In the article You’re Short, Besides! written by Sucheng Chan, Chan successfully argues that handicapped people are reduced to a low level in society and are not created equal. She uses character development, imagery, and tone to describe and present her struggles with being handicapped.
At a very young age, Chan was struck with polio and pneumonia simultaneously. These two illnesses left her handicapped for life. In her article Chan describes her own feelings, but also describes how her father felt when he returned from the war. She introduces her father, and develops his character by discussing the impact his feelings had on her. “Throughout my childhood, he sometimes apologized to me for having to suffer retribution for his former bad behavior (Chan 3)” is an example of how Chan’s father affected her. Even though her father had been absent through a lot of Chan’s treatments, the reader can still follow Chan’s examples and develop a view about her father. “He took me out often, carrying me on his shoulders or back, to give me fresh air and sunshine (3).” The character of Chan’s father develops from being guilty about his daughter’s condition to doing whatever he can to make it easier for her. By using simple character development, Chan makes he article so much more powerful. This is because she makes it more personal and gives insight into her family life.
Chan also uses imagery to describe her feelings and conditions. She describes how she felt in the ocean. “On the land I was a cripple; in the ocean I could move with the grace of fish (3).” When she states “grace of fish” the reader can understand how the water took her from her crippled reality and brought her into her own world. Swimming helped her to escape public scrutiny for being handicapped. By drawing the comparison of a fish’s grace an image of her is implanted into the reader’s mind.
Tone is also an element that Chan uses to prove her argument and describe her personal feelings. There are a few instances where she seems to be a little annoyed with others, but uses that annoyance to show that she is not incompetent because of her condition. “’If it makes any difference, I want you to know I’ve won a number of speech contests in my life, and I am not the least bit self-conscious about speaking in front of large audiences (4).’” Her tone in this passage is snarky, but brave. She has no fear to point out her achievements and describe her adequate self-esteem. This is subtle, but substantial point in her article because the reader can really understand that being handicapped does not take away all your intelligence or abilities. Chan uses her own experiences to prove her point.
Throughout You’re Short, Besides! Chan uses character development, imagery, and tone to present and prove her point about how handicapped people are equal to those who are not cripple. The character development of her father, presents how relatives affected her everyday life. It also gave a very personal aspect to her article. Chan’s use of imagery allowed the reader to picture how Chan felt in the certain places she encountered, and help the reader to see what it is like to be crippled. Finally, Chan’s tone gives personality to her article as well as makes her point even stronger.
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