Preview

See What I Mean Summary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
659 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
See What I Mean Summary
“See what I mean?” There are many different aspects of culture. For instance; values, traditions, religion, art, food, and even types of clothing can all play a role in the different types of culture. These cultural behaviors and values are taught to us by our parents from the minute we are born. It’s only natural that deaf people would adapt their own culture that differs from hearing cultures. Not only do deaf people communicated in a completely different language, but they also have their own set of communication skills, values, and behaviors because of their culture.
In the video, “See What I Mean?”, the narrator talks about two different types of cultures: collectivists and individualists. Collectivists cultures have a larger emphasis on family and work together as a group, rather than focusing on individual wants or needs, for example, China and Japan. Individualists on the other hand, like the United States,
…show more content…
The deaf man notices his car is new, and asks him in sign language how much he paid for his new car. The hearing man can’t understand sign language so the deaf man proceeds to write down, “how much you pay?” on a piece of paper. After the hearing man reads the paper, he gives the deaf man a disapproving look and walks inside his home. The deaf man is left confused, wondering what it was he had done to make this neighbor walk away, considering he thought they were friends. This is one perfect example of the differences between deaf and hearing cultures. Deaf people tend to share more information with their friends than hearing people do. Since hearing americans have more of a competitive outlook on things, the hearing man felt as though it wasn’t polite to ask how much he paid for something whereas a deaf person would be happy to share this kind of information if it means it might help other deaf people to get good deals on

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    A Loss for Words - Paper

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The book A Loss for Words by Lou Ann Walker is a biography about Lou Ann. Her parents are deaf and she and her sister are hearing. The book describes the troubles and embarrassment she felt and had while growing up. She loved her parents dearly but often felt embarrassed, or infuriated about comments people would make to her about her parents. Lou Ann exclaims that “their world is deaf, their deaf culture, their deaf friends, and their own sign language it is something separate, something I can never really know, but I am intimate with.”(2) Lou Ann was both speaking and she could also sign. She felt it hard to fit into one culture. She had a love for her parents and the deaf culture but at the same time, she felt like she didn’t quite fit in because she could hear. She could hear people’s comments about her parents. Lou Ann tells a story about how it was for her and how she was able to deal, with society and their views.…

    • 1342 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Redefining D.E.A.F

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ryan Commerson, producer and host of the movie “Media, Power & Ideology: Re-Presenting D-E-A-D”, states that all the preconceptions societies have about people being born deaf is because of “ideology”. He uses Valentin Voloshinov’s definition of the word to later explore its significance in more depth. Ideology: “The dimension of social experience in which meanings and values are produced”. Furthermore, he continues exploring the first persons that tried to describe deaf people back in the 18th century. He explains that at first these persons, like author John Conrad Amman, one of the first ones to write about speech and how deaf people could learn how to communicate, had many misinterpretations of how deaf people really is and what are they capable to. Commeron continues saying that even thou they used very degrading terms to describe deaf people they were judging them wrongly since most of deaf people grew up without any education. The fact that all these people wrote about them, Cammeron says, it brings this false ideology to our present.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Similarly, the Deaf child, however raised, has a Deaf heritage form birth. Most children who cannot communicate well in spoken language will, when allowed to, learn signed language, become acculturated to Deaf culture, marry Deaf, and identify themselves as members of the Deaf World. A distinguished otologist has contended that Deaf children start out in mainstream hearing society and enter the Deaf World in adolescence. Most children in the Deaf World cannot communicate with their parents who know no sign language, and while their home may be nurturing, it cannot be substantially acculturating. The anormality of having culturally different parents is then both a centrifugal and centripetal force in the Deaf World. At the same time, the anomaly propels Deaf people toward the Deaf World, since identification with the Deaf World offers pride, language, instruction, role models, a culturally compatible spouse, and more than cannot be had…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this book, Deaf in America, by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, the two authors wrote stories, jokes, performances, and experiences of Deaf people. They also wrote Deaf culture and Deaf people’s lives from various angles. This book is great navigator of Deaf world for hearing people and even Deaf people as me. There are several factors attracting reader. To begin with, I could learn about backgrounds of deaf people and hearing people. Authors wrote about a Deaf boy who was born into a deaf family. Until he discovered that a girl playmate in neighborhood was “hearing”, he didn’t notice about “Others”. Authors explained, “She was HEARING and because of this did not know how to SIGN; instead she and her mother TALK” (Chapter 1). This story strongly impressed me. I was born into a Deaf family too, but I grew up with hearing grandparents. In my childhood, I did intensive oral training with my grandparents. So, I can sign JSL and talk Japanese smoothly. Therefore I never felt emotion like this occasion, “Others” to hearing people. The next factor is difference of “Deaf” and “deaf”. For example, the capitalized “Deaf” people are not only “deaf” but also user of Sign Language. I haven’t known the meaning of “Deaf” and “deaf” exactly before, thanks to this book, now I can understand. When I analyzed myself, I identified as “Deaf” because I truly cherish Sign Language. In addition, Sign Language is explained as a primary mode of communication for Deaf people including me. It has full access to communication for us. Unfortunately, some hearing people misunderstand that Sign Language is a kind of gestural communication. Authors wrote about it, “ASL are often thought to be direct representations of spoken words” (Chapter 3). In my country, Japan, there are some misconceptions about JSL too. Sign Language has both iconic and abstract concept.…

    • 620 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Through Deaf Eyes is a film outlining deaf history and deaf culture. The movie touches on many key milestones in deaf American’s lives including: community interactions, education, recreation and work. While we have been learning much on deaf history, I was fascinated to hear the many obstacles deaf people had to overcome to reach where they are today. I am one to always route for the underdog and to me the deaf community’s history is a wonderful example of a minority persevering to achieve set goals and dreams. This movie helped me realize that while obstacles for modern deaf people are numerous, in the past they were almost…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    CO2520 Analysis 4

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Collectivist cultures tend to revolve more around the family or community. Decisions are made from a utilitarian standpoint, and respect for others comes natural from a young age.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    While viewing "In the Land of the Deaf" it help me seeing how hard of hearing kids figure out how to hear by utilizing Hearing aids. Its overview differentiating the stories of a family who has been hard of hearing and with the narrative of a lady whose deafness was misconstrued. The film shows Deaf individuals of all ages, children to grown-ups. With their similar deafness, the kids and grown-ups in this film communicate their dreams, thoughts and ideas through sign language which is used for them to communicate. While watching “See What I mean: Differences Between Deaf and Hearing Cultures” it help me comprehend and accomplish a more better understanding of culturally diverse point of view and valuation for Deaf and listening to societies…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another aspect of deaf culture that the video opened my eyes to was how much prejudice the deaf community and people with disabilities have gone through. Before watching, I understood that being deaf was hard, but I had just assumed that there had always been laws protecting the rights of deaf people. Watching the film reminded me that people with disabilities have faced a lot of discrimination in the past and still do today. The video also reminded me how challenging a simple task like calling a friend can be for a deaf person, and it made me think how hard a deaf person's life can be if people don’t make think about them. Now, there is so much technology that can help deaf people communicate and navigate the world, but it must still be very frustrating when people make assumptions about deaf people or they are unable to do things because they cannot hear. The film “Through Deaf Eyes” allowed me to see more clearly what deaf culture and the deaf community is like by showing me real people’s stories and…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Deaf Culture Book Report

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Thomas K. Holcomb’s book, Introduction to American Deaf Culture, shines a light on the deaf community and the culture they experience. The intended audience, however, is the hearing. It gives the reader insight on deaf experiences and how the atmosphere is different, even though the environment is the same. All aspects of culture are covered. The book starts off with how the culture is formed through the 5 hallmarks (p. 17). Next, the book focuses on the identity of a deaf person. This is not only limited to, labeling from the rest of the world, but also by how the person sees himself. After, the book discusses the core values the deaf community has. These values are much different when compared to the hearing community. They focus on the person engaging as a full member of society. This is done through communication, interacting, and having a sense of self-worth in the community (104-107). Eventually, literature and art are mentioned. The classifications are difficult to place. There are American works, but with the growing awareness in the recent year they have earned their own Deaf category. This is important to the deaf community because it allows “Deaf people’s lives to be better…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nowadays, there are many things that distinguish the Hearing world from the Deaf culture. To begin with, the language is essential when communicating. The Hearing world communicates through the English language by speaking and writing to one another to get their message across. As for the Deaf culture, American Sign Language (ASL) is used. ASL can be seen as a language that is capable of expressing abstract ideas. Therefore, the Deaf culture uses not only signing, but also body movement and facial expressions to communicate effectively. The second big difference between the Hearing world and Deaf culture is the participation to their community. For the Hearing world, being involved with the community is not really important like for the Deaf…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deaf babies babble in the same manner that hearing babies babble. Additionally, children from different countries babble the way even if they have been exposed to very different languages. This shows that the initial babbling, which is universal in both deaf and hearing children is preprogrammed from birth. If they were blank slates, the influence of language would lead to babies from different cultures to babble differently.…

    • 1024 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My sister is deaf, I myself am a part of the deaf community; I have attended sign language classes and also deaf events.…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Culture Competence

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Individualist concept of culture refers to being more self-centered and emphasize mostly on their individual goals. People from individualistic cultures tend to think only of themselves as individuals and as "I" distinctive from other people. They prefer clarity in their conversations to communicate more effectively and come in general directly to the point.…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ideas on individualism differs from one country to another. For instance in America collectivism is more focused on the well-being of people. In China collectivism is more based on people following the rules of society. In America a lot of people are judged individually by their looks. Like a homeless man who was a soldier is discriminated for being homeless. There is discrimination going on all over the world; Afghan girls are too scared to get an education due to the Taliban.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Deaf people have different feelings, beliefs and needs like everyone else which is hard for those of us that are ‘hearing’ don’t understand. In order to learn about their needs and desires we need to try and ‘get inside their heads’ and understand them. Not all Deaf people feel the need to speak verbally and why should they? All cultures have their different ways of speaking, customs and beliefs and we should learn as much as possible about each one that we are involved in. Sara had been treated unfairly for most of her life, because of her deafness, and so it was hard to understand that he just wanted to help her. Mr. Leeds didn’t understand that the best way to help her was to just accept her as she was. Finally, they decided to work together and find the best way to help each other understand about both ways of thinking.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays