Literature influence on social perception and public policy
Literature influence on social perception and public policy. Sometimes the intent of literature is to influence social perception and public policy. Sometimes the intent is consciousness raising. We are bombarded these days by perceptions of the Asperger syndrome–Autism spectrum. The Reason I Jump does not fit any literary genres. It may be autobiographical but the question and answer format is more akin to an FAQ than a memoir. An additional concern is that we see it in translation from Japanese language and culture to Irish/British language and culture, and then we read it in English from an American perspective.
However, the book has been well received as a source of information about the experience of autism. Remember the saying, “If you know one person with autism, you know one person with autism.” Parents who have more than one child who has been diagnosed with autism will tell you that each child manifests it differently.
The Reason I Jump is one person’s story. Naoki Higashida has gone on to write many works in different genres, but this book was the beginning.
1. After you have read the Introduction and Prologue, ending at Question 1, please write an initial post in which you consider how the Introduction and Prologue relate to the other first person accounts and background information this week. Refer to specific works.
2. Then think about your perceptions and, if appropriate, perceptions of other people you know regarding autism. If someone tells you that their child, family member, friend, or an acquaintance has been diagnosed with autism, what is your experience of the usual response.
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE9PAT2dG8c
Literature influence on social perception and public policy
HERE IS ADDITIONAL INFO:
Higoshida, Naoki. The Reason I Jump. Trans. David Mitchell. Kindle ed., Random House, 2013.
A prologue is a piece of writing found at the beginning of a literary work, before the first chapter and separate from the main story. It can be found in the begining of the book
All the material that the professor provided for this week is on video, here are the links to the material.
https://www.pbs.org/video/making-our-way-autism-making-our-way-autism/
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder-Information-Page