blog




  • Essay / Deaf Again: Building a World of Others

    Through Deaf Again, an account of the life of Mark Drolsbaugh, readers are drawn into the world of a deaf individual and the difficulties that accompany Learning and growing in a world full of very different people. As a hearing person, this book was very informative and I found myself drawn deeper into Mark's story with each turn of the page. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Right off the bat, I learned that just because a person has two deaf parents doesn't mean their life will be any easier as a deaf child. All families and children face challenges, and as a parent, it's difficult to know what the right thing to do is when it comes to your child's health and future. This was very clear from the beginning of the book. Additionally, I learned more about Gallaudet University. Although we learned some of the school's history in class, I discovered more in this book about what it means to have a Deaf-centered university. The book really highlighted the importance of going to college where only ASL is used. It was clear that achieving a college education after facing years and years of adversity is a huge accomplishment. Also mentioned in the book, watching older deaf kids go to college really inspires the younger ones to hold their heads high and reach for the stars. Additionally, by reading this book, I learned what it really means to feel different at school. While every middle school and high school student feels "different" at this time, being a deaf child in a school full of hearing peers is very different from most people's lower education experiences. This book really demonstrated the emotions that come with feeling different and how important it is to overcome these feelings. This insight that Mark brings to readers is a big part of what makes this book great. What really impressed me about this book was Mark Drolsbaugh's ability to really put the reader in his place. As a hearing person, I never imagined I could relate so much to Mark's story. A very good example of this is found in chapter 6, when Mark asks the reader to imagine themselves as a diver. He explains what it would be like to live underwater and then realizes that you are better off on land. This really spoke to me and not only puts the reader in the author's shoes, but also shows Mark's talent as a writer. I was also very impressed with Mark's discussion of spirituality. In my opinion, it can be very difficult to address one's own personal spirituality and questions regarding a higher power and religion. This book approaches the subject in a very honest way. I found these sections very easy to understand and just made the book even better. On the other hand, I found something a little irritating about this book. Mark tended to attribute many problems to his hearing loss. Although I'm sure most, if not all, of his difficulties were complicated and perhaps compounded by his deafness, at times he seemed to use her as a scapegoat. This seemed to be especially true in his early years, as he struggled with language and learning. I think the work would be more thorough if Mark had examined other aspects of his personality. Additionally, reading this book about Mark's life really opened my eyes to Deaf culture and ASL. First, this book really highlighted what a boon ASL is for the deaf. Read about the difficulty.