This essay will be looking at the social construction of disability through the popular media. More specifically it will be looking at how deafness is portrayed by the popular media. To do this I watched the movie Mr. Holland’ Opus. Where the main character Mr. Holland’s son is deaf. Mr. Holland is a musician and composer. He reluctantly takes a teaching job in order to pay rent. Mr. Holland is an extreme lover of music his dream is to compose music that will make him rich and famous. The film spans over about 30 years so it shows how deaf cultured has grown and changed over time. The film shows how deafness was looked at through the medical perspective, how deaf people were isolated, and how people who were deaf struggle with communication. …show more content…
Holland’s son, Cole was born deaf however he was not diagnosed until he was a toddler. The doctor explains to Mr. Holland and his wife Iris that Cole is ninety percent deaf. This would be classified as a severe hearing loss. Cole is also perlingually deaf meaning he was deaf before learning to speak or understand language. The doctor stresses to Mr. and Mrs. Holland to refrain from using hand gesture when trying to communicate with Cole. This is very relevant to the time period the film takes place. To the medical profession deaf people were thought to be less intelligent because they could not hear. Therefore they would rather people who were deaf or hard of hearing learn to read lips rather than use sign language. People who used gestures or sign language were looked down upon by society. When Mr. Holland found out his son was deaf, he was very angry and frustrated, because he felt as though his son was not normal. Mr. Holland was truly devastated he could not share his love of music with his son. He did not understand that his son is normal even though he cannot hear. This leads Mr. Holland to burrier himself in his work, becoming less involved with his own son and family. He becomes more involved with his students. This makes Cole feel abnormal and isolated from his