Just Like El Deafo El Deafo, an autobiography written by Cece Bell and published in 2014, is about Cece’s early experiences as a deaf child. The section I will discuss occurs on Cece’s first day of kindergarten, when she realizes she is in a class with other deaf children. The significance of this scene represents how important it is for a child to feel like they fit in. This reflects one of the major lessons we have been learning in this class: it’s crucial for students to see themselves represented in books, not to mention in real life. Twice in El Deafo, Cece was surprised to see people who were deaf like her. The first time it happened was her first day of kindergarten. The second time was when she saw a girl on TV with a hearing aid. Both times, Bell used italics and exclamation to make it obvious to the readers that this was a big-deal moment. She also uses a phrase that really resonated with me: “just like me!” This is such a powerful phrase, and Bell’s use of italics here really emphasizes just how shocked, awed, and elated Cece felt at this moment (Bell 28). Throughout the book, Cece frequently talks about all the different things people do that get on her nerves. For example, when people talk louder, they may think they’re helping her hear them, but really they’re making it more difficult. Also, Cece talks a lot about how different she feels. She thinks she’s an outsider, and that people are staring at her because of the wires coming out of her ears. It’s obvious that being a deaf girl in a hearing world its incredibly difficult for Cece. That’s why, when Cece walked into the first day of kindergarten to see classmates with wires coming out of their ears, Cece was so amazed. She was finally surrounded by people who understand her, who won’t yell at her or stare at her wires. This sense of belonging and consequently the decreased feelings of self-consciousness that Cece feels in her kindergarten class tells us, the audience, just how powerful it is to be surrounded by people just like you. Most people have never experienced feelings of not belonging, including myself. I am a Caucasian, English-speaking, hearing America surrounded by hundreds of people just like me. I have never felt like I didn’t belong, and therefore it is hard for me to understand just how lucky I am. Thanks to Cece Bell’s experience, I have a better understanding of these feelings. Bell, C. (2014). El deafo. Retrieved April 16, 2017. Macy Visser (Blog post #11.1: Just Like El Deafo. 16 April 2017)
