'On Compassion' 'On Compassion' is an essay written by Barbara Lazear Ascher. The main argument of Ascher's article concerns acts of compassion, as well as the motivations behind them. Ascher uses a somber tone, being a third-party observer. She discusses the various times she witnessed various moments where someone faced a possible, but unlikely, threat and responded to the threat with an act of kindness in order to question the true motivations for these polite acts : fear or compassion. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The first example Ascher cited was a time when she witnessed an interaction between a woman with her child and a homeless man in New York. . Ascher develops the story using pathos or emotional appeal to relay the scene of an encounter. She writes; “The baby's mother waits for the light to change and her hands tighten on the stroller handle when she sees the man approaching.” This is heartbreaking, as the reader begins to feel sympathy for the homeless man; before that, man just walked the streets, thinking to himself. He stopped to admire the woman's child. In a hasty effort, the woman offers the man a dollar in hopes that he will leave; "...and passes a folded dollar over his child's head to the man who stands and watches even though the light has changed..." For added effect, Ascher mentions 5 passers-by who ignore the obvious and awkward tension, leaving the woman to fend for herself. se. The reader is then made to feel pity for the homeless man or anxiety for the woman. Ascher leaves both sides open to connection so that his audience develops an emotional connection between the reader and the man or woman. In her next scenario, Ascher expands on another case where she was a bystander during an encounter involving a homeless man. This time, the setting is in a cafe; it highlights the splendor of the coffee; the croissants are overpriced and deliciously buttery. Ascher uses images to relay the scene; “...an old man came in and stood inside the entrance. He wears a stained blanket pulled up to his chin and a woolen hood pulled down to his bushy gray eyebrows. As he stands up, the smells of cigarettes and urine fill the small, overheated room. The reader can visualize the man entering the room, imagine his terrible smell, and suddenly feel compassion for this fellow homeless man. Ascher's images bring to life the details of the man and how out of place he is in the French cafe, subtly implying the possible threat, or the innocent, hungry man he could be. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In many cases, people can react to different things in different ways. The above are great examples of different times when one was faced with a possible, but unlikely, threat and responded with an act of kindness. In these cases, offering money or food in exchange for their obedience, leaving the women alone. Ascher leaves the ending of the women's ordeals open to the reader's interpretation, questioning the true motivations for these acts of kindness and letting the question resonate in the minds of his audience: were the actions due to fear or to compassion ??