Question

I do not remember when I first realized that I was different from other people, but I knew it before my teacher came to me. I had noticed that my mother and my friends did not use signs as I did when they wanted anything done, but talked with their mouths. Sometimes I stood between two persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand, and was vexed. I moved my lips and gesticulated frantically without result. This made me so angry at times then I kicked and screamed until I was exhausted. I think I knew when I was naughty, Once I knew that it hurt Ella, my nurse, to kick her, and when my fit of temper was over I had a feeling akin to regret. but I cannot remember any instance in which this feeling prevented me from repeating the naughtiness when I failed to get what I wanted. In those days, Martha Washington, the child of our cook, and Belle, an old hound, and a great hunter in her day, were my constant companions. Martha Washington understood my signs, and I seldom had any difficulty in making her understand. It pleased me to domineer over her, and she generally submitted to my tyranny rather than risk a hand-to-hand encounter. I was strong, active, indifferent to consequences. I knew my own mind well enough and always had my own way, even if I had to fight tooth and nail for it. We spent a great deal of time in the kitchen, kneading dough balls, helping make ice-cream, grinding coffee, quarreling over the cake-bowl, and feeding the hens and turkeys that swarmed about the kitchen steps. Many of them were so tame that they would eat from my hand and let me feel them. One big gobbler snatched a tomato from me one day and ran away with it. Inspired, perhaps, by Master Gobbler's success, we carried off to the woodpile a cake which the cook had just frosted, and ate every bit of it. I was quite ill afterward, and I wondered if retribution also overtook the turkey.

Answer 1

The provided narratives deal with overcoming adversities and learning in challenging circumstances, illustrating individuals' realizations about their environment and thirst for knowledge despite systemic barriers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The narrative passages provided describe the experiences of different individuals overcoming significant adversities while learning and adapting to the world around them. In the first narrative, there is a clear depiction of the protagonist realizing that they are different from others due to their inability to communicate using speech, leading to frustrations and a sense of isolation. It's not until the arrival of their teacher, who introduced them to sign language, that they began to understand that everything has a name and felt a new connection with the world.

In the other narratives, individuals grapple with the hardships of life during times of systemic oppression, such as slavery, where acquiring knowledge or even experiencing the innocence of childhood play was a luxury not afforded to them. These snippets also portray their relentless spirit and determination to learn and grow despite the circumstances, highlighting their inner strength and the power of education.