Peter Cook

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“We consider ourselves an alternative culture. It’s like being Spanish in an English society- there’s just a language barrier”, explained Peter Cook to the Chicago Tribune. Cook is a deaf performer, poet, and comedian, to say the least, who tries to defy the language barrier by creating shows that not only deaf can understand but also allow the hearing to interact. Through these shows, he tells stories of miscommunication and the obstacles he has had to overcome since he became deaf. I wonder what his true inspiration was to become a poet, and a performer whether it may be a person or his own personal experiences throughout life.
Peter Cook was born with the capability to hear, but acquired spinal meningitis at the age of three, deafening him for the rest of his life. Although he was born in West Virginia, his family moved around often, however he went to a Pennsylvania school for the deaf up until ninth grade. Then he attended a prep school where there were hearing students so he was forced to sit the front to try and comprehend what his teachers were teaching. He began writing poetry when he was quite young to communicate his internal thoughts. When Cook was nineteen he was exposed to American Sign Language (ASL) which allowed him to express his thoughts more creatively. When he watched others sign poems, they left him with a blank slate, never forcing him to imagine what they are conveying. The poetry was always signed in a literal sense, which Cook disliked, so he took workshops that helped him become in touch with his more creative side. He learned to articulate his ASL with repetitive hand shapes that were similar to their actual form. Following college he founded a non-profit organization called Flying Words Project. This...

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...eaf or hearing impaired may use, becoming a true inspiration to those who thought it wasn’t possible.

Works Cited

"Department ofASL - English Interpretation." Peter S. Cook. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. .
Rago, C. (1994, Nov 04). PETER COOK'S `YOUR EYES MY HANDS' PUTS DEAFNESS IN SPOTLIGHT. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/283834665?accountid=26459
Sid Smith, T.,Arts Critic. (1994, Oct 30). STRICTLY NON-SPEAKING PERFORMER PETER COOK SEEKS TO COMMUNICATE BEYOND WORDS. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/283742574?accountid=26459
"TALESOFGRAZ 2006 - Artists." :: TALESOFGRAZ 2006 - Artists ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. .

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