Nancy Mairs Disability Essay

Hans A. Sanchez
Professor Michelle Nava
ENGL 035
18 October 2017

The Difference Between Disabilities and not Knowing Things and Overcoming Them
Do you have some spare time? Good. Because it will only take a couple of minutes for you to learn a couple of differences about two amazing women who came to the U.S. with either a disability or just not knowing the language. Basically, Amy Tan’s mother and Nancy Mairs are very amazing. They both have a thing in common where they have struggles, whether it’s their language or a disability and they both overcome those challenges; there are a couple of differences between Tan’s mother, who just can’t speak the English language, and Nancy Mairs, because she is literally physically disabled. However, being

disabled and being discriminated is just plain horrifying. What Mairs went through is a worse type of physical discrimination and very interesting and you will learn a series of things that will leave you thinking differently in the long run.
Amy Tan is stuck between two worlds, while her mother and Nancy Mairs are the ones who are struggling with different challenges. Tan’s mother speaks “broken” English. When she is with her mother, Amy speaks in simple English, but out in the world, she shifts to an English that is more formal and understandable. Amy tells us the story using her mother's language so we can see how expressive her mother's broken English is. Even though the language is not what we may be used to, her story is something we can follow. Amy states, “I am a writer. And by definition, I am someone who has always loved language.” Tan’s attitude towards her mother in this essay is that she is proud of her mother but she is ashamed of her mother English even though it’s not the right English Tan embraces it. This is something that could've affected Amy in the long run and prevent her from being where she is right now. However, the idea in tan’s essay is to see how those who have English as their second language or thick accents face an extreme amount of cultural racism. Tan said, “My mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It's my mother's tongue.” (7) Tan grew up having to deal with discrimination towards her mother from a lot of people. Tan always was against everyone’s word she just thought it was her mother’s tongue. This type of discrimination is an ignorant type which many of us could just straight up ignore. This next woman Nancy Mairs is disabled she is crippled and gets discriminated in more cruel way.
Nancy mairs is a woman who defines herself as the word “crippled”. Nancy Mairs says “I choose a number possibility, the most common handicap and “disabled.” Most people when they hear those words automatically looks at the person in a weird way. But, that’s not the reason why she named herself disabled, she called herself disabled because she believes it represents her reality. Mairs make a truth seem less harsh and this caused people to look at her as something she isn’t. This woman is a very strong and brave she does not let any of her disabilities get to her. Mairs Says” I am proud of myself and accept who I am and recognize life is what one makes it to be. In addition to this no matter what life is and what you go through it is up to you at the end of the day to decide what you make of it. Both Amy Tan and Nancy Mairs both have struggles and no matter what the case is whether it’s critics, discrimination, or any problems. They both find the way to overcome those problems no matter what the circumstances are.
Amy Tan and Nancy Mairs both talk about the English language and American society while including their life struggles. These two women are both discriminated in many ways, they both have similar disabilities. Nancy Mairs talks about the English language and Amy Tan mother have struggles with the actual language however, these women don't give up and successful fulfill their difficulties in the English language. Many of the people in their essay misinterpret their disabilities and went and judge them by their book covers. Racism, discrimination, and tolerance are big dilemmas that non- or American citizens encounter due to their cultures and beliefs. Nancy Mairs had physical discrimination which she accepted and because of that people thought she was different and weird.
Nancy Mairs, begins by talking about her life and why she refers to herself as "crippled." Mairs believes that crippled is a more proper definition for her condition than other words like disabled, handicapped, or differently abled.

These euphemisms for her condition cause people to view her as something she isn't. Mairs believes that these words describe no one because "Society is no readier to accept crippledness than to accept death, war, sweat, or wrinkles." She continues her story of multiple sclerosis and the hardships she endured. Mairs goes into detail about how her life has changed since her diagnosis and how she has coped with the disease. She includes her need for help by the people around her but also delves into the fact that she can still teach and perform arduous tasks. She talks about her dependence on her family and how good her family treated her. She says she is scared. “...that people are kind to me only because I'm a cripple."(Mairs,8) Mairs hates that our society is obsessed with physical appearance and normality. She states that, "anyone who deviates from the norm better find some way to compensate." (Maris)This shows that she believes that American society has lofty expectations. She ends the essay by stating how she is getting used to having MS and how she isn't sorry anymore that she is a cripple. Mairs is thankful for what she has and the people who help her in her life. Overall, she is proud of herself and has recognized that life is what one makes it to be. Now from what you learned what do you

think?