Pick: Noise or Silence

Imagining a world without sound was a very hard thing for me to do, if not impossible for a hearing person. Both the hearing family and deaf family made very intelligent and weighted arguments. The deaf side of the family for the Artinian’s, made points on how they are changing Peter’s personality. They then continued to ask “Why can’t you accept him for him, you’re an awful mother.” But, since the Artinian’s are hearing they believed they were fixing Peter because he was broken. The deaf didn’t like being referred to as broken. They believed there was nothing wrong with being deaf. There is nothing wrong with being deaf in my opinion but, the majority of Americans are hearing able. Which means that with cochlear implants Peter and Heather would both be able to communicate better with a bigger world. They would have more job opportunities and there would be no barriers between speaking and hearing worlds. Except maybe for Peter if his parents decide not to teach him sign language. Which was another point the deaf people argued. “Are you going to tell him he’s deaf?"

There are two main discourses in this film.  One is being deaf and one is being hearing able. These are two different worlds and, it is hard for them to imagine each others worlds because they are such opposites. They also communicate differently, although small amounts can be understood from each side.  The deaf side wants the children to embrace their deafness and to be added into the deaf community. The hearing able want the children to be like them, to appreciate all of the sounds. They believe deaf people are missing out on life. Deaf people believe that hearing able people are missing out. Both are right. These two discourses often conflict with each other during the film. There are many times in the movie where both sides are shown, and they are shown equally. This works really well in the film and allows the audience to see both sides of the story. It allows the audience to make their own decisions. I believe, however, that a hearing able person will be biased towards themselves and vise-versa with a deaf person.

Scared of A Closed Basement Door

Nine years ago, almost a decade, I was annoying my eldest sister.  And I must have annoyed her til the point she could not longer take. As punishment, my struggling unwilling body was pushed through the open basement door by a very agitated twelve year-old. Slowly my pink elephant socks slid on the tile floor. Where the tile of the kitchen floor ended the wooden unfinished stairs of the basement started.  My feet hit the first step and the door was slammed shut behind me. I crouched down on the first step and sat as close to the door as I could. A wailing, whooshing sound started coming up the unlit stairs, the light switch was too far away. Shadows of  demons and other unimaginable nightmares moved around at the bottom; waiting for me to move, for me to breath so they can sense where I was. I was not going to give the monsters the satisfaction of eating me. I did not breath. It had to be years later that the door was opened and I sprinted towards the light and the safety of my bedroom and stuffed animal friends.  When my parents came home, my eldest sister was scolded after I told them of my punishment.

Now nine years past, I sit at my kitchen table doing homework. The house is silent, everybody has gone to the library. The heater in the basement kicks up with a small whurring cough and the basement door, which had been left open a foot, slams shut. And, in my mind, I see a little girl crouching at the top. My heart rate picks up as I walk over to the basement door.  With all the lights in the kitchen turned on, I open the door and let the child that could be there escape the nightmares in the basement. The basement door will never stay shut again.