Communication Error

The Silent Child documents a fictional family with a very realistic situation. The youngest daughter, Libby, is deaf and mute and struggles to find her place in her British all hearing family. They hire a caring social worker that has a passion for sign language and a undying love for Libby. After some initial trouble communicating with Libby the two begin to understand each-other overtime and not only learn to communicate but become dear friends. However, Libby's mother begins to feel jealousy that she can't communicate with her daughter through sign language and fires the social worker moving Libby into a school she is not prepared to go to. The closing scenes show Libby's inadequacy at a school that clearly doesn't understand her disability. The depressing sadness upon Libby's face finishes with closing wording across the screen pleading for sign language recognition in every school. Clearly this is a film directed at more recognition and sign language but I also believe that it is a strong message about the lack of understanding between people in the world today.

The mother is the prime example. Each day the social worker comes to the house she attempts to teach the mother about her process or how to better work with Libby. And each day it is the mother that runs out, is distracted, or has her own agenda. The mothers lack of ability to listen and even greater problem of spending too little time with her child set her back in the relationship. This allows her jealousy to grow later in the film. A line is repeated by the mother twice throughout the film, "She follows what we say really well." Even though the film makers make it clear that Libby doesn't understand or connect with her family. This mother is oblivious to this blatant miscommunication between her and Libby because she is too engaged with her own life. Meanwhile we are given a beautiful montage of the social worker and Libby taking the time to learn and grow together building not only sign language, but understanding.

I believe a pertinent sub-issue addressed by this films script and the naturalist acting of the young girl and her social worker is the ability to understand and have a relationship with someone goes beyond the same language. Even before Libby could speak sign language she had a relationship with her social worker that her mother never could. It was not the same language that brought them together but rather the time, nurture, listening, and understanding of one another that built a bond that was crushing to both parties when torn apart. We could all learn to not only be accepting of sign language but to better our intercommunication skills as we build relationships with one another especially those we love.

Asking Myself "If" draft

My parents always said that I was born as a 30-year-old. I always preferred hanging out

with older kids, talking to adults, and discussing topics most would deem “out of my

age realm”. I think my soul has just always craved the wisdom that only age and time

have permitted. When talking one on one with someone who is my superior, I always

ask, “What’s the advice you wish you were given at my age?” and while I’ve been

given great and knowledgeable answers, Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”  was best.

I stumbled upon his wise words earlier this year, and I have committed it to the

depths of my memory. He wrote the best advice for his son to live the happiest life

imaginable, and I too have found solace in his syntax.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

This past year has been a year of growth for me. Not in the length from which my

waist meets my toes, but rather where my heart meets my mind, and my mind meets

my mouth. I learned the way words can grow kindness as water and sunlight can grow

a seed to a flower. Kipling’s first stanza directly addresses the importance of being

confident in the decisions we make-- and taking responsibility for those decisions.

Granting wise counsel that if others, who can’t take responsibility for themselves

react negatively to your decisions, to be patient with them. Kipling notes the importance

of not coming to their level by telling lies or dealing with hate. I’ve made a lot of

decisions in this last year. What to major in, who to invest time in, who to formulate

ideas with, and it shapes and paves the road for what is to come.

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

I have these grandiose dreams and ideas, and I push and I work at them until the only

the thing I can hear is my heart beating in my chest blocking out the noise from the outside

world. This next stanza notes the importance of being a “dreamer”, but not letting

these dreams control your life. Looking at this from a Marxist point of view, we can’t
let our place in life take over and our lust to climb the ranks that aren’t meant for us
to climb. I think it’s easy to become infatuated with the degrees of glory, and as
Kipling notes- it’s important to have dreams, but not let them control our lives.
I have been far too guilty of letting what looks good on paper be fuel in my
life plans until I realized, that I didn’t actually like what I was doing. For

example, I come from a long line of lawyers and it’s my dad’s dream for me to go to

Law school. I entertained the idea for about 8 months and convinced myself that it

was my life calling. I can now say with assurance that it’s not, but I still have yet to break
the news to my dad. While now I don’t think it is, it’s hard to realize what we want to
do with our lives isn’t what our parents think is best for us.

I am also known for being an incredibly passionate person, developing a swift opinion

on just about everything I do-- deeming it either triumph or disaster. Kipling tells his

readers that they will experience both in their lives, but the critical importance is to

not take them seriously because they are not the substance of life-- but rather

the extremes.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except for the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

There is something about loss that makes people think about where their life is going.

I have found that every time I have suffered from a “loss” the gain I acquired far

exceeded the struggle and heartache that preceded it. And while it may be a vile

pill to swallow, sometimes it’s exactly what the doctor ordered. My own hardest

loss was when I tore my ACL, MCL, and meniscus my sophomore year of college.

I was on crutches for two months, and couldn’t walk for about five. I went home

for the semester to heal, and I learned more about empathy and the love of Christ

than I could have ever imagined. When we feel like our life is in shambles, is really

the rubble from where we can find the blocks to turn ourselves into a mosaic.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This was the point that I realized that this poem was going to be the turning point
in how I chose to live my life. It’s necessary to be able to talk to large groups of
people and yet, not let them influence your belief in what is right, wrong, moral,
or immoral. To stick our courage to the sticking place and to choose for ourselves.
To love people, but not let their return of love be the commander happiness. And if
we learn to do all these things and abide by Kipling’s rules, everything in the world
can be ours.

The Silent Child

"The Silent Child" is a short film about a deaf child. The twenty minute film tries to bring awareness to the disconnect between the hearing world and the deaf world. The hearing family hires a nanny who specializes in caring for deaf children. As the film progresses, the nanny and child establish an emotional connection, which is important for the child as she is alienated from her family for the lack of understanding on both ends. As the relationship between the child and nanny grows, so does the child's ability to communicate through sign language. This connection draws jealousy from the family ultimately tearing the child away for the nanny in order for the child to be enrolled in school. In one of the final scenes, the child is seen sitting at a desk at school staring off blankly as the muffled sound of her teachers voice is directing the class for a spelling test. 

"The Silent Child" is a concern that we should all have when incorporating differently lifestyles into everyday. The film seems to have a gloomy/dark/dreary color to it. This could be due to the location of where the film was shot or perhaps the color overlay the editors chose to have. I saw this as an added effect for the scenes the deaf child was in to show how she was in a world of her own. I also saw this as the darkness the deaf world is in when it comes to having an accessible world for them in a hearing dominant world. 

The attitude/tone of the characters further proved the disregard or unwillingness the hearing family had to adjust or adapt to the needs of the child. This is reflective of the way society is set up for the deaf community. Not all resources or enough resources are available or even made know such as for those with wheelchair impairments. This short film is a call of action and awareness for a community that is largely held in silence from the real world. 

A Silent Child with Loud Parents

Throughout the 20 minutes of The Silent Child, I was left shocked, heartbroken, and ready to advocate for a cause I had no clue about what so ever. The first thing that struck me about this movie was the casting. A white, middle class, nice family, who give off the look that nothing is wrong. They seem almost, "perfect".  Good looking, smart, a few kids, and what it looks like from the first glace were two loving and doting parents. The viewer learns through time that the issues lie deeper as one understands the family dynamic. The one actor that shot me was the older woman sitting out in the car when the tutor came out to talk to her. She was shocked when Joanne was talking about how smart Libby was and how she could do anything she wanted to, insinuating that everyone thinks that Libby was slow or dumb because she couldn't hear.
Another film element I really loved about this movie was the setting. Set in the idyllic English countryside- it was picturesque and seemed as if nothing could go wrong. This ended up being ironic because the family situation was neglectful and dark. I also thought the scene shot in the kitchen where they were all eating was interesting. It's been said that the kitchen is the heart of the home and where most families spend their time together. This is where Libby was left to not hear or understand her family dynamic. Or when Joanne was sitting at the gate at school, a place where Libby probably feels most alone, reaching out to her through the gates only to have Libby walk away from her.
A Silent Child is not a usual tension building movie through yelling or violence, but rather through a bad family dynamic and child neglect in a way different than a social norm. It was interesting, insightful, and brought an issue most don't realize is an issue to the light.

Deaf Perception

The first technical thing I noticed about this short film was the set choices and movement. Having it start with the tutor on her bike in the English countryside seemed very open and as she rode her bike throughout the film it always seemed like we were moving towards something. At the start of the film we didn't know what we were moving towards and then as the journey continued we maintained our progress towards helping Libby get the education she needs.This made the time when the tutor was stopped by the phone call all the more significant because that stopped everything. Her on her bike, on dirt roads, with the open sky seem to represent an open minded and progressive view. That can also be seen when they are playing outside. While in places like the house, and the car can be seen as oppressive and tight. In the beginning the house is crowded and loud, with siblings and parents rushing everywhere, this tightness makes things seem claustrophobic. Libby is always sitting and seldom moves in the house, she prefers to watch TV than do anything else. However, when they leave the house she runs and plays, outside is a more carefree and accepting world.

The next thing that struck me was the acting and framing. Given the realistic fiction genre they made things very true to life and the actors were not particularly dramatized. The character who is speaking is usually at the center of the screen and they are usually having a back and forth conversation. Libby is often in the corner of the frame while other people are speaking, but when she starts to sign she also gets a turn in the middle of the shot. This may lend itself to the fact that with sign language you are required to maintain eye contact, not just for understanding, but as a courtesy to those you are signing to. So there is significance whenever someone makes eye contact with Libby because they are giving her respect. Another point of acting is that sign language is very expressive and because Libby starts out very passive, it is significant for her character when she smiles and has facial expressions, and that development is seen in the film.

The last thing I want to touch on is sound, since it is so significant when talking about deafness. This film is meant for hearing people to see so it makes sense that it does have music. In the moment where we get a view though Libby's eyes we get a sense of the silence that she experiences, as they put it in slow motion we see the expressions of each of the characters. Through this the audience is permitted to empathize with her, but also get a sense of her intelligence. She picks up things through facial expressions and lip-reading, but not everything and she is unable to engage in the conversation. The barrier of the lack of sound becomes a barrier in her relationship with others. The music is not highly emphasized in this film as much as the visuals and that is definitely intentional, they use the music, sound, or lack thereof to guide your emotions, but you're never going to take your eyes off the screen. On a personal note I have been studying ASL for a while now and film has become very important in Deaf culture, Deaf  and hard of hearing people are often separated by distance, but media like this is a perfect way of sharing ideas.

ENGLISH SYMPOSIUM

I attended the Shakespeare, Popular Culture and Psychological Stress Roundtable, which were critiques on characters, behavior, emotion, in the works of Hamlet, Dime novels, and the Twilight saga. Sarah Young drew a relationship between fears and certainty in Macbeth. Sarah M. spoke on game theory in Crime and Punishment. In Russia, there is a great divide between reason and madness regarding Raskolnikov. Rowan focused on Twilight and the connection it had with Romeo and Juliet even though it was not explicitly stated. Another theme she focused on were blood and violence and she drew the parallel between Macbeth and his quest for blood and Edward's quest for blood.

The second session I attended was Rhetoric training in leadership training. This was my favorite session because I was able to see how rhetoric can be applied in different aspects of our daily lives and it gave me a new perspective on rhetoric. Through a proper and effective use of words and action we can develop leaders in the workplace and in the classroom.

- Brandon

Amateur Fiction and “Things Fall Apart”

The BYU English Symposium was an awesome experience. First I attended a lecture on Chinoa Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” that included several essays reflecting different messages and viewpoints. The most interesting of these was an essay by Sara Doyle entitled “Nothing but a Tortoise: Animals as Symbols”. I found this essay to one fascinating because Doyle went against what so many of the critics have said about the tortoise in “Things Fall Apart”. Acccording to her, most critics hold with the opinion that the tortoise is a representation of Okonkwo, the novel’s conflicted, occasionally violent protagonist. This has to do with many of the similarities between the tortoise and Okonkwo, such as being generally scornful and cunning. However, Doyle gives a different statement, saying that the tortoise doesn’t necessarily Okonkwo, rather better represents the white man who comes to the village to live there, and eventually build a church. This comparison is made because in the story the tortoise is a creature that decides to live among the birds, with the final goal of reigning over them. He convinces the birds to give him feathers until he has enough to make his own wings; but he is still a turtle and the birds still don’t accept him, until he finally conquers them all to his will. In a similar manner, the white man comes to the village, deciding he’d like to live among them. He finally asks them for land, and they give him some, in the cursed forest. In this way, he becomes like them, but he is still an outcast, until eventually the white men DO take over the village, along with the rest of Africa. This was a great fresh take on Achebe’s story.

The other event I attended was the Creative Writing Undergraduate Fiction winners. This was also a treat, on the whole the most entertaining event I attended. All three authors wrote very different stories, with very different styles. My favorite was the story from the winner, Jessica Holcomb, who wrote a story around a fascinating idea: what if an emperor had to face the very harbinger of death upon his passing in order to enter in to paradise, but needed one of his wives to face it with him? This is exactly what happens in this story, which occurs in a counsel of wives of the emperor immediately after his passing. The wives are made to draw straws from a cup, and the one who gets the marked straw will die with the emperor, to be his guide as he faces death itself. The story was ripe with tension, over all a fantastic experience.