Sound and Fury

Sound and Fury depicts a family that consists of deaf and hearing members, along with all of their offspring. Each side found a stance on the controversial cochlear implant, a device that if implanted could allow a deaf person the gift of hearing. There are many different Discourses present that drive the arguments on each side.

Peter and his wife, along with their three children are deaf. They belong to a community that is close knit and protective of its culture and ways. The deaf community is strongly against the cochlear implant because they feel that it is taking away a member of their society. Belonging to this Discourse, the community and especially

 Peter and his wife don’t know what they are missing by not being able to hear. To them, silence is peaceful and to be happy in life, all they need is each other. They have their own language that suits their needs and the cochlear implant is almost a symbol that deaf culture is being destroyed. It is a message that they are a problem, and this new technology can fix them, yet they see that nothing is wrong with being deaf.

Peter’s family, particularly his mother, father, brother, and sister-in-law all are hearing, and are therefore categorized in the hearing Discourse. They know what opportunities a person can have by hearing and how much life with become easier for their children and grandchildren. They have experienced a world of music and noise and speech, so by denying someone of that right seems morally wrong to them. They feel like if something was created to take away a handicap, and then why not use it. This conflicts with the deaf community because they don’t feel like they are handicapped. Because both parties are different Discourses, it is hard for them to view the other’s point of view, which creates the conflict experienced by this family.

There is also the Discourse of Peter and Nita, as well as Chris and Mary being parents. They all want what is best for their children. Being a parent means thinking things through and giving your child the best chance. For Chris and Mary, they felt that the cochlear implant was the best option for their son because they are also part of the hearing Discourse. For Peter and Nita being part of the deaf discourse, they felt that the surgery required for a cochlear implant was unnecessary and would put their child, Heather, through more pain than was needed. Each couple wanted what was best, but their Discourse presented them with different solutions.