A Journey in the Dead World

Sasha Monroe

February 16, 2016

Deaf Paper

                        A journey in the DEAD-WORLD

This book goes into depth about how DEAF people have their own community and what it feels like to be and have their own society just like hearing individuals. It began with Ben giving an introduction/ breakdown of his life which is unusual. Being part of the DEAF WORLD they introduce themselves and companions and events throughout their life. When a deaf individual refers to the DEAF WORLD they are talking about people who have share the same experience of what it is like to be DEAF. Some people that can hear are very interested in knowing what it might feel like to be a part of that community but it may seem if they are not welcomed. The author of the book Ben is a known storyteller in the part of the book I read he told a story about a reporter learning about the DEAF WORLD. The reporter Gloria felt so out of place when she entered the club to interview the individuals. They all sat down at a table and Jake had everyone introduce themselves but before that happened Gloria couldn’t understand what they were signing or anything that was going on in the room so one of the people at the table said that’s how DEAF people feel everyday on the job, shopping or just surrounded by individuals that are not like them. When each person came to introduce themselves there were a few that had similar stories and some that were different. They explained how some parents felt shamed and still to this day cannot accept the fact that their children are deaf. Then you have another set of parents that embrace it as a great thing to find out that their children are deaf because they can welcome them into the deaf world. It was also said that someone’s parents would make them wear hearing aids, go over reading and speech for an hour and a half each day to steady pound it in them. On the other hand, there were parents that but their children into schools that focused on the deaf. The book also talked about how when you bring home your deaf child how they are taught homemade signs and as everyday around the house. There are many deaf people that didn’t know that there were speaking people until they are around hearing people it is like a foreign language. When I first started reading the book I wasn’t to sure what to expect. From the perspective of deaf person they give life a different outlook when it comes to embracing that you have a disability that you have to live with. They have a different world that is dedicated to them that they can feel comfortable with. Not all deaf children have the same childhood as one another because of the way the parent choose to bring you up.