Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Future
According to neurologist Oliver Sacks, Hans Asperger, the doctor whose name is associated with the kind of autism that Christopher seems to have, notes that some autistic people have "a sort of intelligence scarcely touched by tradition and culture --- unconventional, unorthodox, strangely pure and original, akin to the intelligence of true creativity" [An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks, NY: Vintage Books, 1995, pp. 252–53]. Does the novel's intensive look at Christopher's fascinating and often profound mental life suggest that in certain ways, the pity that well-meaning, "normal" people might feel for him is misdirected? Given his gifts, does his future look promising?
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Chirstophers futture looks promising if he decides to go into a field of work where he can isolate himself to machines or animals. He is very bright and should be able to be very brillant. In some ways people's pity is misdirected because they might think that he can have no future but the people with this disease can, they might also feel sorry for them because they do not fit in with crowds and that isn't as misdirected.
ReplyDeleteGiven his gifts, Christopher's future looks very promising. In the long run Chris will learn how to cope with his social disadvantages and improve on his skills that his is more fond of, just like Temple Grandon.
ReplyDeleteChristopher's future has the potential to be very good or very bad. He is incredabliy intelligant, and if he can overcome some of his social barricades, he will be very succsessful. On the other hand if he cannot become more sociable then he will not go anywhere in life. Their pity is not misdirected, even though Chris is very bright he has a social disorder.
ReplyDeleteChristopher is very intelligent, possessing intellectual advantages. If he applied himself in the correct areas and figured out a way to keep his social problems under control he could have a very successful future ahead. In some way the pity for people like Christopher is misdirected and in others ways not. It is true he doesn't quite interact or socialize as everyone else does, and for this is pity is not misdirect but other assume he is stupid and not capable of a future when in actuality he could beat out most at intellectual level.
ReplyDeleteSome may misunderstand Christopher and see his mind as a disability rather than a gift. Although he has problems such as bad social skills, behavioral issues, etc., he is very smart in math & science. His mind works in ways that others don't, and he can see things that most people would miss. His future could be bright, providing he uses his intellectual skills in ways that can benefit him & those around him.
ReplyDeleteIf Christopher works really hard and sets reachable goals, he has the potential to have a very successful future. He is very smart and looks at everything in different aspects. Assuming he works hard, I think some people will be able to look past his disabilities.
ReplyDeleteChristopher's future does look very promising. He's extremely intelligent and even though most people may underestimate his gifts he'll find a way to use them all to his advantage. Eventually, people will be able to stop judging his different ways of thinking and realize how smart he actually is.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the pity is ENTIRELY misdirected. You can't help but feel bad for a poor child who will never experience a social life like most people do. But he's INCREDIBLY intelligent, and that opens up lots of career opportunities for him. Although mathematicians aren't exactly famous for their high salaries...
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