“On Compassion”
Barbara Lazear Ascher’s essay “On Compassion” was written. Ascher’s essay focuses on compassion acts and their motives. Ascher uses a serious tone as a third-party observer. Ascher describes different occasions when she witnessed people being threatened with a very unlikely threat. She responded with kindness and fear to make it clear that they were not acting out of compassion or fear.
Ascher first relates an incident in which she saw a New York City homeless man and a woman with their child. Ascher uses emotional appeal, or pathos to convey the scene. She wrote, “The baby’s mom waits for the sun to change, and her hands grip the handle of the stroller as she watches the man approach.” This makes it hard for readers to sympathize with the homeless man. Before this, he was just walking along the streets, contemplating his thoughts. The man stopped to look at the child of the woman. In an effort to get him to leave, the woman offers him a dollar and passes a folded dime over her child’s head to him. “… Ascher adds five other witnesses who ignore the awkward tension, leaving the woman alone to manage it. Ascher then prompts the reader’s emotions to be provoked. Ascher continues her story by describing another incident in which she was a victim of a homeless male. Ascher uses imagery to show the cafe setting. The croissants are deliciously buttery and overpriced. Ascher uses imagery in order to portray the scene. “… a man has entered the front door and walked in. He has a stained blanket over his head and a woolen jacket that falls to his grey, bushy eyebrows. The room is filled with the stench of urine and cigarettes as he stands. Ascher’s imagery helps to bring out details about the man. He is clearly out of place at the french cafe.
Different situations can lead to people reacting in different ways. These are just a few examples of situations where people may react in different ways to a potential threat. The women were left alone after Ascher offered money or food to satisfy their demands. Ascher allows the reader to interpret the events of the women’s ordeals, leaving open the question of her audience’s understanding of the true motivations.