ASL Event Analysis

Prior to reading these chapters I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I have never really been exposed to the Deaf- World. I have watched shows such as Switched at Birth, but I know that it doesn’t completely portray the real Deaf- Community. I was extremely interested in seeing their side of the story and gaining insight on the life they live. I decided to read chapters one, and two.

Born to hearing impaired parents Edith & Robert Woodside, they brought up Robert Jr. and his younger brother Ty the best way they knew how. Robert always felt somewhat different from the group of friends he grew up with being that he was raised differently and learning how to speak sign language at an early age was what he didn’t realize would always be a Blessing and not be the curse he forever felt. Robert was also blessed to be born into loving families on both sides of his parents. Everyone in his family helped out and contributed priceless times, Strong love and Prayers to support each other in times they most needed it. Having a strong love for family, he always stayed connected and in tune with the family roots.

No one was there to support him when he was younger. When Henry starting school at Rainier Emelmentry he became friends with Keiko which he felt she was the only person he could honestly talk to and understand his feelings. Keiko had been there for Henry when his parents had stopped talking to him and Henry chose not to stop seeing her even though he knew his friendship with Keiko was the reason for his parent's silent treatment. Henry continued the friendship and even tried to see Keiko when she was moved to an internment camp. Their relationship grew and stayed strong, if not stronger, when Keiko was taken to another camp farther away.

Henry's father is a very traditional serious man that wants best for his family even if he has to lie to do so. He does not like Japanese people because of war in his homeland which causes conflict as Henry makes friends with a Japanese girl Keiko. Furiously enraged, Henry's father disowns him for being friends with someone of the Japanese culture even though Keiko does not even know Japanese. " Stubbornly Henry refused to give in to his father's wishes. His father wanted nothing to do with Keiko.

He has surrounded himself with many friends who are deaf and hearing and love the

The roots of ASL can be traced back to France in the 1700s. A French cleric, Charles-Michel de l’Epee, visited a mother with twin daughters who were both Deaf. He tried to communicate with the daughters, but they both ignored him. He expressed his irritation to the girls’ mother, who explained that she also had difficulty communicating and educating her daughters. Because of this, de l’Epee decided to tutor the girls himself.

While watching “History: Through Deaf Eyes” by PBS, I learned a lot about deaf culture and history. I already knew about certain events, like the rise of oral teaching and the protest for Gallaudet; however, listening to the stories from people who experienced these events gave me appreciation I did not have before. Also, learning how technology shaped deaf history was also very interesting, as well as the various options for deaf children today. The rise of oral teaching was a part of history I briefly learned about when I was younger, but I never fully understood it until watching the movie.

I never realized that St. George was such a big area in deaf individuals. I always saw it as a winter getaway and vacation spot, but for them, it is their lifetime home. In the book, I thought it was cool that he told the story about how his family treated him and it made him feel like an outsider and that he needed to change. I never want to be that hearing person that makes others feel like they aren’t worth it because they are deaf and they need to change. From now on my plan is to respect and encourage the deaf to be themselves and never push them to become something they are not.

Similarily, the reflective article, “The Mother Tongue” takes this approach. Amy Tan describes how language is what “evokes emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth” with language also being a “fascination in her daily life” (Tan 178). Tan describes throughout her article how she believes language shows imagery and that our language is a reflection of who we are. However, similar to the other article, she brings in her personal experience. One example being that of when she was a child.

I enjoyed this story very much which made this paper fun to do. As soon as I started reading, the first thing that came to mind was that Henry is lonely and sad and I felt bad for him because no one should be lonely and sad; everyone should have a chance to interact with others, unless they don’t want to. Another thing that came into my head is that the Henry dreams of a diverse nation being in such a boring and un-diverse world, it kind of reminded me of Martin Luther King and his wanting to be diverse in a none diverse society. I feel that the book conveys a thought that no one wants to be diverse in such a diverse world: a world full of hatred and thought of superiority over other cultures. Reading this type of book brought me

Veditz’s made message of preservation and respect for sign language was very clear to his audience for many years to come. “When he begins his lecture, he appears rehearsed, but then he grows confident, and his signing becomes animated and forceful.” (Padden ). Padden shows us by this quote, how passionate Veditz is in this speech. I believe that this speech would be considered into the informative genre.

American sign language or ASL is a complete language that uses signs made by hand gestures, facial expressions and your body posture. It is the primary communication of those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Sign language is universal. Where did this beautiful language come from?

What was your experience and feelings about watching it?   Throughout the documentary film Through Deaf Eyes, I felt amazed by deaf culture. The deaf culture is a versatile, rich, and unique community that more people need to be aware of. When the film was covering the transition of ASL schools to oral only I mostly felt ashamed of my own culture.

Henry’s parents wanted him to be more American, which meant he was to speak only English. “But since his father understood only Cantonese and a little Mandarin, the conversations came as waves, back and forth tidal shores of separate oceans” (Ford 46). Henry could not talk to either of his parents at any time of the day, considering they wanted him to be more “American”. This created a massive language barrier, which resulted in a lack of communication. This then passed on to Henry’s relationship with his own son.

The Deaf President Now movement was one of the best things that happened to University, the movement helped the school and the students get a deaf president to lead them. The school has never had a deaf president ever since its been opened. The students of the university wanted a deaf president to lead them so bad they shut down the school until they could get a deaf president. Gallaudet University was the school where all the deaf students went, it was hard for a hard of hearing student to attend a hearing school. The deaf president now was the biggest thing for the deaf and still is unto this day.