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

would acquire clothes, food, and medicine from dumpsters. I think his writing is truthful in a way that allows the reader to relate easily, even if it’s about something they’ve never done before. Eighner is also from Texas, another reason that students here may find it interesting. Reading this essay, they will see how being honest in details, in both the good and bad, makes an essay all the more engrossing to read. Eighner spares no facets of homelessness, he even says, “no matter how careful I am I still get dysentery at least once a month.” The shocking details invite the reader to envision the day to day life of a dumpster diver.
Throughout the essay, Eighner uses commas in a diverse way, with many for noun and verb series to paint a vivid picture for the reader. He uses them as he describes the objects he goes through in dumpsters, the different foods he finds, and some of the rules of being homeless. He follows rule P1c from A Writer’s Reference: use a comma between all items in a series. Another efficient use of commas Eighner adequately demonstrates is for complex sentences with introductory clauses, as seen from rule P1b. With some well-positioned commas, no awkward sentences are found in the essay. Even many sentences that seem to go on for a long time are easy to take in. They flow cohesively. Good use of commas for parenthetical elements is another thing that Eighner uses to spice up his prose. He sprinkles small additions to already hefty sentences for peak substance.
An invaluable characteristic of Eighner’s essay that students may find particularly helpful is the way he ties everything together seamlessly.

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

from.
“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner is a perfect essay for students of ENGL 1301 to study. They would see how to dive for details for an intriguing essay. They would also see commas used correctly in virtually every way possible‒‒in complex sentences, verb series, noun series, and parenthetical elements. Finally, students will see how effective an essay is when it is structured in a way that is to the point and builds up its thesis from beginning to end.