How society views information and actions can both benefit and harm individuals depending on the situation. Disability refers to ‘the impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental or combinations of these that result in restrictions on an individual’s ability to participate in what is considered “normal” in everyday society’ (Wikipedia) As a disabled individual, you are a minority and are often discriminated against. Thomas Couser’s Signifying Bodies – Rhetoric and Self-representation in Disability Memoir – writes about what it means to be disabled based on narratives by disabled individuals. By allowing disabled people to represent their personal experiences through writing autobiographies it allows them to argue back against stereotypes and to make them feel more like they are part of society and that they belong as they have a ‘high degree of control over their own images’ (Couser, 31)

In the early years’ society has viewed people with disabilities as evil because there was a lack of understanding about how they function and why, but since the 1960’s attitudes have changed and people are understanding more about the topic and don’t view disability as evil (Munyi) but as people who are just considered to be more abnormal than others. In today’s society, lots of people empathize with disabled people and the understand the challenges they face (Helen). However, in general people with disabilities are heavily discriminated against in society. People with disabilities are just like normal people except they have some restrictions on how they are able to behave. Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer is mentioned in Couser’s memoir and she states that good things come to the disabled too, she was able to get ‘married’ and ‘move out’ even though she is diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy (Couser, 42).

Society needs to notice the disabled and understand that they can’t change the way there are, societal barriers should be taken away and they should not be discriminated against because they are more physically or mentally challenged than people without disabilities. Couser tells multiple stories of disabled people; overcoming their struggles of their impairments, living normal lives, people mourning and accepting these impairments as well as people seeking cures. He writes about the social and cultural experiences of living with a disability and being able to write autobiographies and examines the effects of stigma and stereotypes by documenting their lives.

‘Stigma serves to silence the stigmatized’ (Couser, 32)

 Works Cited

Couser, G. Thomas. “Rhetoric and Self-Representation in Disability Memoir.”Signifying Bodies: Disability in Contemporary Life Writing. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, 2009. 31-48. Print.

“Disability.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Oct. 2016. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Okobokekeimei, Helen. “People with Disabilities as Social Outcasts: Shifting the Perspective from Victim to Advocate.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Munyi, Chomba Wa. “Past and Present Perceptions Towards Disability.”Disability Studies Quarterly. N.p., 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2016. <http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/3197/3068>.

The peritext of a cover is very important in catching a reader’s attention. The book cover is the first thing that someone sees when identifying a text. It gives the first reaction and therefore will influence how attracted a person is to the book. The common phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” is widely used and many agree with it however research shows that how a cover looks will in fact in one way or another influence the reader. In this blog post, I will be analyzing the peritext of I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton. I will look at the image represented on the cover, as we as the blurbs, comments and the typography of the covers.

Firstly, I will be looking at the autobiography I am Malala written by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb. I feel the cover immediately catches and audiences eye. One way it which it does grasps the attention is by looking at how colour is used to represent a deeper meaning. The pink Malala is wearing shows her femininity and compassion. The bright colours attract a reader and the contrast between the pink and yellow makes the words ‘I am Malala’ stand out. As well as the colours used, another focus of the cover is Malala’s face which is located in the center of the cover with a plain contrasting green background again focusing out attention on her face. Her smile makes the reader feel sympathy for her as she looks so innocent and kind yet the sentence below shows us that there is more to her than her face. The sentence reads ‘The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban’. This contrast appeals to the reader and engages us to want to know more about the situation thus making us read the text. This book is a best-seller and was named the ‘Non-Fiction Book of the Year’ as well as this Malala won a Nobel Peace Prize. The fact that this is placed on the front cover ensures to the reader that it is a good read.

The second autobiography is Cockeyed written by Ryan Knighton. The cover is very simplistic and plain which can imply that ever since Ryan went blind his life has been plain and boring. The central image on the cover is a man who appears to be blind, he is wearing black glasses and is holding a walking stick. It is a mostly in black and white with touches of red. It highly contrasts with Malala in ways of colour, simplicity and attracts a reader in a different way. The back of the book is a blurb with comments from others, it reads a true story of being blind. Ryan does not sugar coat what it’s like to be blind, he states true facts. This draws the reader’s attention as they know the get to know the truth, sometimes being harsh is what readers want to read.