DEAF 402 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Albert Ballin, Fingerspelling, Lip Reading
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Deaf Stories and Novels
Distinction between Deaf and Hearing Authors
- Common Patterns of Hearing Authors
o 19th and 20th Century Stories with Deaf Characters Written by Hearing People in
Angels and Outcasts
▪ Representations of the deaf characters
▪ Idealizations of the deaf characters
▪ Misconceptions and ignorance of Deaf people and the Deaf experience
▪ Exaggeration of abilities in the deaf characters
▪ Portrayals of loneliness and isolation among the deaf characters
- Common Patterns of Deaf Authors
o Stories and Poems Written by Deaf People in Angels and Outcasts and Deaf Way
II Anthology
▪ Essentials of the “day-to-day” experience
▪ Manifestation of the author’s perspective or viewpoint of society or of life
in general
• Batson and Bergman (1985) note that, “Rarely does a hearing
writer concern himself or herself with the actual experience of
being deaf” (p. 205)
▪ Use of defiance
• Demonstration of “a certain pride in facing the difficulties that life
throw at [the individual] and standing up to them” (p. 205)
• Refusal in accepting the “subtle traps of the world” (p. 206)
• Avoidance of becoming a “victim of life” (p. 207)
- Excerpt of The Deaf Mute Howls by Albert Ballin (1861-1932)
o 1) I Make “Progress” (p. 271-274)
▪ “You would, at least, have your English grammar at hand to help you. I
had no background – nothing to guide me” (p. 271).
▪ “Instead of accepting the explanation and advice of the officers who say
that their children will be benefitted by the “combined method” which
used the manual alphabet and signs, the parents threaten to place their
children in a school which claims ability to teach vocal speech to ALL
through the pure-oral method” (p. 274).
o 2) Struggle with Language (p. 275-278)
o 3) Pure Oralism (p. 278-285)
▪ “I met several soldiers who were deafened by explosions. They carried
pads and pencil with which to carry on conversation. They preferred this
method to learning lip reading. Does this need any explanation?” (p. 282).
o 4) The Graduate (p. 285-287)
o 5) Alexander Graham Bell (p. 287-293)
▪ “I shrugged and spelt on m fingers, “Why waste minutes, when spelling
the word on the fingers will take but seconds?” He also shrugged, and
waved aside my sly thrust as inconsequential. Then began a heated
argument:” (p. 293).
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