COMPARE/CONTRAST MODEL
Garbage has formed its own religion. No one can claim that Stenger and Eighner
describe the dump as a true holy place, but they do create a sacred feeling
about our waste. In Eighner's " On Dumpster Diving" and Stenger's
"The Town Dump" the garbage heaps give the two narrators life and
meaning as well as physical and mental satisfaction too. They also show us
that the piles of junk may only give life to a few, but they contain the lives
of all people. These characteristics link to common traits found in many religions.
However, the two authors do diverge in their exact attitude towards these
piles of debris since one illustrates his exploration of trash as a serious
profession and as a way of life, while the other views it as an exploration
of human history. How they depict their experiences leads one to believe that
even though the topic is the same, their views and attitudes lie askew.
Eighner mocks many people and shows disgust in friends who throw away things
foolishly or ask him for advice that common sense can answer. In this way
he tries to justify his existence, and raise his life as a mere "scavenger"
to that of something as honorable as that of any laboring man. In a way he
views his task as a profession. People often try to justify things they cannot
change. This is his life, not just something he can fiddle with on the side.
His life is devoted to scavenging. Eighner many times does reflect upon the
history behind some of the objects that he finds placed in their temporary
graves, however, this is not his main focus. He rejects sentimental value
in almost everything he owns.
On the other hand, "The Town Dump" does not try to describe to us
a serious job, but at the most a hobby that turned into an obsession. Most
people have had an obsession that dominated some part of their childhood.
And though Stenger does not try to give it more meaning than it deserves,
he almost poetically describes the objects that have been thrown away, relating
them to a more personal history. One knows he speaks the truth because he
has not been forced into scrounging. He does it of free will. But it seems
unfair to call it scrounging. Stenger admires the items found in his investigation
of the dump much like an archaeologist examines an excavation and this fascination
with the personal history behind each object and how it relates to the history
of the town is what keeps him coming back to the dump time after time.
The similarity between the two pieces are amazing. Eighner and Stenger drew
many of the same conclusions from observation human leavings. Our trash will
last forever, so what way to better study humans than through our waste. However,
their attitudes separate the two papers because the garbage affected their
lives differently. While Eighner viewed collecting trash a way of life, Stenger
did it for enjoyment. This can be said about any work that can be considered
as a job or a hobby. And when viewed from this angle, two people can perceive
similar things very differently.
AC 11-12-01 Revised
