Eric NortonEnglish 101 Essay no. 3 (rough draft) March 3, 2014 Title (TBD) Disabilities they have, but the styles to be told make more of a difference. Nancy Mairs and David Sedaris use writing to address their disabilities in different ways. In both “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris, both authors describe and live with their disabilities in different ways. Mairs uses his familiarity to address the reader where Sedaris recalls his habits in a somewhat humorous way. Even though they both have a disability, it is transmitted in two different ways. Mairs immediately comes across as a lame duck by stating: “First, the question of semantics. I am crippled” (Cohen 259). From this point on he goes on to explain his illness which gives you an idea of ​​what's to come. Sedari's approach is very different as he uses examples from his childhood and never declares his disability. His habits are explained as "tics" while he uses his childhood experiences to describe his disability. Both essays discuss the life of someone living with a disability (not to be confused Mairs calls himself "crippled") and the ways of dealing with their disability is different from each other. Mairs gives himself a label that readers can refer to before going into detail about his real illness, multiple sclerosis, right from the start. Sedaris, however, begins his essay with a specific episode relating to his disability. She describes an interaction with her teacher regarding her annoyance with her habits that she later in her essay describes as “tics.” Throughout the essay Sedaris never declares his disorder or even that he has a disability. He continually uses his experiences to describe his problems rather than actually define them… middle of the paper… a little less thoughtful. Instead of a message to the reader, Sedaris uses his experiences living with disabilities to modestly reveal his writing style. In describing his disability it reflects his sarcastic writing style. I don't think “A Plague of Tics” Sedaris simply uses wit to describe his personality rather than the change it has made in his life. These two essays talk about two different disabilities. Nancy Mairs and David Sedaris serve as examples of how an author's writing can change the tone and meaning of a narrative. Mair's message was educational and encouraging as she explained her life with MS and how society views it. Sedari's use of experience and memories portrays his life with obsessive-compulsive disorder; what he calls “tics”. These two writers take similar topics and present them in such a way that the reader can see the illustration behind them.