Journal articles on the topic 'Reading comprehension – Thailand – Bangkok'

EFL readers tend to experience a number of challenges while learning, due to a number of factors that affect how these readers achieve their learning goals. Metacognitive strategies, referring to one’s deliberate, goal-directed control over cognitive enterprises, are considered crucial for assisting EFL learners to be able to accomplish comprehension while reading. Previous studies have enriched the knowledge of metacognitive reading strategies in EFL settings. However, only few investigations yielded statistically significant effects on learners’ reading performance. This present study hence foresees an opportunity to shed new light on this issue by focusing on EFL learners’ proficiency. The objectives of this research are twofold: exploring the effects of the metacognitive strategy instruction on the strategy awareness, and perceiving the effects of the instruction on the reading performance in taking a standardized test. Forty-three students enrolling in a private male school in Bangkok, Thailand participated in the study, lasting ten weeks. A wide range of research tools were administered: SORS, IELTS reading test, and lesson plans. The findings suggested that the students’ awareness of reading strategies used in terms of sub-categories and IELTS reading test score improved with statistical significance. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future research studies are discussed based on the findings.

It is recognized that reading ability is essential for Thai EFL students and English reading is perceived as a difficult task among them. To understand the difficulty experienced by the students while reading English text, this study hence aimed at investigating problems of using English reading strategies perceived by Thai EFL students as well as providing suggested reading instructions for Thai lecturers to cope with the emerging problems. This study employed a mixed-method design. The participants of the study were 412 Thai EFL students who, in this study, were also considered as Gen Z students at a large-size university in Bangkok, Thailand. The participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire on 4-point Likert’s scale, which was adapted from Aebersold and Field (1997). Moreover, 10 students were recruited for two focus group interviews. The results revealed that Thai EFL students experience difficulties in using English reading strategies when they have to skip unknown words during the first reading (mean = 2.67, SD = 1.01) followed by varying reading speed rates according to the type of the reading passage (mean = 2.66, SD = 0.97), and guessing the meanings of unknown words by using the context clues (mean = 2.59, SD = 0.92) respectively. Based on both quantitative and qualitative results and personality traits of Thai Gen Z, suggested reading instructions including guided reading, improving student’s vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, technology-blended classroom and critical reading were purposed.

The Kodály method of teaching music literacy was used by the writer to teach Western music notation to elementary students, at the laboratory school of Kasetsart University in Thailand for six years. The students achieved good competencies in reading music, singing and playing the recorder. The method was afterwards disseminated to music teachers of municipal schools in Bangkok and was accepted. It seems that the method will spread further to other groups of music teachers.

English reading competencies and English learning strategies are fundamental both in studying academic subjects and in the field of technology. If both of them are necessities, they should be related and developed to improve our students’ learning. It was found that students’ mean score was low in an English reading competencies test; however, students’ scores were average in English learning strategies. Canonical variable analysis indicated that affective, compensatory and metacognitive strategies were efficiently related to literal comprehension. Moreover, memory strategies were efficiently related to critical comprehension.

The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ opinions towards the reading comprehension through cooperative learning activities. The subjects were 25 students in grade 5 at Bannonnoischool, UbonRatchathani, Thailand. The studied was operated in an English course in second semester of 2014 academic year. The experiment took two days a week for five weeks. There are two instruments which were used in this study; lesson plans which were used for teaching over 10 periods, consisting of five lesson plans from New Express English Activities Book 5, and the questionnaire for checking the students' opinions towards cooperative learning. The research findings were as follows: The mean score of all determination is 3.82 which reflect that the subjects improved their reading skill due to the cooperative-learning activities in the class. The opinions were taken from each item indicated that the students have a positive attitude in cooperative learning in all items. Furthermore the cooperative learning activities can motivate in reading comprehension to a maximum of 4.56. The results of the study helped the teacher to improve teaching English by using cooperative learning strategy, promote reading comprehension, encourage and support students in reading English by using cooperative learning.

Speaking as a language skill has been considered the most difficult one to master by the students especially in Songserm Wittaya School Songkla, Thailand. It was found that the majority of the students found it difficult to speak English fluently. As a productive skill, speaking is complex because learners need to acquire the accuracy and fluency in speaking. However, one EFL class showed a bit difference in the ability of speaking English because of their reading intensity. The design of the research was descriptive qualitative. The data were collected by a questionnaire for intensive reading and an interview on speaking to 30 students at 4/3 grade. The results of this research in general revealed that most of the students at grade 4/3 Thailand are good in speaking English due to their intensive reading that reached 50%. It was clearly seen from the analysis of some aspects of speaking (pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension) in the interview section and questionnaire of reading intensity that 50% of the participants can speak English better through reading activity intensively. This finding implies that intensive reading has become a meaningful input for students’ speech production.

This research investigated vocabulary acquisition (VA) and vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) use of Thai EFL graduates of a government university in southern Thailand through English narrative readings that inserted fifteen target words into each reading text. The main purpose of the reading treatment was reading comprehension skills. The study also examined implications for EFL vocabulary learning and teaching in Thai context. The sample of fifteen Thai EFL graduates was selected from one group of 40 first year students majoring in Accountancy from a southern Thailand government university. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview. The interview session was used to elicit information about their VLS use and vocabulary learning experiences. The interview forms after the reading treatment provided a greater insight into the interviewing process behind the participants’ VLS selection and showed how they deduced word meanings of unfamiliar English vocabulary in the narrative reading tasks. Research findings showed that Thai EFL learners in this study apparently show a greater preference for the translation, metacognitive regulation, memory and cognitive strategies than for the determination, metacognitive and social strategies. The findings demonstrate the indirect influence of learners’ previous English vocabulary learning on their English language skill development. In addition, this study suggests a close link between vocabulary learning strategy selection, vocabulary knowledge and language skill development in EFL context, especially southern Thailand.

This study examined the effectiveness of explicit instruction of metacognitive strategies over a 14-week semester with a group of 40 EFL learners at a private university in Thailand. A metacognitive questionnaire and a reading test were administered at the beginning and at the end of the course to find the changes in both the questionnaire responses and test scores. The data obtained were analyzed by using mean, standard deviation, and paired sample t-tests. Qualitative data from a semi-structured interview were also analyzed to explore students views on the strategy-based instruction. It was found that after the instruction, the reading score and metacognitive strategy use of the three groups namely: high, moderate, low were significantly higher than those before the instruction at the .05 level. In addition, different types of learners exhibited different responses to the strategy instruction. This studys findings contribute to a better understanding of strategy instruction and support the belief that strategy training should be conducted to enhance reading performance of the learners.

The purposes of this study were to develop the instructional model for enhancing self-directed learning skills of Bangkok University students, study the impacts of the model on their English reading comprehension and self-directed learning ability as well as explore their opinion towards self-directed learning. The model development process consisted of a review of literature, the design of the learning model, and evaluation of its effectiveness by experts validation and implementation of the model in the classroom. The research instruments included 1) the Honey and Mumfords Learning Style Questionnaire used to divide the students into four groups: activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist, 2) self-directed learning readiness scale created by Guglielmino, 3) a reading comprehension test, and 4) an opinion questionnaire towards self-directed learning. Over 12 weeks, the designed Self-directed Learning Instructional Model was employed with 120 students enrolled in Fundamental English I course in the first semester of 2010 academic year. Then the data were analyzed by mean, standard deviation, t-test, and One-way Analysis of Variance. Regarding the effectiveness of instructional model, the experts accepted that the model was appropriate. From implementing the model in class, it was found that the English reading proficiency mean scores of the post-test of students in four learning styles were significantly higher than those of the pre-test (p<.05). Moreover, the post-test mean scores of self-directed learning ability of students in four learning styles were significantly higher than the pre-test mean scores (p<.05). The students had a high level of opinion towards self-directed learning. The findings suggest that self-directed learning environment be provided for students to enhance their reading skill and self-directed learning ability.

This article employs an urban sociological reading to examine mourning portraiture in the primate city of Bangkok, Thailand, following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). The article argues that Bangkok’s mourning portraiture constructs a reified notion of the Thai nation acceptable to Bangkok’s elites. Through a narrative that sacralizes the late king’s historical exploits for the Thai people, Bangkok’s elites have harnessed the affluent shopping district of Pathum Wan as an aesthetic and political canvas for showcasing the transcendent and virtuous nature of their late monarch. With mourning portraiture as figure and Bangkok’s Pathum Wan as background, the nationalist implications of the imagery as they render sacred the late monarch are considered. The article concludes that the capital city’s sacralization of a deceased king is but an attempt by pro-royalist banking families to reinforce their class linkages to the Thai aristocracy by ‘working towards the monarchy,’ a trajectory illuminated by Serhat Ünaldi, one which I hope to make visible in the post-death context of mourning Rama IX.

This paper explores the metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and the use of reading strategies among Thai EFL learners. Fifteen female university students who are in their fourth-year undergraduate study of English at a Thai university participated in this study. The study used a mixed-method approach. The Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) was used to investigate the participants’ metacognitive awareness involved in reading. Also, to insightfully assess and analyze the participants’ reading strategies while they were reading the academic texts, a think-aloud protocol was used. The findings reveal that the participants’ overall use of metacognitive awareness of reading strategies (Global, Problem-solving, and Support reading strategies) was at a high level (Mean = 2.85, S.D. = 0.31). Among 30 individual reading strategies, the most frequently used was underlining and circling (Mean = 3.60, S.D. = 0.74), which fall under Support Reading Strategy (SUP). On the other hand, it can be seen that the least frequently used reading strategy was asking self-questions (Mean = 1.93, S.D. = 0.70), under the category of SUP strategies. When considering the appropriate and effective use of metacognitive reading strategies in the think aloud protocol by the participants in successful reading comprehension, it is discovered that using background knowledge, previewing text, reading slowly and carefully, pausing to reflect on reading, taking notes while reading, and summarizing were frequently used the students.Keywords: EFL learners, metacognitive, reading strategies, think aloud, Thailand. Cite as: Chutichaiwirath, K. & Sitthitikul, P. (2017). The metacognitive awareness of reading strategies in Thai EFL learners. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 2(2), 1-14.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menghasilkan instrumen tes hasil belajar pemahaman membaca Bahasa Indonesia berbasis web yang dapat digunakan oleh mahasiswa Thailand tingkat dasar. Subjek yang terlibat dalam uji coba adalah 12 mahasiswa Thailand yang kuliah di Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY). Uji coba tes berjumlah tiga orang, sedangkan uji coba kelayakan web berjumlah sembilan orang. Data yang digali dalam penelitian ini adalah data dari angket dan data uji coba tes. Data dari angket menggunakan teknik analisis deskriptif kuantitatif dan data uji coba tes analisis menggunakan program ITEMAN. Hasil penelitian ini adalah sebagai berikut: (1) Proses pengembangan UKBIPUTH berbasis web terdiri atas dua tahap, yaitu tahap pengembangan tes dan pengembangan web. Tahap pengembangan tes diawali dengan penyusunan kisi-kisi, menyusun butir-butir soal dan ditelaah butir tes oleh ahli serta merevisi, uji coba tes, dan analisis butir tes. Selanjutnya tahap pengembangan web diawali dengan mendesain flowchart dan storyboard serta pembuatan produk, kemudian produk divalidasi oleh ahli media, uji coba skala kecil, dan uji coba skala besar; (2) Karakteristik tes pilihan ganda, tes benar/salah, dan tes menjodohkan memiliki validitas isi tes baik dan koefisien reliabilitas tes masing-masing kategori tinggi. Analisis butir tes berdasarkan tingkat kesukaran butir tes baik dan efektivitas pengecoh butir tes baik; (3) Hasil penilaian dari aspek tampilan web dengan berkategori baik; (4) Hasil penilaian dari aspek sistem web dengan berkategori baik. Developing web-based Indonesian language reading test for Thai students at the Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta AbstractThis study aims to develop an elementary level web-based Indonesian reading comprehension test for Thai students. The data collection instruments included evaluation sheets for the material and media experts and questionnaires to individual students on the field trials. The test items were analysed using the Iteman. The quantitative descriptive analysis technique was used to analyse the data. The results of this study are as follows: (1) The process of developing the web-based UKBIPUTH is done in two steps; they are the development of test and the development of web. The development of test was started by developing test items and later validated by the experts, test try-out, and finally test items analysis; (2) Characteristics of the multiple-choice test, true-false test, and matching test are described as follows: the content validation was good and the test reliability of Alpha respectively 0.748, 0.762, and 0.772. Based on the analysis by using ITEMAN item, the tests have a good difficulty index and the effectiveness of the test items distractors are good because the distractors work well; (3) The final product gets the evaluation in the aspect of appearance which is categorized ‘good’ with an average score of 3.80; (4) The final product gets the evaluation in the system aspects is categorized as ‘good’ with an average score of 4.10. The web-based test tool, UKBIPUTH is fit to be used to measure elementary level Indonesian reading comprehension of Thai students.

In Thailand, YouTube has not been widely used for educational purposes especially in Narathiwat. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using YouTube on EFL reading comprehensionamong vocational students. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. Two groups of first year vocational students at Narathiwat Technical College were purposefully assigned to the experimental and the control groups. The instruments used in this study were pre-test and post-test. Students in the experimental group were taught reading comprehension using YouTube and the students in the control group were taught using conventional method. The results showed positive effects of using YouTube. Therefore, YouTube should be considered as an effective instructional tool for improving English reading comprehension and as an important teaching resource in English classrooms.

This paper studies King Rama V’s The Dialogues in Inao and its form of rhyming prose dialogues. It is the first written dialogue for performing the story of Inao as a Thai court drama and the first humorous script of dialogues in Thai court drama. The study focuses on revealing the new details added to The Dialogues in Inao by King Rama V in order to attract audiences in his reign and exploring the new presentation of King Rama V’s Inao as a Thai court drama in 1882 as well. The Dialogues in Inao is composed to be used together with King Rama II’s Inao for the story’s performance as a court drama, to entertain the audiences with humour. The Dialogues in Inao includes only one-third of the Inao story in its entirety. The content is similar to that of Inao by King Rama II except for some details added by King Rama V to provide more entertainment. The Dialogues in Inao have two major characteristics: following the content of Inao by King Rama II, and adding new details to the story of Inao. Three roles of The Dialogues in Inao are found: first, to rephrase the content in Inao by King Rama II into prose dialogues for easy comprehension; second, to add humorous content; and third, to add modern aspects to the story of Inao.This article is the revised version of the article entitled “The Dialogues in Inao by King Rama V: A New Presentation of Thai Court Performance of Inao in 1882” presented during the Seminar and Performances of a Shared Heritage: The Panji/Inao Traditions in Southeast Asia organised by the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts on 2-3 March 2013 at Bangkok Chada Hotel, Thailand. This paper was presented for the panel “The Panji/Inao Traditions in Thailand”.

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Introduction Films with deaf characters often do not focus on the condition of deafness at all. Rather, the characters seem to satisfy a role in the story that either furthers the plot or the audience’s understanding of other hearing characters. The deaf characters can be symbolic, for example as a metaphor for isolation representative of ‘those without a voice’ in a society. The deaf characters’ misunderstanding of auditory cues can lead to comic circumstances, and their knowledge can save them in the case of perilous ones. Sign language, because of its unique linguistic properties and its lack of comprehension by hearing people, can save the day in a story line. Deaf characters are shown in different eras and in different countries, providing a fictional window into their possible experiences. Films shape and reflect cultural attitudes and can serve as a potent force in influencing the attitudes and assumptions of those members of the hearing world who have had few, if any, encounters with deaf people. This article explores categories of literary function as identified by the author, providing examples and suggestions of other films for readers to explore. Searching for Deaf Characters in Film I am a sign language interpreter. Several years ago, I started noticing how deaf characters are used in films. I made a concerted effort to find as many as I could. I referred to John Shuchman’s exhaustive book about deaf actors and subject matter, Hollywood Speaks; I scouted video rental guides (key words were ‘deaf’ or ‘disabled’); and I also plugged in the key words ‘deaf in film’ on Google’s search engine. I decided to ignore the issue of whether or not the actors were actually deaf—a political hot potato in the Deaf community which has been discussed extensively. Similarly, the linguistic or cultural accuracy of the type of sign language used or super-human lip-reading talent did not concern me. What was I looking for? I noticed that few story lines involving deaf characters provide any discussion or plot information related to that character’s deafness. I was puzzled. Why is there signing in the elevator in Jerry Maguire? Why does the guy in Grand Canyon have a deaf daughter? Why would the psychosomatic response to a trauma—as in Psych Out—be deafness rather than blindness? I concluded that not being able to hear carried some special meaning or fulfilled a particular need intrinsic to the plot of the story. I also observed that the functions of deaf characters seem to fall into several categories. Some deaf characters fit into more than one category, serving two or more symbolic purposes at the same time. By viewing and analysing the representations of deafness and deaf characters in forty-six films, I have come up with the following classifications: Deafness as a plot device Deaf characters as protagonist informants Deaf characters as a parallel to the protagonist Sign language as ‘hero’ Stories about deaf/hearing relationships A-normal-guy-or-gal-who-just-happens-to-be-deaf Deafness as a psychosomatic response to trauma Deafness as metaphor Deafness as a symbolic commentary on society Let your fingers do the ‘talking’ Deafness as Plot Device Every element of a film is a device, but when the plot hinges on one character being deaf, the story succeeds because of that particular character having that particular condition. The limitations or advantages of a deaf person functioning within the hearing world establish the tension, the comedy, or the events which create the story. In Hear No Evil (1993), Jillian learns from her hearing boyfriend which mechanical devices cause ear-splitting noises (he has insomnia and every morning she accidentally wakes him in very loud ways, eg., she burns the toast, thus setting off the smoke detector; she drops a metal spoon down the garbage disposal unit). When she is pursued by a murderer she uses a fire alarm, an alarm/sprinkler system, and a stereo turned on full blast to mask the sounds of her movements as she attempts to hide. Jillian and her boyfriend survive, she learns about sound, her boyfriend learns about deafness, and she teaches him the sign for orgasm. Life is good! The potential comic aspects of deafness may seem in this day and age to be shockingly politically incorrect. While the slapstick aspect is often innocent and means no overt harm or insult to the Deaf as a population, deafness functions as the visual banana peel over which the characters figuratively stumble in the plot. The film, See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), pairing Gene Wilder with Richard Pryor as deaf and blind respectively, is a constant sight gag of lip-reading miscues and lack-of-sight gags. Wilder can speak, and is able to speech read almost perfectly, almost all of the time (a stereotype often perpetuated in films). It is mind-boggling to imagine the detail of the choreography required for the two actors to convince the audience of their authenticity. Other films in this category include: Suspect It’s a Wonderful Life Murder by Death Huck Finn One Flew over the Cuckoo’s NestThe Shop on Main StreetRead My Lips The Quiet Deaf Characters as Protagonist Informants Often a deaf character’s primary function to the story is to give the audience more information about, or form more of an affinity with, the hearing protagonist. The deaf character may be fascinating in his or her own right, but generally the deafness is a marginal point of interest. Audience attitudes about the hearing characters are affected because of their previous or present involvement with deaf individuals. This representation of deafness seems to provide a window into audience understanding and appreciation of the protagonist. More inferences can be made about the hearing person and provides one possible explanation for what ensues. It is a subtle, almost subliminal trick. There are several effective examples of this approach. In Gas, Food, Lodging (1992), Shade discovers that tough-guy Javier’s mother is deaf. He introduces Shade to his mother by simple signs and finger-spelling. They all proceed to visit and dance together (mom feels the vibrations on the floor). The audience is drawn to feel ‘Wow! Javier is a sensitive kid who has grown up with a beautiful, exotic, deaf mother!’ The 1977 film, Looking for Mr. Goodbar presents film-goers with Theresa, a confused young woman living a double life. By day, she is a teacher of deaf children. Her professor in the Teacher of the Deaf program even likens their vocation to ‘touching God’. But by night she cruises bars and engages in promiscuous sexual activity. The film shows how her fledgling use of signs begins to express her innermost desires, as well as her ability to communicate and reach out to her students. Other films in this category include: Miracle on 34th Street (1994 version)Nashville (1975, dir. Robert Altman)The Family StoneGrand CanyonThere Will Be Blood Deaf Characters as a Parallel to the Protagonist I Don’t Want to Talk about It (1993) from Argentina, uses a deaf character to establish an implied parallel story line to the main hearing character. Charlotte, a dwarf, is friends with Reanalde, who is deaf. The audience sees them in the first moments of the film when they are little girls together. Reanalde’s mother attempts to commiserate with Charlotte’s mother, establishing a simultaneous but unseen story line somewhere else in town over the course of the story. The setting is Argentina during the 1930s, and the viewer can assume that disability awareness is fairly minimal at the time. Without having seen Charlotte’s deaf counterpart, the audience still knows that her story has contained similar struggles for ‘normalcy’ and acceptance. Near the conclusion of the film, there is one more glimpse of Reanalde, when she catches the bridal bouquet at Charlotte’s wedding. While having been privy to Charlotte’s experiences all along, we can only conjecture as to what Reanalde’s life has been. Sign Language as ‘Hero’ The power of language, and one’s calculated use of language as a means of escape from a potentially deadly situation, is shown in The River Wild (1996). The reason that any of the hearing characters knows sign language is that Gail, the protagonist, has a deaf father. Victor appears primarily to allow the audience to see his daughter and grandson sign with him. The mother, father, and son are able to communicate surreptitiously and get themselves out of a dangerous predicament. Signing takes an iconic form when the signs BOAT, LEFT, I-LOVE-YOU are drawn on a log suspended over the river as a message to Gail so that she knows where to steer the boat, and that her husband is still alive. The unique nature of sign language saves the day– silently and subtly produced, right under the bad guys’ noses! Stories about Deaf/Hearing Relationships Because of increased awareness and acceptance of deafness, it may be tempting to assume that growing up deaf or having any kind of relationship with a deaf individual may not pose too much of a challenge. Captioning and subtitling are ubiquitous in the USA now, as is the inclusion of interpreters on stages at public events. Since the inception of USA Public Law 94-142 and section 504 in 1974, more deaf children are ‘mainstreamed’ into public schools than ever before. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1993, opening the doors in the US for more access, more job opportunities, more inclusion. These are the external manifestations of acceptance that most viewers with no personal exposure to deafness may see in the public domain. The nuts and bolts of growing up deaf, navigating through opposing philosophical theories regarding deaf education, and dealing with parents, siblings, and peers who can’t communicate, all serve to form foundational experiences which an audience rarely witnesses. Children of a Lesser God (1986), uses the character of James Leeds to provide simultaneous voiced translations of the deaf student Sarah’s comments. The audience is ushered into the world of disparate philosophies of deaf education, a controversy of which general audiences may not have been previously unaware. At the core of James and Sarah’s struggle is his inability to accept that she is complete as she is, as a signing not speaking deaf person. Whether a full reconciliation is possible remains to be seen. The esteemed teacher of the deaf must allow himself to be taught by the deaf. Other films in this category include: Johnny Belinda (1949, 1982)Mr. Holland’s OpusBeyond SilenceThe Good ShepherdCompensation A Normal Guy-or-Gal-Who-Just-Happens-to-Be-Deaf The greatest measure of equality is to be accepted on one's own merits, with no special attention to differences or deviations from whatever is deemed ‘the norm.’ In this category, the audience sees the seemingly incidental inclusion of a deaf or hearing-impaired person in the casting. A sleeper movie titled Crazy Moon (1986) is an effective example. Brooks is a shy, eccentric young hearing man who needs who needs to change his life. Vanessa is deaf and works as a clerk in a shop while takes speech lessons. She possesses a joie de vivre that Brooks admires and wishes to emulate. When comparing the way they interact with the world, it is apparent that Brooks is the one who is handicapped. Other films in this category include: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (South Korea, 1992)Liar, LiarRequiem for a DreamKung Fu HustleBangkok DangerousThe Family StoneDeafness as a Psychosomatic Response to Trauma Literature about psychosomatic illnesses enumerates many disconcerting and disruptive physiological responses. However, rarely is there a PTSD response as profound as complete blockage of one of the five senses, ie; becoming deaf as a result of a traumatic incident. But it makes great copy, and provides a convenient explanation as to why an actor needn't learn sign language! The rock group The Who recorded Tommy in 1968, inaugurating an exciting and groundbreaking new musical genre – the rock opera. The film adaptation, directed by Ken Russell, was released in 1975. In an ironic twist for a rock extravaganza, the hero of the story is a ‘deaf, dumb, and blind kid.’ Tommy Johnson becomes deaf when he witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of his step-father and complicit mother. From that moment on, he is deaf and blind. When he grows up, he establishes a cult religion of inner vision and self-discovery. Another film in this category is Psych Out. Deafness as a Metaphor Hearing loss does not necessarily mean complete deafness and/or lack of vocalization. Yet, the general public tends to assume that there is utter silence, complete muteness, and the inability to verbalize anything at all. These assumptions provide a rich breeding ground for a deaf character to personify isolation, disenfranchisement, and/or avoidance of the harsher side of life. The deafness of a character can also serve as a hearing character’s nemesis. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) chronicles much of the adult life of a beleaguered man named Glenn Holland whose fondest dream is to compose a grand piece of orchestral music. To make ends meet he must teach band and orchestra to apparently disinterested and often untalented students in a public school. His golden son (named Cole, in honor of the jazz great John Coltrane) is discovered to be deaf. Glenn’s music can’t be born, and now his son is born without music. He will never be able to share his passion with his child. He learns just a little bit of sign, is dismissive of the boy’s dreams, and drifts further away from his family to settle into a puddle of bitterness, regrets, and unfulfilled desires. John Lennon’s death provides the catalyst for Cole’s confrontation with Glenn, forcing the father to understand that the gulf between them is an artificial one, perpetuated by the unwillingness to try. Any other disability could not have had the same effect in this story. Other films in this category include: Ramblin’ RoseBabelThe Heart Is a Lonely HunterA Code Unkown Deafness as a Symbolic Commentary on Society Sometimes films show deafness in a different country, during another era, and audiences receive a fictionalized representation of what life might have been like before these more enlightened times. The inability to hear and/or speak can also represent the more generalized powerlessness that a culture or a society’s disenfranchised experience. The Chinese masterpiece To Live (1994) provides historical and political reasons for Fenxi’s deafness—her father was a political prisoner whose prolonged absence brought hardship and untended illness. Later, the chaotic political situation which resulted in a lack of qualified doctors led to her death. In between these scenes the audience sees how her parents arrange a marriage with another ‘handicapped’ comrade of the town. Those citizens deemed to be crippled or outcast have different overt rights and treatment. The 1996 film Illtown presents the character of a very young teenage boy to represent the powerlessness of youth in America. David has absolutely no say in where he can live, with whom he can live, and the decisions made all around him. When he is apprehended after a stolen car chase, his frustration at his and all of his generation’s predicament in the face of a crumbling world is pounded out on the steering wheel as the police cars circle him. He is caged, and without the ability to communicate. Were he to have a voice, the overall sense of the film and his situation is that he would be misunderstood anyway. Other films in this category include: Stille Liebe (Germany)RidiculeIn the Company of Men Let Your Fingers Do the ‘Talking’ I use this heading to describe films where sign language is used by a deaf character to express something that a main hearing character can’t (or won’t) self-generate. It is a clever device which employs a silent language to create a communication symbiosis: Someone asks a hearing person who knows sign what that deaf person just said, and the hearing person must voice what he or she truly feels, and yet is unable to express voluntarily. The deaf person is capable of expressing the feeling, but must rely upon the hearing person to disseminate the message. And so, the words do emanate from the mouth of the person who means them, albeit self-consciously, unwillingly. Jerry Maguire (1996) provides a signed foreshadowing of character metamorphosis and development, which is then voiced for the hearing audience. Jerry and Dorothy have just met, resigned from their jobs in solidarity and rebellion, and then step into an elevator to begin a new phase of their lives. Their body language identifies them as separate, disconnected, and heavily emotionally fortified. An amorous deaf couple enters the elevator and Dorothy translates the deaf man’s signs as, ‘You complete me.’ The sentiment is strong and a glaring contrast to Jerry and Dorothy’s present dynamic. In the end, Jerry repeats this exact phrase to her, and means it with all his heart. We are all made aware of just how far they have traveled emotionally. They have become the couple in the elevator. Other films in this category include: Four Weddings and a FuneralKnowing Conclusion This has been a cursory glance at examining the narrative raison d’etre for the presence of a deaf character in story lines where no discussion of deafness is articulated. A film’s plot may necessitate hearing-impairment or deafness to successfully execute certain gimmickry, provide a sense of danger, or relational tension. The underlying themes and motifs may revolve around loneliness, alienation, or outwardly imposed solitude. The character may have a subconscious desire to literally shut out the world of sound. The properties of sign language itself can be exploited for subtle, undetectable conversations to assure the safety of hearing characters. Deaf people have lived during all times, in all places, and historical films can portray a slice of what their lives may have been like. I hope readers will become more aware of deaf characters on the screen, and formulate more theories as to where they fit in the literary/narrative schema. ReferencesMaltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin’s 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin Group, 2008.Shuchman, John S. Hollywood Speaks. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1988. Filmography Babel. Dir. 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