Anna Carter In On Compassion by Barbara Ascher, the author uses frank imagery, powerful diction, and purposeful syntax

to demonstrate how facing reality reveals prejudice.

Ascher uses frank imagery to make readers aware of their own prejudice. Ascher writes a description of a homeless man, focusing on his clothing, His buttonless shirt, with one sleeve missing, hangs outside that waist of his baggy trousers. Carefully plaited dreadlocks bespeak a better time. The messy and dirty clothing draws a clear picture in the readers mind. Clothing indicates social status, and society identifies people dressed in rags and old clothing as homeless. Society takes pity on these people and looks down upon them. But the carefully plaited dreadlocks that tell of a better time remind the reader that at one time in his life, this homeless man lived much like the people that now surround him on the street. He cared about his appearance, he might have had a house and a job. This helps the reader relate to the homeless man, but also forces the reader to realize the fragileness of their own life. Furthermore, the innate prejudice shown toward the homeless is demonstrated through Aschers use of figurative language. A mother at a crosswalk attempts to hand a homeless man money, bearing the dollar like a cross. In myths and old lore, crucifixes warded off vampires, demons, and other evil beings. Ascher draws the comparison between the homeless man as an evil being, and the mother as an innocent bystander. She highlights this womans fear, and how she offers the man money for her own protection, the dollar a cross that can hold him back. Though this man has done little to threaten the woman, she acts frightened simply because he appears to be homeless. Meanwhile, Ascher also uses sensory details to help readers realize their own prejudice. She describes the scent when a different homeless man walks into a cafe, As he stands, the scent of stale cigarettes and urine fills the small, overheated room. Both stale cigarettes and urine smell strong and distinctive. They indicate uncleanliness and filth. This scent forms a strong association with the homeless, and society then associates this outward

smell and appearance of the homeless with their inward character. Society considers the homeless to be dirty, disgusting, and dangerous, both inside and out. Ascher suggests this to the reader simply through smell. Aschers utilization of imagery challenges the reader to face their own prejudice.