Paper\nWrite-Up<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My goals for this essay were simply to illustrate the\nconnection between the many historical representations and explanations for disability,\ntheir use as justification in dehumanizing disabled people, and how useful a\nfantasy setting can be in exploring these concepts. Initially I wanted to write\nthe essay on the infantilization present within The Stormlight Archive,<\/em> and the strong fandom confirmation of that.\nHowever, what I\u2019m interested in as a student mostly finds its way back to\nreligion again and again, and so I decided to go with the flaws of the Vorin\nChurch and how they neatly parallel with, say, Catholic exorcisms. The song is\nthe same no matter how you spin it: discrimination comes back to dehumanization,\nas nearly all of history has shown. The question was how well such a serious\ntopic can hold up in comparison to, well, a fantasy series so complex it has\nits own Wikipedia site. I think that while the essay itself is certainly\nstronger in some parts than others, the basic idea still stands. More than ever\nfictional characters are how people relate to the world, and we increasingly want\nto see ourselves in them, know ourselves and be known through them. With that\ncomes the pressure on the author to do research, and do it well. There isn\u2019t\nenough representation for disabled people, and an even smaller subset is\nactually good<\/em> representation. Important\nalso is the idea of plurality, for example one autistic person connecting to an\nautistic character does not mean every autistic person will see their experiences\nreflected back the same way. That is also what drew me to The Stormlight Archive,<\/em> as within a huge cast every single major\ncharacter is mentally and\/or physically disabled. That is not to say there are\nnot criticisms that can still be given (see Renarin as the only \u201ccorrupted\u201d\ncharacter while also the only autistic character, or the series\u2019 habit of\npeople regrowing lost limbs) but that it is refreshing to find a good genre\nbook that gives such authentic voices to the people it sets on the page.\nAnother reason to write this essay is my favorite concept that I have learned\nin Disability and Literature: the realization that you are disabled only in a society\nwhere your mode of thinking\/sensory input\/physical state of being\/medical needs\/etc.\nis not catered to. The world we live in does not have to be disabling and\npainful to any of us. And the first step towards making it better is lifting up\nthe voices of those hurt, inspiring empathy for others\u2014beginning that deep\nprocess of humanization wherever possible\u2014and generally connecting to those we\nmight not otherwise. Getting proximate, and one way to do that is to read. The\nessay itself could, in honesty, be better if it was written in such an ideal\nsociety. I have much to learn, as do all of us. It is good to meet people on\nground that they\u2019re already familiar with, and for me, and a surprisingly large\namount of others in that world, that ground is a constructed space of fantasy.\nSo be it. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hereby declare upon my\nword of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this\nword.\u201d -Lauren C. Magee<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total paper word count:\n1751 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total write-up word count: 518 words<\/p>\n\n\n\n -Paper Contents:-<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lauren C. Magee<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Foss<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disability and Literature\nMajor Paper<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disability,\nCorruption, and Humanity in The\nStormlight Archive<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 While contemporary works of fiction have undoubtably\nimproved their representation of disability, characters who possess visible\nphysical or mental afflictions are still unfortunately few and far between. If\nthey are represented, the depiction tends to lean towards the stereotypical and\neven offensive. Representation becomes increasingly offensive the further back\nin literary canon one goes, human understanding of disabled bodies often\nexplained and condemned by concepts of religion and sin. These were tools to\nfurther other and displace disabled individuals and populations, demeaning\ntheir basic humanity. By this function, society itself was and is disabling.\nHowever, some contemporary works of fiction have sought to explore disability\nin the above ways through the lens of a fictional society. In Brandon\nSanderson\u2019s The Stormlight Archive, <\/em>the\ncharacter of Renarin illustrates the concept of dehumanization through the\nsocietal outcasting of a disabled individual. The Stormlight Archive<\/em> offers a unique perspective to mental illness,\nhaving the magical abilities of its characters intrinsically tied to their own\ntrauma and neurodiversity, and yet condemned by the religious aspect of their\nworld. Renarin, a character otherwise privileged by the social station of prince,\nis instead barred from every path of life by the combination of his\ndisabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Stormlight\nArchive<\/em> is centered around the society of the Alethi, which like our own\nworld has a baseline of strict gender roles and expectations. These\nexpectations are even more strict for the elite classes. Men are given the\nareas of military, leadership, and retaining a patriarchal line; women are\ngiven all branches of the arts and sciences; and the fictional clergy, ardents,\ncan exist outside these boundaries in a sort of gender-neutral space, providing\nthey devote themselves to the Vorin Church\u2019s principles. Any deviation from\nthese roles is met with genuine confusion, for example, the discussion of men\nlearning how to read is seen as unnatural. In fact, unnatural, unholy, and unnerving\nis the connecting theme for any persons that cannot fit into such a rigid society,\nespecially one taught to be in constant fear of the reassurance of demons\u2014the end\nof the world. Renarin as a man cannot enter any field of the engineering he\nshows interest in as he is not a woman, but he is barred from the traditional\nmasculine path of fighting because of his condition of epilepsy. The social\nskills he lacks from being autistic further alienate him from the societal ideal\nof a man. Other characters comment on how \u201c[he] was disturbing,\u201d \u201ccreepy and\nwhiny\u201d (Words of Radiance 1206-1207), and at times he displays the physical\ncharacteristics of autism such as stimming, \u201crocking back and forth with a\nsmall motion\u201d or otherwise fidgeting with a small metal box (Words of Radiance\n562). He is urged by other characters to join the clergy, but continues to\nrefuse, protesting for two important reasons: the inherent emasculating of that\naction, and his own psychosis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Within\nThe Stormlight Archive, <\/em>magic and\nmental illness correlate directly, and become natural products of each other.\nIn order to have any magical ability a person must be explicitly and literally\ntraumatized, explained as \u201ca broken soul [having] cracks into which something\nelse can be fit\u201d (Words of Radiance Cover). Unlike other characters, Renarin\nhas no dramatic or obvious breaking point within his backstory, and there is no\nreason given by the text to think otherwise. The only conclusion that can be\ndrawn is that his trauma is a direct result of prolonged exposure to the very society\nthat he lives in. Rosemarie Garland-Thompson asks, \u201cIf disability is inherent\nin the human, how can it at the same time disqualify us from full membership in\nthe human community?\u201d (Garland-Thompson 339). Although every major character\nshares a common condition of being in some way disabled, Renarin is the most\nvisible target from the youngest age. He is disqualified through othering and\noutcasting to the point where he experiences psychosis, manifesting in-universe\nas terrifying visions of the literal end of the world. The subject matter\nitself is alienating; any inclination towards the prophetic is seen by the Vorin\nChurch as demonic, frightening and corrupted. Renarin is severely disabled not\nonly by the general society around him, but the religious aspect of it reacting\nto his disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Within our own world psychosis has always been\ninterpreted as sinful. Interpretations of hallucinatory experiences and\ndisorders such as schizophrenia have created a narrative where the \u201cdemonic\u201d\nforce explained to be causing the disruption can be cured through holy means, usually\nexorcism. The belief in demons as a cause of neurodiversity has been studied\naround the world along with practices such as ritual prayer or belief in\npossession. One study conducted in Switzerland saw that \u201cprevalence of such\npractices was significantly related to diagnosis and to church affiliation\u201d\n(Pfiefer). \u201cCuring\u201d epilepsy is one of the strongest examples of this practice.\nLouise Jilek-Aall, a researcher of epilepsy in different cultures, states in\none study that \u201can atmosphere of fear, shame and\nmysticism surrounds epilepsy even in our days in many non\u2010Western and also in\nWestern cultures\u201d (Jilek-Aall). Institutions such as the Catholic church have\npreformed exorcisms on epileptic patients, believing them to be infested with\ndemonic spirits. In-world, one of the strongest heretical\ntenets of the Vorin Church is the \u201cforbidden\u201d claim of seeing visions or\nprophecy, which ironically is the exact nature of Renarin\u2019s hallucinations (Oathbringer\n1121). Further complicating the book\u2019s representation is that by its own\nstandards, Renarin is in fact literally demonic, being the only magical\ncharacter whose magic is tainted in some way by one of the fictional demons.\nThe exact phrasing used multiple times throughout Oathbringer<\/em> is \u201ccorrupted\u201d (Oathbringer 1132). Despite this\napparent sin, he shows no changes in overall personality, continuing to be a thoroughly\nmoral character. However, the ramifications of others finding out are so severe\nthat his cousin attempts to murder him near the end of Oathbringer,<\/em> her reasoning being that Renarin is a \u201cthreat\u201d and that\n\u201cshe had to do what was right.\u201d (Oathbringer 1132). She ultimately fails in the\nmoment before the strike, but not because of a sudden change of tactics.\nInstead, she sees him for a second as a \u201ctrembling child\u2026 always misunderstood,\nlaughed at and condemned by people who said similar things about [her] behind\nher back\u201d (Oathbringer 1132). For a character up until this point totally ruled\nby cold logic, it is her sudden humanization of Renarin that prevents his\nmurder. Compassion is given when instead of a unfeeling vessel of otherworldly\nor demonic forces, she sees him as family, saying \u201cI know what you are\u2026 you\u2019re\nmy cousin\u201d (Oathbringer 1135). <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Additionally, autism itself has a strong history of being\nseen as otherworldly or alien. It is a recognizable flaw of humanity that\nparents have strong expectations for their children, which directly affects\ntheir perception and acceptance of that child. Historically this has led to devastating\nimpacts on the disabled community as parents rationalize that an autistic child\nis not actually their \u201ctrue\u201d child. Empathy for another correlates directly with how worthy of\nhumanity we view the person in question. With reference to the above\ndescription of the society within Stormlight,\n<\/em>Renarin clearly cannot preform, or is prohibited from preforming, the\ncorrect actions to be seen as productive. This leads to a diminished sense of personal\nworth not only from Renarin himself but his family members as well. In\nflashbacks his father refers to him as \u201cthe other one, the invalid,\u201d as\ncompared to his brother, who meets every standard for the ideal man in Alethi\nsociety (Oathbringer 890). This sense of ill-worth and othering is not a new\nconcept and has roots in mythology, a usual addition in the fantasy genre. William\nArbury writes that \u201cdescriptions of\nunusual individuals who were regarded as \u2018changelings\u2019 or \u2018feral children\u2019\noften included characteristics similar to those of persons currently diagnosed\nwith an autistic spectrum disorder\u201d (Albury). In essence, the myth of a\nchangeling child simply states that the given child cannot possibly be truly human,\nor else they would not act in the way that they do. Albury identifies that the\nmyth spans from folklore fairy creatures to Christian demonic forces \u201cstealing\u201d\na child. Furthermore, he states that \u201cat one level the metaphors of changeling,\nferal child, and extraterrestrial all identify the autistic person as someone\nwhose defining characteristics are non-human\u201d (Albury). This passage alludes\nthat the most notable parts of an autistic person, to a disabling world, are\nthe characteristics that set them apart from the rest of that world. Once\nagain, they are not viewed as human, because to be human is to be \u201ccorrect.\u201d\nMultiple times throughout The Stormlight\nArchive,<\/em> characters comment only on the surface level of Renarin\u2019s\ncharacter, the traits that they find odd or disturbing. Even his name disturbs\npeople, as it is linguistic nonsense that means \u201c\u2019Like one who was born\nonto himself.\u2019\u201d (Oathbringer 515). \u00a0For a good portion of Oathbringer, <\/em>his father forgets that he has a second child, focused\non the achievements of his first son. Ironically his brother is the first major\ncharacter to try to understand Renarin, positively thinking of him as \u201cerratic,\nbut once you got to know him, you realized he wasn\u2019t trying to be esoteric\u201d (Oathbringer\n114). Along with the unfortunately literal demonic possession, this paints a\npicture of stark outcasting. In such a rigid social culture, there is little\nmotivation to try to humanize a person already rendered mostly invisible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Displayed is only the smallest sample of the systematic discrimination\nand othering that abled people have perpetrated against the disabled. \u00a0As more contemporary works have been written there\nhas been a natural increase in diversity as more writers are empowered to enter\nthe field. Taking from historical sources and lenses of criticism these novels\nare pushing the boundaries of our social sphere more than ever before. Fantasy,\nin the past a rather locked genre for one privileged demographic, is experiencing\na reassurance of its own, a new understanding of cultures of disability and\nmental health. This is a realization that these stories are worth telling and\nportraying, and portraying well. Aspects of our society from well-meaning\nparents to entire church organizations continue to discriminate and offer false\nperspectives on disabled lives. By creating empathy through the context of a\ndifferent world, it is entirely possible that more readers will understand the\ndisabled community, and the dehumanization that still touches a majority of our\nmodern world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Works\nCited & Referenced<\/p>\n\n\n\n Albury,\nWilliam R. \u201cFrom Changelings to Extraterrestrials: Depictions of Autism in\nPopular Culture \u2013 Hektoen International.\u201d\u00a0Hektoen International,\nhekint.org\/2017\/01\/30\/from-changelings-to-extraterrestrials-depictions-of-autism-in-popular-culture\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Garland-Thompson,\nRosemarie. \u201cThe Case for Conserving Disability.\u201d 2012. PDF File.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Irmak,\nM. Kemal. \u201cSchizophrenia or Possession?\u201d\u00a0SpringerLink, Springer US, 27\nDec. 2012, link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10943-012-9673-y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jilek\u2010Aall,\nLouise. \u201cMorbus Sacer in Africa: Some Religious Aspects of Epilepsy in\nTraditional Cultures.\u201d\u00a0Epilepsia, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 2\nAug. 2005, onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/j.1528-1157.1999.tb00723.x.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pfeifer,\nSamuel. \u201cBelief in Demons and Exorcism in Psychiatric Patients in Switzerland.\u201d\u00a0British\nJournal of Medical Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 12 July\n2011, onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/j.2044-8341.1994.tb01794.x.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanderson, Brandon. The Way of Kings. <\/em>New York: Tom Doherty\nAssociates, LLC. 2010. Print. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanderson, Brandon. Words of Radiance. <\/em>New York: Tom Doherty\nAssociates, LLC. 2014. Print. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sanderson, Brandon. Oathbringer. <\/em>New York: Tom Doherty\nAssociates, LLC. 2017. Print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Paper Write-Up \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My goals for this essay were simply to illustrate the connection between the many historical representations and explanations for disability, their use as justification in dehumanizing disabled people, and how useful a fantasy setting can be in exploring these concepts. Initially I wanted to write the essay on the infantilization present within … Continue reading “Lauren c. Magee’s Major Paper: “Disability, Corruption, and Humanity in The Stormlight Archive””<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papJgd-m8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1373,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1372\/revisions\/1373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}