When I think of disability I think of a period in my life. A time when I considered myself to be disabled. In a previous blog of mine I talk about this period; the period I spent in a wheelchair with a broken leg. In that blog, I describe it as being a “bird in a cage” and showcased an autobiographical depiction of that feeling in the form of a sketch (Dha). What caused me to feel like a “bird in a cage” at the time was the people surrounding me trying to help and support me (Dha). However, what they were doing was over accommodating me. What I mean by over accommodating is that the people around me would help me even when I could do something myself (Dha). Things that I could still do like reach for a bottle of water or pick up a pencil from the ground was done by others (Dha). This over accommodation was a cage being placed around me because I could still do certain things but blocked and hindered from being able to by the cage. This feeling of being a “bird in a cage” and the idea of disability is what I would like to expand on in this blog and to begin to think of them in new ways (Dha).

During my period of disability, I always thought about this feeling of being a “bird in a cage” due to others but never noticed that it caused me to feel further disabled (Dha). I was already disabled through my broken leg, through being in a wheelchair, through having to use the elevator, through needing help to go to the bathroom, through not being able to take a proper shower, and through many other changes, I had to face. I was disabled through these necessary things I needed and could no longer do, but added to the list was not being allowed to reach for a water bottle or pick up a pencil. Over-accommodation by others took the few things I could still do from me. Over-accommodation took the things I was able to do and turned it into things I was dis-abled to do. Increasing my disability, which should have reached its maximum point, by the continuous accommodation by others.

One over accommodation that I disliked the most was when a person would grab the back of my wheelchair and guide me through hallways and turns. I preferred it when people did not try to help me; I liked it when people simply watched and waited for something I could not handle to happened and then jump in. Ryan Knighton, in his memoir Cockeyed, talks about his experience with blindness (Knighton). Ryan Knighton also identifies the people he likes when passing by them on the street, in particular, he likes a group who he calls “jiggers” (Knighton). The “jiggers” are a group of people who react the same way when Knighton walks toward them with his cane in hand; they at first walk toward each other but then the “jiggers” wait until the last second to move out of Knighton’s way (Knighton).

Knighton also thinks of his cane as instant camouflage because it is easily retractable and even easier to hide in his pocket (Knighton). Camouflage in terms of hiding his disability from others around him because he wants to avoid the stigma of being seen as disabled. Unfortunately for me, I could not easily hide my wheelchair, my splint, or my ensuing limp.

What is important to understand is that my feeling of further disability and Knighton’s need to hide his disability with instant camouflage was caused by others. Caused by people who believed they were truly helping and doing the right thing by helping me. However, that help, that assistance, that accommodation, that aid, that charity, that volunteering, that helping yourself feel better, does not make me feel better; it makes me feel worse about my disability. Therefore, disability can not only be the cause of physical injury but by the accommodation of others. As Albert Einstein once said:

“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that its stupid” (Baskerville).

And if you continue to accommodate those who are disabled, it will make them feel further disabled. I never thought about this side of disability but it is important to look from these different perspectives because it allows us the better understand disability. For me, in particular, it helped me to better understand my feelings and how others changed how I felt about my disability.

Works Cited

Baskerville, Peter. “What Did Albert Einstein Mean When He Said: “Everybody Is A Genius. But If You Judge A Fish By Its Ability To Climb A Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing That It Is Stupid.” Quora, 2017, https://www.quora.com/What-did-Albert-Einstein-mean-when-he-said-Everybody-is-a-genius-But-if-you-judge-a-fish-by-its-ability-to-climb-a-tree-it-will-live-its-whole-life-believing-that-it-is-stupid. Accessed 7 Apr. 2017.

Dha, Gurneet. “A Bird in a Cage: How I Felt About My Broken Leg.” just a UBC blog, 20 Nov. 2017, www.blogs.ubc.ca/gurneetdha/. Accessed 7 Apr. 2017.

Knighton, Ryan. Cockeyed: A Memoir. New York: Public Affairs, 2006. Print.

An archive, as defined by the Society of American Archivists, is to “transfer records from the individual or office of creation to a repository authorized to appraise, preserve and provide access to those records” (“Archive | Society Of American Archivists”). When thinking of an archive through this definition many think of a traditional archive, that being, one that is categorized and made up of many documents, objects, and an assortment of other things. An archive is also pictured to be at a university, a museum, or possibly at a law firm because of all the legal documents they must store. These are the archives people usually picture when they hear the word or given the definition above. However, an archive does not have to be the traditional kind an archive can also be a life narrative, autobiography, or even a graphic narrative. These written books and novels do the same work. They “transfer records” from the individual and other “[offices] of creation” (“Archive | Society Of American Archivists”). They also serve the same purpose of preserving and providing access to records (“Archive | Society Of American Archivists”).

Archives, as mentioned above, can be used to preserve a suffering of a group of people so it is not forgotten; an example would be the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada or the TRC (“University of Manitoba….”).  This archive collection has multiple goals or purposes, ones it shares with other archives of similar nature. One purpose is to acknowledge the experiences of residential schools in Canada (“Truth And Reconciliation Commission Of Canada). Also to “facilitate truth and reconciliation events at both the national and community levels” in order to educate Canadians about the system of residential schools and the many impacts it has had on the aboriginal community (“Truth And Reconciliation Commission Of Canada). This archive also has the purpose of “identify sources” such as documents, letters, and oral histories; having those who were a part of residential schools to tell their story and for it be recorded for the archive (“Truth And Reconciliation Commission Of Canada). Once identifying the sources, the archive plans to create as “complete a historical record as possible of the IRS system and legacy” (“Truth And Reconciliation Commission Of Canada). The work of the TRC is similar to that of Fred Wah’s “Diamond Grill.”

Diamond Grill goes on to talk about Fred Wah’s Chinese and Canadian identity, his hyphenated identity, as he likes to call it (Wah). Diamond Grill is also the story of Fred Wah’s family, unparticular his father, Fred Senior, and his grandpa (Wah). Through them, he speaks about the Chinese Head Tax police that caused his grandpa to leave his wife and children behind in China while he continued on in Canada (Wah). To talk about these stories and topics Fred Wah had to ask his family, therefore he conducted oral histories. Fred Wah also did other work archives do, such as the TRC. He acknowledges the Chinese Head Tax and, through the very public convention of a book, he also educates communities of the impacts of the Chinese Head Tax and immigration. Diamond Grill creates a historical record of the Chinese experience to immigrate to Canada and, like most archives gives others access to it. Therefore, although Diamond Grill is an autobiography it still serves the same purposes and brought together in the same fashion as a traditional archive.

Archives are not only about a group of people, archives can also represent an individual. The Jack Shadbolt Fonds held at the University of British Columbia are an example of an archive that is just preserving individual records and documents. Jack Shadbolt was a Canadian artist based in British Columbia who was a “distinguished modern artist, lecturer, and writer” (“Jack Shadbolt Fonds…”). Jack Shadbolt’s sketches and artistic representations of modernism, “nature-based [abstractions]”, and landscape, as well as Emily Carr’s influence on his work, have been preserved in the Jack Shadbolt Fonds through his sketchbooks, lecture notes, and poems (Watson; Linsley). Once again, Fred Wah through Diamond Grill also does the same work. The Diamond Grill provides a historical record of the impacts of the Chines Head Tax and Chinese Immigration to Canada but also discusses the restaurant “The Diamond Grill” (Wah). It goes on to explain the layout of “The Diamond Grill,” regular customers, chefs, servers, and his family’s role in the restaurant (Wah). Fred Wah tells the story of his chefs and serves, he does an oral history, providing many individual stories. Like an archive is made of collections and fonds, so is Diamond Grill. The fonds being the individual stories of the chefs, servers, and even the layout of “the Diamond Grill” (Wah). The collection would be the Chinese Head Tax and Chinese immigration to Canada (Wah).

Archives are therefore are not only traditional archives but also autobiographies and life narratives such as Fred Wah’s Diamond Grill. Autobiographies also have the same purposes and methods, such as oral histories, as an archive to bring together materials, documents, and stories to be preserved.

Works Cited

“Archive | Society Of American Archivists”. www2.Archivists.Org, 2017, www2.archivists.org/ glossary/terms/a/archive. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

Wah, Fred. Diamond Grill. 1st ed., Edmonton, Newest Press, 2008. Print.

“Jack Shadbolt Fonds – RBSC / OSC Archives”. Rbscarchives.Library.Ubc.Ca, 2017, /rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/index.php/shadbolt-jack-1909. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

Linsley, Robert. “Presences after Fire: Jack Shadbolt and the Anglo-Colonial Experience.” Shadbolt.Belkin.Ubc.ca, 2017, shadbolt.belkin.ubc.ca/essays/presences -after-fire-jack-shadbolt-and -anglo-colonial-experience. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

“Truth And Reconciliation Commission Of Canada (TRC)”. Trc.Ca, 2017, www.trc.ca/websites/ trcinstitution/index.php?p=7. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

“University of Manitoba – National Research Centre For Truth And Reconciliation – Our Mandate”. Umanitoba.Ca, 2017, http://umanitoba.ca/centres/nctr/mandate.html. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

Watson, Scott. “Jack Shadbolt: The Politics of Emptiness.” Shadbolt.Belkin.Ubc.ca, 2017, shadbolt.belkin.ubc.ca/essays/jack-shadbolt-politics-emptiness. Accessed Mar 20. 2017.

Currently, life narratives, autobiographies, and memoirs done in the comic form are receiving a “newfound respectability right now” (Chute 92). Just one of these graphic narratives is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is the story of the authors, an Iranian girl’s, experience and witnessing of the Islamic revolution. It also includes the uprising, protesting, and revolting of her family members such as her father and mother, against the countries Shah; the ruler. Throughout the graphic narrative you see illustrations of the citizens revolting against authority, such as the police and the Shah himself, and when you do, the authorities are colored black and the revolutionaries are colored white. This color differentiation is where my interest lies and what I will explore through specific examples from Persepolis. I will reflect on why the authorities are colored in black and why the revolutionaries are colored in white.

When we think of the colors black and white we association them with abstract ideas. Black is usually associated with the being “bad,” “negative,” or even “violence.” White, on the other hand, is associated with being “good,” “positive,” and “peace.” Satrapi uses these same ideas and associations with color to depict which side of the Islamic revolution was the “right” or “good” side and which was the “bad” or “wrong” side. By doing so we also see what Satrapi’s standpoint is on the Islamic revolution.

One example of the color differentiation in Persepolis is in the chapter “The Bicycle” (Satrapi 10). Satrapi parents are discussing a recent event that took place at the Rex Cinema in bed (Satrapi 14; Dha). A fire had started in the cinema and people were attempting to go inside the cinema to help those trapped inside to get out, but the police forbade anyone from entering and hit those who tried (Satrapi 14-15; Dha). In one panel (illustration) you see the police standing in front of the on fire cinema colored in black. The next panel depicts the police again in front of the cinema but this time you also see the people trying to save the victims inside with buckets full of water. In this panel not only are the police drawn much bigger than the people, showing their power, but the people are colored in white and the police in black once again. The color differentiation continues into the next panel showing the police now taking action against the people by “attacking them” (14). This examples use of color differentiation illustrations that the police are in the wrong. That the police blocking the citizens from saving those in the cinema is a wrong deed. That “attacking” (14) the citizens for trying to help is also the wrong action. Having the citizens in white shows that they are taking the right action.

Another example of the color differentiation and its power to show the authors standpoint on actions is in the chapter “The Veil” (3). Like the title suggests this chapter is about Veils, veils that women were told to wear in schools (4-5). Not everyone agreed with this custom (5). People protested and yelled, “freedom” (5) from the veil. This argument is depicted in a panel that shows a “demonstration for and against the veil” (5). Where women wear the veil, colored in black, are yelling “the veil” (5) in opposition to women, colored in white, yelling “freedom” (5). The color differentiation again shows that Satrapi is in favor of not having to wear a veil. But it also tells us to think of the veil as being “bad” and “negative.”

Works Cited

Chute, Hillary. “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.” Women’s Studies Quarterly, Vol 36, No.1&2, Spring/Summer 2008, pp. 92-110. www.jstor.org/stable/27649737. Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Satrapi, Marjane. 1. 1st ed. Paris: L’Association, 2009. Print.

Dha, Gurneet. “The Comic Form: Representations of Violence in the Visual Style of Persepolis.” Accessed 26 Jan. 2017.

Manga is a style of Japanese comic books that are similar to “traditional Western comic books” (Qu, Wong and Heng 1214) through their style of drawing and layout. Manga is categorized into many different genres such as shoujo manga; depicting romantic stories of young women, most typically in a high school setting, made for a readership of teenage girls. Manga’s, of all genres, are primarily drawn using only the colors black and white. They “are seldom colored” (Qu, Wong and Heng 1214) by the artists, or mangaka, because it is a time-consuming task involving intensive labor to color, on average, a total of 30 pages that make up only one chapter in a manga series. In addition, mangas are typically released one chapter per week, leaving the artist only one week to create the plot, the drawings, the panels, and sometimes the translation is also included. Manga series can also be as long as eight hundred chapters, a contributing factor to the lack of a color dynamic in mangas. Therefore, because of this heavy and intense workload, “most mangas only have a color [dynamic on the] cover and/or a few color pages inside to gain readers’ attention” (Qu, Wong and Heng 1214).

So, because of the intense and time-consuming task of incorporating a color dynamic in a manga they are simply drawn using black and white. The way the two colors are used is similar to how writing and typing take place. When we write or type, we start with a blank white page and we writing or type onto it using black; we imprint. The same format is used for manga. The mangaka starts with a white page and imprints black onto it to create the images and panels. The same is also done with comic strips: a single ‘strip’/line of a comic, such as Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, Fox Trot, which are published in newspapers. The most used format is to imprint black onto white, but in some cases, it is the opposite; white onto black. Another form of a comic is a graphic narrative such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, which tells the story of her bearing witness to the traumatic violence and unimaginable actions that took place during the Islamic revolution. Persepolis is one of the cases that white is imprinted onto black which is where my interest and exploration lies. It is only in some instances that Satrapi does follow the typical format, why is that? And why is it that Satrapi decides to color in opposition to mangas and comic strips color dynamic?

In the instances that Satrapi uses the black onto white format, the typical format, it is a scene depicting violence or some sort of trauma. Satrapi explains this herself in Hillary Chute’s article called “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Persepolis’” where she says, “violence today has become so normal, so banal—that is to say everybody thinks it’s normal” (Chute 99) She continues to explain how if she were to use colors of “flesh and the red of the blood” (Chute 99) then the drawing would become realistic. And if the drawing becomes realistic then it becomes normalized because violence is seen so often today in forms of photographs, films, and media that everyone has lost their sensitivity to it. Therefore, by ridding the drawings of their color it causes the reader to imagine the unimaginable horror of the violent actions taking place on the page but much more graphic than the actual illustration; which is Satrapi’s intent. Furthermore, these violent panels in Persepolis are the time when Satrapi uses the typical format, the rest of the graphic narrative is done with white imprinted onto black; opposing the color dynamic of mangas and comic strips. By doing the majority of the narrative in white onto black and some, the violent panels, in black onto white, causes the violence and bearing witness panels to stand out even more to the reader.

All things considered, Satrapi decides on a color dynamic of using both the typical format of manga and comic strips of black onto white and also her own of white onto black, to illustrate the violence she bared witness to during the Islamic revolution. And, in addition, why do mangas and comic strips not use Satrapi’s color dynamic to showcase their underlying intention? For comic strips, the reason may be their stories are not long enough to have that kind of impact. For mangas, it might be because that Satrapi’s color dynamic may be as heavy and intense of a workload as coloring all the pages.

Work Cited

Qu, Yingge, Tien-Tsin Wong, and Pheng-Ann Heng. “Manga Colorization”. ACM Transactions on Graphics 25.3 (2006): 1214. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.

Chute, Hillary. “The Texture of Retracing in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis.” Women’s Studies Quarterly 36.1&2 (Spring/Summer 2008): 92-110. Wed. 4 Jan. 2017.

This sketch is a reflection of my state of mind during the dramatic experience of breaking my leg. Once I had recovered and could walk, not relying on a wheelchair or crutches, and once I could go back to school I decided to create this sketch. For 2 years I had been drawing in a sketchbook and I decided to use drawing as a medium because of Sigmund Freud’s theory called “free association.” Free association is when a person freely, without hindrance, shares there deep seeded feelings and unconscious thoughts (Schacter, 2014). This can be done through speech or it can be done through drawing, I opted for drawing because, for one, it does not require another person and because a sketch allows me to interpret what my feelings are. When I draw I have no plan for the drawing, I just move my pencil freely the way you are supposed to under free association. Furthermore, When I have completed the sketch I carefully look at it and I always find myself in it; I find my hidden feelings and unconscious thoughts represented in the sketch. Most of the time I do not know my feelings and my sketches are a way to see them, but sometimes I do know my feelings and use drawing as a medium to release it. Therefore, sketching and drawing for me is like the way people let their feelings out by telling another about it, like a friend or therapist.

However, this time was different to my usually sketches because I did it in a different way. I would usually draw for every incident that I wanted to let out, and in this case it would have been the feeling of being in a wheelchair, needing help to reach the bathroom, having to brush my teeth into a pot, and especially how, suddenly everyone around me thought I could not do anything. If I were to reach for a glass of water, someone would grab it and hand it to me instead, although I was fully capable of reaching it myself. Also, for the time I was in a wheelchair I had to maneuver through some difficult turns and narrow passages, and when I faced these turns, people would just grab the back of my wheelchair and guide me through. I would usually have separate sketches for each, however the pain of my leg was not allowing me to, so instead I did a cumulative sketch once I was recovered.

This sketch represents how I felt during my recovery and I have interpreted its meaning to be that I felt so constrained and restricted by my wheelchair, my leg, the physical pain, and by the people around me. If you look at the middle of the sketch, you can see a bird. That bird represents me and all that surrounds me is the constraints that were put on me. I felt enclosed, making me feel like a bird in a cage. This relates to when I was a child, and how my father would call me “bird” with love, but then my brother took it up and used it to tease me. This nickname “bird” brings irony to my sketch because I always hated being called a “bird” or having any connection to one, but after I broke my leg it was all I wanted to be. I wanted to be able to fly, to walk, to have no pain, to have the ability to do simple things, like brush my teeth standing up and going to the bathroom by myself. Instead the people who were over accommodating me, placed me in a cage. If you look at the sketch again you can see there is more than one bird. I am the bird in the middle and all the birds surrounding me, the people over accommodating me, are the makeshift cage; blocking my path by enclosing me with their bodies.

Therefore, this sketch represents my experience of breaking my leg as being a bird in a cage.

Works Cited

Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. L., Wegner, D. M., Nock, M. K., & Johnsrude, I. (2014). Psychology: Third Canadian Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publisher.

Life narratives come in many forms, memoirs, blogs, autobiographies, testimonies, and even through stand-up comedians (also a type of writer). Whichever way it is released, through film or writing, the interpretation and understanding will be shaped by the creator and others, such as, critics, reviews, summaries, readers, audiences; they all give an interpretation that shapes the meaning of a life narrative. The writer of a life narrative writes what they want to portray to the people and accommodate the readers so they can understand their ideas, stories, and meanings, but in the end, the interpretation is not done by the writer but by the readers and audiences, so the understanding may not be what the writer wanted or expected it to be. But is the fault for the misunderstanding of the meaning and point the readers?

The World Is Moving Around Me: A Memoir of the Haiti Earthquake by Dany Laferrière is an example of a narrative that has been viewed and interpreted in many ways. As the title suggests the narrative is about the 7-point scale earthquake that took place at Haiti on January 12, 2010. Some have perceived Dany Laferrière’s life narrative to be about “an eyewitness account of the quake and its aftermath” (“The World Is Moving Around Me”) and others say it is looking at the question of “what is the value of culture in the face of a disaster?” (“The World Is Moving Around Me… Quill And Quire”) The life narrative may also be interpreted as revealing how the media has misrepresented the Haitian people and instead shows the “touching portraits, the grief, the grace and humor of the Haitian people” (Hunter and Reader)

The understanding and meaning of the life narrative is to be understood by the readers through their own analysis but also through the examination of others. The readers look at the book reviews, at the critics, and even at the awards claimed. These all shape a person’s interpretation of a life narrative. It helps them to understand why the author is writing the life narrative and what is the message the narrative is trying to address. This may be a reason why life narratives, books, and novels, have reviews and critics placed on the back of the book jacket and if any, awards on the front. It can be a way to reinforcement the writers meaning behind their book and also shape the reader’s interpretation; tell them what to focus on and pick up on as they read.

Another form of life narratives, in a unique format and not one usually see as a life narrative, are comedians a type of writer just with a different medium and representation, their stand-up performances. They tell their life narratives through jokes, insights, and funny observations. When they present their life narratives they, like the “normal” and “usually” type of writers, have to make sure to represent their ideas in the right way, otherwise, it will be understood incorrectly. For a comedian it is less about explaining the humor properly, like the typical writer, instead, it is about emphasis and where you place it. The meaning of their jokes and stories are in their emphasis and where they place the importance, and some people do not identify the emphasis so they just hear it normally without the comedian pointing them in the right direction. Lizz Winstead put it best when she said:

“The second [the joke] comes out of our mouths it is no longer in our control about how it is supposed to be interpreted” (The Green Room)

Reading a comedian’s jokes, stories, and insights does not hold a candle to the meaning behind their acts because it takes away the emphasis that tells you how to read it, like the reviews on the back of a book jacket.

That is one side of the spectrum. The fault for the misunderstanding of a life narratives purpose or the point of a joke is because the audience and readers did not understand, due to the lack of identifying emphasis, or due to the multiple other reviews and critics seen that misrepresent the purpose. The other side says it is never the audience’s fault or the reader’s fault, it is the writer’s fault. For they did not explain, show, or articulate their meaning correctly. As Chris rock said “It’s never the audience’s fault” (“Inside The Actors Studio”) for misunderstanding the joke or point of the story, it is his fault for not presenting it in such a way that it is understood.

Not many see it as the writer’s fault, like Chris Rock, but that does not mean that he is incorrect. The misrepresentation and misunderstanding can happen in many ways, through media, reviews, critics or through readers and audience members. Or it could possibly be the writer’s fault for not articulating their point correctly. The question of where the misunderstanding is occurring and who is at fault for it is one that we readers and writers should keep in mind so that we share the meanings we first intended.

Work Cited

Hunter, Jennifer and The Reader. “The World Is Moving Around Me By Dany Laferrière: Review | Toronto Star”. thestar.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2013/02/15/the_world_is_moving_around_me_by_dany_laferrire_review.html

“The World Is Moving Around Me: A Memoir Of The Haiti Earthquake | Quill And Quire”. Quill and Quire. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

http://www.quillandquire.com/review/the-world-is-moving-around-me-a-memoir-of-the-haiti-earthquake/

“The World Is Moving Around Me”. Goodreads. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15824199-the-world-is-moving-around-me

“Inside The Actors Studio” Chris Rock. Pace University’s New York City campus: James Lipton, 2007. video.

The Green Room with Paul Provenza. The Vanguard, Hollywood, CA: Paul Provenza, 2011. video.

How are disabled people expected to look in order to be recognized as disabled? Do disabled people have to have visible indicators to let others know they are disabled? How do people react when they encounter someone who does not ‘look’ disabled? In the case of Jillayna Adamson, she found, that you are supposed to look unpleasant and awful. In Cockeyed, Ryan Knighton was continually not seen as a blind man unless he had his cane, or what he likes to call ‘a stick,’ (Knighton 64) and when people were notified they would say ‘you don’t look like a blind person.’

In Adamson’s Blog, ‘But you don’t look disabled…,’ she talks about an interaction with a man in a bar who did not take her for disabled. When she told him, this was his reaction: “You don’t look like someone who’s like… disabled” (‘But You Don’t Look Disabled… ‘). She also remarked that he looked “dumbfounded” (‘But You Don’t Look Disabled… ‘) and began to look her over, as if trying to find any indicator of a disabled person, like a cane or crutch, or a physically abnormal characteristic. To him, she replied: “Huh… What exactly does someone who is disabled look like?” (‘But You Don’t Look Disabled… ‘) and he reciprocated, “No, I just mean you’re beautiful. I wouldn’t have known” (‘But You Don’t Look Disabled… ‘).

This conversation is a true demonstration of how people perceive a disabled person. They have a list of criteria in their head of what a disabled person should look like, the same way we have criteria for males and females. They need to be ugly. Apparently to be disabled you need to look unpleasing. Second, there needs to be a physical indicator, a technology that is universally known to pinpoint a person’s disability, like the cane of the blind. If these are not present, then you are not identified as disabled by others.

Ryan Knighton is not seen as a blind person until he pulls out his cane and Jillayna Adamson is not seen as deaf unless you can see her hearing aids. The two of them know that these ‘helpers’ of theirs is what makes them disabled so they sometimes choose to hide it. Ryan Knighton likes the quick folding up of his cane, he thinks of it as “high-speed camouflage” (Knighton 66). And Jillayna used her hair to cover up her disability, her “high-speed camouflage” (Knighton 66).  They both knew they did not, “look,” disabled, but what did make them look disabled was their ‘helpers’ and universal indicators. Knowing this they can selectively hide their disability from others.

It is those who can’t hide their disabilities, by simply hiding their ‘helpers,’ that people expect disabled people to look like. They expect the disabled to have a Stephen Hawking look to them. Jim Jefferies makes this apparent in his new comedy special. He talks about the bell curve of the human population in terms of looks. Ten being the most beautiful people in the world and ones being the ugliest people in the world. And by explaining them on a bell curve he acknowledges that ones (and tens) are rare to see. He goes on to say: ones “know they upset the rest of us. The only time you catch a one is they’re going to a doctor’s appointment or something. And it really is upsetting. You walk by, they’re normally being lifted out of a minivan with a special crane onto a special chair.  And when you see a one, it does ruin your day, doesn’t it?” (Jim Jefferies: Freedumb). The audience laughed and connected to his point, showing, that is what people expect out of the disabled; to be ugly and have special indicators or ‘helpers.’

This is what we expect to see in a disable person and when we don’t see it we become confused much like the man Adamson was talking to at the bar. “No, I just mean you’re beautiful. I wouldn’t have known.” She was beautiful, so he wouldn’t know. She did not have her hearing aids on display, so he wouldn’t have known. Many of us would not know.

Work Cited

“‘But You Don’t Look Disabled… ‘”. The Huffington Post. N.p., 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Knighton, Ryan. Cockeyed. New York: Public Affairs, 2006. Print.

Jim Jefferies: Freedumb. Nashville, USA: Irwin Entertainment, 2016. film.

Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl, is known as a “world classic,” (The Diary Of A Young Girl . . . Amazon.Ca) that tells the story of a Jewish family in Germany, during World War II, that hid away in an attic to avoid the concentration camps.

After reading reviews on Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl, I found multiple common themes toward the way consumers perceived Anne Frank’s life narrative but also her, as the author. The reviews, and also the consumers, agreed upon the book being a “classic,” (The New York Times. . .) and “would recommend this book to anyone” (Anne Frank . . . Review). As well, find that the diary is a reminder of the significance of war and “offers. . . commentary on human courage” (The Diary Of A Young Girl . . . Amazon.Ca).

Anne Frank portrays the “human courage” (The Diary Of A Young Girl . . . Amazon.Ca) and “greater human values” (The New York Times. . .) that we all should have within us, as not limit one’s freedom or place restraints upon them because of religion, beliefs, values, or race. When under Hitler’s rule of propaganda, that forced his ideals and mentality onto the people, Anne Frank was able to resist their ideas and stride with hers. If any ordinary person were put under her suffering, I am sure their view of the world will change to the side of negativity. They would see the hate and the cruelest side of human beings, but Anne Frank did not think like the normal person, instead she is a ‘’testament to the human spirit’’ (The Diary Of A Young Girl . . . Amazon.Ca). And it is prevalent in her diary as The New York Times, in their review, shows in this quote of Anne Frank’s Writing (The New York Times. . .):

”It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart” (The New York Times. . .).

Anne Frank is also continually said to be “amusing,” (The Diary Of A Young Girl . . . Amazon.Ca) “spirited,” (The New York Times. . .) and a “cheerful person” (Anne Frank . . . Review) in the reviews. She is able to add happiness and humor to her suffering. Which makes it more appealing to consumers, especially, because it shows more than the cruelty of the holocaust, of World War II, or even her family. It further shows her values for all humans to be free. Her “[bubbling] with amusement,” (The New York Times. . .) being selfish, and talkative, are all characteristics of a “typical teenage girl” (Anne Frank . . . Review). It is usually assumed that people of others races and religions do not act in the same manner, but by Anne Frank allowing her teenage self to come to the forefront, we can see all the connections, we as humans have, through linking our experiences and our typical emotions to Anne Frank’s.

Another shared theme of the reviews and the consumers is that Anne Frank’s death was cut off too short, for she was “a born writer” (The New York Times. . .). There is sorrow felt when thinking of the potential she had and “how much [of her] creative power. . . was cut off through [the] genocide” (The New York Times. . .). She had more to give and especially more to write if she had a lifetime.

These commonalities convey the feelings that consumers have felt toward Anne Frank’s life narrative and to her. They adorned her wittiness and soft humor for is connected them to Anne Frank but also resurged to them that religion and race are not to be what separates them or restricted one’s freedom. There is also a want among them to have read more of Anne Frank’s writing and a longer life for her, for she truly had human values at heart.

Work Cited:

“The Diary Of A Young Girl: Anne Frank, Eleanor Roosevelt, B.M. Mooyaart: 9780553296983: Books – Amazon.Ca”. Amazon.ca. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.

https://www.amazon.ca/Diary-Young-Girl-Anne-Frank/dp/0553296981

“The New York Times: Book Review Search Article”. Nytimes.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/10/26/reviews/frank-levin.html

“Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl By Anne Frank – Review”. the Guardian. N.p., 2015. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/sep/28/anne-frank-the-diary-of-a-young-girl-anne-frank-review

A girl, named Malala Yousafzai, bravely and wholeheartedly stood up for the education of girls after having it taken from her. She even wanted her enemy, the Taliban, to have “education for [their] children as well” (pacificism). But none of that would be possible if not for her father.

Her father, was not like others, he was different, because he did not follow all traditional values of the Pashtuns. In Pashtuns culture, when a boy is born it is common to shoot guns and to “throw dried fruits, sweets, and coins into [the] cradle,” (Yousafzai and Lamb  14) but for girls it was not to be done, “it’s a gloomy day when a daughter is born” for Pashtuns (Yousafzai and Lamb  13). However, he encouraged everyone to do the same for Malala (Yousafzai and Lamb  14). When the Taliban took over Swat Valley, beheading people in the middle of the streets, many were beginning to leave (Ellick), but not Malala’s father. Being “different from most Pashtun men,” he stayed (Yousafzai and Lamb  13).

Malala was influenced by her father’s thinking, how different it was from others. She was also influenced by Adam Ellick, from the New York Times, who was doing a documentary on Malala, who “bought [her]…. American TV programs like Ugly Betty” (Yousafzai and Lamb  163). Even Before this Malala had encounters with “Justin Bieber songs and Twilight movies” (Yousafzai and Lamb  7) These exposures helped her to dream of a better future and also helped her to move toward her goal.

But I ponder if she needed western thinking, like her fathers, to see what she wanted was possible? Do we need to see the existence of what we want, in order to chase it? Or can we chase our hopes blindly? Do we have to see it done in another place, for us to also strive for it? Park Yeon-mi, a girl from Korea, was able to overcome it after contact with the western world.

She had to live under the cruel laws of North Korea in the time of “North Korea’s black market generation” (“‘Watching Titanic . . . in My Country'”). However, this did not stop Park Yeon-mi from watching the movie Titanic, that opened her eyes to how much she could do in life and the limits placed on it by her country.  She says that “everything in North Korea was about the leader” So it was shocking to her that, Jake in the Titanic, “gave his life for the woman and not for his country” (“‘Watching Titanic . . . in My Country'”).  The mindset that the westerns had, motivated her to leave North Korea in 2007, and now “she works for the . . . Freedom Factory Co” to help bring attention to the hardships faced by those still in North Korea (“‘Watching Titanic . . . in My Country'”).

These two girls, had exposure to western thinking, which helped them to create change for those they wanted to help. They saw something so uncommon to them but it appealed to them. Is it only when we see something that is beyond what we know, that causes us to believe in it or has us strive for it? Both girls lived in a place where they were made to think limitedly, and not allowed to let their minds venture further to unexplored territories. And did not dare to, until influenced by her father and the titanic. Which begs the question is it the existence or the difference of thinking that inspired them?

Work Cited:

“Escaping From North Korea In Search Of Freedom | Yeonmi Park | One Young World”. YouTube. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufhKWfPSQOw  Accessed September 17, 2016

“‘Watching Titanic Made Me Realise Something Was Wrong in My Country,’ Says North Korean Defector.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2016.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/north-korea-defector-titanic accessed September 17, 2016

“Reads Twilight, Listens To Bieber: Meet Youngest Nobel Peace Winner Malala – Firstpost“. Firstpost. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

http://www.firstpost.com/world/reads-twilight-listens-to-beiber-meet-youngest-nobel-peace-winner-malala-1751343.html accessed September 17, 2016

pacificism, That. “That Time 16-Year-Old Malala Yousafzai Left Jon Stewart Speechless With A Comment About Pacificism“. Business Insider. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

http://www.businessinsider.com/that-time-malala-yousafzai-left-jon-stewart-speechless-2015-6   accessed September 17, 2016

Ellick, Adam. “Class Dismissed In Swat Valley“. NYTimes.com – Video. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/1194838044017/class-dismissed-in-swat-valley.html accessed September 17, 2016

Yousafzai, Malala and Christina Lamb. I Am Malala. Print.