Ray Charles: A Blind Man Sees A World of Possibilities
In a world of darkness, misunderstanding, and confusion, there was a light of hope. Ray Charles was able to stand up and face this world, and he set out to pursue the impossible. Ray Charles overcame his disabilities by becoming a musician despite his blindness, stopping the use of heroin, and performing even though there were segregated audiences and unfair treatment.
To begin with, Ray Charles overcame his disabilities by becoming a musician despite his blindness. Charles stayed strong, no matter what life threw at him. His disability only made him stronger. After seven years of having a close bond with his mother and family, Charles was forced to set out alone when he moved to a school in St. Augustine for the deaf and blind. Without the support of his family, he was left to his own devices. Considering he was only seven, it was quite a bit to take in. There was much stress and pressure, but he stayed brave and fought through it (Charles 20).
In his autobiography “Brother Ray”, Charles explains how he had a rough time during the train ride to the new school. For the first few weeks, Charles wept due to being homesick, and the other children were spiteful and rude towards him. However, with time, he was able to adjust to his new life. Charles says he told himself “you better just continue to continue.” Although it was difficult for him to cope with, Charles was able to get through his struggle (Charles 21). Everything Charles said proves that although he
was very afraid, he realized he had no choice, so he stayed strong and moved bravely forward. This shows how he fought through anything life threw at him, and he never let his lack of vision slow him down.
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...cism he faced, Charles overcame it all. He was a significant figure in history because he stood as an example that if someone puts their mind to a dream, it can be accomplished. He was a true inspiration, and he left a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. Charles shows us that hard work and perseverance can take even a blind addict working against society to the very top.
Works Cited
Charles, Ray and David Ritz. Brother Ray. New York: The Dial Press, 1978. Print.
Hackford, Taylor and James L. White. Ray. New York: Universal Studios Licensing
LLLP, 2004. Print.
Pareles, Jon and Bernard Weinraub. “Ray Charles, Bluesy Essence of Soul, Is Dead
at 73.” The New York Times. June 11, 2004: n. pag. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
“Ray Charles”. Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 48. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Biography
in Context. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
... years was John Treloar and no one cared about Charles vision anymore than this man did and he did everything possible to make the Memorial nothing less than what Charles had visioned.
Ray started to lose his eyesight at the age of five and went completely legally blind at the tender age of seven. Ray Charles’ mom tried hard to teach him how life would be for blind people. She told him to never let his problem become a cripple for him and to never let anyone take advantage of him just because of that. One way she tried to help him was that she told him to use his memory. He couldn’t see so he had to remember how many steps he took or how long it takes to get to one place so he won’t get lost. His mom eventually sent him away so he can get adequate care. She sent him to the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida for 8 long years. This is where he developed his patent musical talent. Ray’s troubles wouldn’t end with becoming completely blind. His father died when he was 10, his mother died five years later when he was 15 while he was in school.
is, no doubt, a great actor. The way he portrayed the two disabilities was phenomenal. The movie also depicted ways that others would treat someone with this disability. At many points during the movie, I noticed myself smiling. I was smiling because it was as if I was physically witnessing James Kennedy, himself, go through those life changing events. I also became saddened when he lost his mother. It’s like I could not only see, but feel how hurt he was. The aspect of love and courage was shown in this movie. It takes a lot of love and humanity to show an individual with a disability that he or she is just as important as anyone else. The movie depicted how Radio was such a loving person regardless of the unfair treatment he received from the people of his town. He showed so much love and eventually changed their attitude towards him. Because Coach Jones took a risk at gaining a relationship with Radio during a time where African American were not as much accepted, the movie portrayed a sense of courage. I think it is important to understand the difficulties that come with caring for an individual with a disability. I do believe that the movie captured many of those important
... adapted to his ever-changing circumstances, became a doctor, got married and, most importantly, overcame countless obstacles. He managed to do all of this in the second half of the twentieth century. Given the advancements in technology and greater acceptance of those with disabilities in today’s society it would be easier for him today. Beisser succedded and I will too. I will travel, I will find good jobs that fulfill me, I will surround myself with loving people, and, perhaps most importantly, I will be financially independent.
Dylan was born with a tumor wrapped around his spinal cord, which was successfully removed however resulted in him becoming paraplegic. The first fourteen years of his life, Dylan defined himself by his disability. He felt ‘weird and different’ because of his disability and this was why he was excluded from his peers. It was not until Grade 9 that Dylan began to see that his disability did not have the power to dictate his life or set a limit to which he could achieve. Since then, Dylan has moved on to achieve phenomenal feats, namely, winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics to becoming the world’s number one paraplegic tennis player. Dylan can be found wheelchair crowd surfing at concerts, advocating for people with disabilities and training for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Dylan is on a mission to ‘mainstream disabilities’ and shatter negative
His, "idea of blindness came from the movies", where, "...the blind move slowly and never laughed" (Carver 98). These misconceptions of blindness form barriers between the blind and the sighted. Carver breaks down these barriers as he brings the vastly different lives of these two men together. Those of us with sight find it difficult to identify with the blind. This man, like most of us, can only try to imagine what life is like for Robert.
In the story "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, it tells of how a blind man is open to new experiences and how he views the world compared to the husband (narrator) who is blinded by the material things of life. The husband is given the gift of sight but the true gift comes from seeing the cathedral. At the beginning of the story, the husband’s outlook on others is filled with stereotypes, discrimination, insecurities and prejudice. After interacting with Robert, his wife's friend, his outlook begins to change significantly.
The limitations that were holding the narrator back were abolished through a process from which a blind man, in some sense, cured a physically healthy man. The blind man cured the narrator of these limitations, and opened him up to a whole world of new possibilities. Robert enabled the narrator to view the world in a whole new way, a way without the heavy weights of prejudice, jealousy, and insecurity holding him down. The blind man shows the narrator how to see.
Ray C Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an African-American singer and musician known as Ray Charles. He was ingenious in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by mixing soul and gospel, and blues into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped segregation integrate country, jazz, and pop music during the 1960s with his mixing success on ABC Records, most recognized with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first huge African-American songwriters to be given artistic control by many mainstream record companies. Frank Sinatra called Ray “the only true genius in show business,” although Charles played this notion. The influences upon his music were mainly soul, jazz, rhythm and country artists of the day such as Art Tatum, Louis Jordan, and Louis Armstrong.
“Go back?" he thought. "No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!" So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.”
The hardships of living with a disability are communicated using minor characters as props and how they are misconceived as being unintelligent or even abnormal. For example, a waitress suggests that Raymond is a “very clever boy”. Fascinatingly, she is the only minor character who treats Raymond with respect and sympathy, in contrast to Charlie and the general public who evidently takes advantage of his condition. In addition, the mise-en-scene composed of high key lighting and a wide-angle shot creates an ambient atmosphere, which makes it seem as if Raymond is unique, in contrast to abnormal or strange.(Cinematheque, 2010, p. 1). This conversation with the waitress shows that Ray’s disability makes him unique, in a positive way, especially because the general public seem to be uneducated about mental disabilities in this film; this is evidently shown where a man is seen screaming as Raymond, as he stands in the middle of a busy intersection. As a result, the director breaks down these misconceptions and generalisations about the, as if he is reprimanding that the disabled are a part of our society and that they should be treated with respect.
The people with disabilities are portrayed as hardworking. They have people surrounding them that are accepting and encourage them to do their best. The support helps them build up courage to overcome their disability. It can take years, but the effort will not be
...cation to the changing of the human situation. His plight from birth to his escape from slavery is a truly inspiring story that shows that knowledge and its correct application can change the world. Frederick Douglass truly discovered the power of knowledge and applied this to his life throughout its many stages. This theme is clearly shown and developed throughout Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave throughout his constant references to how his knowledge and skills sustained him in his attempts to escape the slavery of the south.
... an unsung hero when he was truly and evil man with unholy decisions on mind. His unique ways of blaming the rest of the world for his problems started with his wife was the plot to his whole scheme. His ways in making those believe that it was there conches that were unclean, that they were the cause of all this wrong. Although it was all his violent gestures to get his way in life.
In middle school I was diagnosed with a disability with the way I expressed myself through writing. Ever since, I have gained multiple values and learned several lessons about self confidence. I was taught to push past my limits, in order to be successful in reaching my goals along with my dreams. Today I am a senior in high school who was once thought to struggle, but was able to succeed beyond expectations. To some, a disability may seem like a setback from achieving goals, but to me I used it as a challenge for myself. I accepted myself for who I was and looked at my disability as a unique trait of mine. I was able to provide a message to others that anything you set your mind to is possible with dedication and hard work. It might take