Mairs's Maze

In her essay "Disability," Nancy Mairs constructs a maze from preconceived notions all the way to her thesis. Each concept she presents acts as a fork which must be interpreted the right way otherwise it will lead to a dead end that forces some backtracking to get back to the true point of her essay. Mairs opens with a description of herself as "crippled with multiple sclerosis" and "easy to spot in even in a crowd" because of her "peculiar gait." This description can be said to appeal for sympathy. However, Mairs is really trying to establish her ethos to discuss disability in general. This is apparent in her use of the blunt word "peculiar" with its negative connotations to describe herself. Also, Mairs’s criticism of the medical drama must be seen to derive from the character of “Ms. MS” rather than her actions. The real issue she has is that there is no depiction of the able side of the woman with MS even though it is there. Mairs reveals it is there with her catalogue of her activities as “Ms. Great American Consumer” because she “drive[s] a car,” “eat[s] pizza,” and “menstruate[s]” which hints at the true criticism through an association of basic, ordinary activities and disability. By following the correct interpretations, Mairs’s thesis can be realized. The media’s lack of reality regarding disability imperils the temporarily able bodied as well as alienates the disabled.

 

Tribute to F. Scott Fitzgerald

Please note as you read that this is intended to be entirely satirical and ironic in order to reveal the flaws of Lindner's thinking.

I do not understand. Neither can I comprehend the thoughts of these people. There is a reason they cannot come into our neighborhood. Democracy has truly failed in the allowance of color in a white neighborhood. Clybourne Park will be tarnished and our families defiled. I humble myself to enter under their roof offering them "financial gain," and they, blinded by their pride, do not see the generosity of my offer (Hansberry 118). Their appalling lack of sense is not something I can permit to be contracted by my children. "[R]ace prejudice simply doesn't enter into it" (Hansberry 118). My sole intention is to promote happiness. "[O]ur Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities," and I cannot be responsible for any unhappiness or dangers of their decision (Hansberry 118). I am not sure they comprehend the generosity of our offer and the wealth it can bring them both economically. They could escape their small ghetto to a larger and nicer house if they only had the common sense and aspirations. I was respectful and courteous in both my demeanor and offer. I simply cannot understand the shortsightedness. The repercussions of their decision cannot be linked to me in any way.

The Longest Blog

In his satirical short story, "Diamond as Big as the Ritz," Fitzgerald demonstrates how materialism corrupts through his use of rhetoric including tone, diction, and irony. Once upon a time, there was a great secluded wonderland amidst Montana's share of the Rockies where all were waited on hand and foot. If desired Braddock Washington, any of his family, or even John Unger, his guest, could summon Moses to retrieve an army of pink elephants within the hour. This is the world that Fitzgerald creates in his short story: "a sort of floating fairy-land" (Fitzgerald 82). The great fairy-land is really a satire to depict the flaws of materialism. The satirical tone that pervades the piece is perpetuated with the lavish details that Fitzgerald never ceases to divulge. For example, Fitzgerald describes "an exquisite château [rising] from the borders of the lake" (82), "a large cavity" (93) in which the Washingtons keep prisoner everyone threatening the secret existence of their estate, and an "entire force of negroes" (98). These details all defy logic and are quite frankly ridiculous. The pretentious diction adds to the satire. It is as though an egotistical billionaire is bragging to millionaires. Fitzgerald uses the word "château" instead of mansion or house; he uses the description "a wreath of mignonettes" (90) instead of a ring of flowers in order to enforce the pretentious atmosphere that the Washingtons live in and abide by. In that way, Fitzgerald shows the corruption of character through materialism. On top of that, the irony is overpowering. The ownership of slaves by someone so rich they could pay for servants without care is absurd; the diamond that the Washingtons own is so large that were they to spend it, it would be worth practically nothing compared to a small fraction of it. Also, the diamond is "wired" (111), so when the airplanes break through the defenses, the remaining Washingtons commit suicide inside of it. The materialistic corruption is exemplified through the needless frugality in keeping slaves, the illusion of a fantastic diamond despite its worthlessness, and suicide over a worthless diamond. Theses examples are of pure insanity and corruption. Fitzgerald shows that materialism corrupts yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

The Void

A dream is an idea that motivates a person into action in an attempt to achieve it. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby gets wrapped up in his dream of running away with Daisy, the wife of Tom Buchanan, because she "never loved him" (Fitzgerald 139). As it is exemplified in the novel, the often unattainable visions are essential in life because they provide a motivation to live actively; however, a dream cannot be allowed to obscure reality. Gatsby exemplifies how dreams preserve active life literally when he mentions how he "tried very hard to die" during the war but seemed to have an "enchanted life" (Fitzgerald 70). Despite the fact that Gatsby wants to die in the war, he can't allow himself to because his heart and mind yearn for Daisy and the fulfillment of his vision for them as a couple. The problems arise when Gatsby does not accept anything less than his envisioned play out of events. She admits,"Even alone I can't say I never loved Tom" because it wouldn't be true (Fitzgerald 140). Because Gatsby is unable to let go of the simple desire and accept her love in the present, Daisy becomes involved in the argument with Tom, and she becomes overly stressed. The end result of her stress, though indirect, is the death of Gatsby. His dream provides an active life until he allows it to distort the truths of Daisy's life. Then, it brings death. 

Thanksgiving Versus Extravagance

The lavish feast of "buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d'œvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold" (Fitzgerald 44) for Gatsby's party scene in The Great Gatsby is incredible. Just for sake of clarity "harlequin" means in varied colors and "hors d'œvre" are appetizers meant to be eaten by hand. All of the food and drinks combined with extravagant atmosphere create an atmosphere where judgements do not matter. Jordan says the parties are "so intimate" because at "small parties there isn't any privacy" (Fitzgerald 54). The use of the word intimate is ironic because the denotation includes a private atmosphere which is created by the relative anonymity and nonjudgmental attitude encompassed by the party atmosphere. Yet, the connotation of intimate signifies a quiet and small gathering. The use of the description of the food at the beginning of the description is also ironic comparison because the turkey and ham are symbolic of Thanksgiving and Christmas, both of which are prime times for family gatherings and being together, yet the parties have a completely opposite effect creating anonymity and a privacy in being public. Gatsby wants Daisy to come to one of his parties to become close with her once again, but his attempt to find her is misguided. He cannot use a great meaningless party with only guests that alcohol has created to find the woman he has been searching for.

People and Punctuation

Although young people have been consistently neglecting to use punctuation especially when texting or online, the rules of formal punctuation must remain intact. Some believe that punctuation should be and is evolving as people and technology evolve. The rules remain the same; people have just decided not to use them. Elizabeth Austen challenges the necessity of rules for punctuation in 'On Punctuation" saying she would prefer to pick and choose which one she to adhere to: "not for me the dogma of the period" (1). Changing the rules of punctuation would result in chaos. Poetry is considered an example of how chaos is not the result of rule-free punctuation; however, poetry is often puzzling and ambiguous. Poetry is not used for all forms of writing and could never be used for every written work. Lewis Thomas, a scientist, in his commentary on punctuation, "Notes on Punctuation," writes what could be a grammar textbook demoing a punctuation mark in each paragraph. In a society in which time is increasingly valuable, people cannot waste time deciphering true meaning or dealing with a misunderstanding. Also, a misunderstanding could be dangerous or harmful like in medical and legal practice. It only takes one person that did not get the MEMO about a rule change to create a problem. Punctuation controls the flow of words like a traffic light controls cars, and if one person forgot that the green light now means stop, everyone loses. Punctuation is not evolving with our changing society, and if it ever does, numerous drawbacks will be realized.

StylisticSkillWithSpacing

Toni Morrison is an extremely stylistic writer. She uses punctuation, sentence structure, and even spacing to enhance her writing in The Bluest Eye. For example, in her introduction Morrison alludes to the children's book "Dick and Jane." She begins with the characteristic very simple sentence structure and punctuation; then, she repeats the same passage without any punctuation just spaces. Finally, she repeats the passage a third time the same as the previous one just without any spaces: "seefatherheisbigandstrongfatherwillyouplaywithjane"(Morrison). The simplicity of the content allows the structure to shine through as a pertinent aspect. With each repetition of the initial passage, the tone gets more frantic and hurried. Also, the lack of space adds a trapped feeling because there is no space. The experience of the introduction acts as a microcosm of the general chapter formats: beginning slowly then developing in intensity often to something shocking. This use of space is repeated throughout the book like when Pecola is being picked on by the boys: "Black e mo. Yadaddsleepsnekked" (Morrison 65). The spacing around "black" brings attention to the word as one of the subjects, and the lack of space to describe Pecola's dad makes the words into a unit to be the other subject of the chant. In addition, the lack of spacing mimics the way Pecola is trapped within the circle of boys and cannot escape their words. Morrison's stylistic skill elevates her writing above judgement solely based on the plot.