Wednesday, December 12, 2012

To Hear or not to Hear

After watching the film Sound Of Fury I was very enlightened. I had never considered deaf culture, or how much it means to people. Since I can hear it is hard for me to understand that being deaf is viewed as a gift in deaf culture. I don't agree; however, with not giving a young child a cochlear implant. I think that a child should grow up learning both deaf culture and hearing culture. In the movie Peter and Nita Artinian are very proud of deaf culture and don't want their children to grow up missing that part of their life. They want their children to have opportunities, but they think deaf culture is more important than hearing culture. On the other hand Chris and Mari Artinian can both hear and want to give their son who was born deaf a cochlear implant to make life better. 

Personally I think both sides are wrong. Why would they want to keep their children boxed in one Discourse when they could be in both. I think that a cochlear implant would be wise to give when a baby because it would be easier to learn and grow with one that young. I think that they should educate their children on both aspects of life by teaching them both sign language and speaking. I think that people that completely isolate their child from another world is a little dramatic. I would want to offer my children both worlds and let them pick, if any side, what they wanted to associate more with.

If you really think about it, giving a child both worlds and opportunities to grow up with is even smarter in the grand scheme of things. They can work in both the hearing world and the deaf world. They can give both worlds equally as much attention instead of being completely isolated with only one way of doing things. That to me seems like a more well rounded and cultured person. 

2 comments:

  1. Kate, I agree with you! I think, too, that it would be a better life to be able to communicate in both the hearing and deaf cultures. I liked how you said that they could then choose, "if any side, what they wanted to associate more with." I think that would be a more beneficial way of living for the child. Like you said, being a part of both Discourses would seem to make for a more "well-rounded and cultured person."

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  2. Very well written essay Kate! I felt very similar on many of the points you brought up. I feel that being completely shut off from one culture while living in another is not right and that sharing both would be the best option. By being apart of both discourses, however, I think would be really hard on both sets of parties than it would be to be in just one. how either side would deal with it is hard to say.

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