Empathy In Barbara Lazecher And Quindlen's On Compassion

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Compassion and empathy are two different feelings that humans can have for others. Sometimes one does not always recognize the difference between the two. Ascher and Quindlen convey the importance of having a place to call “home,” and to illustrate how homeless people are individual’s who need compassion shown towards them by the human race. Compassion is a feeling that humans portray towards others, but you also have to act in some way to aid them and to decrease their suffering. Barbara Lazear Ascher's purpose “On Compassion” of her essay was to distinguish emotions that people feel towards homeless people. She posed the question of whether or not people feel compassion or pity towards homeless people. The thesis statement is the first sentence, which encompasses the main themes that compassions revolves around somebody’s circumstances, rather than a situation that one can dream about. In other words, it is one’s reality. Specifically, “the man’s grin is less the result of circumstance …show more content…

She conveys that people tend to distance themselves from homeless people, because it is painful to think about others not having a consistent place to go every day. Quindlen’s thesis statement, “home is where the heart is,” embodies her main message about how a home is more than a house or where one spends their nights. One of the examples that she used, was that family and friends defined having a place to call “home.” It has been that way for many generations. Being “the legacy of an Irish grandfather” gave her an urgency to find a home or “sense of place.” However, she also provided examples on how home can be considered “real estate,” and that some people may never find a home.Without a home, one can never be complete, because “home is where the heart

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