Many times when we were younger we would see another person who had some type of special needs like autism or down syndrome and thought it was weird. As we got older we realized that it was not weird but it was different than what we are use to. When you are walking around town you see most people with two arm and two legs. They walk, talk and act correctly and only dependent on themselves. We also see people by themselves or together talking. However when we see a person who is not able to walk, talk or even see correctly we give them an odd look because to most that is not normal. Too many people get the wrong impression and only know the rumors but not the facts. In Timothy Shriver's Fully Alive, Shriver tries to give a better understanding
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Reading the first few chapters the reader get a glimpse of history of the Shriver and the Kennedy family. Not only was John F. Kennedy Shriver’s uncle but the hidden Kennedy, Rosemary, was his aunt. Rosemary was the third child and also the first daughter. She was born with an intellectual disability. She had trouble learning and understanding in school. Most people did not know how to treat her but her family wanted to treat her like nothing was wrong. She would participate in many activities with her siblings like play games and go to school. It was hard for her though. She would be, “slow in everything and some things she seemed unable to learn how to do,,,” (39). Many times when she was in school she was not able to keep the same pace as the other Kennedy’s and she also had a lower IQ. In that time period IQ measured a person's intelligence. The IQ declared how smart you would be so the teachers would teach you based on the IQ results. Rosemary’s mother did not know what to do so she became heart broken. The family ended up keeping Rosemary at home and took her out of school. Rosemary …show more content…
Many people would misunderstand those with special needs. As it is said in the book, “From place to place, century to century people with intellectual disabilities have been dehumanized, marginalized, abused, rejected, and killed…”(28) people. Religion is one things that Timothy Shriver says that others were confused about in the past with intellectual disabilities. In the Bible and other religious text there was miscommunication about what to do with people who have special needs. One example is that, “Jesus sometimes appears to ‘heal’ those with disabilities of their sin and cast out ‘demons’ from them, too.” (28). Through this example it was said that people with special needs would have a demon inside of them and that is what made them special. This gave a negative connotation to those with special needs. In the book there are other examples about what religious communities said to do. Later in the chapter Pity or Purge Shriver starts to talk about the different philosophers and how they talk about those with special needs. Philosophers would have different views, you have to be, “capable of abstract thought.” (31). A person should be able to think for themselves but if they cannot think for themselves than, “people with intellectual were sub human ‘idiots’ incapable of morality and possessing no soul”
Reading the first few chapters the reader get a glimpse of history of the Shriver and the Kennedy family. Not only was John F. Kennedy Shriver’s uncle but the hidden Kennedy, Rosemary, was his aunt. Rosemary was the third child and also the first daughter. She was born with an intellectual disability. She had trouble learning and understanding in school. Most people did not know how to treat her but her family wanted to treat her like nothing was wrong. She would participate in many activities with her siblings like play games and go to school. It was hard for her though. She would be, “slow in everything and some things she seemed unable to learn how to do,,,” (39). Many times when she was in school she was not able to keep the same pace as the other Kennedy’s and she also had a lower IQ. In that time period IQ measured a person's intelligence. The IQ declared how smart you would be so the teachers would teach you based on the IQ results. Rosemary’s mother did not know what to do so she became heart broken. The family ended up keeping Rosemary at home and took her out of school. Rosemary …show more content…
Many people would misunderstand those with special needs. As it is said in the book, “From place to place, century to century people with intellectual disabilities have been dehumanized, marginalized, abused, rejected, and killed…”(28) people. Religion is one things that Timothy Shriver says that others were confused about in the past with intellectual disabilities. In the Bible and other religious text there was miscommunication about what to do with people who have special needs. One example is that, “Jesus sometimes appears to ‘heal’ those with disabilities of their sin and cast out ‘demons’ from them, too.” (28). Through this example it was said that people with special needs would have a demon inside of them and that is what made them special. This gave a negative connotation to those with special needs. In the book there are other examples about what religious communities said to do. Later in the chapter Pity or Purge Shriver starts to talk about the different philosophers and how they talk about those with special needs. Philosophers would have different views, you have to be, “capable of abstract thought.” (31). A person should be able to think for themselves but if they cannot think for themselves than, “people with intellectual were sub human ‘idiots’ incapable of morality and possessing no soul”