condition head on, while other people choose to sugar coat reality. Maris’ acceptance of her condition, and her iron will to fight it head on makes her stronger than most people who are considered more capable than her.
Nancy Maris shows that even though she looks weak, she is strong on the inside. She sticks to religious conviction, and uses physical and mental fortitude to tackle the reality of her condition head on. People may look down on people like Maris, but she should actually be looked up to.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 1:24 PM
Nancy Maris is an inspiring woman who took a look at her situation in life and decided that it was not going to completely define who she was as a person. Maris’s take on her crippleness is an interesting one. Unlike most people she does not shy away from the term “cripple” or “handicapped” she simply accepted it as a part of who she was, she embraced it. To most people it is a seemingly foolish thing for her to do, as if being cripple is something that a person should hide away from or be embarrassed of. Maris takes the label head on and used in her writing as a source of empowerment in a way.
The words she chooses to describe herself and others can all be taken and read in different perspectives. One can either decide to receive a label and let it define who they are, what they can and can not accomplish, or how they should or should not live their lives. The other option is to take that branding, accept it, as Maris did, and use it to their advantage. Maris’s writing is designed to make the reader uncomfortable, it's meant to hit a person in the face and make them open their eyes to the difficult places people can be sent into if they let one aspect of their lives define them forever. I believe Harris does an excellent job of bringing to light this new perspective of oneself by the intelligence and perseverance she shows in her writings.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 1:46 PM
Mairs displays strength, individuality, and courage throughout this passage. She uses the term “cripple” while describing herself, showcasing these qualities. Mairs expresses herself using this word in a way that is un-insulting. This displays her personability and understanding of how to convey a message.
Mairs states her dislike of the terms “disabled,” “handicapped,” and “differently abled.” Her choice to name herself as a cripple is a personal preference. She recognizes the efforts behind using those terms instead of crippled, to make her and everyone else affected by such titles feel more comfortable. However, Mairs opens up about how the term itself doesn’t matter as much as intent. She wants people to respect her and see her potential. This displays her strength and all that she has overcome. Her choice to dub herself a “cripple” hints at negative experiences in her past. She has chosen to define herself because she is tired of other people making assumptions about her.
Mairs, a woman of great strength and dignity, has dealt first hand with situations pertaining to what her condition is called. She has chosen crippled, but makes herself very clear on the fact that she will not call others that. This choice shows her compassion and understanding. Mairs makes a conscious effort to make people comfortable and not degrade them. She states, “The world is no readier to accept crippledness than to accept war, sex, sweat, or wrinkles.” It is through this statement that she outlines her own belief that people aren’t ready to accept reality. Again, she recognizes reality makes others uncomfortable, and chooses not to be blunt about other’s, but she wants honesty. It can be inferred that Mairs prefers to know the truth, even if it is blunt and painful.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 4:09 PM
Many times in languages, individuals can find words that beat around the bush when it comes to naming certain aspects of life. While this may work for some, Nancy Mairs describes why she prefers to be called crippled instead of some of the other words used to describe a person with her condition. She uses a more serious tone and a logical rhetorical setup to help her argument.
Her strong and serious tone throughout the passage assists in making her point. She says, “I want them to see me as a tough customer, one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely.” In this example she is showing that she is not afraid to come to terms with the cards she has been dealt. She does not want to be called the more commonly used words in society, like disabled and handicapped, because it does not represent her fully. She prefers the term crippled, because it is more specific and closely related to her condition, called multiple sclerosis. Another example is, “And I refuse to participate in the degeneration of the language to the extent that I deny that I have lost anything in the course of this calamitous disease; I refuse to pretend that the only differences between you and me are the various ordinary ones that distinguish any one person from another.” This is showing that she is different from other individuals, and she is not afraid to recognize that those contrasts are there. Therefore, the tone she used in this strengthened her argument.
She uses logic throughout this passage that further justified her beliefs. One example of this is, “‘Disabled,’ by contrast, suggests any incapacity, physical or mental. And I certainly don't like ‘handicapped,’ which implies that I have deliberately been put at a disadvantage, by whom I can't imagine (my God is not a Handicapper General), in order to equalize chances in the great race of life.” In this case, she is showing how just the definition of these words would take away the full meaning of her condition and could be considered not precise enough. She also says that, “Some realities do not obey the dictates of language.” She is describing how language can sometimes allow for the truth to not be fully recognized. Language and words are an extremely powerful tool, and she demonstrates how it can be misused. However, she also does recognize that other people may feel differently and stresses that this is just what she prefers to be called. Moreover, the logical approach to this piece of writing helped fortify her claims.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 4:14 PM
Nancy Mairs is a strong woman who is not afraid to say her opinion. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or commonly known as MS. As a member of the “crippled” community, Mairs wears the title cripple proudly. When she introduces herself as a cripple it gives her a sense of overwhelming pride. It shows her achievements of being just as able as everyone else.
Mairs says in the essay, “As a cripple, I swagger.” The idea of swagger is used to address someone who lives with exuding confidence. As one who does not identify with Mairs and her condition, I can understand why she makes an effort to pick a title that is not derogatory, even if she did it unconsciously. People commonly look down upon those that are disabled or handicapped and feel the need to give them special treatment. To Mairs, using cripple was a way to express that special treatment was not necessary. The wincing of others when she announces her title gives her strength and she gains more swagger every time it rings through her ears. Their odd reactions of seeing how successful Mairs is although having MS is reassuring to hear that she is breaking the stereotypes of those named “cripple.” Mairs is the swaggiest of them all with her immense strength.
The windy roller coaster that is life can be experienced many different ways. Society is accustomed to the ideal life, one with no struggles. In contrast, I believe that struggles are what shape the journey of life itself. Mairs is an excellent example of this. Her struggle losing use of her limbs has led to her to live a life filled with misconceptions about her ability to have the same opportunities as others. These false ideas about ”cripples” pushes Mairs to strive to prove them wrong and create a joyful and ideal life regardless of her condition that surprises the.m every time.
Nancy Mairs is an admirable and honorable woman who makes sure to assert her strength within her first words while greeting others. Acceptance among words used to address those with illnesses is necessary to give them the same amount of strength and pride that Nancy exudes.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 7:16 PM
Nancy Mairs was just an ordinary women who had multiple sclerosis while she was alive. Instead of using this critical disease as an excuse of why she wasn’t able to do the things that people without the disease could do, she accepted that no matter she did, it will always be with her. In her essay, “On Being a Cripple” she uses the word “cripple” to describe herself. There were other words that she could have used to describe herself like “handicapped” or “disabled.” Instead she uses the word “cripple” because she has grown weary of people treating her with kindness and concern because she has a disease. She also says that she has never been a cripple her whole life, only because the disease made her one. All in all, she accepted the good and the bad that came with the disease.
In Mairs essay, she uses very strong and academic words that help the reader know that her tone of voice is very encouraging. She gets down to the facts with her choice of words. She never uses other words that could make her sound weak or foolish. She also gets to the readers emotional side by talking about the disabilities that could fall upon an ordinary person just like her once self. It is very hard and sometimes uncomfortably to talk about certain disabilities, but that’s not what Mairs did. Her tone of voice helps the reader be able to get through the passage about disabilities with determination. Mairs just wants disabled people to feel a sense of normality, instead of being treated as “handicapped” and not being able to do certain things. Nancy Mairs was not born a “crippled” nor does she want to be treated as such. With her strong and determined mindset, she can live the life that she was born to do.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 9:16 PM
Nancy Mairs, a woman who has multiple sclerosis, refers to herself as a “cripple” by choice. Witching her writing, she shows that, even though she is crippled, she is still strong, smart, and tough enough to handle to truth of her own life.
She chooses not to hide from the reality of her life, rather she embraces it. Many saw this as foolish because many are taught that you should hide any imperfections that you may have - they are embarrassing.
Her use of language is also straightforward and blunt; she doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Rather, she admits the truth of what she has and doesn’t try to avoid discussion about the topic. Throughout the passage, Mairs talks about several other terms such as, “handicapped” and “disabled” - terms that she has a strong dislike of because of the fact that, to her, those terms often give a different meaning to her abilities.
Mairs, like Amy Tan’s mother in “Mother Tongue”, proves that she is strong, even though many perceive her as weak. With her strong mindset and determination, Mairs continues to fight to live the life that she was meant to have.
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AnonymousNovember 11, 2020 at 9:31 PM
Nancy is a strong woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. The very
first line of her text she calls herself a cripple. She is telling us that is who she is.
I think that she is trying to tell us that she doesn’t think that cripples is an
offensive word. She has come to terms with what has happened to her. She is not afraid anymore. Some people think that calling other people a cripple is rude and they feel awkward when they say it. She is telling them that they should not feel this way. She feels that cripple is the right word to use, unlike disabled. She is not a fan of that word.
She uses personal experiences to get her point across. Whenever you
tell a personal experience, this helps the reader understand what is going on. Nancy feels that since her accident, she is a cripple, therefore it is ok for other people to call her this. She calls herself this because she can no longer work her limbs. Other people may not feel comfortable calling her this, but she will not be offended. Other people that are in a similar situation may not feel the same way though. This is just what she wants for herself.
While I was reading what she wrote, I could hear the authority in her
voice. She was able to persuade me. She seemed strong, and she knew what she was talking about. She also compares it to other subjects that society is uncomfortable with. One of them was death. People have a hard time accepting this,This helps us relate it to something else to get a better understanding.
With all that has come Nancy's way, I think that she is dealing with it
really well. She is continuing to be strong.
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AnonymousNovember 12, 2020 at 12:02 AM
Nancy Mairs took a striking approach in writing this essay. Most people would expect someone in her position to feel as if they have been defeated, or given an unfair disadvantage at life, and then tell an amazing story about how they overcame their disabilities. Mairs, however, starts her essay by saying, “The other day I was thinking of writing an essay on being a cripple.” By using what most would call an offensive term, this let the audience know right away that Nancy accepted her disability as a difference. She was not interested in being babied and having people pretend to accept her as a normal person in society. Throughout the essay she continues to bring up her attitude towards the situation, and how it has allowed to feel better about being disabled. Mairs wholeheartedly disagreed with the words used to categorize a handicapped person, for they were too closely related to the words used to describe a regular person. Mairs was different, and she didn’t mind when people knew. She knows what is what is like to be on both sides of things, and for her to make such shocking statements speaks volume on the subject. Nancy Mairs exhibits strength throughout this essay by voicing her controversial opinion right in the face of the same people who believed the exact opposite. She is not afraid to be singled out, or placed under a different category. Mairs accepts these facts and chooses to live with them in full confidence. The way she expresses her disabilities shows that she loves to be challenged, and will not back down in controversy.
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UnknownNovember 12, 2020 at 6:05 AM
Nancy Maris’ use of the word cripple is no accident. It was a deliberate rhetorical choice that influences a reader’s thoughts and how they view her, almost to the point where they establish her other strengths and attributes that contribute to her being.
Another reasoning for her use of the word may be because it is the most direct to how she feels about herself. In the passage, she acknowledges her weaknesses and what is she unable to do because of her MS. She further goes into and describes the connotations with the other words for cripple, and establishes that she does not wish to be seen that way, so che chose a different descriptive word.
Her tone is significant because it gives the reader a credible, yet relatable image of what it might be like to have MS and what hardships she faces. Her word choices and descriptions emotionally move the audience, and may even spark the want to remove the connotations that come with some words. She also establishes that her own self image is unlike that of another, and she can refer to herself in this manner, but referring to another person is completely different. In this way she introduces the idea of self and how we perceive ourselves and express ourselves is a powerful thing that should not be taken with a grain of salt.
Therefore, Nancy makes deliberate rhetorical choices to establish emotion, logic, and credibility. This, in addition to her language choices and her tone are significant factors to the rhetorical situation of her argument.
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AnonymousNovember 12, 2020 at 7:08 AM
amen
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AnonymousNovember 12, 2020 at 10:48 AM
“I am a cripple,” said Nancy Mairs. This may sound harsh, and she is aware of that, but that is not why she has chosen that word for herself. She has decided that that word is the one that best describes her multiple sclerosis. She mentions other possibilities that could be used to describe her multiple sclerosis, such as “handicapped” and “disabled.” She explains that she doesn’t like to use those words because they do not accurately describe her multiple sclerosis. She explained that she does not like to use the word disabled because it shows physical and mental incapacity. She also does not like to use handicapped, because it sounds like a deliberate inability. Because of her inability to use her arms and legs she chooses to use the word “cripple” her essay is written in such a way that people reading it will keep an open mind and that they will better understand. She writes in. Soft tone, with patience, and understanding. In the last paragraph she mentions that she does not mind what people call her multiple sclerosis for the most part, and that she will continue to call herself a cripple, and that she would never call someone else a cripple.
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