The emphasis placed on attaining normal is completely unhealthy for the whole society. This is because there is no precise definition of normal. Each individual is different, and exhibits different characteristics and therefore there can be no precise definition for normal. It cannot be attained. And so this factor is very foolish because once the term is placed, those who are termed not normal will feel like outcasts. They will feel as if they have to prove something in order to fit into society and therefore will their whole lives just try to fit in. This is not healthy for any person. It makes an individual feel as if they are being looked down upon. The best example would be the author Jonathan Mooney. For several years while riding the short bus he was regarded as not normal. Therefore, even after being normal at the soccer field, he still did not feel normal. He went on to graduate highly from an Ivy League University but still did not feel appreciated. Even being a co-writer in a book, Mooney still felt like an outsider. Mooney (???) mentions “So much of what we are taught about ourselves never seems to completely go away. Even though I knew these feelings were old, and didn’t define me, they lingered” (p. 35); this therefore goes on to show that it is not healthy and will make individual live their whole lives trying to attain normalcy. One thing that I found particularly noteworthy is that as much as society looks down on disabled people, they on the other hand display love and wish to be reciprocated the same way. Therefore, the overarching theme is hate vs love. The best example from the book to illustrate this would be Jeff. Jeff is 46 years old and is also unemployed. He suffers from Asperger syndrome. He times e... ... middle of paper ... ...as if she is disabled and proceeds to curse out her teachers in sign language because of it. Her mother mentions “After one year the school district abolished all signing classes and reassigned the teachers to classes for children with cochlear implants” (Mooney, ???, p. 116), which is another example that the community is providing a barrier to a good education since Ashley isn’t a candidate for cochlear implants. Overall, this book was very eye opening and inspirational. It taught me a lot about certain disabilities I did not know of or have even heard of. The biggest impact it had on me was that society had stigmatized these individuals as being abnormal when they are just as normal as everyone else. They may just learn in a different way or need other resources, but our society needs to provide them with these types of things instead of making them an outcast.
Due to this disease the body is slowly broken down by affecting the central nervous system of a person’s body. The children depicted in the essay are probably an example how fellow human beings should be around a disabled person. They just view the disabled person as another human being and respect them the same way. The children are proud to associate themselves with Mairs and do not shy away from introducing her to the general public. This is what a disabled person requires: that all those around him or her should respect them for what they are and give them unconditional regard
It makes you realize that regardless religion, social status, salary, race and other things we seem to care so much about, we can look past and develop meaningful relationships. I felt like this book told the story of being deaf from one person’s viewpoint, but also touched base on the general Deaf experience when talking about how the people around him would react. But, because Mark was born hearing, and was always “so close” to being hearing, all his teachers, doctors, and grandparents wanted him to be considered hearing and to be “normal”. If he had been born deaf, he would have been accepted as a deaf person instead of being treated as if he had some kind of disease. I believe that this book presents the Deaf community in a positive light because although he talks about how his deafness made him feel like an outcast and like he was broken which led to his low self-esteem, it’s a beautiful outcome showing a boy’s growth and how he learned to be proud and understand that there is nothing wrong with being different from other people. Being different does not make you less than, nor does it make you inadequate. I would definitely recommend this book because it shows that communication is everything, that human interaction is one of the most precious things, and that you should be proud of who you are and your culture, no matter
The theme of the text “Harrison Bergeron” is equality has its pro’s and con’s,the author's use of similes and metaphors helps develop the theme.First off,one element that help support this theme is honor. Humor helps support the theme because in the text,”Harrison Bergeron” it shows how employees can’t even do their jobs because they have their handicaps on,but Know one earns a better profit because they're the same.Another type of element the author uses is similes .In the text it says,”but Harrison looked like a walking junkyard”.That helps support the theme because if the leader or government puts handicaps com people they will get mad and try to escape their state or country.The theme in the article is equality has its pro’s and con’s this
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.
The short novel “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut presents a futuristic portrayal of a world where everyone is equal in every way possible. In “Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut displays the clear flaws in society that lead to the creation of a horrific dystopia that lacks genuine human emotions, fails to develop as a civilized community and is strictly government At the beginning of the story we are introduced to George and Hazel who are an ordinary couple that consequently suffer from handicaps. They are recalling the time when their son, Harrison Bergeron, was taken from his home by the handicapper general. It was an unhappy thought “but George and Hazel couldn't think about it very hard” (Vonnegut 1) due to the mental radio that separated the two from regular functioning emotions. Although Hazel was not affected by the handicap itself, it became a societal norm to act almost robot-like.
Dan and Betsy go through their emotions on hearing about Samuel condition of cerebral palsy. The roll coaster of emotion they felt. As a parent I could relate to their emotion of having a child with disabilities. I would love my child regards of condition but the emotion I would feel would be fear. Dan and Betsy both went through fear; asking themselves what about his education, and interaction with others. I would have those same question; as
As highlighted by the author, Mary Louise Adams in her article, “Excerpts from The Trouble with Normal”, ‘a norm’ “can be defined as something that is usual, typical or standardized” (Hacking, Adams, 2003). Norms are often already so established that most individuals do not realize how much they have shaped society and the people who live in it. Audrey Lord tells us that being a “White, thin, young, heterosexual, Christian, male” defines the characteristics of being “normal” and “privileged,” in which she calls “the mythical norm” (Perry, 2011). We use our sexuality, race and class as a way of giving ourselves an identity for the world to see. This identity will ultimately allow us to understand our place in the world and give
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
...ive most of their life as a perfectly able-bodied person until a tragic accident one day could rob you of the function of your legs, and you have to learn how to cope with being disabled. Mairs illustrates that being disabled is more common than the media portrays, and it’s hard to deal with feeling alienated for your disabilities. These three authors have evoked a sense of sympathy from the reader, but they also imply that they don’t want non-handicapped people to pity them. The goal these authors have is to reach out to the able-bodied person, and help them understand how to treat a disabled person. The disabled people don’t want to be pitied, but they still need our help sometimes, just like if you saw someone with an arm full of grocery bags having difficulty opening their car door. They want us to accept them not as a different species, but as functional people.
In “Constructing Normalcy,” Lennard J. Davis discusses how the idea of normalcy, the bell curve, and eugenics go hand-in-hand, especially in how only “negative” deviations from normalcy are deemed as a threat to the “purity” of humankind. This concept is inescapable in daily life, even seeping into such widespread cultural phenomenons as the Harry Potter book series, published by J.K. Rowling between 1997 and 2007. In particular, Remus Lupin, a werewolf, and Nymphadora Tonks, a Metamorphmagus, both have magical abilities beyond the norm, and each of their abilities is queer, yet Lupin’s lowers his productivity and is thus a disability while Tonks’ increases her productivity and is therefore normalized. Furthermore, both of these characters
In the end “The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Norma;”, by Jonathan Mooney was very inspiring, and brought up many different aspects of how the educational system may need to re-examine their approach to those who do suffer from learning disabilities like ADD/ADHD, and Dyslexia. All of which I will take into consideration in my further as a teacher. After all even those who suffer from different learning disabilities, still deserve the best education possible.
Non-normative life events are events that occur to a person that aren’t considered the norm for most peoples lives rather this is good or bad. When interviewing Alice about what shaped her as a person one event changed the whole course of her life. When Alice was 8 years old her was passed away and her mother was crippled. Many children face losing their parents but few actually witness the catastrophe. The effect of losing a loved one in a violent and unexpected way makes the process of grieving much more drawn out and traumatic. One may even suffer from flashbacks, lack of concentration, sleep disturbances, nightmares ect (Santrock, 2014, p.613). Alice can still describe the day her father died with vivid memory of each event that day. They were
Being disabled is just a single facet of their life, and they have the same capacity to be happy as anyone else. While these three authors have different reasons to write their essays, be it media unfairness, ignorance, or ethical disputes, they all share a basic principle: The disabled are not viewed by the public as “normal people,” and they are unfairly cast away from the public eye. The disabled have the same capacity to love, desire and hurt as any other human being, and deserve all of the rights and privileges that we can offer them. They should be able to enter the same buildings, have representation in the media, and certainly be allowed the right to live.
To be considered normal or abnormal has been just a label society places on you to explain individuality. When we are younger, we were given a mixed message that being different and unique is acceptable, however growing up in a society that wants you to blend in and adhere to the norms and usual customs of that culture is difficult. Being dissimilar often leads you to be judged and considered deviant. What you perceive not only defines your idiosyncratic judgment, so does your culture, prejudices, upbringing and generation you belong to. In our modern day society a universal normal has not, nor ever will exist. We think, look and all act differently and the reality of it is, no one is normal.
I have always grown up in a more ‘normal’ setting and seeing people with disabilities was something that was rare to me. When I was younger, my thoughts on people with disabilities were that they could only be physically seen, nothing else (mentally, intellectually, etc.). As I reached middle school, I realized how broad the world is and how many ways people were affected by disabilities. Some of them led a more normal life and some have a harder time adjusting. Just seeing and reading how so many are affected and how harder it is for them really opened up my mind and allowed me to have a wider perception of how broad things are in the world.