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The Sound of Silence
by Myron Uhlberg It’s 1938. Myron Uhlberg is living with his deaf parents. In the following excerpt from his book “The Sound of Silence”, he writes about one challenge he had to face as a child to help his dad get along in the hearing world.
1
I switched on the radio. We were early. The speaker commented on the careers of the two boxers Joe Louis,
2
also called the “Bomber”, and Max Schmeling. I had no idea what half of the stuff meant in spoken English,
3
much less how to translate it into sign for my father.
4
I knew nothing about boxing. I had never seen a match. Questions, questions, questions. I had so many of
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them, but I didn’t want to let my father down.
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He needed me to tell him what happened.
7
By now my father had focused on me like a human microscope. He looked straight at me, examining
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every detail.
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I heard the bell for the first round. The crowd roared like a herd of wild animals, the sound loud enough
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to wake the dead. My father just sat there, surrounded by silence, eyes focused on my hands, my face,
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and the radio. He was waiting for my hands to transform the radio broadcast he could not hear.
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The fight was on. I tried to sign what was happening, to keep up with what I was hearing. But there was
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just too much noise coming at me, all crowded together. Besides, my signing vocabulary did not include
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signs for boxing.
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How was I supposed to sign, The Bomber lands with an uppercut. Now he’s jabbing Schmeling.
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Jab, jab, jab. Schmeling’s eye is closing. Joe Louis is killing him. Another blow in his stomach.
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Oohh, that one will bring up his lunch.
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My father looked frustrated as he tried to make sense of my incomprehensible signs.
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Also frustrated, I jumped to my feet. As I listened to each detail describing the action in the boxing ring, I
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danced in circles in front of my father. I dropped to the floor. I jumped – imagining what I was hearing.
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I heard the announcer scream, Schmeling can run, but he can’t hide. Louis has Schmeling. HE’S DOWN!
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HE’S DOWN! SCHMELING’S DOWN! He’s on the floor.
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I dropped to the floor and lay there with my arms and legs spread out.
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Louis is standing over Schmeling.
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I jumped up, staring down at the floor.
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Schmeling’s as still as a stone.
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I lay still as a stone.
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The referee waves Louis to a neutral corner.
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I jumped up and followed his command, taking myself to what I decided was the neutral
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corner of the room.
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ONE.
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I signed with emphasis the number one... TWO...two... THREE... three... Schmeling’s trying to get up...
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I fell down. I tried to rise...and continued signing...
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FOUR...four...FIVE...five...Schmeling falls back to the floor... I fell back on the carpet.
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SIX...six...I signed the number from the floor...
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SEVEN...seven...EIGHT...eight...NINE... nine... TEN... I made a fist, held my thumb up, and
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shook my hand furiously...TEN.
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It’s all over! Schmeling’s out! I was signing madly.
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The noise from my radio was deafening. I proudly walked around the room, arms raised in victory.
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The cheering from the radio was music to my ears. My father cheered and stamped his feet on the floor
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in wild, true joy.
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“Great fight!” he signed when he caught his breath. “I understood everything!”
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I stood there in the middle of the ring, on the carpet exhausted but proud.
Aus: Myron Uhlberg: The Sound of Silence: Growing Up Hearing with Deaf Parents (2020)
- Read the tasks carefully.
- Make sure to write about all the aspects presented in each task.
1.
Describe the situation Myron is in one day and how he deals with it.
(8 Punkte)
2.
Analyse how Myron's feelings change over the course of the story and how they show in his behaviour and thoughts.
In doing so, look at the way the story is told (narrative technique, use of language)
In doing so, look at the way the story is told (narrative technique, use of language)
(12 Punkte)
3.
Here you can choose between three different options. Do only ONE of them!
option a)
Comment on the title of the book "The Sound of Silence".
Include the following aspects:
What a day - it was hard work but lots of fun at the same time. Dad wanted...
- Is it a good title for the book? Why? Why not?
- What can silence between people mean in different situations?
- Would you like to read the book? Why? Why not?
(10 Punkte)
OR
option b)
It's the year 1938: Myron's dad writes a letter to his sister, Anne, about how Myron helped him in this challenging situation.
Write the letter to Anne.
Include the following aspects:
- how he experienced the situation,
- his thoughts and feelings about his son,
- his wishes and hopes for the future.
June 23rd, 1938
I hope you are well. You aren't really interested in sports and probably didn't listen to the big event yesterday ... but I did! You probably wonder how I did that. Well, ...
(10 Punkte)
OR
option c)
Later that evening Myron thinks about this special day and his life with his deaf parents. He writes in his dairy.
Write his dairy entry.
Include the following aspects:
- his thoughts and feelings about this day,
- happy and difficult moments in his daily life,
- his wishes for himself and his family.
What a day - it was hard work but lots of fun at the same time. Dad wanted...
(10 Punkte)
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1.
Myron and his father are listening to a boxing match on the radio. Since Myron's father is deaf, Myron has to translate the match into sign language. Translating the action at the speed and level of noise was a great challenge, especially since Myron lacked the vocabulary to accurately translate the match into sign language.
Situation Myron's in
To eventually cope with the situation, he began to replay the event, which was the best way for his father to follow the game.
How he deals with it
2.
The excerpt of the book "The Sound of Silence" by Myron Uhlberg is written in first person perspective. So the reader experiences Myron's thoughts and feelings through his eyes.
Narrative form
To begin, Myron is overwhelmed and frustrated because he is supposed to explain something to his father without him having any idea about it. The repetition of the word "Question." (l. 4) three times highlights this.
Myron feels pressured not to make a mistake because his father is watching him very closely, the comparison that he "focused on me like a human microscope." (l. 7) shows this. His overwhelm is emphasized by the rhetorical question, "How was I supposed to sign..."? (l. 15)
Myron's mind constantly turned around the thought of his lacking vocabulary and ability to sign what was going on.
The short, seamless sentences of the commentator show the speed with which he comments on the match.
Myron feels pressured not to make a mistake because his father is watching him very closely, the comparison that he "focused on me like a human microscope." (l. 7) shows this. His overwhelm is emphasized by the rhetorical question, "How was I supposed to sign..."? (l. 15)
Myron's mind constantly turned around the thought of his lacking vocabulary and ability to sign what was going on.
The short, seamless sentences of the commentator show the speed with which he comments on the match.
Initial frustration and overload
His frustration turns to determination as he jumps up and acts out what he has heard instead of trying to formulate it through sign language. With the parallel sentence structures "I dropped... , I jumped... , I lay " (l. 20-29), the author underlines the speed with which Myron implements what he hears with full physical effort. Incomplete and partly very short sentences in anaphoric structures show how chaotic the whole situation was and yet also in what euphoria Myron translated for his father in the meantime. In the end, he finished the show proud and knowing that he had accomplished something.
Change of attitude
3. a)
The "Sound of Silence" by Myron Uhlberg is the title of a book about the story of a boy growing up with deaf parents. The two opposing terms of the title do not seem to go together at first. After all, silence has no sound, has it?
Introduction
The sign language Myron uses to translate the boxing match to his father is a wordless language and has its own silent sound. Myron's representations become "louder and louder" as he no longer uses only his hands to explain, but begins to use his whole body to react the events of the match. The excerpt of the story is riddled with contrasts, which is also reflected in the title "The Sound of Silence", which in my opinion makes the title very appropriate to the text.
The silence between two people has different meanings in different contexts. For example, the silence between Myron and his father is because of the circumstances that his father is deaf. However, there is also silence between people from other backgrounds, one often speaks of awkward silence in conflict situations or a separation in which unspoken things are between two people. When there is silence in a group or when there are minutes of silence at memorial services, the silence has an almost overwhelming effect full of emotion for many. However, silence can also be pleasant and relieving when one is in harmony with oneself and one's counterpart.
The silence between Myron and his father, the challenges he faces, and how he deals with this situation I find very interesting, which is why I would definitely read the book to the end.
Main Body
All in all, I think that silence can be both powerful and influential, it forces people to focus on themselves, to cope with emotions, thoughts, and feelings, and leads them to overthink their actions and act differently.
Conclusion
b)
June 23rd, 1938
Dear Anne,
I hope you are well.
You aren't really interested in sports and probably didn't listen to the big event yesterday ... but I did!
You probably wonder how I did that. Well, I asked Myron if he would translate the game for me. He of course said yes, but I could see the uncertainty and self-doubt about whether he could really do it in his eyes - admittedly, I had them myself, and I knew he was not a big box fan. When the game started it was very frustrating at first, I saw that he really tried everything, but I could only fragmentarily understand what he actually wanted to tell me. Until he suddenly jumped up and what came next - you wouldn't believe it - was indescribable, he no longer tried to translate the game by sign language but played, as in a role play, what the commentator reported. It was unbelievable, I have never been so excited about a game. It also made me insanely proud that Myron didn't let it get him down, but tried and succeeded! This makes me very optimistic about the future because with this attitude I know Myron can do anything. At the end of the day, it's not about not struggling, but not giving up. And after all, that's what he is. A fighter. I'm looking forward to hearing back from you. Lots of love,
Robert
c)
Dear Diary,
What a day - it was hard work, but a lot of fun at the same time. Dad wanted me to translate the box match for him. Even though I wasn't sure if I could do it, I agreed of course. But I underestimated it enormously...
I had no idea what it was about and I lacked half the vocabulary to render it correctly. When I saw that he understood almost nothing, I panicked. Without thinking too much about it, I jumped up and didn't even try to translate the game into sign language, but moved to the announcements. It was an incredible feeling, especially because I saw how fascinated my dad was watching me. Full of excitement the game ended and full of enthusiasm I saw how dad jumped up and down. When I think back to that day, it still fills me with pride what joy I was able to give my dad. It made me so happy and I wish we had more moments like that together where I could just give something back to him. The Box Match is a good example of how challenging everyday life can be for me sometimes, even though I'm used to it of course, there are still some challenges. For example, when I bring friends home or have a gig with my school band, I wish they could be a part of those moments too. However, I also know that it's not just about that, my parents and I have such an intimate relationship and I wish that it would stay that way in the future and that I could give back to them even more, just like I do today.
What a day - it was hard work, but a lot of fun at the same time. Dad wanted me to translate the box match for him. Even though I wasn't sure if I could do it, I agreed of course. But I underestimated it enormously...
I had no idea what it was about and I lacked half the vocabulary to render it correctly. When I saw that he understood almost nothing, I panicked. Without thinking too much about it, I jumped up and didn't even try to translate the game into sign language, but moved to the announcements. It was an incredible feeling, especially because I saw how fascinated my dad was watching me. Full of excitement the game ended and full of enthusiasm I saw how dad jumped up and down. When I think back to that day, it still fills me with pride what joy I was able to give my dad. It made me so happy and I wish we had more moments like that together where I could just give something back to him. The Box Match is a good example of how challenging everyday life can be for me sometimes, even though I'm used to it of course, there are still some challenges. For example, when I bring friends home or have a gig with my school band, I wish they could be a part of those moments too. However, I also know that it's not just about that, my parents and I have such an intimate relationship and I wish that it would stay that way in the future and that I could give back to them even more, just like I do today.