El Deafo, by Cece Bell, offers bunnies as the main characters of a children’s book, explaining the role of deafness in the life of the main character Cece. The character choice of bunnies is very ironic in a way, as bunnies are often known for their hearing. Thus, her book stands out right from the beginning in her selection of topic and characters. The book starts off with Cece starting a new school, which being new is always scary, but this scenario is different, Cece is deaf. At the age of four, she caught meningitis and became severely deaf. Cece used to attend a school for the deaf and after her family moved, her new school is not entirely deaf, so she feels like an outsider. As a result of feeling different because of the hearing aid, …show more content…
She begins to be more outgoing and becomes less self-conscious about wearing her hearing aid when she meets new people. Additionally, she starts feel like she has the ability to call out people who treat her different because of her hearing impairment. Cece opens up to a new friend about her superpowers and title of “El Deafo” and decides to be her sidekick. All Cece wanted was a friend who could accept her deafness and her superpowers. Ultimately, Cece gains a true friend when she meets Martha, who is not concerned with the fact that Cece’s hearing impairment, also, treats her just as she would anyone else. The major theme of the book is acceptance, it wasn’t even acceptance of her deafness, it acceptance of not settling for friends, she wanted a friend who didn’t care if she was hearing impaired or different, she just wanted a genuine …show more content…
However, although we are not deaf, being in ASLN 201, we can relate to the book. Just as Cece is coming to terms with her deafness, we are coming to terms with learning a new language. Although we are doing this by choice, Cece has no say in the matter; her deafness is out of her control. Yet, she can control how she behaves in relation to others who come in contact with her deafness. From the book we can infer that for being deaf, an individual can often be perceived as a disable. Until others have been exposed to that deaf individuals and really get to know that person and learn about deaf culture, they soon realize that it is not a disability at all. Deafness is a superpower. It is a superpower for all who are deaf because it is what makes them unique.
We would definitely recommend this book, not only is fun and educational, but everyone that reads El Deafo will learn a valuable lesson about being open minded and self-respect. Cece finds herself in superheroes to push through her struggles. Cece was able to use superheroes to push through her problems and now she is a superhero herself. The most valuable point of the story is that everyone needs to be confident in themselves and no matter what others may think, you are special and unique. Overall, after reading El Deafo, we have come to appreciate deafness and deaf culture so much more. Well worth the
What’s that Pig Outdoors? is a memoir whose name easily captures the attention of the potential reader. Moreover, the story of the title captures an important theme in the narrative, which is that being deaf can sometimes lead to humorous (and sometimes not so humorous) misunderstandings. Henry Kisor, the author of the memoir has been deaf since age three. Still, he grew up in the hearing world as a lip-reader, and does not separate himself from the hearing culture in the slightest. While his disability can lead to said misunderstandings, it hasn’t stopped Kisor from living his life the way he wants and feels is best for him.
I learned a lot about Deaf people, ASL, and/or Deaf Culture after reading this book. Deaf people are normal just like anybody else and they should not be treated any differently. Some people treat Deafness as a disease that needs to be cured, but it's not. If a parent comes to learn that their child is deaf they react very crazily and act like their child is dying and that deafness is some fatal disease. Deaf people should be treated just like anyone else and no differently. They are not disabled and can do great things in this world.
Kimmy Bachmann A Journey into the Deaf-World Chapter 1 The narrator begins this chapter by introducing himself as well as his colleagues and co-authors. Ben Bahan, the narrator, is a deaf man from New Jersey whom was raised by deaf parents and a hearing sister. After spending an immense amount of time studying American Sign Language (ASL) he moved on to now become an assistant professor at Gallaudet University in the Deaf studies Department. His colleague Harlan Lane, a hearing man, is a specialist in the psychology of language and having many titles is a key aspect of this book as he believes, as does most of the Deaf-World, that they are a minority language and takes up their point of view to the hearing world.
In the following chapters, there is an extensive amount of knowledge to learn about how Deaf culture is involved in our modern world. The pages assigned give us an outlook of how Deaf people are treated in our daily life, and how we should learn from it. Its gives a clear line between what are myths and what are facts, to those who are curious about the Deaf community or have specific questions. This book has definitely taught me new things that I could put to good use in the near future. In specific chapters, my mind really opened up to new ideas and made me think hard about questions, like “why don’t some Deaf people trust hearing people,” or “do we need another ‘Deaf president now’ revolution?” I realized many new things in the course of reading this book, and have recommended this to my family.
The graphic novel is about a young girl (CeCe) who got sick with meningitis and in result of this illness she lost her hearing. She begins the journey of accepting herself as a deaf person and being deaf in her community. She experiences bullying and she is really insecure about herself and the use of her hearing aids. She
My response to this question is two-fold. Firstly, I believe that (for the most part), Deaf people actually like being deaf. While observing my neighbor (who happens to be deaf), I realize, he is never unpleasant, he keeps an unceasing smile on his face, is eager to help us hearing neighbors whenever applicable, and in general, he always looks for the silver lining in the clouds. I don’t think that I could ever work up the nerve to ask him if he’d desired the ability to hear. I’ve never seen him preoccupied with his inability to hear, so why should I. His deafness is a part of who he is. In our book, it mentions that being Deaf is a part of the individuals’ personality, an attribute just as important to a person that is right or left-handed. Why would Deaf people want to be hearing? If a person is born deaf, such as my neighbor, they don’t find themselves missing what they never experienced. Our book lends to us the illustration of someone who is
Deaf Again is another eye opening book about what it is like to grow up deaf in a hearing-dominant world. It showcases the struggles experienced by the Deaf, and shows the reader that the Deaf cannot be made to fit into their hearing world. The Deaf, once they find their identity as Deaf with a capital D, don’t want to fit into the hearing world. Being Deaf isn’t a bad thing. Deaf again has further shown me just how difficult life can be when you are deaf.
To them seeing a person just move their lips leaves them wondering what the person is doing. Margaret 's parents felt trapped in the hearing world where their only guide to life in the hearing world was Margaret since she was the only one who could link them to the hearing world. Margaret gives up her social life just to be with her parents; caring for them. Throughout her life, Margaret feels guilt, shame and despair because she has deaf parents who can 't seem to be able to become dependent in their society or provided her with brand new clothes like her rich friend 's parents. Instead her mother has to make her the prom dress while her friends go shopping for a brand new dress. Margaret 's mother, Janice is very conservative which prevents Margaret from getting a dress cheaper than her friends ' since she believes that the deaf don 't beg. Janice and Abel do want the hearing to pity or make them seem as disable people. When they go out, they hide their signs in order to prevent people from laughing at them and making them feel so different. They 're scared to sign in public because immediately people stare at them and make a face as if to say "what are they doing, crazy people", bringing down their self teem. To them trusting hearing people is not a choice since they had a terrible experience when buying a car from a hearing man
With that knowledge the deaf character gained more confidence when communicating and was able to achieve bigger goals in their life then when they had little to no knowledge of how things worked in society. Reading about these characters just gave me a small insight into the deaf community but with the documentary ”Through Deaf Eyes,” has open my mind and eyes that they are people who can thrive in and change the world just as anyone can when they put their mind to
While the benefits for the hearing are great, there are better benefits for those who are Deaf. Jarashow stated that it was essentially frowned upon if a Deaf child was using sign instead of trying to use what ability they had to hear. This seems counterproductive and if they emphasized more on teaching Deaf children ASL, there would be better outcomes for them in the future. Instead of focusing on trying to make everyone the same, they should focus on giving these children the best opportunity possible despite their
I found this quote to fit perfectly with what I experienced in the deaf event that I attended the latter week. On Wednesday April 6, I went to Pizza Royal, an event that even though it was miniscule I can say with assurance I will remember for the rest of my life, surprisingly. I really did not know what to expect as I entered the restaurant, besides the fact that I was nervous my communication skills would be poor with a deaf person. As the night went on, I learned a lot of about the people I met there including characteristics such as, friendliness, mirth, and patience. The list goes on.
Deaf and hearing impaired individuals are know longer an out cast group. They now have there own deaf community. Deaf individuals do not consider themselves having an impairment, handicap, or any type of disability. They believe that through the use of sign language, other communication skills, and technology that there deafness is the way they are supposed to be. Many people who have perfect hearing can not understand deaf people and why they embrace there deafness instead of trying to receive hearing and get rid of there handicap. However not all deaf people have th...
Have you ever felt like there was nothing that you can do for your child? In this book, Deaf Like Me, by Thomas S. Spradley and James P. Spradley, I can see the journey that Lynn’s parents took to get her help. (Spradley & Spradley, 1978). This book was an excellent read. I really liked the way that they described the ways they tried to help Lynn to understand the world around her. The book, is a great asset for any family that might be unexpectedly put into a situation that they know nothing about such as a deaf child.
In mainstream American society, we tend to approach deafness as a defect. Helen Keller is alleged to have said, "Blindness cuts people off from things; deafness cuts people off from people." (rnib.org) This seems a very accurate description of what Keller's world must have been. We as hearing people tend to pity deaf people, or, if they succeed in the hearing world, admire them for overcoming a severe handicap. We tend to look at signing as an inferior substitute for "real" communication. We assume that all deaf people will try to lip-read and we applaud deaf people who use their voices to show us how far they have come from the grips of their disability. Given this climate, many hearing people are surprised, as I was at first, to learn of the existence of Deaf culture. To me deafness is not a defect but a source of connection. Imagine yourself deaf, growing up with a beautiful language, visual literature, humor, and theater. Imagine taking pride in your identity without any desire to become a member of the majority culture. For many deaf people, their community is a comforting relief from the isolation and condescension of the hearing world. However the Deaf community is far more than a support group for people who share a physical characteristic. Members of the Deaf community may have hearing levels that range from profoundly deaf to slightly hard-of-hearing. But no members of the Deaf community are "hearing impaired." Inside this community, deaf people become Deaf, proudly capitalizing their culture. Hearing people suddenly find that they are handicapped: "Deaf-impaired."
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).