Review of How Deaf Characters Are Portrayed in Children’s Literature

Summary:

The major flaw in this whole onset is that the characters that are deaf in the books, which I have talked about in my reviews, are not from the perspective of a Deaf person.  Since these books do not come from an insider’s perspective on Deaf culture, the authors portray deafness as a disability.  There are Deaf people who see themselves within a cultural group and not having a disability, and there are deaf people who consider themselves a member of the cultural minority.  It is unfortunate that the portrayal of Deaf children in multicultural children’s literature is sparse.  Given that, I have found the following five books to be inspiring literature for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.  A common theme across all of the books is how deaf and hard of hearing children can overcome their difference and enjoy life the way hearing children can because these books with characters who are deaf reinforce the use of their four other senses, for example, hearing music through their feet.

Reviews:

·      Booth, Barbara D.  Mandy.  New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1991.

This is a story about a young deaf girl, Mandy, and her grandmother.  While Mandy and her grandmother are out for a walk in the woods one late afternoon, her grandmother loses a pin, which was given to her by her husband on their 25^th Wedding Anniversary.  They began searching for the pin in the last minutes of sunlight they had left; however, they were unable to find the pin after retracing their steps.  Mandy’s grandmother is devastated by the loss of the pin, so Mandy makes a plan to sneak out into the woods after dark to search for the pin.  Mandy is afraid of the dark because at night her heighten sense of sight is limited to “the end of her flashlight beam.”  This book is about more than a child who is deaf; it is about the love and communication between Mandy and her grandmother.

·      Millman, Isaac.  Moses Goes To The Circus.  New York: Frances Foster Books, 2003.

Moses is a young deaf boy in a hearing family.  Millman takes us on Moses’ journeys in his other works: Moses Goes To School (2000), Moses Goes To A Concert (2002), and Moses Sees a Play (2004).  Throughout the story, of Moses Goes To The Circus, we follow Moses and his family to the Big Apple’s Circus of the Senses.  Moses uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with his parents and his little sister.  Millman is the author and the illustrator and his richly detailed double-page spreads include boxed sequences picturing Moses signing phrases in ASL.  This allows for children to follow along while learning signs and phrases in ASL. 

·      Peterson, Jeanne Whitehouse.  I Have A Sister - My Sister Is Deaf.  New York: HaperCollins, 1977.

Peterson wrote this story for her sister who, in fact, is deaf.  Peterson tells her story from an insider’s perspective of the feelings she has for her sister.  Peterson says on the first page that her sister “is special” and “there are not many sisters like mine.”  She goes on to explain all of the things her sister enjoys, which readers can relate to because the things her sister enjoys are all things that are common interests of young children, even hearing children.

·      Stryer, Andrea Stenn.  Kami and the Yaks.  Palo Alto, California: Bay Otter Press, 2007.

This is a story set in the Himalayas about a young, Sherpa boy who is deaf, named Kami.  The illustrations are so authentic and allow the reader to view the mountain terrain from Sherpa society.  Kami’s family does not think that he can be of any help when his father and brother set off to look for their yaks.  Kami realizes that their yaks are missing and in trouble when the largest yak, Curly Horn does not respond to his whistle.  Kami sees his father and brother set off to look for their yaks but he has a hunch that the yaks are elsewhere to be found.  Although Kami is afraid to set off by himself in the Himalayas he is determined to use his amplified sense of observation to find the yaks during an oncoming thunderstorm.  His search is successful and he finds that the youngest yak’s leg is caught in between two large rocks.  Kami struggles through the hailstorm as he returns to camp to inform them of his discovery; however there is a communication barrier.  Kami uses gestures to communicate his discovery to his father and brother.  Kami proves he can rise above the limitations that life has brought to him by using a different form of communication with his family.

·      Woodson, Jacqueline.  Feathers.  New York: The Penguin Group, 2007.

This is an inspiring young adult novel about the struggle of segregation in the 1970’s.  The narrator, Frannie, is fascinated with a poem she is reading in school.  The poem is by Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers.”  Frannie hadn’t thought much about hope but after she encounters much segregation in the world that surrounds her, she starts to look at things in a new light.  Frannie’s brother, Sean, is deaf, and remains a secondary character throughout the book.  However, Frannie starts to see the world from Sean’s perspective as a person who is deaf and segregated from the hearing world.  Woodson intended for this book to show her readers the many different ways people found hope in the world, by looking beneath the surface.

Critical Review of Scholarly Article:

·      Bailes, Cynthia Neese. "Mandy: A Critical Look at the Portrayal of a Deaf Character in Children's Literature." Multicultural Perspectives Vol. 4, Issue 4, October 2002, p3-9, 7p. Web. 1 Apr 2009.

This scholarly article takes a critical look at the portrayal of Deaf characters in children’s literature focusing on the book Mandy.  Cynthia goes on to talk about how Deaf characters are rarely represented in multicultural literature and when they are, they are “positioned in the context of being within a disability group rather than of a cultural persuasion” (2).  Cynthia also talks about the importance of the perspective of the author: insider vs. outsider.  “Of crucial consideration is how the author’s background positions [them] to represent this cultural group through their characterizations” (3).  As you read a book, it is critical that the reader “consider[s] whether stereotypes about Deaf people are conveyed and reinforced through the author’s characterization of Deaf characters” (3).  One should question when reading these texts, “Whose world-view is mirrored here?” (3).  

Starting my Library

Becoming a teacher is not that far away.  In fact, it is right around the corner.  I have so many beliefs about incorporating multicultural literature into my lessons and having the books in my classroom library for my students to read.  I think that I have all the time in the world to collect multicultural literature but I don't.  However, I have a start to my classroom library and books to use for my lessons because of my children's literature classes. 

I am thankful for my children's literature classes because they have taught me so much about how to be an advocate for incorporating multicultural literature into my classroom and showing me how important multicultural literature is to children.  Since the beginning of the semester, I have learned so much about the importance and meaning of multicultural literature.  I have expanded my horizons on my beliefs about literature in a classroom and this class has given me the courage to address multicultural literature to my students.  

In the beginning of the semester, I would have told you that multicultural literature only included racial groups.  I am now educated enough to say that multicultural literature includes diversity among all people; including, special needs, religion, and sexual orientation of people.  Before I took this class, I would have never thought to include these other areas of multicultural literature.  This class has educated me in many ways and allowed me to question myself and others when talking about multicultural literature.  For example, the labels we use when addressing a multicultural group/topic.

For anyone reading this blog, I encourage you to take TE 448: Issues of Diversity in Children's and Adolescent Literature at Michigan State University.

Gender Roles

After talking about gender roles in class today, it made me think of a story that one of my teachers had told me, which really made me think about how parents influence gender roles.

My teacher's friend has two children; one boy and one girl.  Her friend realized one day that every time she was giving her children positive reinforcement she caught herself saying to her daughter that she was being such a "good little girl."  She questioned herself, and said, what about her behavior right now makes her such a good little "girl?"  She now tries to give her children positive reinforcement by saying that they are being good people!!!!

I thought this was very interesting to think about; thinking about how parents reinforce gender roles for their children growing up.

Connection

Deb, I think you are right when you say that my ENG 379 class has a lot of connections to our class.

When we were watching Margaret Cho's stand up comedy on YouTube the other day, it made me think of a short story that I read in my ENG 379 class called "Who's Irish" by Gish Jen.  Margaret Cho pokes fun at stereotypes that American people hold about Asian-Americans but in "Who's Irish" the narrator and her daughter are Chinese and her daughter, Natalie marries a man who is Irish.  The story is in the mother's point of view and she address many of the stereotypes that she as a Chinese woman holds towards people who are not Chinese, particularly people who are Irish.  She is not pleased that her daughter married an Irish man and together had a mixed child, named Sophie.  The narrator does not agree with her grand-daughter's wild behavior and says it is because her parents do not spank her.  When the narrator watches her grand-daughter she decides to spank her because she spanked her daughter who is well behaved because spanking was accepted in the Chinese culture and it is not in the "American" culture.  

I think this was an interesting story from the perspective of an Asian-American about stereotypes and cultural beliefs that she holds towards people who are not from the Asian decent.  Margaret Cho's stand up comedy reminded me of this story so I thought I would share this with you if anyone is interested in reading the very short story.

Last Weeks Class

Last week we were talking about having Spanish written in a book that is primarily English.  Is it really  necessary; does the Spanish add to the book or distract the reader from the English words, interrupting the flow of the reader...

I am reading a book for my ENG 379 class right now called, Desert Blood The Juarez Murders By: Alicia Gaspar de Alba.  This book is about "an epidemic of murdered women [that] has plagued the Juarez-El Paso border since 1993" (pg. v).  This is not a children's literature book; however, this book relates to our discussion and coursepack readings because this book has Spanish words, phrases, and song lyrics in it then, the author gives the translation in English.  

I do not think that the Spanish in this book bothers me or the flow of which I am reading the book.  I think the Spanish makes the book more authentic and also, similar to what Barrera and Quiroa said in their article, The Use of Spanish in Latino Children's Literature in English: What Makes for Cultural Authenticity?, "that some events in his life were not originally experienced in English, and that particular meanings and emotions could only be conveyed in Spanish..."I simply use the language [Spanish] because it comes naturally to me, and there's no translations for it"" (pg. 1).  I like that the author has added in some Spanish because this book is a fictionalized account of true events; the Spanish makes the book more realistic because Spanish is the language spoken at these accounts of tragedy, and it was the language heard by the victims as well.  

Outside Connection To Class

Earlier today I was in class, which was ENG 379: American Women Writers.  We were watching a video called "Between The Lines" a documentary on Asian American Women Poets (2001).  Towards the end of the documentary, there was one Asian American Women that said she began to write poems and pros because if she did not tell her story than someone will tell her story from the outside, which they hold prejudices and they will not get the information right.

I thought this was related to our course, especially the insider vs. outsider debate.

This women clearly thought it was important to tell her story from her point of view (an insider) because she did not want her story misconstrued by an outsider.

Terminology with Special Education Students

Before we parted for spring break we talked about the quality and quantity of literature published about persons with disabilities.  During class, we focused a lot of our discussion on the proper terminology and what is considered appropriate and offensive.  This is a reoccuring topic for me because this is the field that I have chosen to go into.  

I thought that "Al Capone Does My Shirts" was a great way to show how we have grown in our society to accepting people with special needs; yet, we still have a long way to go.  I am studying to be a teacher for Special Education students and Deaf Education students and I think this book was a great interpretation for how society has changed their views, terminology and overall knowledge about persons with disabilities.  And how society will continue to change their views, terminology and knowledge on persons with disabilities.

Now, we talk about proper and improper terminology used when talking about persons with "disabilities."  I have never been a fan of labeling individuals nor do I think that labels define who a person is or how they identify themselves.  Which is why I think it is very important to get to know an individual first to find out about who they are and how they identify themselves.  But, we all know that in order for a person to receive services they have to identify themselves as having a "disability."  This is very hard to do for people in the Deaf culture because they do not consider themselves to have a "disability."  There is a great article on this called "Deafness: 1993-2013: The Dilemma" by Tucker.  Check this article out if you get a chance because it talks about the two trains that Deaf individuals have to choose between: Train 1- Technology (Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids, and FM Systmes) or Train 2- Disability (ADA and IDEA).

I would like to further my research on the quality and quantity of literature portraying Deaf individuals because it is an area of interest for me.  I will keep you posted on the information that I find!