The Handicapped

The Handicapped  

            Randolph Bourne’s essay The Handicapped, spoke about the rough experiences people from childhood to adulthood have when they have physical disabilities. “Weakness and low vitality, which makes efforts more difficult and renders him easily fainthearted and discouraged by failure.” Being disabled literally means having a physical or mental condition that limits movement, senses, or activities. In The Handicapped though it is illustrated that having a disability is “uncomfortable” but there are more aspects to life than just a physical limitation. “ The sensitiveness has its both good and bad sides. It makes friendship that most precious thing in the world to him, and he finds that he arrives at a much richer and wider intimacy with his friends than do ordinary men with their light, surface friendships based on good fellowship.”

            The rhetorical device, analogy, was displayed throughout the novel, comparing the handicapped man to that of a “normal” one and how he was able to function in similar contexts, making it easier for the audience to fully comprehend. He feels that people are not able to recognize the value of a person because they judge on appearances only. I can relate to this theory, as I grew up with two very close friends both with life-altering disabilities. I could relate to the pain and empathy I felt for them, our friendship was so strong and I have yet to have a stronger friendship and sentimental bond with anyone else. Randolph Bourne was able to bring the pain of being insecure with how you look at such an early non-developed age, but yet we can all still relate to what the message is behind The Handicapped. The somber yet sympathetic tone he used helped the audience feel what it would be like to be in his situation. We can all learn from this that people in the world have deformities but we all need to stick with them and try and understand them, no matter what it takes.


http://thefilmtemple.blogspot.com/2012/07/director-spotlight-82-david-lynchs.html
The most deformed man imaginable.