The disabled groups can be considered the largest minority group in the world. The disabled people in society are subjected to different kinds of prejudices, discrimination and marginalization. The problem of disabled groups is as old as mankind. Oxford dictionary defines the term “disability” as physical incapacity, either congenital or caused by injury or disease, especially when limiting a person’s ability to work or lack of some asset, quality or attribute that prevents a person from doing something. Disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional and developmental or some combination of these. Disability is a broad term within which ideological categories as varied as sick, deformed, crazy, ugly, old, maimed, afflicted,
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We cannot restrict the role of literature in society solely to the entertainment value. Literature also functions to socially maintain, stabilize and justify the prevailing social system. Literature simultaneously reflect, influence and control society. Milton. C. Albrecht in “The Relationship of Literature and Society,” quotes De Vito to illustrate this point: “Literature is a record of social experience, an embodiment of social myths and ideals and aims, and an organization of social beliefs and sanction” (426). The dominant groups utilize the influence of literature to propagate their concepts and ideologies which support and legitimize marginalization of certain groups. Literature portrays these groups as inferior and ineligible to acquire equality and freedom like others in society and these groups tend to believe and accept their marginal status. The portrayal of disabled people is a good example to show this ideological working of literature. There is great disparity between the real condition of the disabled people in society and its literary representation. The real disabled people may work in a variety of jobs, use day centers, have partners and children, travel abroad, help other people, and so on. Yet most of the books portray disabled people in very narrow terms as cruel, totally dependent on other people, isolated and with empty lives, ignorant, uncultured and submissive. The negative portrayal of disability and disabled people in narrative discourses like fiction and drama tries to approve the reserved position for them in society and support the treatment of disabled people by the dominant sections in
We cannot restrict the role of literature in society solely to the entertainment value. Literature also functions to socially maintain, stabilize and justify the prevailing social system. Literature simultaneously reflect, influence and control society. Milton. C. Albrecht in “The Relationship of Literature and Society,” quotes De Vito to illustrate this point: “Literature is a record of social experience, an embodiment of social myths and ideals and aims, and an organization of social beliefs and sanction” (426). The dominant groups utilize the influence of literature to propagate their concepts and ideologies which support and legitimize marginalization of certain groups. Literature portrays these groups as inferior and ineligible to acquire equality and freedom like others in society and these groups tend to believe and accept their marginal status. The portrayal of disabled people is a good example to show this ideological working of literature. There is great disparity between the real condition of the disabled people in society and its literary representation. The real disabled people may work in a variety of jobs, use day centers, have partners and children, travel abroad, help other people, and so on. Yet most of the books portray disabled people in very narrow terms as cruel, totally dependent on other people, isolated and with empty lives, ignorant, uncultured and submissive. The negative portrayal of disability and disabled people in narrative discourses like fiction and drama tries to approve the reserved position for them in society and support the treatment of disabled people by the dominant sections in