My Reflection on Why Don't We Complain" and "On Compassion"

While reading these two essays I had very different reactions to each one. "On Compassion" was a much more emotional peice and dealt with a very touch subject of poverty, specifically homeless people. I thought is was very interesting how the writer, Barbara Ascher, used many literary techniques, one particularly powerful one being the use of rhetorical questions.An example being "what compels this woman to feed this man? Pity? Care? Compassion?" This is is good technique because it makes the reader contemplate what the writer is trying to say, in other words, it is an affective way to make the reader think more deeply into the subject. I found "On Compassion" much more "creative" than "Why Don't We Complain" because of the techniques that she uses, not only rhetorical questions but also suspense and allusion. Barbara Ascher makes a strong impact when she ends her essay with the line "This play doesn't end-and the players can't go home." She is referring to how Greek tragedies were used to invoke empathy in the viewers, and questioning if homeless people do the same today. If I were to write an essay, this is definitely something that I would like to include, to not only make my point, but leave the reader with a lasting impression, which is something that this did to me.


"Why Don't We Complain" by William F. Buckley was written on the subject of why, we as people do not complain more, why are we so passive? What I thought was interesting about this piece of writing was how he used so many examples to put across his point. Such as how he was on a train that way uncomfortably hot, but no one wanted to make a scene and complain. The use of many examples gives the reader lots of situations, which makes the essay far more entertaining to read. This is a similarity between the essay of "On compassion," as that author also used examples to create imagery and make it more interesting. I also liked how he had such a clear tone, it was very obvious to the reader that he thought that people should speak their minds more, and admitted that he was often frustrated because no one would. I think that this also makes the essay more relatable to people, as I'm sure that many people feel this way as-well.


However, I felt that "On Compassion" had a much longer lasting emotional affect on me, as the subject was much closer to home. I have had many experiences with homeless people when I travel to less privileged countries, and I always feel guilty, and end up giving them money. Until I read this essay, I had never really questioned why I did it, but now I wonder why. Is it because I am compassionate? Or do I do it because it is the "right thing to do?" These are all the questions that this essay left with me, because of Barbara Ascher's literary techniques such as the imagery and rhetorical questions. "Why Don't We Complain" also provoked me to think about why we never want to cause scenes, but his audience was for older people, as he related this to politics, something that I know is important but I am not necessarily interested in just yet.