Analysis Of On Dumpster Diving By Lars Eighner

I’ve read many essays this year as a student in ENGL 1301. Of the ones I’ve read from A Writer’s Presence, many have contained elements that could benefit other future students of ENGL 1301. One that really stood out to me was “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner. In the essay, Lars Eighner recounts his time as a homeless man and what that in fact entails in great detail. By reading and studying it, students would see great examples of how to pique a reader’s attention with details, how commas could be used effectively, and how to tie everything in an essay together well. Eighner’s essay is filled with specific details from beginning to end. The story of how he became homeless begins with his own interest in scavenging from dumpsters. He tells how as he ran out of income the ways in which he

He remains clearly on a topic until smoothly transitioning into the next. The essay’s details never seem to be too much, they all contribute in their own way to Eighner’s story and lessons of homelessness. Seemingly every aspect of homelessness is written in this essay. It is written in a way that seems to include many sensory details, completing the picture. When he is finished talking about what foods rot first, he moves on to describing what other useful items are discarded in dumpsters. After that, he talks about what type of people discard useful things. From there he moves on to where a dumpster diver is likely to find the best goods. It is structured well. Eighner’s conclusion is especially thought-provoking. From having to choose carefully from what to keep and what to discard, he realizes that it is healthy to not be indulgent with things that won’t be put to use. Rather than keeping items for sentimental value, he believes all material things should eventually be let go of. A lesson he believes all people could benefit