Take-home Final Examinations – Page 2

Erin Smith’s Final Paper on ‘Misfit’ by Tito Mukhopadhyay

Erin Smith

ENGL 384: Section 1

Dr. Foss

28 April 2020

Misfit: Autism and Nature Imagery

It seems very fitting that I read a story about an autistic child’s interaction with a parent right after rereading the poem Misfit for this assignment. The man was recalling a time he went to Disneyland when he was young, and he came across two other kids who were interested in his Stitch plush that he was carrying around. Happy to meet people who like the same character he does, he begins to stim by flapping his arms. The very ableist mother of the two children found the behavior abnormal and didn’t want her kids to interact with him, but the other two children were perfectly fine with it. In ‘Misfit’ by Tito Mukhopadhyay it is adults like that mother that label the speaker a misfit, but the other information in the poem says otherwise. Misfit compares autistic behaviors to images of the natural world, combating the idea that these behaviors are “wrong” or “weird” as most people see them to be.

In the first stanza, Mukhopadhyay describes the earth as “turning and turning.” One common form of stimming is spinning objects, such as tops or the classic fidget spinners that were so popular a few years back. It’s an activity that brings them entertainment and relaxation. Just like autistic people, the earth spins (on its axis). The stars don’t see any abnormality in this behavior in the earth, and they chose to leave it alone rather than bring attention to it or label it something. After all, the earth’s spinning is a natural process; why should anyone call it out? Moving back to fidget spinners, they were increasingly popular for neurotypical people for some unknown reason, but at the same time those same neurotypical people would make fun of autistic kids for using them. Fidget spinners and fidget cubes were made for those with learning disabilities that can’t allow them to sit still or focus without some kind of outlet, such as ADHD and autism, to have an inconspicuous object that lets them stim without distracting the class. Yet neurotypicals took it and made fun of those it was made for. It even became an ableist meme at one point, although the popularity of the “toy” overshadowed most of the memes. I remember from high school watching some of the mean students make fun of one of our special needs boys for having one. Yet in this poem, Mukhopadhyay takes this behavior that is often stigmatized by neurotypicals and compares it to a natural, beautiful process. He claims there’s nothing more wrong with the behavior than the earth’s spinning.

Next in the poem, the birds appear as the earth continues spinning. They flap their wings just like autistic people do when they’re excited or happy (a behavior I’m very familiar with because I do it myself. ADHD is now being considered by some people to be autism’s cousin so an overlap in behaviors is not a surprise). Mukhopadhyay specifically notes in this part that the birds know he was autistic, and yet they still “found no wrong with anything” (MUKhopadhyay line 9). They flap their wings to fly, so they see his flapping as just as natural as theirs. He’s doing what he needs to do to survive comfortably and not in a depressed state. Just like birds who have their wings clipped, autistic people who aren’t allowed to stim often feel depressed. From personal experience with stimming, when someone looks at me wrong or tells me to stop when I’m flapping, my mood drops significantly. Stimming is a natural part of autistic behavior and those who do it should not be forced to stop. After all, it’s like clipping a bird’s wings, isn’t it?

The people, the men and women, however, view his behaviors differently than the stars or the birds. They stare in a way that can only be considered disgusted or appalled, because they label him a ‘Misfit’ in the next line. This stanza is meant to reflect society’s view on autistic behaviors, rather than those of the natural world. To society, what he does is unnatural. These people that do so fail to see how his behaviors are more connected to the natural world than they think. They fail to correlate the earth spinning with his spinning, or the birds’ flapping with his flapping. To them, he just isn’t like the other kids; he doesn’t do the same thing the majority of children do. Clearly there must be something wrong with him, right? While they see only something weird and out of the ordinary, the speaker and other images in the poem see it as completely normal.

He says so himself in the next stanza when describing the blowing stim: “I found no wrong with anything” (line 15). He thinks it’s nothing more than a cool trick to blow like the wind, not another one of the odd behaviors the men and women in the last stanza thought they were. He sees how this fun trick is similar to nature, describing himself as the wind. Blowing raspberries or just blowing out air in general, they’re both traits of stimming that are often seen in autistic children. Not only does he find it perfectly fine to do these activities, he wants to share them with others. He sees it as something that other people and other children will enjoy too. And in the final stanza, he questions why anyone should stop doing these behaviors. He asks the reader, “Why stop turning and turning / When right can be found with everything?” (lines 16-17) This final question comes in direct opposition to his past repeating phrase: “found no wrong in anything.” Now rather than seeing that there is “no wrong in anything,” he sees that there is all right in everything. What he does, what the birds do, and especially the earth’s spinning, they are all part of the natural world and are all good, right things to do. Not to mention the first line could be interpreted as his wish that the men and women would see the right in everything as he does. He wishes they could consider these autistic behaviors as natural and perfectly ordinary.

‘Misfit’ is a poem about an autistic child labeled as such because of his “abnormal” behavior, but he sees himself as the opposite. Using images of the earth, birds, wind, and stars, he compares his stimming activities to the natural world and creates this picture of autism being just as ordinary as other things in the world. He disregards the view of those who consider it not to be, and instead lives on happily as his autistic self.

Word Count: 1108

I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work

Shelby, Libby, & Meredith’s Final Paper

Libby Wruck, Shelby Steele, Meredith Miller

ENGL 384-01

Dr. Foss

April 28, 2020

Reading Victor Frankenstein as Autistic

Autistic characters often appear in Victorian literature, although there was no concept of autism during that time. By retrofitting a modern diagnosis to a piece of gothic literature, we are making the claim that a character is autistic, not an autistic person. This means that the characteristics that we associate with autism are not necessarily accurate to the real life experience of autism, nor should these stereotypical characteristics be used as a reference for real people with autism. Using Stuart Murray’s “Autism” as a baseline on the current knowledge of the condition and as well as the current diagnostic materials found in DSM-V we make the argument that Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein” can be read as autistic.

Our modern understanding of autism is based on the facts that were given by Murray. It is agreed that the knowledge on autism is based less so on the definitive signs and symptoms and many autistic people present various traits. Many of the symptoms have become stereotypes, so we use the book by Murray to separate the harmful stereotypes from the variations of Victor’s experiences. Although autism is relatively undefinable as the experience is varied, we use patterns of traits that are found in autistic people in modern times to create this diagnosis. We admit to not being medical professionals; we make this ‘diagnosis’ as an observation using our acquired knowledge on the condition. Some traits that can be grouped into a social interaction category are of atypical relationships or negative relationships with those who are neurotypical, either heightened or lack of empathy, and overall discomfort in social situations. Similarly, we outline some behavioral traits as special interests, isolation, a lack of sense of personal danger, the prominence of masking, and atypical reactions. Masking is a common autistic concept where an autistic person hides their autistic traits in an attempt to blend in with neurotypical society.

One of the most defining aspects of Victor Frankenstein’s character, is his construction of the creation. He spends the years leading up to his creation studying vigorously at school, “Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva”(Shelley 22). He is hyper-fixating on this project at the cost of his social bonds with his family and his own health. Frankenstien’s need to complete his experiment at all costs can be associated with the modern interpretation of autistic men’s special interest with STEM, though this is a stereotype. Frankenstein can even be read as a savant, a harmful stereotypical trait the media associates with autistic men.

Frankenstein does not have typical responses to death and the human body, “Darkness had no effect upon my fancy, and a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength, had become food for the worm. Now I was led to examine the cause and progress of this decay and forced to spend days and nights in vaults and charnel-houses. My attention was fixed upon every object the most insupportable to the delicacy of the human feelings”(38). He only views a body as a body, not a person who has lived. This lack of empathy and connection between a body and a person reveals some of the workings of an atypical mind. Frankenstein tries to mask when interacting with the creation; “I thought that as I could not sympathize with him, I had no right to withhold from him the small portion of happiness which was yet in my power to bestow” (129). He does not agree to make the creation a wife out of sympathy for his plight, he does it because he does not want the creation to keep bothering or threatening him. This lack of empathy can be found in people with autism, not to coincide with a lack of empathy in autistic characters with evil actions, though this connection will be touched upon later.

Even Frankstein’s responses to social interaction fit under the purview of autism. Early in the book, he describes his social comfort as “It was my temper to avoid a crowd and to attach myself fervently to a few. I was indifferent, therefore, to my schoolfellows in general; but I united myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them” (24). Victor is content with his few friends and has little desire to make more, this can also be read as him either not knowing how to make more friends or his classmates not being able to understand his behavior. Because of his lack of typical empathy as shown above, his relationships with his family are damaged because they are unable to understand this lack of interaction with them as not indifference, but rather an inability to understand their desire for this interaction.

With the modern knowledge of autism, the traits of Victor Frankenstein portrayed in Mary Shelley’s novel hold an austistic narrative. Many autistic stereotypes are viewed as negative in both fictional works and reality; however, stereotypes are what must be used in reading characters as every case is different. The common public perception of autism results in a stereotypical expression of people with autism in all forms of media, including literature. A reading of Victor Frankenstien as autistic gives insight into the negative portrayals and stereotypes associated with autistic people. Throughout the novel, Victor makes decisions neither the characters nor the readers fully understand, resulting in the villainization of the character. This is because the other characters and the readers expect a neurotypical response, while Victor is unable to react in that way. Because of this, the creation is given a more sympathetic narrative, despite Victor losing his entire family and best friend as well as people’s inability to sympathize with Victor’s neurodiversity. The stereotypical autistic traits Victor portrays have a direct correlation to why he is read as evil and often viewed as the antagonist of the novel. Much of the treatment for autistic people is determined by public perception of autism that is fueled by stereotypes. Thus, making Shelley’s use of stereotypes to be both negative and positive.

Word count: 1022

I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.

Samantha Rogers & Taylor Butlers final paper on Autism illustrated through literature

DJ Savarese’s poem Alaska and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are comparable in that both main characters in the texts struggle with communication. The creature, made by Victor Frankenstein, is depicted as a monster that is not quite human. Once the creature becomes aware of his hideous appearance, he feels lonely and isolated. Much like the creature, DJ Savarese feels isolated. Although DJ’s outward appearance does not exhibit scary features, his lack of communication skills affect his interaction with others. Due to being autistic, DJ struggles to communicate and sometimes relies on a facilitator to guide him along. Even though DJ has assistance and support from facilitators, he is aware that he lacks support from others. In regards to the creature, Victor Frankenstein can be seen as the creature’s facilitator, as Victor is the only one who truly understands him. However, differently from the facilitator’s mentioned within DJ Savarese’s poem, the creature’s facilitator does not support him. Within both texts, it is evident that communication barriers have an impact on the both creature and DJ Savarese, as they seek to remove themselves from feelings of isolation.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, is a novel that displays the struggles that the main character, Victor, must face. His creation is much different than the other characters within the book. The creation becomes aware of his repulsive appearance and his lack of communication skills, produces rage. Wanting to learn to communicate like a human, the creation observes a family from the outside. After constantly being reminded of his scary and ugly outward appearance, the creature craves the company of someone like himself. Wanting a female companion to be created for him, the creature seeks Victor with hopes that he will do so. Victor’s refusal to create a female companion leads to escalating aggression within the creature. Isolated and unlike anyone/anything else, the creature uses violence to make his voice heard. The creature’s struggle in being different and unable to communicate with others is comparable to DJ Savarese’s poem Alaska.

Alaska by DJ Savarese is a poem that illustrates a struggle with communication through the use of metaphor; like Mary Shelley in Frankenstein. The poem begins with the following quote, “hours of light like heat hibernating, great icebergs hear the cries of the hurt just like they’re trying really, really to be free” (Savarese, 279). The light could metaphorically mean the light that is inside of an individual with autism, being trapped by society. This displays how society dehumanizes people with autism and places them into a box. The iceberg metaphor may symbolize facilitators, in which they are able to hear the desire to be free; free to be whom they are. The facilitators are assistive and are able to sympathize with the individuals for who they really are and what they desire most; which in this poem is freedom. The entirety of the first line may be compared to Frankenstein’s creation and what he endures throughout the novel. The iceberg in Frankenstein could represent the old Mr. De Lacey. There are other lines throughout the poem that are representations of the creature in Frankenstein.

While reading the poem, the line, “they try to yearn from freedom but they fear it” linked back to what the creature struggles with in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, (Savarese, 279). The above quote also explains how others can view individuals with Autism and then not understanding their responses. The word “fear” in the poem means it is the fear of someone not understanding a person with Autism if they are not facilitated in some way. The word “hurt” also appears quite frequently, which could be interpreted as the hurt/frustration that DJ feels when people judge him or are not patient with him simply because he has Autism. The wording and analysis of the poem coincides with that of Frankenstein’s creation. The creature feels akin to DJ because of the way he is treated by Dr. Frankenstein, the De Lacey’s, the townspeople, and many more.

DJ Savarese, an autistic individual, discusses communication in Cultural Commentary: Communicate with Me. He describes the issues he suffers without his facilitator as well as the proper steps in order to de-escalate from certain situations. Savarese describes how the people around him do not understand how to communicate with him. Savarese addresses questions that he is asked frequently such as, “If you don’t know me very well, can you just start talking to me? Yes, but I might act like you’re not there at first. It takes dear, real self-time to tell my breaking-the-barrier heart to quit pounding so loudly, so I can respond” (Savarese 2010). Savarese’s main point in his commentary is that nobody around him understands his plight. The type of communication that is being discussed can also be seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Frankenstein’s creation, who can be perceived as an autistic individual, who is initially rational, but when communicating his thoughts, he tends to struggle. The creature feels unhappy and depressed because no one around him understands his wants or needs. Dr. Frankenstein’s first reaction was awful, solely because he did not know how to address the creature, nor how to communicate with him. The narrator confirmed that the facilitator does not do everything for them, but that they play a major role in making sure that he is calm. When he is not calm, the facilitator provides comfort and is able to communicate in ways that do not require speaking, like sign language. In a way, the De Lacey family is the creation’s facilitator.

Even though the family is horrified by the creature’s appearance and the fact that the creature was touching old Mr. De Lacey, Felix brutally attacks the creature, while Agatha screams; neither of which are positive methods of communication. Old Mr. De Lacey is the only character that shows no prejudice due to his blindness, he was not able to see the creature’s appearance. The family poses as the creature’s facilitator even without the awareness of his existence, regardless of the distance, they still helped him in many ways. The main characters, as well as the townspeople, whom he encounters lack communication because they do not understand his needs.

In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and DJ Savarese’s poem Alaska, communication barriers are evident. Within Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein creates a creature that is vastly different from the human race and is not what he expected. Its ugly and scary appearance frightens others, leaving the creature feeling angry and isolated. Similar to the creature, DJ Savarese struggles with the ability to communicate in a “normal” manner, due to being autistic. In both texts, individuals are seeking support and to be removed from isolation. Although DJ Savarese has difficulties communicating, he does have support and guidance from facilitators, which is not the case for the creature. The creature, on the other hand, is seen as frightening and is not supported by his creator, which leads to aggressive behaviors towards Victor and his family members. Within both texts, it is evident that communication barriers have an impact on the creature and DJ Savarese, as they seek to find support from others.

Works Cited

Savarese, DJ. “Communicate with Me.” Disability Studies Quarterly, 2010, dsq-sds.org/article/view/1051/1237.

Savarese, Ralph James. “Alaska.” Reasonable People: a Memoir of Autism and Adoption. New York: Other Press, 2007. Pp. 279.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library, web.archive.org/web/20110207085418/etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=SheFran.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=19&division=div1.

Honor Pledge: Taylor Butler and Samantha Rogers

Word count: 1278

Final for Amy Rouse; “Label Breaking on Autistic Abilities”

Amy Rouse

04/17/2020

Prof. Foss

Final Paper

Label Breaking on Autistic Abilities

Labels can put pressure on people to either outperform or underperform. With this pressure on those with autism there is a predominant focus on what they can’t do, and how autism has taken away and hidden a child under its grasp. The act of being labeled autistic; might provide slight relief to the parents, but also leaves them wondering who their child is without the autism, how might they form a connection with this child stereotyped to be connectionless? Autism didn’t take away a child, it gave you a unique child who is fully capable of connections, identifying with others, understanding what is being said to them, defying odds. That is an autistic child.

These connections and accounts are found in Ralph James Savareses’ “Prologue: River of Words, Raft of Our Conjoined Neurologist” from See It Feelingly, in “Perspectives” a poem by Craig Romkema from his collection of poems titled “Embracing the Sky: Poems Beyond Disability,” and Troubleshooting by Selene dePackh. All show those with a diagnosis of autism and call attention to what others think they can’t do while showing that the individuals mentioned can do those things and many more. Here, we will see these stereotypes that are forced upon autistics but also, how they are defying expectations and changing those stereotypes.

Having feelings such as empathy is presumed to be missing from those diagnosed with autism. Savarese shows us with his autistic and nonverbal son, DJ, that feelings and identification are possible for autistic individuals. His son feels “‘character’s feelings”’ so much so that he physically shows them which can be heavy breathing that the character themselves was perceived to be doing within the story, (Savarese, pg. 15). Identification is also mentioned for those with autism as being difficult and absent from them, but DJ “morphs into [Harriet Tubman], so she morphs into him,” (Savarese, pg. 16). Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and feel what they were or might have been at that moment, is a skill to be appreciated and applauded, not one to be ignored because the individual themselves is non-verbal and is assumed to not understand.

Deficits in emotions are a portion of the DSM-5 diagnosis for autism, but what about those who feel sorrow, who have empathy? DJ is one of them, he does feel emotion so much that he is “ so attuned to the pain that it becomes his own,” (Savarese, pg. 18). Thoughts and opinions on what an autistic can’t do are summed up into broad categories in the DSM, but here we have a child who is not fully categorized within the autism diagnosis aside from his nonverbal form of communication and not wanting physical affection. There is a note made about these “prevailing stereotypes” concerning autism and emotions specifically, (Savarese, pg. 18). With a glimpse into DJs mind, we see how society has made him think of himself. For his graduation, he wanted to walk on stage and shake the Principal’s hand without flapping his arms, though he did not succeed, he “felt proud. I looked great and autistic at the same time. I realized in my own life something I had begun to learn from the books I was reading; simply conforming to the dominant culture is not always a worthy goal,”’ (Savarese, pg. 21-22). Many focus on the negatives and the so-called disruptive behavior that those with autism can perform, but why can’t they focus on the fact they just graduated? Through Savarese and his son, we see how stereotypes are demolished and outperformed, while also embracing who one is and being proud of it and letting the world see that.

In his poem “Perspectives,” Romkema hints upon the fact that those around him can fix him with “vitamin A” and by “measuring [his] head,” (Romkema). Everyone is always insistent on finding a cure for autism, but no one is taking time to notice what is actually going on in their heads. The label of autism is “freely” made and leaves parents “telling [him] always they knew [he] was there / Inside / And somehow we would find each other, / Connect / The way they could with the sisters and brother,” (Romkema). This embarks on the fact that many perceive those with autism as being disconnected from everyone, from the world and having to provide self-stimulation which can result in arm flapping and sometimes destructive self-harmful behaviors. Romkema calls attention to many stereotypes of autistics while also showing how they become more than those stereotypes and are not limited to them. He notes, “From that little boy so willingly labeled. / But now I can type thoughts, questions, / Responses, / Enter discussions on Shakespeare and / Algebra,” among other mentionings of voting and giving his own opinions not monitored or given for him, (Romkema). Those with autism are able to speak for themselves and prove they can on a daily basis whether they are deemed verbal or non-verbal.

Romkema himself is autistic but also has cerebral palsy, which can now explain to the readers why he was lying in his bed and other lines of his poem concerning his body. Connection, thoughts, and other daily actions that neurotypical individuals do look different on an autistic individual, and there is nothing wrong with this. While Romkema’s poem hits a few of these stereotypes, it showcases the brilliance of how someone with autism, laying in their bed doing what other may call “self-stimulation” but actually may be “ponder[ing] new theories while / watching [his] fingers, / Doing Nothing,” (Romkema). “Perspectives” truly gives us a new and recurring perspective: that of the parents, the doctors and other professionals, but also the individual labeled with the diagnosis. He “understood every word” those around him were saying, disproving another stereotype (Romkema). While stereotypes are disproven throughout the poem, it is seen how he can do everything a neurotypical child would be able to do, only in different ways that are not mentioned but can be assumed.

In the beginning pages of dePackhs book Troubleshooting, a patient is introduced with her ability to look in someone’s eyes instead of looking away. “I’m autistic, but I don’t look down and away like a good autistic; I stare. That complicated my diagnosis for the early years of my life,” (dePackh, pg. 2). Here, we have a very predominant example of focusing on what autistics shouldn’t be able to do, but we also have the example and label of a ‘good’ autistic, one who complies with the diagnosis standards. A whole diagnosis depends on deficits in the individuals, in this case, a deficit on eye contact was not there. This complicated a diagnosis that is plastered with aspects that an autistic individual shouldn’t be able to do. So shouldn’t it be said that she defied the odds, surpassed the expectations, derailed the label she was given? A label she had both physically and metaphorically tattooed on her, was enough for people to assume she couldn’t and should be able to do certain things. “I went up and introduced myself even though making social,” is something she would rather avoid, she does not shy away from things as it would be stereotyped (dePackh, pg. 3). Social situations are often avoided by those with autism, as would be assumed and is in the DSM-5 as a part of the diagnosis.

One very specific notion that is focused on in this first chapter consists of the tone of voice and connecting it to words and their meanings and how they become “callibr[ated]” to where it doesn’t take as long as her normal “‘auditory processing lag,’’’ (dePackh, pg. 7). Not only does this call attention to what is going on inside the brain of someone diagnosed with autism, it shows the readers the difference but the same way everyone understands words. It is like learning something new for a neurotypical individual, sometimes we get it if we have background knowledge (calibration) and sometimes it takes longer to be fully understood, so “taking the scenic route,” (dePackh, pg. 7). Her lag would be something the doctors, teachers, and others would focus on and try to rid her of and cure it, as it is noted later in the chapter in a high functioning autism classroom but also her own mother is trying to cure her autism and “cleanse” her from it, (dePackh, pg. 17). Focusing on her lag proves the point that the negatives and deficits a child may have with autism, is only part of who they are. Positives should be focused on instead because they, just like neurotypical children, can do so much more than they are perceived to. dePackh illustrates this from the few examples covered. Having a connection with your child despite the fact they may be unable to make one, depends also on the parents as well.

Common perceptions of autism include those that diminish the ability of these individuals. The literary works written by Savarses, Romkema, and dePackh prove that stereotypes put pressure on their children, others, and themselves, but these deficits that appear are solely focused on. There is never an article saying all the things that those with autism can do, only what they can’t do in order to get a diagnosis for their child. Autism presents itself in many ways, and that may be nonverbal but it can also be to look and stare into someone else’s face and be included in social interaction. The analysis offered here in this paper shows that autism is thought of as deficits, but those deficits are being disproved by those diagnosed.

Word Count; 1,594

I pledge,

Amy Rouse

Label-Breaking-on-Autistic-Abilities Download

Works Cited

Depackh, Selene. Troubleshooting: Book One, Glitch in the System. 1st ed., Reclamation Press, 2018.

Romkema, Craig. “Perspectives.” Embracing the Sky: Poems Beyond Disability, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2002.

Savarese, Ralph James. “Prologue: River of Words, Raft of Our Conjoined Neurologies .” Seeing It Feelingly, 1st ed., Duke University Press, 2018, pp. 15–22.