Directions: We read the poem in class. Now you need to post your thoughts/ideas/opinions ... similar to your journals (include how this makes you feel, did you learn anything, what if this was you, ...). You will also comment on other students posts (minimum of two).
"Thoughts of a Deaf Child"
My family knew that I was deaf
When I was only three, and since then fifteen years ago
Have never signed to me,
I know when I'm around the hourse,
I try and use my voice,
It makes them feel more comfortable;
For me, I have no choice.
I try, communicate their way --
Uncomfortable for me.
My parents wouldn't learn sign
Ashamed or apathy?
I never cared about the sound of radios and bands;
What hurts me most is, I never heard
My parents' signing hands.
Stephen J. Bellitz
this poem is a tearjerker and is something i can understand. i see parents neglecting a child because of there selfish pride. children deserve respect and the chance to thrive no matter who they are or what issues they have. and the fact that some parents don't support there kids through there childhood bothers me.
ReplyDeleteYour right grimm. your family is your backbone and should always have your back. If you don't have a backbone in your family where will you find it?
DeleteJared...you're*
DeleteI hate bad parents a lot they are one of few people I have absolutely no respect for
Deletei agree with you grimm how could a parent neglect their own child for 15 years just because they are deaf thats just not good parenting.
DeleteOk, so his parents have been in denile. Wouldn't you? It's so abnormal to most hearing parents. They don't know what to do. Yes, they should go and get help, but, how many times have you had an issue and just wanted to deal with it your own way. It may not be the right way, but you feel better when you do things you own way. Put yourself in the parents' shoes. They want to hear their sons voice as much as he wants them to sign. Parents aren't going to be perfect, nobody is perfect. But i do believe they could have handled it a different way.
DeleteTrue that ryan people that dont pay atention to there kids dont deserve them this poem pisses me offfff!!!!!
DeleteThis poem is really sad. I think that it selfish of the parents of the little deaf boy that they never cared engough to learn how to sign. I feel bad for the boy because he was put in such an uncomfortable position while trying to conform to what his parents saw as "normal". Many deaf people prefer not to communicate by speech because they are not only embarrrassed of how their words may sound, but also worried that people will treat them differently once they hear them talk. Many deaf people are critized and even made fun of in todays society because they are seen as "different".
ReplyDelete-Alexandra Kuchta
Great point, when you grow up you deveolpe a feel for what the world and the people on it and what you see around you becomes "normal". When you see selfishness that is who your going to turn out to be.
DeleteI hate feeling like the weirdo
DeleteI agree with Alexandra about how the boy was put into an awkward situation because he has to do what his parents say, which is to speak -- even though he is deaf. And many people are made fun of because they are different, but it is wrong and people shouldn't. You can't judge someone based on what society deems as normal, because it might not really be the norm, its just what society accepts.
DeleteI totally agree with you christine. Society picks a certain norm....blows it way out of proportion....and expects people to live by it. Deaf people are really nice and there is no need for society to turn them into something that they're not. There really is only one way that they are different....it's by communication. But that could all change if people who are hearing learn sign language and treasure it as a wonderful talent. Being deaf isn't a crime....it's God's extra special blessing...purposefully making them even more beautiful people. The reason why people hate them is because of this. Another thing...the parents don't want to learn because it is something that is frowned upon...which is horrible...I know someone who hates every 'minority' and will stop at nothing so they can spread hate around...and yes...he hates on deaf individuals...society has gone too far!
DeleteYea those parents are so awful they dont get how they are messing this kid up they realy dont have the right to do this it is so mest up i think that the parents need to take a reality check
DeleteIt's sad to see this happening, and i feel even worse because i really can't do anything about it...i can only use the sign language i've learned when i get chances to which hardly ever happens. and im one of the few people who know sign in this world today. therefore think of outside the family home and how hard commuincating with the "norm" can be then to come home to a disfunctinal family would be quite the struggle.
DeleteThis poem really is sad to me. It made me think about if that was me and my family. It would make me wonder if my family loved me if this was me. I know if this was me and my family and they couldn't face me how could I face the world. To me a family should be warm and loving and this family is certainly not.
ReplyDeleteGood point Jared..I agree with what you said about facing the world. It's really hard to be social with a group of people if you can't even communicate with your own family. I also agree that I would question if they loved me or not. I can't imagine being in such a unloving family.
DeleteJared I liked what you said about how a family should be warm and loving, and this family is the opposite of that, If your own family does not accept you then how can you think that anyone else will?
DeleteJared you beat me to it...you totally nailed it, to me this is just another example of bad parenting!!
Deletei agree, familys should be supportive. this is one reason why our society is violent.
Deletei agree when i think of a family i think of a group of people who love each other. these bad parents dont deserve a child if they aren't going to show any love for it. i really like how you said a family is warm and loving it really touched me.
DeleteMy eyes watered after reading this! So sad :( I've never even considered the thought that a kid could be deaf and his entire family didn't know sign language. It breaks my heart that parents can be so inconsiderate of their own children. I hope this doesn't happen often, because no child should be treated that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree sims no child should be treated that way, if I was old enough i would adopt a deaf child and sign to Jim, so he can be as normal as possible
DeleteThis showed me how crappy some parents are these people wouldent learn sign so that they could talk to their own kid that's just low as if not being able to hear wasnt enough
ReplyDeletethis poem is really sad, and it isn't fair for this kid to be deaf and then have parents that won't go out of their way to try to communicate with him. Most parents try to go out of their way, and beyond, to do anything for their kids, but some parents won't do anything when they are put to the test. If it makes the parents comfortable that their deaf son uses his voice, then they should at least try to sign something to him. How can a family go 15 years without talking to their son?
ReplyDeletei agree christine the parent should be willing to do anything for their child like learn how to communicate with them.
DeleteI agree, it's not that hard to learn some signs. It's really child neglect.
Deleteyes this is definitely not fair for this child. and some people just don't have the respect and responsibility to go the extra mile for there kids. it's sad
Deleteyeah, the parents really should put the effort of atleast learning some basic signs. they just dont want to because they dont want there child to be deaf. people are wrong and they need to start looking out for others then just themselves.
Deletethis poem is really sad. to not communicate with their son is a terrible thing. they should not make their son use his voice when it makes him uncomfortable. they should try their best to learn his language and accept that he is deaf. there is nothing he can do to make himself not deaf and they should help him through that in anyway they can. how could a parent not talk to their child.
ReplyDeleteThis was really a depressing poem. I hope one day that people like his parents open their eyes and realize how important it would be. I would like to hope that my parents would learn sign language...or atleast attempt it. The saddest thing about this is that the parents are rejecting their own child. It could also be where the parents are in denile. They want their child to be 'normal' so they force him to use his voice. I mean if you think about it from the parents stand point, they must have not been around deaf people, or were and did't realize it. They just want their child to be perfect. All of our parents want to believe that we can do better. It's just instinct to think that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree if your not going to except your kids and if dont like him then give him up then you dont deserve to have it!!
DeleteI really like how you say all parents just want thier children to be perfect. it so true i like how you thought about it from the parents point of view it really gave me a new prespective one the whole thing. But i still think the parents should have given a little effort.
DeleteThis peom is so mest up i think that it is the parents are so gay and they should except there son for who he is they need to have there best sign game on and help him but they dont have to make him use his voice they should give him the option to sign or talk not make him feel weird about it but i think that there parents are so gay!!!!
ReplyDeleteMAx
DeleteI totally agree with runscape lover, his parents should accept him the way he s and just deal with it...and his parents aren't gay....
Deletemax is right, you shuold love your child no matter what is background of his life is. having a life that your parents dont understand is bad but having a life were parents dont know the life and they dont care to even try would probably be unimaginable
DeleteI dont like the parents of this person, because they didn't try to communicate to there child, when he was growing up. This poem brought tears to my eyes, because the parents had a deaf child and didn't even know sign language....it just hurts me. If these were my parents I'll try and help to communicate with the way I talk, and I'll try and communicate the way they talk.
ReplyDeleteThis poem also brought tears to my eyes. Just to think that his parents didn't even try to communicate with him is so sickening.
Deletethis poem makes me sad because there are families like this that dont support there children or wish there child could be different. i dont know what i would do if my family was like this. like grimm said your family is your backbone and without your back bone you have nothing to support you when you fall. it makes me think about how lucky we are to have such great parents that love and adore us so much, and we never take in the consideration to think about the families that dont.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is so deep. When i try to reflect on it i feel some very strange emotions in me. I'm not sure how exactly to describe them but it is mostly sorrow. There parents in this poem dont deserve to call this kid son. I know that if i ever had a child with any disability i would do whatever it takes to make his life easier. I dont think i would be able to handle it if i had no one to talk to when i came home after a long day of school. If i lived with people who could only talk in spanish and i didnt know any it would make me go insane.
ReplyDeletethats a really good point, after a long day at school. it would be so hard "not to have anyone to talk to" you would always be alone and feel like a outsider in your OWN family! it would be so hard to live in complete silence, even in your safe haven aka your home.
Deletewow Chris I did not even think about that. Once I thought a lot deeper I felt just insane emotions going through my body.
Deletethis poem, is disturbing :( its even more sad that many deaf childern feel this way, and this is how there household is like. If i where Deaf and no body in my family was, i would exspect them to do everything they can to make commuinacating with me easier. I would hope my own family would understand the difficulties of using my voice and lip reading. I would hope my family would want to learn sign. so when i read this poem i think about my family and how would they act if i were deaf.
ReplyDeleteI think that this poem is pretty sad. I don't think, just because someone's kid is deaf shouldn't mean they should treat them any differently than if they were hearing. They should just let their son be who they are and let them be that well!
ReplyDelete