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panbread's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is only 8 pages long, but it's a very beautiful read.
I was looking for some helpful info on what's safe to eat from dumpsters, and this was not only helpful in a practical way, it also opened my mind up too a new way of looking at things. I'm very glad I came across it.
I was looking for some helpful info on what's safe to eat from dumpsters, and this was not only helpful in a practical way, it also opened my mind up too a new way of looking at things. I'm very glad I came across it.
faithtrustpixiedust's review
5.0
The subject of Lars Eighner's essay is, as the title succinctly puts it: the practice of dumpster diving. Through this lens, Eighner examines wasteful consumerism and the disillusionment it brings, regardless of socioeconomic status. He uses a very personal narrative to accomplish this, that of his own life experiences as a "scavenger" and his subsequent homelessness. However, he also manages to infuse throughout the essay a distinctly clinical detachment. He focuses on semantics, defining the terms he will use throughout the piece, and then launches into an almost scientific exploration and explanation of the logic, thought-processes, and behaviors required to succeed in dumpster diving. He backs up every point with experiential evidence, usually his own, but occasionally others he is acquainted with. He even admits the faults in the process and the negative aspects of this practice. Eighner is incredibly intelligent, resourceful, forward-thinking, and conscientious, traits often disassociated with the homeless or disenfranchised. In using this tone and approach, he expresses the importance of valuing materials and sentiments that promote happiness and resilience. In essence, he argues that you find what you seek: "yet in spite of the element of chance, scavenging more than most other pursuits tends to yield returns in some proportion to the effort and intelligence brought to bear."
I genuinely loved this essay. I found it both informative and emotionally fulfilling. I have an ebook copy of my course's textbook from which I read this essay, and therefore did not read the footnote until I finished the essay (as it disrupts the reading to investigate footnotes, and they are always listed at the end of every article). I was moved to tears by the realization that Lizbeth, who I assumed was the author's wife, given the familiarity with which he refers to her, is actually a loyal dog companion. It also reminded me of my elementary school years, during which my friends and I regularly raided the recycling bins after school. We would lift each other into the large bins and sit on the accumulated paper, sifting through it for anything that caught our eye. So many interesting things were recycled! I fully support Eighner's observations in this essay.
I genuinely loved this essay. I found it both informative and emotionally fulfilling. I have an ebook copy of my course's textbook from which I read this essay, and therefore did not read the footnote until I finished the essay (as it disrupts the reading to investigate footnotes, and they are always listed at the end of every article). I was moved to tears by the realization that Lizbeth, who I assumed was the author's wife, given the familiarity with which he refers to her, is actually a loyal dog companion. It also reminded me of my elementary school years, during which my friends and I regularly raided the recycling bins after school. We would lift each other into the large bins and sit on the accumulated paper, sifting through it for anything that caught our eye. So many interesting things were recycled! I fully support Eighner's observations in this essay.
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