Summary Of Nancy Mairs Cripple

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In this work Nancy Mairs, a woman with multiple sclerosis, discusses why she calls herself a cripple as opposed to the other names used by society to describe people with disabilities. She prefers the word “cripple” over the words “disabled” and “handicapped”. Nancy Mairs presents herself as a cripple using a straightforward tone, negative diction, repetition, and logical/ethical appeal. In the first paragraph, Mairs explains who she is. She starts off with the simple sentence “I am a cripple”. This sets off the tone as being straightforward; Mairs waste no time in stating who she is. Additionally, the use of the negative diction of the words “wince” and “brutal” adds to the straightforward tone by explaining that cripple isn’t the nicest word to relate her condition to but it is the truth. “People- crippled or not- wince at the word ‘cripple’”. Furthermore, the repetition of the word “I” emphasizes that this is Mairs opinion and that she is the one explaining who she is. “I choose this word” and “I recognize” and “I want”. The Ethos appeal is expressed though the repetition of “I” because it explains that this subject is personal to Mairs; she has …show more content…

Mairs is a “lover of words” and understands the difference between crippled, disabled and handicapped. She is knowledgeable about words. The word cripple “made its first appearance in the Lindisfarne Gospel in the tenth century”. Her knowledge explains her reason for not calling herself disabled or handicapped. Disable can mean a “mental” disability and she doesn’t think she has been put at a disadvantage like handicapped implies. “My God is not a Handicapper General”. Mairs continues to write in a straightforward tone stating, “I like the accuracy in which it (crippled) describes my condition”. Mairs knows who she is and doesn’t sugar coat her condition by calling herself a name that is more

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