On Dumpster Diving Analysis

Words: 675
Pages: 3

“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner is an essay on a former homeless person born in 1948 in Texas. This essay is about dumpsters and in the beginning, he elaborates on how he had a fascination with them before he started exploring and he went on to explain items he finds, other homeless people he had encounters with, and how he learned how to search in dumpsters. Although he shares a difficult period of his life with his audience, the speaker’s attitude is positive as he keeps a tone that is affirmative and informative. Furthermore, he resists dwelling on how hard his life is and bringing a mood of pity and sorrow to the audience which makes the essay more effective.
In the essay, the author made a gross topic seem like an everyday thing that,
…show more content…
One time, when talking about a local pizza shop he frequently got meals from when they messed up an order he says, “I never placed a bogus order to increase the supply of pizzas” (Eighner, 237). This quote shows how he is not selfish and manipulative. Also, when talking about scavenging through household garbage cans instead of dumpsters he says, “But my strongest reservation about going through individual garbage cans is that this seems to me a very personal kind of invasion to which I would object if I were a householder” (Eighner, 241). This quote proves that he respects other’s privacy and property and is just minding his own business and does not want to make anyone uncomfortable. Lastly, this quote is a superior selection of detail and also shows his outlook and the kind of person he is when he is talking about looking out for other scavengers when he says, “it is common practice to set aside surplus items: pairs of shoes, clothing, canned goods, and such. A true scavenger hates to see good stuff go to waste, and what he cannot use he leaves in good condition in plain sight” (Eighner, 240). This could also be irony since his purpose for dumpster diving is to find valuables that can help him live and he is giving them to others who are competing with him for meals and everyday needs. But, Eighner is very generous so he chooses to share with others. All in all, in this essay “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner, although