Dumpster Diving Eighner Analysis

1. Eighner’s attention to language in the first five paragraphs causes the reader to view dumpster diving differently than they normally would. By providing the reader with his own personal views of how he sees a dumpster diver, and the terms he prefers to use when referring to them, Eighner inserts a more positive perspective over dumpster diving. For example, Eighner “I live from the refuse of others, I am a scavenger” (Eighner 108). Eighner indirectly dismisses the typical negative ideas about dumpster diving and instead puts it in a more positive light. Eighner’s use of language in these paragraphs appeals more to pathos since he utilizes diction, such as when he mentions that he sees dumpster diving as “a sound and honorable niche” (Eighner 108), to

An example of irony in the essay is when Eighner mentions the students who throw out all their food at the end of a semester. Despite being educated, the students do not know if their food “has spoiled or will spoil before they return” (Eighner 111) and foolishly discard all of it. On the other hand, Eighner, who is homeless man and may be presumed to be uneducated, knows that items such as “nonorganic peanut butter does not require refrigeration and is unlikely to spoil in any reasonable time” (Eighner 111). While one may assume that the college student would have more knowledge about perishable and nonperishable food, the college student proves to be less informed than the homeless man. Another example of irony is when Eighner mentions the students who “throw out canned goods and staples at the end of semesters when they give up college at midterm” (Eighner 111). Considering that the student is forfeiting their education as well as an opportunity for a decent job, it would be expected of the student to keep what they can instead of tossing things out and being imprudent. In this case, the student is even more wasteful at a time where they should worry about how they will be able to afford items in the