Nancy Mairs

Nancy Mairs, "On Being a Cripple"

Nancy Mairs (1943- ) was born in Long Beach, California and grew up in Boston. She earned an A.B. from Wheaton College in 1964, and both an M.F.A. (1975) and a Ph.D. (1984) from the University of Arizona. She has worked as an editor and has taught at both the high school and college levels in California and Arizona. While being a cripple (her preferred term) is directly linked to her work and her self-identity, Mairs sees herself as much more than that. She's also a mother, a wife, a pacifist, and a radical feminist. Her books include Plaintext: Essays (1986), Carnal Acts: Essays (1990), Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled (1996), and Troubled Guest: Life and Death Stories (2001). She frequently contributes to periodicals such as The Christian Century, The Women's Review of Books, and the New York Times Book Review. "On Being a Cripple" is an excerpt from Plaintext.

CONTENT

1. In what context does the author mention the Lindisfarne Gospel?
2. What is a Pollyanna?
3. At what age did the author begin to suspect she had a serious physical problem? What was the first diagnosis? What was the correct diagnosis?
4. About which personality trait does the author say that it's "the easiest to lose and the hardest to survive without"?
5. How does the author describe the relationship between multiple sclerosis and divorce?
6. Which physical activities are parts of this author's everyday life?
7. In what location does Mairs begin her essay? What happens to her? Why does she point out the fact that she was alone?

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. How can you describe the tone of the title of this piece? What do you make of the word cripple? Would your answer change if Mairs weren't disabled? Explain.
2. Discuss this piece as a division/classification essay. What is the major division Mairs writes about? How does she proceed with her classification? What types of support does she use?
3. How did you picture Mairs as you went through the reading? (Note: Some of the links below will take you to sites that contain pictures of this author.) What specifically in the text led you to form this mental image?
4. In paragraph two, the author uses this grouping: "fates/gods/viruses." In whose voice does she put this phrasing? What does this say about her relationship to her disability?
5. At the end of paragraph thirteen, the author uses a simile to compare a fall she took to something else. Complete the comparison. What mental image does this comparison evoke? Where else in the piece does the author display this attitude toward herself? How does it help her?

1. Recall a time when someone made a false assumption about you based upon your physical appearance. What was the situation and what did you do about it? Can you relate any of these things to Mairs's thoughts?
2. What losses have you faced in your life? How did you respond to them? Did any of them make you a better person? Explain, linking your thoughts to your reading wherever you can.

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. Mairs writes that "anyone who deviates from the norm had better find some way to compensate," giving the example that "fat people...are expected to be jolly." Write an essay about social expectations in this regard, using the author's idea to form a thesis statement, and coming up with your own examples.
2. Write an essay tracing the way the author examines issues of mind and body to define herself. How does she determine her self-identity? What did role models have to do with this determination? What are the other important factors?

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Mairs mentions that doctors and scientists had made some progress regarding multiple sclerosis at the time of her writing in 1986. Do some research and find out what major advances, if any, have been made since that time. What is the state of funding for MS? What still needs to be done? Who is doing it?

WEB CONNECTION

Read this review of Waist-High in the World. After reading the review would you like to read the book? Why or why not? What did you learn about the book from the review? Can you link any of it thematically to "On Being a Cripple"?

LINKS

Biographical

Take a visit to Nancy Mairs own official homepage. There, you'll find links to works, a biography, reviews, and e-messages. It's a great place to start your online research.

This biography was prepared by the organizers of a reading Mairs gave in 1999. Although it's not from her official site, does that mean it's necessarily less trustworthy than the information found above? What are some of the ways to determine the reliability of information you find online?

Bibliographical

Click over to this page, and you'll find "Body, Mind, and Soul: An Interview with Nancy Mairs," which she conducted in 1997.

Study these MS-themed reviews of three of Mairs's books. Would you feel comfortable citing this page in a paper about Mairs? Explain.

Cultural

Interested in writing about the social issues connected with disabilities, but not sure how to narrow such a big topic? Take a look at this related directory from Google.com and you'll come away with plenty of good ideas.

Would you like to learn more about multiple sclerosis? The homepage of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a great place to start your research. You can even volunteer to help online.

Read this review of Mairs's Ordinary Time. What does the author think of the book? What did you learn about Mairs's views of religion and marriage that you didn't learn from your text?