Heilker and Yergeau

Summary

This article starts by talking about how recently autism has become a frequently talked about topic in our society and that it is now approaching "critical mass". In just the past few years, many movies, television shows, and even Autism Awareness Day has been created to bring autism into light in our society. The problem that the writers of this article have about making autism such an important topic is that we really do not know anything about it. It then goes on to say that autism is rhetorical because we put so much effort into bringing autism into light in the community, however we don't know anything about it. This article talks about how people with autism can become obsessed with certain things which is why people with autism usually know a great amount about one topic that they enjoy.

 

Connections

The only other article I can connect this to is Gee's article because he too talks about rhetoric and discourses just like this article by Heilker and Yergeau. Gee talks about how rhetoric is a way of being. This is similar to Heilker and Yergeau because they consider autism as a rhetoric, and autism is also a way of being.

 

 

 

I believe it is obvious that the dominant perception of autism is that it is a disability. These authors are arguing that autism is not a disability, but in fact almost a rhetoric or discourse community themselves. They function in their own certain way that is so different that to outsiders it looks like a disability. So, in fact, people who have autism belong to their own special discourse community.

 

Opinions

I found this article interesting. They brought up an interesting idea and made us look at autism in a different way. I liked the part when they talked about how when people with autism really like a topic they know everything about it and talk about it all the time because there were some kids with autism in my high school and they knew everything about science, so I agree with that statement.

Villanueva and hooks

Summaries

The Villanueva article is a huge collection of various poems and short stories. The common theme between all of these poems and short stories is minorities having trouble fitting in in the communities where they reside. They felt alone because of people making fun of them, both the way they looked and because they were struggling to learn a new language. The topics in these poems and stories range from spending time in jail to being called names and not being able to fit in.

 

The main topic in bell hooks article is the trouble that she encountered when trying to write her autobiography. She said she interpreted the struggles as an indication that she was not ready to let go of her past and be fully in the present. She said that every day that went by while she was attempting to write her biography her memories became more and more faded. She ends by saying that when she finally finished writing her biography she was glad she did because writing a biography puts your life into a new perspective.

 

Connections

When i finished reading the Villanueva article, I realized it had a lot of similarities to the Alexie article. Alexie struggled, much like all of the people in the poems and short stories, to conform and fit into their new society.

 

Opinions

The Villanueva article was interesting because it was just a collection of other peoples works that have a common theme. It brought to light the first hand experience that "foreigners" for lack of a better word, have conforming into their society and dealing with the struggles of fitting in to said society. I didn't mind the bell hooks article, and it kind of makes me want to try and write my own biography and see if I can remember what I did in the past.