Assigned Sections: I Should Worry by Weldon Kees (1939) & The Limner by Julian Barnes (2009)

Themes: Social Isolation, Audism, Problematic Sex, Clairvoyance

This book's premise is to provide examples of deaf characters in short stories and show how they have (and have not) changed over time. The short stories are written by hearing individuals, yet we can learn the hearing world's perspective on the deaf community through their examples.

Weldon Kees writes his story using common beliefs of deaf individuals of the 1930s. He made his deaf character an orphaned, prostitute whose brother constantly describes as "deaf and dumb" (Sayer, 115). 

Though marginally better, Julian Barnes also falls short in creating a realistic, deaf character. His character is an introverted painter that only wants to hang-out with his horse. The painter has the psychic ability to see things the average person misses contributing to this portrait painting success.

Both authors created deaf characters as products of Audist beliefs of their time.  Their characters' personalities revolve around the fact that they are deaf. Sayer continues to educate the reader on how to create a character unlike any other. That character just also happens to be deaf in the same way another character may wear glasses.

Themes: Double Consciousness, Deafhood, Blending of the hearing & deaf worlds, Relationship Issues

While Brian Selznick is not a deaf man, his writing and illustrations demonstrate the adequate research he put in to create this novel. This was my favorite piece of literature this semester.

Wonderstruck is a chiasmus between the written story of a boy named Ben (1st POV) and the illustrated story of his grandmother, Rose (3rd POV). The reader switches between the two until their characters meet, and their story continues together. This toggle between POVs illustrates the difference of the grandma raised as deaf individual, and the grandson just beginning his Deafhood journey.

Rose's story is told in illustrations that command the reader to fully view the images presented. She dealt with an unaccepting mother and a father pushing an oralist education on her. Eventually, she runs away to be with her older brother who accepts her.

After being struck by lightning, Ben loses all of his hearing, sending him to the experience of double-consciousness. Where he once fit-in, he must now navigate with fresh eyes. Once Rose shares her life story, Ben has a new sense of confidence and appreciation for d/Deaf culture.

Themes: "Hearie-Think," Double-Consciousness, Deafhood, Audism, Social Isolation

This piece advocates for deaf artists and their journeys through the hearing and deaf communities. Luczak emphasizes how art is art, regardless of whether or not the artist has a disability (Luczak, 61). Additionally, he encourages deaf artists to uplift the deaf community through clarity and perseverance in their work. Luczak's perfect blend of sarcasm and a deep meaning of humanity share his opinion and mission.

A particular theme I want to discuss is “hearie-think.” D/deaf people face outsiderhood and audism from the hearing world on a daily basis. On top of that, deaf artists have to face offensive slang from their own community (Berkowitz). Yet, Luczak supports deaf artists by explaining how they must walk the line between the hearing and deaf worlds in order to share honest pieces. This leads to a discussion on double consciousness. How, “the written word… is a fulcrum between two worlds,” and deaf authors use written English to display their thoughts (Luczak, 40). With the isolating outsiderhood from the hearing world and the lack of security in the deaf world, deaf artists must find their Deafhood journeys and develop pride in their identities. 

Themes: Multi-directional Binary Oppositions, Audism, Social Isolation, "Fixing" Deafness

This work is a collection of short plays surrounding the deaf experience. There are multiple examples of miscommunication in the excerpts that reveal different aspects of a deaf person’s everyday life to the audience. 

In “Pledge of Allegiance,” we see how a deaf child may be confused by this primarily auditory, American ritual. Once they saw the words in text, they understood that the class was not counting their heartbeats. This demonstrates just a small form of isolation deaf children experience in mainstream schooling (average schools with majority hearing students).

In “Disconnected,” the actors explain how Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone to help the deaf community, but he obviously failed in that goal. The deaf actor could not communicate with an object that could not use their language. A.G. Bell failed to “fix” deafness. “Manualogy,” shows how the doctor tried to magically control the deaf man’s hands so he was able to sign fluidly. In, “How Miracles Are Made,” the actor believed that by copying Jesus’s words and actions, they could “heal” their deafness too. Yet, they were hindered by their inability to enunciate the long E-word with two ph’s.

Themes: Relationship Issues, Double Consciousness, Social Isolation, Deaf Gain

This work is one play that was performed in ASL with voice-overs off-stage. The plot centered around four, deaf friends, a new, deaf woman in town, and the personified "Rumors" that moved behind the scenes.

Gus, the hard-of-hearing member, deals with double-consciousness as he balances between the deaf and hearing worlds.

Nan, the biggest gossiper of the group, works through her fragmented relationship with her daughter. She failed to accept that her daughter was in the LGBTQ+ community.

This play celebrates Deaf Gain as it shares the d/Deaf perspective in a way that is accessible to both the deaf and hearing communities, and they may send the lessons forward.