Film Review: The Hammer

"The Hammer" Response Many issues are addressed in the deaf film, The Hammer. The SEE sign issue seems to be less of a problem, at least in California, with it's strong deaf community. However, some are still relevant today, like the view that the deaf community is "disabled". This is part of the reason why Matt's grandfather did not want to let him use sign language. The idea that those who cannot hear are "deaf and dumb" is terrifying for a concerned parent. It's almost understandable that Matt's grandfather tried to "help him function in the hearing world" by teaching him English so he could communicate with those around him. However, this also causes another dilemma within Matt- he does not feel like he belongs to either the hearing world or the deaf world. I believe that his mother was correct when she said he should be sent to a deaf school so he could get support from others like him. Forcing a deaf child into a hearing world seems cruel. Matt's grandfather always told him that he was not different from everybody else, that he shouldn't get any special treatment because he was not better or worse. This seems like justification for his harshness. But Matt finally explodes and tells his grandfather that he is different. Matt is different, which is why he was not able to succeed at Purdue University. Because he was not hearing, he couldn't understand the lecture, and because he was not taught ASL, he still could not succeed. It might have been a little easier to use an interpreter if he'd grown up using ASL, and he might have been able to succeed in such a competitive school. Then again, the deaf language would have separated him still more from where he grew up. This vicious cycle repeats itself throughout the movie; Matt learns English, but is constantly required by the world to know ASL, at colleges, by his friends and his girlfriend. Being a KODA, I understand, to an extent, Matt's inner turmoil. I myself live in