Thursday, January 1, 2009

It's Not What You May Think...

What comes to mind when one hears the word dumpster diver for the first time? More than likely one would associate it as a way to describe actions of the homeless. The same homeless in whom many believe are the only ones inferior enough to await the leftovers of others by any means necessary. Or maybe some may even believe it to be some idiotic sport like midget tossing. But in reality, dumpster diving is not something limited to only the homeless.

The article Dumpster Diving, by Lars Eighner, describes how he resorted to dumpster diving for his
"necessities of daily life" after putting "all my sporadic income into rent." His firsthand experience combined with stated interest and research on dumpsters in the introduction presents the use of ethos, which allows the reader to view the writer as creditable. As the article progresses Eighner divulges in detail the different aspects of being a dumper diver- or scavenger as he refers to it.

Eighner begins with one of the most important factors he learned being a scavenger- how to determine if the food is edible. These three necessary principles in determining such are:
“using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly, and seeking always to answer the question ‘Why was this discarded?’" He emphasizes how simple this process can be by using logos and pathos. The humor in his aggravation of something logical is present in his following statement,

“Of course I would not offer my companion anything I had doubts about. But more than that, I wonder why he cannot evaluate the condition of the crackers for himself. I have no special knowledge and I have been wrong before. Since he knows where the food comes from, it seems to me he ought to assume some of the responsibility for deciding what he will put in his mouth.”

The article goes on to describe different situations in which Eighner experienced while scavenging. Such descriptions included the different stages commonly faced when one becomes a scavenger; the difference between other scavengers and can scroungers; the ethics he believes a scavenger should have; scavenger hazards such as fire ants and bees; and also different techniques in which one can go about scavenging a dumpster. But the ending to Eighner’s article is what I believe to have the greatest impact, which to no surprise, has a great play of the pathos appeal. Eighner states how his experience as a scavenger has brought about great insight to two very deep lessons. The first is to only keep what one can use, and the second and probably most important, to not be attached to material things. Ultimately that the
sentiments brought by the material item is what to be cherished instead of the material object itself.




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