Andrea Watson from the Thursday class posted in Blackboard. I'm sorry that I forgot to put a link to the Blogger blog in Blackboard for her group.
I am posting what she said here.
At first, it was boring to read but as i go through, i was very very interesting into reading of how Junius Wilson go through and the Jim Crow law in the south at the time. I was very pissed off when Arthur Smith Jr. had Junius arrested for raping the black woman, Lizzie but i see how Arthur wanted to protect Junius from white mob if he touch any white woman because Junius dont understand whats going on at that time. I really dont like how his family didn't tell the court that he is deaf and that the court decided to put him into intsitution for the mental. It really irriated me as i go through. No wonder what the family was afraid and that Junius couldn't communicate at all expect his deaf friends. WOW that is very interesting story and still reading!!!! Anyone want to comment on it??????????????
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This is a book discussion amongst graduate students at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, and one of the authors of the book Unspeakable . It will run from Feb. 13th until Feb. 27th.
8 comments:
Have you gotten to the part of the book where Junius meets another deaf man who also went to the same deaf school? It is very interesting to read how the Black deaf people who went to school together had a different sign language. This made it hard for Junius to communicate, because he did not know a lot of ASL. Because I lent out all of my copies of the book :), I don't recall the name of the deaf school Junius went to.
Hi everyone,
I wanted to address the part about Arthur putting Junius in jail. Arthur's reason seems to be about protecting Junius but later at the end, it appears that he was just nervous about the closeness between Junius and his wife. Again, the truth is not known due to language barriers, which really makes it hard to accept.
Also, BGG, it was North Carolina School for the Colored Blind and Deaf. :) And, I agree about the black sign language and some fascinating facts about it
I was also a little upset about Arthur Smith, Jr. setting Junius up to be arrested; even if he meant well, did he really have no other choice? I reject the idea that this was the only way for him to "protect" Junius.
But as I continued to read, it wasn't Arthur's actions or his intentions that allowed Junius to get the care that he received at the mental institution. I highly doubt that Arthur thought that Junius would be allowed greater livelihood at a mental institution, while being regarded as a potentially dangerous criminal! Though it is kind of weird to say, Junius was blessed to have the experience that he had--even if his communication was limited, he was given a sense of purpose, that he did not seem to have before, even at home.
And so, while I can be mad at Arthur Smith, Jr. for being careless and inconsiderate, I am not as mad at the fact that Junius Wilson stayed at the mental institution for so long, (and I just knew I would be furious before I began to read)! I agree, it is hard to accept because of the communication barriers, and because he was sent a "mental institution"! Who ever says, "Wouldn't it be a great idea to send our loved one to a mental institution?!" or "Man, gotta love that mental institution!" Haha! But the truth is, Junius Wilson seemed to thrive there, had a sense of belonging, and arguably moreso than he did with his own family. Maybe that is the saddest part of the book, even more sad than his limited communication?
Not sure if my last comment was clear... I just meant that Arthur Smith did not really know that Junius would have the freedom he was blessed to have while at the mental institution. So I am still very upset about what he did.
I finally finished the long book late last night. The amazing misfortune provoked mixed emotions for me.
Yes, the introduction and history was long, but a nice refresher from what I learned many years ago. I remember reading and writing about Jim Crow. Then very little, or rare do I hear his name or impact since. I may have had a little multi-cultural education back then. Do they still include this tragic history in today’s secondary curriculum?
Reading the rest of the book made me think of other sad similar experiences deaf people go through. When one looks at deaf history (deaf / mental institutes, eugenics, legal rights, paternalistic / sympathetic views, misdiagnosis, etc) a pattern of this mistreatment of deaf people has been around the world for years. Unfortunately, it continue today in some areas.
It’s amazing to see some of these people in legal, mental health, and government settings that don’t have a moral understanding of doing what’s right and wrong. Some of these employees may still have this conscious with them. It would be nice if they can read this book and cleanse themselves. Others can become more aware and improve their work environment and services.
Such limited support and understanding from his family and close ones. That’s another difficult awakening. Abuse and neglect from both family and officials.
You can sense his true deaf being characteristics and traits. Such as using Black sign language, relationship with another Deaf, and struggling to fit into the community.
This and other inexcusable actions make me ashamed of our American history.
Very good book and well researched by the authors. In addition, this book joins the wide range of literature on deaf people and their cause. Thanks for assigning the book.
I finally finished the long book late last night. The amazing misfortune provoked mixed emotions for me.
Yes, the introduction and history was long, but a nice refresher from what I learned many years ago. I remember reading and writing about Jim Crow. Then very little, or rare do I hear his name or impact since. I may have had a little multi-cultural education back then. Do they still include this tragic history in today’s secondary curriculum?
Reading the rest of the book made me think of other sad similar experiences deaf people go through. When one looks at deaf history (deaf / mental institutes, eugenics, legal rights, paternalistic / sympathetic views, misdiagnosis, etc) a pattern of this mistreatment of deaf people has been around the world for years. Unfortunately, it continue today in some areas.
It’s amazing to see some of these people in legal, mental health, and government settings that don’t have a moral understanding of doing what’s right and wrong. Some of these employees may still have this conscious with them. It would be nice if they can read this book and cleanse themselves. Others can become more aware and improve their work environment and services.
Such limited support and understanding from his family and close ones. That’s another difficult awakening. Abuse and neglect from both family and officials.
You can sense his true deaf being characteristics and traits. Such as using Black sign language, relationship with another Deaf, and struggling to fit into the community.
This and other inexcusable actions make me ashamed of our American history.
Very good book and well researched by the authors. In addition, this book joins the wide range of literature on deaf people and their cause. Thanks for assigning the book.
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