Emily Eyberg
Mr. Neuberg
Eng. Comp 102-104
7 September 2011
Single Paragraph Essay
Contentment through Scavenging
In the short story “On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner, the author introduces readers to the life of a scavenger by describing his living on the streets with his dog, Lizbeth. At first glance one may assume the story is merely about dumpster diving, however, Eighner begs to show the audience being content does not come from petty objects, on impulse buys, foolishly discarded. When a person sees another in shabby clothes, unshaven, and rummaging through a dumpster, most would feel pity or disgust. Eighner feels pity for the others; “Millions who nightly scavenge the cable channels looking for they know not what. I am sorry for them.”(369) Eighner has a process which consists of three principles; listen to common sense in evaluating an area, and always seeking to answer “Why was this discarded?”(359).Eighner does not speak of happiness, but of being content. There are those who feel as if the only way to peace of mind, is to have the things they want. In reality, the items are rarely used or wanted ten years down the road. It is not to have too little or too much, but to feel content with what we have and are given.
Eighner, Lars. “On Dumpster Diving”. Power of language, Language of Power. Custom Ed.Pearson Custom Publishing, 2009. 357-369. Print.
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