Reflection Paper
The country of the blind is a very interesting story. It narrates the journey of a man who discovered a valley where all the people were blind. The whole place was built according to the needs of the residents. They showed creativity and innovation despite their lack of sight. Although for the residents of the country of the blind, they don’t lack something. They treat themselves as normal people. It’s the traveler (Nunez) who is deviant – a fool, according to them.
They are different from ordinary blind people. Blind people in our world knows the concept of sight, some have even experienced seeing at some point in their lives so they knew what it’s like to see. For the ones who became blind in the latter part of their lives, they already have an existing knowledge or picture of the world in their minds. On the other hand, the blind people since birth from our generation have parents or relatives who can feed them information about what the outside world is like. It may not be that clear but their imagination can work on the knowledge provided by their companions. However, these people of old generation don’t even have the concept of sight. They don’t have any relatives or elders who can tell them what seeing is all about. No one could tell them the picture of the outside world. Because of that, their perception of the world was different. They shy away from the idea of seeing because they don’t know what it means. They closed off their minds from what is beyond their smooth walls. For so many years, they believed that the sky is also a solid rock figure above them because the sides of the valley were made of rock. Their belief was a product of their sense of touch. Many concepts and ideas were foreign to them because their lack of sight forbids them to explore the other parts of the world. Like their eyes, their minds were also closed when it comes to something beyond what is on their valley.
Their cognitive map was based on what they hear, smell, touch and taste. Their smelling and hearing were heightened to compensate for their lack of sight and probably because those were the ones they frequently used. These senses give them direction and guidance towards their actions. They didn’t adapt to the world around them. Instead, they thought of ways on how to make their surrounding adapt to their capacities. Nunez even tried to prove them that he was superior because he has the sense of sight but failed because of the resident’s heightened sense of smell, hearing, and adaptability. Their mental map of the place was superior to Nunez’ because know the place and the people better.
If I was the author, I would have ended the story differently. Nunez’ would stay and think of another way for him to marry Medina-sarote. He could use his sense of sight and knowledge of the villagers’ actions to trick them. After that, he could live with them and be truly the King of the Blind.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Through the interactive oral, my understanding of cultural and contextual consideration of Paradise of the Blind, written by Duong Thu Huong, is built upon the comparison of Vietnamese culture and western culture. To efficiently analyze Paradise of the Blind, I have to considered both western and eastern perspectives because the traditions and values are different or I can clarify which perspective I will look at the novel from.…
- 381 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Imagine waking up in the morning, opening your eyes and being greeted not with the familiarity of your bedroom ceiling, but with darkness. Naturally you’d be startled, but once you got past the initial shock, you’d be able conjure up an image of your bedroom from your imagination, clumsily bump your way through the room, and generally navigate through the house, right? Of course you would. The blind are not helpless, and can sometimes “see” more than we can. But wait- if you can’t see, how did you know where your bed was? Where the wall was? Or the door? Anthony Doerr, the author of All the Light We Cannot See, uses Marie-Laure, a young blind girl, to help illustrate one of the main themes in his book -that light and substance only truly exists in your head- with an extensive use of metaphors and descriptions.…
- 419 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
1. In the beginning when the blind man came to their house for the first time, he judged Robert because he was blind. "And his being blind bothered me. My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed." The narrator changes his mind when Robert told him to draw the Cathedral on the paper.…
- 499 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
It was interesting to hear, and see, what kind of challenges that deaf people faced. One of the people I found interesting was. A hearing French professor had brought the language from France and that was how it signing had started. I thought that was interesting, because not only was it a long time to create a form of communication for the deaf community; they were also mistreated for their inability to communicate with the rest of the world. Another person that I found interesting, was Alexander Gram Bell, had a wife and mother, who were deaf. On top of that, it was startling at first, to hear that the deaf community treated him as a sort of “boogeyman.” I found it fascinating that he is well known in a hearing class for inventing the telephone, but in the deaf class, he is known for starting the Oralism form of communication in the deaf community. Along with that, Bell fought against having sign language being taught, because he felt that it was a “borrowed language.” Instead he wanted the people community to learn to speak and read lips. It was interesting to hear, because I assumed that most people who were deaf just learned sign language for their communication.…
- 622 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Both the blind man and the Narrator interpret each other’s world of with or without seeing by going beyond threshold of community to be close to one’s way of living. In Raymond Carver’s short story, Cathedral. The narrator seems to have difficulty understanding the deeper meanings of thoughts and feelings of people. As for the blind man, he should be envied the most because he sees a more precise view of the world than a person with two good eyes. Also the blind man has closer relationship with the narrator's wife, than the narrator does himself.…
- 208 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
In the beginning, the narrator implies he is close minded and insensitive. He begins by stating, “A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (34). (Insert fact about social awkwardness around people with disabilities.) The narrator implies also cruel by stating to his wife that he should take the blind man bowling. From the beginning of the short story, the superficial narrator sees people from how they appear on the outside instead of valuing the person’s inside. The drawing of the cathedral marks the climax in the story because it is when the narrator has an epiphany and becomes enlightened. He states with a different perspective, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now” (46). The narrator is compelled to realize what it is like to truly have sight and also distinguishes how to relate with the blind man.…
- 613 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the story Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, the narrator makes multiple statements as to how he feels about Robert, the blind man. The statements are made purely on what the narrator has seen in movies and what he has read. The narrator makes harsh judgments of the blind mind regarding his inability to see his surroundings and other people. However, the narrator fails to see things the same way that Robert does, more deeply. Throughout the story the narrator finds himself beginning to understand the blind man’s condition in that he can see more than he anticipates. The narrator, or ‘Bub’ as the blind man calls him, goes through a drastic change of character throughout the time of getting to know Robert. After talking and having a few drinks with Robert and getting to know him a little better, Bub begins to see things as the blind man does and shines some light on a whole new perspective of being able to see.…
- 1450 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
When we first meet the narrator he is fearful of his new visitor and what it will do to his family and shows that he does not have very good feelings towards this blind man. The narrator immediately lets us know where he stands by saying "I wasn't enthusiastic about his visit... And his being blind bothered me." (Carver 106). This statement shows a great deal of ignorance in the character and a good sense of short-sighted views. However, he goes to stress that "[His] idea of blindness came from the movies.". He uses the pop cultural reference to blind people to excuse his ignorance, but all he shows to the audience is that he knows only of fictional blind people and has to base his opinion on his visitor from that (Carver 106). With him being a honest character, he does reveal what is truly bothering him is his jealousy of Robert, but initially this information is clouded by the narrator's obsession with Robert's blindness. From that we can actually come out and say that the narrator is blind in the beginning of the story, and he's the one that can't see who Robert is. He even tells us that he has no real understanding of his wife when he mentions her poetry "I didn't think much of the poem. Of course, I didn't tell her that." even though he…
- 1416 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Carver shows us that the narrator is a closed-minded human being with a simple and boring personality. He is not open to other people’s beliefs as he’s an individualist. He is unreceptive to his wife’s pen-pal relationship with the blind man. He stereotypes Robert as he is physically blind, and he also makes racist remarks about Robert’s late wife Beulah. “That’s a name for a colored woman. Was his wife a Negro?” (3). The narrator is an unspiritual individual. “I wasn’t enthusiastic about his visit. He was no one I knew. And his being blind bothered me” (2). The narrator had poor beliefs as he would believe that the blind man isn’t consider as a normal human being just because he was physically blind. “You’ll have to forgive me, but I can’t tell you what a cathedral looks lie. The truth is, cathedrals don’t mean anything special to me” (8). The social milieu conditions in the short story is extremely important because shows the importance the setting has on the theme of human connection and…
- 831 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The story’s narrator informs the readers that a friend of his wife’s, a man who happens to be blind, is on his way to visit. The narrator is not enthusiastic about the visit because blind people make the narrator uncomfortable, mainly because the narrator has no real experience with the blind.…
- 652 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, the narrator is overwhelmed with disappointment and misunderstanding in his own life. He doesn’t see all the beauty and creativity in the world, but merely goes through the motions of life without actively living. Blindness is an underlying theme in this story, but not only as a physicality, but a social handicap. The narrator may be more capable of sight than the blind man, but he knows nothing of the descriptive illustration of life. It is through the blind mans probing of the narrator, that he finally discovers how closed off and shielded he has been. We can see a revelation in the narrator, and a transformation in his mindset.…
- 810 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the story, Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, readers are shown the other side of blindness. In the world, one may assume that there is just one type of blindness- being sightless. “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to” (Carver, 1). The meaning of blindness goes much deeper than that. Through the actions and words of a character, the husband in this short story, readers are shown how much ignorance, fear, and confusion one can have for someone who has literal blindness. All these negative feelings towards the blind man leads to the husband finding the blindness within himself.…
- 519 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The narrators statement at the very beginning of the story explains his own lack of knowledge concerning physical blindness. His lack of knowledge relating to the visitors disability is undeniable, yet he makes it very clear that he is…
- 977 Words
- 4 Pages
Better Essays -
The narrator is shown to be a man who is envious of his wife’s first husband, jealous of her bond with the blind man and who smokes marijuana daily. The narrator’s use of a narrative point of view helps give the readers an inside of his personal thoughts about the blind man, Robert. Stereotypes and intimidations are constantly present with the narrators thought’s such as “they move slow, use canes, wear dark glasses, never laugh, and use seeing-eyedogs.” This helps demonstrate the view the narrator has towards the blind. Further into the story the narrator’s thoughts take a dramatic enlightening turn with the use of a cathedral, it serves as a way to grasp the narrator and show him to “see” things in a different prospective.…
- 276 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
In the novel Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong, the author uses diction from the perspective of Hang to set the foundation of the novel as well as to establish the essential element of Hang’s journey through time and space in relation to her family. Motifs are vital in the novel to draw attention to certain aspects in order to bring out the emotional experiences of Hang’s journey along with her interactions with other characters. Motifs are expressed to portray the influence of cultural aspects on Hang’s emotions and conscience. Imagery, portrayed in the novel is expressed through intense diction as the beautiful landscapes she describes is contradicted with harsh comments that reflect society. As Hang matures from innocence to maturity, it is evident Huong is displaying Hang’s coming of age story through the use of various techniques. In result, Hang becomes aware of herself, her Vietnamese culture, and her family. The author utilizes the techniques of diction, motifs and imagery to interpret the emotional journey Hang experiences through various changes as she discovers herself and is able to find her place in the world resulting in her ultimate acknowledgement that she does not have to abide by expectations of Vietnamese culture and familial obligations.…
- 1058 Words
- 3 Pages
Better Essays