Literary Analysis Essay on The Reason I Jump

Introduction

In his work, Naoki Higashida has structured his work to show the various ways in which people with Autism find it hard to communicate with the immediate society. Despite his age, the author structured his work to bring to the table how the thought process of people with Autism spectrum disorder works. He puts much weight on children with the disorder and what challenges they encounter when interacting with family members. "The reason I jump" structure is a real-life case that can be used to understand the depth of Autism and its effect on the child's life as they struggle to communicate.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The strategy used by the author for bringing Autism to the limelight is through creating imagery in a typical setting. He has managed to create a vivid description of what struggles a person with Autism has at hand. Naoki used his case as the main example for his work (Naoki 19), he explains on having problems with verbal communication. Instead, he prefers typing down his thoughts on a computer that he feels is very useful for others in understanding him. His strategy has proved fruition ever since and has prompted him to write the book, "The Reason I jump." The technique used in the book of alternation between questions and answers about Autism and its symptoms has an enlightened society. The image created tells more about the effects on him in a simpler format and relatable to other victims of the condition. He uses his case to show how he jumps up when feeling excited, and in turn, this calms him down and releases the energy.

The publisher of this book has used a good strategy as well to make the book easily meet a larger audience. Further, the book has been translated from the original language to meet a larger audience. The translation from the Japanese language to the English language has allowed the book to reach a larger audience than previously. Ever since the translation, the book has managed to reach many readers and enlighten them on Autism. Others have argued that interpretation has shifted some actual meaning, especially with the British translation that has been criticized. Yoshida and Mitchell are the brains behind the translation idea of the book, and they successfully managed to convey the symbolism of life with Autism as the initial idea of the writer.

From the books' example, Naoki tells how he has changed in self-stimulatory behavior for his life. He explains how he is overly excited at times more than the normal person and feels too much energy within that he needs to release. He creates an image in his narrative of the overflowing excitement and energy and how the jumping makes the energy leaves faster, and he clams down (Naoki 20). In another paragraph, Naoki answers questions on his social anxieties. He points out that the questions asked to people with Autism that makes him withdraw from social occasions. His reason for withdraw is to stop others from feeling uncomfortable when around him. He exclaimed in his work on how he desired a normal life with healthy interactions before his self-acceptance. Naoki explains how he admired others, building friendships, and having fun with each other.

On a day to day interaction, people fail to recognize people with Autism by failing to understand the symptoms and unclear signs. Often individuals with Autism have abnormal tone voices that are preceded with incomprehensive language and monotonous speech. Often, people with Autism rarely make eye contact and have abnormal body posture. Any negative reaction to the behavior will make an autistic person withdraw from such a social interaction for not fitting in the group.

The book "The Reason I Jump" has, in many ways, helped to foster the interaction with an autistic person. From the expression of the Naoki and what he feels, it's more likely that after reading, the reader can relate well with an autistic person. The examples from the book outshine the regular challenges and alternatively what the ordinary person should do and not do. The work shows one of the ways an autistic person can express their feelings by typing their mind out. However, Autism cannot be limited to writing as the only way instead of normalizing it, and interactions with the autistic person can do much better. The book has done more for the readers beyond the initial intent of the author.

The book has laid out elements that could be pivotal in interactions with people with Autism spectrum disorders. Communication, especially in formal settings, is crucial, and especially when handling an autistic person, one should show some level of professionalism. Teachers are the ones laden with a more demanding task because they will interact more with autistic kids. Elements in the book can be helpful for the teachers and generally for any reader of the book for normal day interaction. The motive is to help understand the autistic person in general and interact with them like any other individual without making them feel diminished.

Works cited

Higashida, Naoki. The reason I jump: the inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with Autism. Knopf Canada, 2013.