Kate Lebo's essay notable essay "The Loudproof Room" succeeds in defamiliarizing her hearing "disability." Defamiliarlization refers to the process of taking something mundane, ordinary, and oft-overlooked and presenting it in a new light, in a way that makes it seem fresh, new, sudden, and alive.
Lebo's defamiliarization rings most clearly in the first sentence of the final paragraph: "Disability can create sensibility." If this were an academic essay, we would call this her thesis, but since this is a personal essay, we might call this the essay's epiphany, the moment of truth. Another method Lebo uses to foster defamiliarization is metaphor, of which this sentence is a prime example: "When my otolaryngologist says everyone's ear has three windows and that at least one of those windows must be closed to maintain balance and prevent vertigo, he turns my eardrum into a breezy little house." In this way, Lebo's metaphor changes her medical condition into a home, which is an odd--and effective--way of framing her "disability." Finally, Lebo uses alternate definitions of dehiscence in the fifth and sixth paragraphs to invite the readers to consider two contrasting ways of seeing her life: as a "flower bud that's about to burst into bloom" or two spots in the skull that "have thinned to two tiny gaps." Is Lebo's dehiscence a gift? Or a flaw? In this essay, it's both, and this ironic, defamiliarized perspective allows us to step back and examine our own lives in a similar manner.
1. In your essay, for what term, word, or idea might you explore alternate definitions?
2. How might you use a metaphor in your essay?
3. What might your epiphany be?
1. I am thinking of exploring the idea of loss in my essay. The average person immediately thinks of pain and/or negativity when they see or hear that word. I believe that there can be alternate ways of looking at it, however.
ReplyDelete2. I haven't completely decided on a metaphor to use for my essay, but I am inspired by a quote which I recently saw: "Grief is like a labyrinth. A labyrinth is not a maze as there are no dead ends and no wrong turnings. There is only one way -- forward." (Lauren Artress, no date). I will not explicitly write about grief in my essay, but I like what Artress conveys and want to try to come up with something original that gets my point across about loss in the way that she did regarding grief.
3. My epiphany may be something along the lines of, "you cannot find yourself without first being lost."
1. As a child I was expose to abuse and abuse was desensitize to me. We often read and hear story of people that survived abuse but we never hear the story of the abuser. In essay my essay I will discuss how I went from being in toxic abusive relationships to becoming the abuser.
ReplyDelete2. Coming from an abusive environment made me feel broken on many different levels, as if I was unfixable and unable to function in society.
3. My epiphany was becoming a mother and finally seeing all the abuse I experience. " seeing myself in my daughters eyes".
1. A term that I will emphasize throughout my essay would be searching. Throughout elementary to middle school to high school to college, I was searching for who I really was and who I wanted to be. Searching doesn't necessary mean that I have lost something, but I was in need of finding something where I am planning to go.
ReplyDelete2. A metaphor that I could use throughout each stepping stone in my life that I experienced would be, "My life just got flipped upside down
".
3. My epiphany would be realizing that I am trying to rush to fit into society. Such as, "Be who you are destined to be. Different. Don't try to be who others expect you to be".
1. A term that I could emphasize in my essay would be lost. At such a young age many students including myself are still exploring different paths in our life. We are not certain yet in which path to take so we are feeling lost and confused at the moment.
ReplyDelete2. I am still not certain in how I would use a metaphor in my essay having to do with lost
3. My epiphany could be along the lines like, “it is okay to be lost right now...”
I am not quite sure which word i would emphasize, but it is between, lost, confused, and hopeless. for the past 3 years I have felt lost and confused about my life and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a metaphor yet but it may be along the lines of "trading in my walls for bridges" I have built a wall around me because I have lost so many friendships. Their losses have been greater than any intimate relationship loss ive had, and I have been trying to work my way back up.
my epiphany would be something along the lines of "when you loose yourself, you have the opportunity to find yourself"
I think that I would like to explore the different definitions or meaning of found. I feel rather positive about life and where I'm going, I feel as if I'm found.
ReplyDeleteI think that I would use a metaphor to describe a definition of being found.
My epiphany would be the reasons why I feel found rather then lost in life. I know where I'm going and what I want to do in life.
The word I found alternative meaning for is “malignant”: When the doctor dropped the word “malignant” it seemed like all had come to an end, but it actually is the “beginning” of all things new about myself.
ReplyDeleteOne of the metaphors I used is “time is a thief” to describe the overwhelming feeling of loss and inadequacy that I experienced when I lost my dad.
My Epiphany came in 2011 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and lying there in that hospital bed undergoing chemotherapy, I had ample time to meditate long and hard.
1. I would explore exactly what I am searching for and what I have found. I would explain what I have found in my life and what I have experienced.
ReplyDelete2. I would use a metaphor is regards to my experiences.
3. My epiphany is you must always become yourself first and accept yourself and love yourself before succeeding and being happy.
1. “Confused” is a term I will be using in essay.
ReplyDelete2. A metaphor I would use is: “my life is a maze”
3. An epiphany I would use is: “be someone different not a copy”
1. In my essay, I will explore the idea of searching to be peacefully happy with where I am in life. This isn’t saying I’m never happy, but I don’t think I’ve ever been at a point in life where I am doing something where I feel happy and don’t have other things in the back of my mind I which I see as a hassle, as in a job I don’t like or school.
ReplyDelete2. A metaphor I might use would be “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Even though life throws curve balls and there are rough times in which you have to go through, you have to shed light on the good that is still in the picture.
3. My epiphany might be what I said in the first question, I’ve never been at a point in life in which I am peacefully happy with every thing taking place in my life at that moment and been happily content with where I am and what I'm doing.
1) A term that I would like to explore in my essay is hope. I have had a number of different challenges from internal (depression) to external (abuse and deaths) and hope has always kept me afloat.
ReplyDelete2) A metaphor I recently heard that I may use is "I couldn't be someone's light if I don't love myself". A driving force in keeping myself afloat has always been my little brother. I wanted to be the best me for him, and I love him, but it's hard to truly show love without loving yourself first.
3) I don't know what I would use as an epiphany, but I guess it would be when my father died. We had grown apart and I thought I had accepted his being lost (in alcoholism) but when he was dying, it felt so much more real. He had poor care that led to complications and drove me to become a nurse and do my best to keep those things from happening to someone else.
1) A term that I would like to explore in my essay is hope. I have had a number of different challenges from internal (depression) to external (abuse and deaths) and hope has always kept me afloat.
ReplyDelete2) A metaphor I recently heard that I may use is "I couldn't be someone's light if I don't love myself". A driving force in keeping myself afloat has always been my little brother. I wanted to be the best me for him, and I love him, but it's hard to truly show love without loving yourself first.
3) I don't know what I would use as an epiphany, but I guess it would be when my father died. We had grown apart and I thought I had accepted his being lost (in alcoholism) but when he was dying, it felt so much more real. He had poor care that led to complications and drove me to become a nurse and do my best to keep those things from happening to someone else.
1. Terms I'm associated with is different, but to me, I'm more depressed and want to find my place in the world. A path that can take me to true happiness.
ReplyDelete2. My metaphor is dealing with depression. “It’s like I was in a loud room for so long, I didn’t know how loud it was. And all I have now is the ringing in my ears.”
3. My depression has gotten worse during my last months of being a freshman in high school until my last days of being a senior. I like to draw, especially while listening to music. It calms me down and feels like I'm in my own world where no one can effect me. Drawing for people helps but lately I feel like I'm losing a part of me. It doesn't feel like I'm drawing for myself anymore. I need to find my muse.
1.Like in the previous post, I wrote about how my essay is about how I’m still lost in life. So I would use “lost” as a term id explore.
ReplyDelete2.I can’t think of a metaphor at the top of my head, but it would go along the lines of how being lost right now, is somewhere I’m okay to be. Explain how it is okay to be lost and not know what to do. I’d probably compare being lost to finding myself.
3.My epiphany is “who said it’s not okay to be lost, some people are successful or dead and are not content or happy with themselves.”
1. In my essay I would like to explore the idea of wondering. I believe that it is okay to not know everything or to not have a set plan right away. How I’m I going to make a decision on what I want to be for the rest of my life when I’m 18. I’m not even able to drink alcohol (legally) and they expect me to know or figure it out. So wondering, traveling, or finding out who you are should be what comes before picking what you want to do.
ReplyDelete2. As a metaphor I would use: a boat is safe at the harbor but that is not what boats are made for. Not all who wonder are lost
3. My epiphany was the beginning of senior year (college) I though back to the beginning of school and thought if I could go back if I would do it all again, I chose no.
1. A word I might want to explore alternate definitions is different. I believe that there can be alternate ways of understanding the word different. Also the idea of being positive is something I would also like to explore as well.
ReplyDelete2. The use of a metaphor in my essay will be in regards to my experience and incidents of being different. “Be a fruit loop in a world of cheerios”
3. My epiphany for my essay may be somewhere along the lines of “be someone different not a copy” just like one of my fellow classmates.
1. The terms I would use would be unsatisfied and confused. At times I wonder why I need to grow up and not satisfied with what I have done for myself until now.
ReplyDelete2. A metaphor I have found to summarize my life would have to be “Life is a game, you learn the rules as you play.”
3. My epiphany would be its okay to be unsatisfied because you yourself can fix that and being confused is a stage that one day it will change to confused to knowledge.
1. In your essay, for what term, word, or idea might you explore alternate definitions?
ReplyDeleteI would like to explore the word resolution or resolve. The different definitions are related to the firm decision whether or not to do something and to resolve something or separate it into its base components.
2. How might you use a metaphor in your essay?
I would relate life to the idea of an elevator. Although you are always continuing on your way up, at some point you will have to stop to let people on or off.
3. What might your epiphany be?
My epiphany may be that although you are influenced by people in many different ways, you have to stick to who you really are and take the best of each influential figure in your life to mold you into a better person.
1. In your essay, for what term, word, or idea might you explore alternate definitions?
ReplyDeleteI would explore the term of success. Success means achievements, but what does success account for. Or when does someone know they had succeeded.
2. How might you use a metaphor in your essay?
A metaphor I would use might be, “Success is a happy life”.
3. What might your epiphany be?
My epiphany occurred when I received a call stating I was accepted into the nursing program.
1. I may explore alternate definitions for the term "lost," because throughout life prior to my epiphany it was a prevalent source of misdirection. An inescapable kind of thing that I had no idea was guiding me all along.
ReplyDelete2. I may use the metaphor of having a service dog that doesn't quite know the city just yet, in relation to allowing others to push and pull me along certain paths in my life. This would be useful in mapping out my essay.
3. My epiphany would be that I have always known what I was good at, what I wanted to be, and who I am as a person. Writing is my life and I'm thankful for the opportunity to express myself, even in a short blog posts like this.
1. I might explore the term art or artist more.
ReplyDelete2.As an artist and songwriter, I use metaphors constantly. I might refer to an being artist as several things.
3. My epiphany is this will be the end of my college career, but the start of my art career.
1. I might explore the term art or artist more.
ReplyDelete2.As an artist and songwriter, I use metaphors constantly. I might refer to an being artist as several things.
3. My epiphany is this will be the end of my college career, but the start of my art career.
1. I would explore the term of resolution because the way people solve many different situations varies from person to person.
ReplyDelete2. A metaphor I would use is "life is a climb" because, atleast to me, there is no such thing as 'failure'. Whatever it is that you are going through in life is what shapes you as a person and so a person is always climbing and never going downhill.
3. My epiphany was when I began working as a Behavior Therapist and realized that I love helping others and working with children confirming I was going in the right direction with my educational goals.
1. I will explore the word legacy. Usually a legacy refers to a historical figure or event. I will explore the legacy of a person, and more specifically the legacy of my mother.
ReplyDelete2. I do not have a metaphor at this time but instead I have a quote from Billy Graham
"The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith."
3. My epiphany was becoming a mother. I realized that most things in this world are temporary. Money, style, clothes, homes, cars, are all temporary....even happiness is temporary. If you do life right, the most important and lasting thing you can leave this world is your legacy. And most of the time, your legacy is passed down to your children. This is so significant in my life because my mom left me the legacy of love. She taught me what unconditional love looks like and feels like. I didn't realize it until I was a mother myself, but my unconditional love for my friend and family (and especially my son) is one of my best qualities.