Personal Narrative: Ferdinand The Bull

This quote from Look Me in The Eye by John Elder Robison is brief, but crucially important. During our Clarkson Seminar class discussion my fellow students and I delved into the topic of what emotions and feelings John Elder Robison possibly experienced as a child. It was generally accepted by the group that he often felt confused, frustrated, and alienated throughout his childhood. However the deeper reason as to why he felt these emotions was only briefly touched on. Much of the blame for these feelings was put on the fact that Robison did not have a formal Asperger's diagnosis as a child. It was argued that if he had a formal Asperger’s diagnosis at a young age he wouldn’t of been as frustrated as he was, simply because he would have at

In the article, “How to Speak Asperger’s,” by Fran Goldfarb and Guthrie Devine, the authors contend that learning to communicate with people with Asperger’s Syndrome is an important skill. The authors introduce the article by providing a narrative about Goldfarb’s son. The point of her narrative is that communication is misunderstood with people with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The author, Fran Goldfarb, explains how her son misunderstands communication with his teachers, and how punishment is ineffective, because of his Asperger’s. The authors start by explaining why communication is very complex. To begin with, people with AS struggle with communication, because of their lack of social cues. They tend to miss irony, humor, and they take everything literally. That’s why people with AS don’t understand communication and everything is a struggle for them.

Temple’s mother was not her only champion. While at the Mountain Country School, a teacher, Mr. Carlock emerged as an influential mentor for Temple. Like Temple’s mother, Mr. Carlock “didn’t see any labels, just the underlying talents” (p.90). “He didn’t try to draw [Temple] into his world but came instead into [her] world” (p. 90). Through Mr. Carlock, Temple learnt many social skills. “He didn’t preach but showed by his own conduct a social perception that I envied and tried to emulate. From him I was learning humanistic values that I lacked because of my autism” (p.91).

There was forever a peculiarity that I was not blind to, a certain strangeness that grew increasingly and often times embarrassingly pronounced the more I became aware of the rigors of social norms. His whole existence spoke of an inner duality, a cosmic unbalance that resulted in his inherent oddity.

With the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003), author Mark Haddon has written an intriguing and intelligent book that shows how the world is perceived through the eyes of a teenage boy (Christopher) with Aspergers syndrome. This book gives the readers an understanding of how difficult it is for young people with Aspergers syndrome to make friends, to show emotions and to connect with other human beings. Mark Haddon explores the struggle to becoming independent, dealing with death and grief, dealing with problems and challenges and conflict in life. While these can be issues that teenagers have to deal with, however in Christopher’s situation he is dealing with all these issues and his condition also. This means that this book stands out from others and

Amazingly, one percent of new births will have some type of autism (Autism Society of America, 2010). Asperger’s disorder is one type of Autism, and is at the high end of these disorders. This “disorder, which is also called Asperger's syndrome (AS) or autistic psychopathy, belongs to a group of childhood disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) or autistic spectrum disorders”(Exkorn, 2006). A characteristic of this disorder is harsh and strict disruption of a certain type of brain development. The most affected areas of Asperger's disorder is difficulty in social understanding and in behavior or activities that are limited or recurring (Frey, 2003). Students with Asperser’s have different levels of seriousness,

After some time of trying to cope with my diagnosis and talking to my counselor and other people who I felt could help, I finally started to accept that I am different than other people and may not fit into the box that society thinks is “normal” and that makes me unique. In 1944, Hans Asperger published a definition of Autism. He studied four boys and noted that they all had the same symptoms, a lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, and often had one sided conversations. He also noticed that these kids were more prone to being bullied. Anyone with Aspergers or Autism should not be treated differently in general especially within the learning environment.

Sixteenth century Europe was amidst the most prominent religious changes, stemming from a single German priest who started the domino effect now known as the Reformation. Embraced by Northern Humanism, a Renaissance ideal that spread to the Holy Roman Empire, Martin Luther picked out the major corruptions of the Catholic Church and began his own branch of religion known as Protestantism. Protestants and Catholics became stone-cold enemies. The battle for legitimacy of Protestantism was a strenuous battle, but finally came to the light at the end of the tunnel in 1555 when the Peace of Augsburg was signed and issued, giving German princes the power to choose between Protestantism and Catholicism (Coy). Yet, just when the worldwide feud began

In the early 20th century, Archduke Francis would be assassinated, resulting in a war between the various regions of Europe. While World War 1 would commence as a result of Ferdinand’s assassination, various fundamental factors would drive Europe to war as well. Underlying factors such as National aspirations, Rivals and arms race, and system of alliances would all contribute to the bloodshed known as The Great War. Perhaps without these aspects the slaughter of millions of people may not have occurred.

At my high school, I participate in a club called Best Buddies. This club allows for students with intellectual disabilities to build one-on-one friendships with students without intellectual disabilities. My buddy’s name is Karissa, and she has autism. Being friends with her has changed my life for the better. Not only has she taught me the virtue of patience and to see the opportunity in every difficulty, but that labels are meant to be peeled off. Although others may laugh at her for what she cannot change, she refuses to let others define her by her autism. In a world that is constantly trying to tell her that she cannot be who she is, she continues

The following information is based off of the assessment of a young eleven-year old girl named Sarah Fraser. Sarah comes from the parents of Kyle and Mary Fraser; a family of three who live in a cozy suburban neighborhood. Sarah attends a local public middle school as a fifth grader and is noted, by both parents, to be an excellent student in all content areas; usually earning A’s or B’s on her report cards. Sarah’s favorite school subject is science due to her love for hands on experiments and learning more about outer space. Additionally, Sarah also enjoys some math. At the age of eight, Sarah was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), a neurobiological disorder characterized as part of one of the higher-functioning ends of the autism spectrum.

We may not all think alike, but understanding the differences can be what brings us closer as a society. In Temple’s situation, learning about the mind of someone with autism can help improve the lives of millions of individuals with that limitation in life. Similar to Oliver Sacks’ research on individuals with mental illnesses, Temple’s understanding of how to help those who may not be understood could change how doctors, families, and strangers treat those who may be different. Like Ame ́lie, we must also not forget how to love, for “a woman without love wilts like a flower without sun” (Ame ́lie). The key to having a fulfilling life is to find one’s purpose and never give up on working hard to reach goals. We must all make a life worth

Desire is explicitly a part of the human nature, it takes us beyond our bodily necessities to point out what we want for our own personal satisfaction. Ferdinand is afflicted with his desire to control his sister in preventing her from getting married. He explains to his sister, the widowed Duchess of Malfi that she should no longer have the desire to be married since she already knows “what man is and therefore, let not youth, high promotion, eloquence… (1578).” In addition, he explains that for a woman to wan to marry again would make her a lewd person. Ferdinand’s so strongly desires to stop his sister from marrying that he even goes as far as to threaten her with their father’s dagger, stating that he would “loath see’t loo rusty, ‘cause

In times of life, we see our lifelong enemies in battlefields. We all fight them when they bring us down. They make us feel like we’re trying to deadlift. It’s difficult to keep trying to defeat without stopping. But I’ve learned to keep my head up and tell myself that I’m stronger than my enemy. My enemy, Autism, shaped my ability to value education that’s given to me and to train others to fight their enemies similar to mine.

Consequently, many tantrums are thrown when he does not get what he wants and it is hard for him to understand that people do not always get what they want. When we were younger, I was able to understand what he wanted and communicate that to my parents when they did not comprehend what he was expressing. Growing up with him has enhanced my communication skills because I am able to notice the nonverbal actions that many people overlook. Having a brother with Asperger’s syndrome caused me to mature at a younger age and be a role model to him. We are just two years apart and I was the first one to get a job and learn how to drive a car. He saw the luxuries that I was able to have and wanted the same. I had a job opening at my work so I had him fill out an application and he was hired. It was ideal for us to work at the same job because I am able to give him assistance and pick up his slack for he is a slow worker. Although he does make family life harder, I would not have developed into the person I am today without him. I am thankful that I have a hidden blessing in my family that has opened my eyes to recognize the diversity among