Margaret Hollingsworth's Deaf Music Analysis
The Development of Maturity
Growing up is not just about getting older. It is about developing a sense of maturity. In Margaret Hollingsworth’s narrative bibliography Deaf Music, Margaret’s developing maturity is impacted and influenced by key factors and events that occur in her life. She is born deaf, but her independent nature refuses help. She begins her music lessons and excels. Lastly, someone she is close to, her music teacher, dies and Margaret finally learns to accept herself.
Firstly, Margaret is deaf. She is born with the disability but is not properly diagnosed until she is seven. Although Margaret has “Muriel”, her hearing aid, Margaret prefers to be independent and does not use it, to the annoyance of her teachers. While she is never outed as a child, as Margaret gets older her classmates cannot understand her disability. As a result, she is “the butt of the class…” (Hollingsworth 463). Due to constant bullying, Margaret becomes introverted. She prefers her independency so much that she would make …show more content…
herself “invisible to the class of 40 children” (Hollingsworth 463) and have no friends rather than use Muriel. Being stubborn about Muriel has consequences however. As the years go on, Margaret finds it “hard to keep up” (Hollingsworth 465) with her teachers and her marks fall. The stubbornly independent Margaret simply refuses to accept the help she needs.
Ironically, one of the few things that makes Margaret happy is music.
Inspired by the music box she is given and the piano her late grandmother leaves her; Margaret begins music lessons with Ms. Beamish. As it is in her nature, Margaret refuses to tell Ms. Beamish about her lack of hearing and instead feels the vibrations of the piano by jamming her “knees under the keyboard…” (Hollingsworth 465). Despite lying to her, Margaret grows close to Ms. Beamish and begins to see her as a parenting figure. By “betraying the intimacy” (Hollingsworth 465) she shares with her mother; Margaret is learning to open herself up to other people. As the years go by, and Margaret’s piano skills improve, so does her relationship with Ms. Beamish. So much that, although she does not admit it to Ms. Beamish, Margaret finally accepts that she is deaf. She even admits it out loud to Ms. Beamish’s mother although she thinks deaf is a word “too close to death” (Hollingsworth
468).
Unfortunately, Ms. Beamish dies in a tragic accident. Leaving Margaret, who finally understands that she cannot do everything on her own, to cope. Margaret does not waste time though. Shortly after failing her Eleven Plus exam, Margaret transfers schools and gets a new hearing aid that she comes “to rely on…” (Hollingsworth 469).
Growing up is not just about getting older. It is about developing a sense of maturity. In Margaret Hollingsworth’s narrative bibliography Deaf Music, Margaret’s developing maturity is impacted and influenced by key factors and events that occur in her life. She is born deaf, but her independent nature refuses help. She begins her music lessons and excels. Lastly, someone she is close to, her music teacher, dies and Margaret finally learns to accept herself.
Firstly, Margaret is deaf. She is born with the disability but is not properly diagnosed until she is seven. Although Margaret has “Muriel”, her hearing aid, Margaret prefers to be independent and does not use it, to the annoyance of her teachers. While she is never outed as a child, as Margaret gets older her classmates cannot understand her disability. As a result, she is “the butt of the class…” (Hollingsworth 463). Due to constant bullying, Margaret becomes introverted. She prefers her independency so much that she would make …show more content…
herself “invisible to the class of 40 children” (Hollingsworth 463) and have no friends rather than use Muriel. Being stubborn about Muriel has consequences however. As the years go on, Margaret finds it “hard to keep up” (Hollingsworth 465) with her teachers and her marks fall. The stubbornly independent Margaret simply refuses to accept the help she needs.
Ironically, one of the few things that makes Margaret happy is music.
Inspired by the music box she is given and the piano her late grandmother leaves her; Margaret begins music lessons with Ms. Beamish. As it is in her nature, Margaret refuses to tell Ms. Beamish about her lack of hearing and instead feels the vibrations of the piano by jamming her “knees under the keyboard…” (Hollingsworth 465). Despite lying to her, Margaret grows close to Ms. Beamish and begins to see her as a parenting figure. By “betraying the intimacy” (Hollingsworth 465) she shares with her mother; Margaret is learning to open herself up to other people. As the years go by, and Margaret’s piano skills improve, so does her relationship with Ms. Beamish. So much that, although she does not admit it to Ms. Beamish, Margaret finally accepts that she is deaf. She even admits it out loud to Ms. Beamish’s mother although she thinks deaf is a word “too close to death” (Hollingsworth
468).
Unfortunately, Ms. Beamish dies in a tragic accident. Leaving Margaret, who finally understands that she cannot do everything on her own, to cope. Margaret does not waste time though. Shortly after failing her Eleven Plus exam, Margaret transfers schools and gets a new hearing aid that she comes “to rely on…” (Hollingsworth 469).