Stuttering is a very complex phenomena and it isn’t
easy either for those who have it. A person who stutters (PWS)
likely suffers
from the ridicule of other people, especially those who doesn’t understand
his/her condition. A certain stigma to a PWS is given by society such as being
laughed at and thought of as stupid; this happens so because at most cases they
would have a hard time saying their very own name. Due to a lack of
information, they are also thought of as possessed by the devil. A person who
stutters also has an internal battle within themselves. They feel depressed and
less confident of themselves. It is very hard for them to communicate with a
group of people and of those who are superior to them. A person who stutters also
adapts certain behaviors just to get through their
stuttering. They tend to
have their own concoctions of ‘magic tricks’ to be able to say a certain word
that they
stutter upon.
As a student of speech pathology,
the novel showed me a much clearer description of stuttering than those of
listed in books. In a way, the novel gave me a sneak peek into a stutterers’
world. It showed me more of their feelings of being a stutterer. As a reader, I
also felt the pain, anxiety, frustration and fear that Frank was experiencing. I
think this would be a big help as a therapist. Now I would have a close to
reality view of how a PWS feels and in the future I could make interacting with
them much easier. The novel showed me what to expect when I encounter a patient
with the same condition. The novel showed me the nature of stuttering, and
certain therapy techniques would be appropriate to use, as well as those that
aren’t. Thanks to the novel, I now know that I shouldn’t tell a person or a
child who stutters ‘to stop and take a deep breath’ because that would just
make them stutter more and it doesn’t help.