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Oliver Sacks The Case Of The Colorblind Painter Summary

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The short story, “The Case of the Colorblind Painter” follows the life of a painter who went color blind after an automobile accident. The physician who writes this literary work, Oliver Sacks, recounts this story from his perspective. Sacks starts off with telling the story of the colorblind painter, Jonathon I. Jonathan I. got into an automobile accident and received a horrible headache but went to sleep soon after the accident. Upon waking the next morning, Jonathan I. could not recall what had happened the day before. After further continuation of his day, he learned that he could not see any sort of color in the world at all. He was later diagnosed after tests and assessments with cerebral achromatopsia. Jonathon I. meets with Sacks and Sacks calls upon the help of other doctors to help Jonathan I. and his case. These doctors use different visual tests to determine that Jonathan I. can distinguish different wavelengths of color but cannot visual the colors. Jonathan I.’s condition remains stable for next few …show more content…

The way Sacks presents the case makes it seem like a mystery to the audience. Sacks is trying to discover an answer to Jonathon I.’s cerebral achromatopsia but, after all avenues are traveled down, no real solution to heal or help Jonathan I’s condition immerges. Just as Sacks is left wondering about a future cure, the audience is left wondering too. Sacks appears to do everything right as a physician, and even though he cannot find the answer, he understands the patient’s mental pain. Sacks uses descriptive language to enhance the details in Jonathan I’s condition. This helps the audience relate and visualize what Jonathan I. is dealing with every day with his condition. The story as a whole connects the reader with the physician and the patient as they both work together for a cure. Even though ultimately no cure is found, one is left to discover for future

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