Happy With My Flaws

In Nancy Mair’s essay, “On Being a Cripple”, she talks about her life with Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. It’s not that she is complaining she is describing how her disability set limits to what she can do. It seems as Mair’s is poking fun at the fact that many Americans complain about the little things. She knows that she has the disability and she is accepting it. Mair’s figure at the young age of 28, that she had the disease and it change her world forever. She doesn’t really see it as a disability. She feels as though she has a gift.

The essay made me realize that I should be thankful!! I have a sclerosis but not in the way that she does. It made me see that she is a remarkable woman and she didn’t give up on life. She kept on going even with her disability. She did not let it get her down. The best thing is that she had family support to help her get through the process of the change.
It true that many of complain about the little things. We as a whole have become so wrapped up in everything that we want and sometimes don’t take what we have for granted. People just like Mair’s don’t complain but they are thankful for being her.

It just seems that we are stuck in mind frame of “having our cake and eating it too.”
How do you feel about the fact that people take so many things for granted?

The Value Of Reading and Writing

In "Learning to Read and Write", Douglass goes through the process of becoming literate. During, Douglass time slaves were to be illerate. However, Douglass taught himself with the help of others how to read and write. He took the time each chance he could to better himself. In our society, it is easier for us to learn to read and write. We have the option of going to school to learn. We have the help of teachers to help us achieve. We all have the option to get knowledge. Douglass, on the other hand, had to achieve his undercover and in private. He was never given the option to go school. We have the opportunity to learn to read and write in order to gain success. Douglass kept a positive mind set and never gave up. We sometimes take it for granted and give up all at the same time. That's just a prime example, of what Douglass had to go through to actually learn. We have it in our hand do not want to use it at times. The saying goes, “hide it in a book" and it mostly refers to blacks because most of us have the ability to read and write but still refuse to use it. It was hard for blacks to get an education and we have it freely and do not take advantage of it. People actually had to fight to be able to get the advantage to learn. There are many opportunities there for us to achieve. We actually had to have people to fight for equality when it came to learning to read and write. So we should be glad that we are able to without putting up a fight like Douglass.
The question is: How much value is placed on learning to read and write? Were you excited about the learning to read and write and are the benefits helping you become successful?

A Woman's Image

In Deborah Tannen “There is no Unmarked Woman,” the underlying idea is that in society it is typical that there are standards for women. Women are stereotyped by the way they dress, the hairstyles they wear, or even if they choose to wear make-up or not. Tannen argues that society has marked women to meet certain standards. It seems as if everything a woman does there is a story to follow it. That shows that women have classifications no matter what. It makes me feel that with women it typical to know there style right off hand.


I agree with Tannen, with the fact that woman are marked. It seems that gender roles are very stereotypical in our society. Women are expected to fix themselves up when they are doing the littlest things. With men it’s very different. They don’t have to present themselves in certain ways that women do. It seems like; if a woman doesn’t do any of these things then she is not living up to society’s standards. Even though every woman has her own style they’re all are marked in some way! How do you feel about being marked or unmarked? Do you think that you are considered to be apart of the stereotype and the role gender play