Sharon M. Draper has used character and an engaging plot to create a novel of contemporary realistic fiction about an eleven-year-old girl living with cerebral palsy. Even though every reader cannot relate to having a disability, almost every reader can relate to Melody’s desire to fit in and be accepted by her peers. Draper uses Melody’s internal dialogue (she is unable to speak) to reveal her personal journey and perspective. The plot further reveals Melody’s internal and external struggles as she tries to merge her world with that of her peers. While the plot flows logically, Draper adds a twist when our protagonist is left behind and misses the competition. Ultimately, the plot makes the story believable and rings true with modern
who she was very close to. She explains that her father taught her and her brothers free will and to feel like they were human beings, although it was very dangerous for a slave. The more a slave possessed the notion of their own free will, the more likely they were to be disobedient, run away and be of no use to their owner. Slaves were supposed to think that they were less than human so that the masters not only had physical control over them but psychological control as well.
Sharon M. Draper’s Copper Sun includes a diverse selection of minor characters, who further the story in their own way, one being a young man named Nathan. During Amari, Polly, and Tidbit’s venture down to Florida, they become acquainted with Nathan, him supplying the three with important knowledge and a distraction. When first introduced to him, the three travelers had to be wary, as Nathan seemed like the usual arrogant and cocky white male. However, Nathan had no intention to harm the runaways, proving himself considerate and nondiscriminatory, thus gaining their trust. One of the first things that he does to assist the group was he informed them that Fort Mose was, indeed, a real place.
He shared the stories of a wide variety of people while he embarked on a journey across the country in a short bus. By revealing the common issues and judgment within society, Jonathon’s book advocated for the people who have any sort of disability, and he brought to light the beauty of each difference. For those who would want to learn about the thoughts and feelings of people who have experienced rejection because of a label, Jonathon Mooney’s book would be an excellent selection because of the real accounts and stories. The book offered an emotional connection that other texts could not provide. Therefore, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal should be a common read for everyone in order to learn about the real accounts of people labeled as having learning
Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt and The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher are two great examples of literature that include realistic portrayals of characters with disabilities. In Donna Adomat’s paper about the Issues of Physical Disabilities in Cynthia Voight’s Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Chris Crutcher’s The Crazy Horse Electric Game, Adomat views Isobel’s friends as being superficial after the car accident which leads Izzy to discover the true meaning of friendship. In Izzy, Willy-Nilly, the book starts off by describing Izzy as being an “ideal” high school student with an attractive appearance, athletic appeal, and a part of the “popular” crowd. Izzy was only “friends” with Lauren, Lisa, and Suzy prior to the accident were because
Nancy Mairs, a feminist writer who has Multiple Sclerosis, defines the terms in which she interest the most with the world. Nancy Mairs will name herself a cripple and not be by others. She will choose a word that represents her reality for example in the beginning of her story she mentioned about her being in the bathroom trying to come up with a story about cripples. She was in the handicap bathroom and when she tried to open the door she fell, landing fully clothed on the toilet seat with her legs splayed in front of her and she said “the old beetle -on-it’s back routine.”
Nancy Mairs has long been renowned for her essay on disability, providing a powerful insight into the struggles of living with a disability. Having multiple sclerosis herself, Mairs uses her personal experience to paint a vivid picture of the physical and emotional difficulties those with disabilities face in everyday life. By discussing her experiences, Mairs allows readers to gain a more profound understanding of what living with a disability is truly like. From the physical toll her disease takes to the mental health problems it brings, Mairs' essay serves as a reminder of the hardships those with disabilities face and serves as a wake-up call for society on how to better interact with people with disabilities. Throughout her essay, Nancy
Waist High In the World is a novel that focuses on the importance of accepting everyone with dignity and respect despite their disabilities and differences. The author of the book, Nancy Mairs purpose when writing the book was to create awareness and share her experience as a “cripple” in order to create consciousness and understanding of those who are going through the same process. Mairs uses different persuasive strategies to convince readers to want a world with people like her in it, this includes the use of pathos, logos and ethos.
Melissa Shang decided to attempt to publish a book of a young girl who uses a wheelchair, and she recalled her publishers to give her responses such as “for a girl who was in a wheelchair with a degenerative nerve disease, Mia Lee was just too happy” or how they thought that “Mia Lee’s character didn’t seem suited for a lighthearted story” (Shang). These publishers all had their own views on what disabilities were suppose to look like, they didn’t particularly enjoy Shang’s book as it challenged their perception. Like so, Shang drew the same conclusion, “what she meant is that Mia Lee, my sassy, You-Tube-loving heroine, differed too much from the conversation of what a disabled kid is supposed to be like. There are very few stories about kids in wheelchairs, and there are even fewer with a disabled person who is cheerful and happy. Disability is always seen as a misfortune” (Shang).
Murphy lacks mobility and sensation in his lower body other than the feeling of occasional muscle spasms, and has limited movement in his upper body below the neck including his arms. Murphy writes the story as it recounts events throughout his entire life, from childhood onwards. He was sixty-two when he wrote the novel. The story provides Murphy’s anthropological commentary on the life of a person with a disability and how society views and treats people with disabilities (Murphy, 1990). Murphy’s performance patterns both support and inhibit his occupational engagement.
“Only 50 years ago persons with intellectual disabilities were scorned, isolated and neglected. Today, they are able to attend school, become employed and assimilate into their local community” (Nelson Mandela). Prior to the later part of the 20th century people with intellectual disabilities were often ridiculed, treated unfairly, feared, and locked away in institutions. According to Rhonda Nauhaus and Cindy Smith in their article Disability Rights through the Mid-20th Century, The laws of any nation reflect its societal values. The real life issue of discrimination towards people with intellectual disabilities in the United States and Australia is demonstrated in the novel, Of Mice and Men by showing how this issue affects one of the main characters, Lennie Smalls.
Can you ever imagine a world of unaccepting individuals, constant fight, and the loathe differences and disabilities? Could you imagine a world where no one could get along? Unfortunately, we as a clique and community are reaching nearing such a world. Adversely but sadly true, some communities and countries have already begun to discriminate against young adolescents and adults with special needs, or different views, turning into a constant fight for survival. James Hurst's short story, The Scarlet Ibis and Ray Bradbury's, A Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, Hurst and Bradbury discuss themes of allegory, rivalry, vanity and pride through characters in both stories, The narrator of The Scarlet Ibis and The Mandarin of The Golden Kite, A Silver
Scott Hamilton once stated, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Disability is only an obstacle in a person's life, but it does not set the identity of that person. John Steinbeck's novel shows how disabled people are treated differently by writing about their heartbreak and sorrow. Many individuals with disabilities feel that a disability is a wall blocking them from achieving their goals. In our society, people are told what to be and what to do with their disability, but one should have the choice to carve their pathway to success.
According to the 2012 US Census, about one in five people are living with disability. To some, it is just a number, one that does not affect them, but to the families of these people, it’s something that is imbedded in every day of their lives. That’s how it is for the protagonist of “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. The protagonist hopes for a brother, but when William Armstrong is born, he is born severely disabled. The protagonist was so desperate for a normal brother that he set out to train his brother to get over everything his disability prevented him from doing.
As illustrated by author John Corcoran in The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read, children and adults with severe learning disabilities often feel misunderstood and trapped in an isolated prison of shame, anger, and despair. As Corcoran recounts his personal journey of shame due to his misunderstood and misdiagnosed illiteracy, a continual pattern emerges—time heals, but the scars will always remain. Corcoran
Love is motivating and boundless. One should not limit his/her love toward others because of the obstacles created by time, distance or race. The fascinating love story “Story Of The Beautiful Girl” written by Rachel Simon demonstrates this point. In the story, the protagonist Lynne, who is mentally handicapped, meets Homan, an African-American man, who unfortunately is deaf, at a school for the disabled ones. The meager conditions in the school, the rude and offensive staff, plus the draconian rules and lack of the ability to communicate with the outside world.