Self-Acceptance in Children With Synesthesia: The Girl Who Heard Colors Essay

The Girl who heard colors is a book that helps children to understand the need for self-acceptance and the need for the students to learn to appreciate the students who are different from them. The international synesthesia activism group calls for the nomination of the book for the Charles Taylor Book Award for the best book in attempting to expound on the synesthesia as a sixth sense in a way that children at a certain age are bound to understand and relate with easily (Strik Lievers, 04). The essay intends to explore how the book explores some of the challenges that are associated with synesthesia and the effects that are associated with a child with synesthesia and the society learning about self-acceptance.

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The award is named in acknowledgement to the contributions that Charles Taylor had in the field of interpretive thinking. The book, in turn, employs an adequate use of the colors as a measure to interest the peers who are likely to interact with the child with synesthesia (Strik Lievers, 04). The book is vital in helping the students to learn about a particular condition while enjoying themselves (Strik Lievers, 04). Consider for instance the idea that the students need to understand the challenges that might arise when the students who are different from them are exposed to a different person. The book employs one of the most critical aspects that Charles Taylor had worked relentlessly to ensure that it is taught in the class, the need for the education and the curriculum to be one that advocates for interpretive reading are an aspect that is efficiently covered in the book. Marie Harris uses the prerequisite to the children's literature to make the book as illustrative as one could while passing on vital information about the sense of associating sounds with colors (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, p30).

The award is one that will affirm to the readership on the fact that children's literature is important if they are going to influence the way the children interact with each other in future (Chun, and Hupe,08). The fact that research has established that the stories that are told to the children will have a significant impact on the comprehension of the children's understanding of the cultural and gender roles goes a long way in influencing how the cultural and the gender roles are handled. In this case, the unique condition of synesthesia is one that will become familiar to the children and the fact that it becomes vital to their development of understanding and accommodation of the people to their development (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, p15). The fact that the book is one that acknowledges the importance of the social norms, such as the family, the role of the teacher as an educator and a career is one that warrants the book to be nominated to the Charles Taylor Award for the Children.

Another factor that warrants the book to be one that is invaluable in sensitizing to the target readers the sense of synesthesia is the fact that it demands one to be sensitive to the issues that might affect the way the children handle and relate with each other in the end (Chun, and Hupe, 09). Moreover, the depiction of the girl who had synesthesia as one who saw dark clouds when the other kids laughed at her is a factor that will create to the readers the gloom and the sadness that the kid must have felt (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, 06).

It is important to keep in mind that the kids are highly impressionable and having them understand that some habits such as the failure to acknowledge the difference and the unique capabilities that one has will lead to them hurting each other will drive them to avoid damaging each other intentionally (Chun, and Hupe, 10). Such likely important contribution to the little-known condition of synesthesia is one that needs to be important in the process of awarding the work of art.

Furthermore, the book is one that tackles the sensitive subject of synesthesia and helps one to understand the role that parents can have in the self-acceptance journey of their children (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, 08). The parents of the protagonist in the play are worried about the seemingly out of place condition of their child such that they even acknowledge that she must have a treatable condition and hence refer her to the doctor.

The book illuminates to the readers the repercussions of the society compelling one to conform to the societal demands that are not as helpful as one portrayed in the story (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, 11). The fact that the story in a subtle criticizes and condemns the way some carers might be detrimental is another factor that helps interpretive thinking that has been so long advocated by Charles Taylor to be efficiently applied to the book.

The book does not ignore the fact that the use of children friendly language and the use of emphasis are all a prerequisite to writing an impactful work of art. One of the backbones of a work of art that is under Children's Literature is the need to use emphasis. The Girl Who Heard Colors uses emphasis throughout the book such as when she covered her ears with her hands when the musician was playing his instruments (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, 21).

It is hence important that the book garner the award given the contribution that it has in sensitizing the children about the condition of synesthesia and while reminding them on the importance of accepting the differences that are bound to occur in their interactions.

Conclusion

The book is important for an award as it exposes one to the little-known sense aptly known as synesthesia. Besides, the book is important for reading by kids as it exposes one to the challenges that an educator might acquire when they are confronted with something that they do not understand (Strik Lievers, 04). The teacher passively allows the other children to ridicule the girl who had synesthesia leading to her being withdrawn until she learns about the musician who has managed to tap into his sixth sense and work with it to become a great artist (Strik Lievers, 04). The book is a significant contributor to the development of the awareness of synesthesia while reminding the readers of the importance of appreciating everyone despite the differences that people have. The book is also important to the guardians who are expected to be a part of the learning process of the children on the need to have acceptance of their child's unique abilities without demanding them to conform to the societal norms that often leads people to lose their uniqueness (Harris, and Brantley-Newton, 29). Overall, The Girl who Heard Colors is a book is well thought out on the reading level of the children judging from the colorful illustrations and the ample employment of emphasis.

Works Cited

Chun, Charlotte A., and Jean-Michel Hupe. "Are Synesthetes Exceptional Beyond Their Synesthetic Associations? A Systematic Comparison Of Creativity, Personality, Cognition, And Mental Imagery In Synesthetes And Controls". British Journal Of Psychology, vol 107, no. 3, 2015, pp. 397-418. Wiley, doi:10.1111/bjop.12146.

Harris, Marie, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. The Girl Who Heard Colors. CNIB, 2014.

Strik Lievers, Francesca. "Figures And The Senses". Review Of Cognitive Linguistics, vol 15, no. 1, 2017, pp. 83-101. John Benjamins Publishing Company, doi:10.1075/rcl.15.1.04str.