Reference no: EM133675162

Assignment

I. The film opens in silence, with sound gradually integrated into the visuals. Why do you think that director chose to use this on the info How else does the director make the viewer empathise with deaf people?

II. What are the five components of a sign? How does the director convey these components visually?

III. How is rhyming conveyed in sign language?

IV. At times, the director uses subtitles to translate ASL and at others, she uses a voiceover narration. Which do you think is more effective? Why?

V. Aneta and her classmates discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being deaf. What are some of the features they mention?

VI. What are some of the fears that the students express about their future after leaving high school?

VII. How does the director utilize subtitles in a way that allows viewers to better understand both the words that are being signed and the tone in which the signer would like his/her ideas conveyed?

VIII. Aneta decides to perform without an interpreter, saying that she wants the audience to watch her and insisting that she "will force them to look into [her] eyes." Why do you think she makes this decision? Do you think that it is the right one? Why/why not?

IX. Before Aneta performs, we see her peers watching the hearing poets perform. What is their reaction to the performances? How does it differ from the way that the hearing audience responds to Aneta's poem?

X. Although the performance piece they work on together deals with the politics of the Middle East, politics do not seem to get in the way of Aneta and Tahani's relationship. How does poetry help them to understand each other's perspective? What are some of the other factors that allow for them to become friends even though they come from different cultures and religions? What do you think that the two young women learn from each other?

XI. Tahani shows Aneta some of her poetry but Aneta's ASL poetry is not written down. How do they manage to translate ASL into the words that Tahani speaks while Aneta signs?

XII. When Tahani and Aneta perform their piece in front of an audience, the camera initially focuses on the two of them. However, when Aneta is telling her story, the camera focuses only on her and we can't hear what Tahani is saying. Similarly, when Tahani tells her story, we can't see Aneta signing. Why does the director film the piece this way? Do you think it is effective? Why/why not?

XIII. The poet Bob Holman is quoted in the film as saying "survival of a culture is a survival of a language, is a survival of a people." What does he mean by this? Do you agree? Why/why not?

XIV. At the end of the film, Aneta says that she would like to change the definition of the word deaf from "can't" hear to "don't" hear. What is the difference? Do you think this is a better definition? Why/why not?