A loss for words essay
For this assignment I chose to read A Loss for Words: A story of deafness in a family, by Lou Ann Walker. She recounts growing up hearing with two deaf parents. Once I started reading I was surprised to find that Walker grew up in Indiana! Her father is from Montpelier, her mother is from Greencastle, and the author came of age in Indianapolis.
Lou Ann’s story begins as her parents are driving her to Harvard. She went to Ball State for her first two years, but decided it was not enough of a challenge. The reader also gets the sense that she is ready to become a little more independent. This first chapter really shows how heartbreaking it could be to have deaf parents. Lou Ann gets scared and lonely on her first night in her dorm (as many of us probably did) and walks to her parents’ hotel. She bangs on the door and slips a piece of paper into the room, but her parents don’t notice. She cannot communicate to her parents that she needs them and must go back to her room, uncomforted.
The next section of the book gives some background information on Lou Ann’s parents. Her mother, Doris Jean, became deaf a little after she turned one. She had spinal meningitis, and it left her deaf. Doris Jean was taken to the Indiana State School for the Deaf when she was six years old. The worst part of this experience was that she thought she was being punished for something; she did not understand why her family didn’t want her anymore. Life at the school was a positive experience. She was finally able to communicate and make friends. The school did not want the students to sign, they were supposed to lip read and speak; however it seems like most of students signed anyways. After graduation Doris Jean moved into an apartment in Indianapolis and found a job.
Lou Ann’s fathers name is Gale. He became deaf because of a high fever he had as an infant. Gale also has a deaf older brother, who was deaf at birth. Gale grew up on a farm and was able to be helpful and
Lou Ann’s story begins as her parents are driving her to Harvard. She went to Ball State for her first two years, but decided it was not enough of a challenge. The reader also gets the sense that she is ready to become a little more independent. This first chapter really shows how heartbreaking it could be to have deaf parents. Lou Ann gets scared and lonely on her first night in her dorm (as many of us probably did) and walks to her parents’ hotel. She bangs on the door and slips a piece of paper into the room, but her parents don’t notice. She cannot communicate to her parents that she needs them and must go back to her room, uncomforted.
The next section of the book gives some background information on Lou Ann’s parents. Her mother, Doris Jean, became deaf a little after she turned one. She had spinal meningitis, and it left her deaf. Doris Jean was taken to the Indiana State School for the Deaf when she was six years old. The worst part of this experience was that she thought she was being punished for something; she did not understand why her family didn’t want her anymore. Life at the school was a positive experience. She was finally able to communicate and make friends. The school did not want the students to sign, they were supposed to lip read and speak; however it seems like most of students signed anyways. After graduation Doris Jean moved into an apartment in Indianapolis and found a job.
Lou Ann’s fathers name is Gale. He became deaf because of a high fever he had as an infant. Gale also has a deaf older brother, who was deaf at birth. Gale grew up on a farm and was able to be helpful and