El Deafo Analysis

As an education major I wanted to look for some of the elements that I could take from El Deafo and ensure that it was something I could potentially use as a tool to teach with. Whenever reading these types of literature that may eventually be used in the classroom I always look for topics discussed and themes found throughout the novel. In this particular selection I found the theme of acceptance to be extremely prevalent. This theme is important for young learners to understand and it is also something that is relevant and relatable for these students.

The theme of acceptance continues throughout the book in two different ways. The first way that it shows acceptance is to accept yourself. When Cece is first adjusting to her new life it is clearly difficult. It is shown through the imagery and words written that Cece is a bit ashamed that she is not able to hear without her hearing aids. She is no longer happy with who she is and there is a great amount of self doubt.

We are able to see Cece when she felt “normal,” so it is more powerful to see the transition to when she feels different. For a long time in the novel she just wants to be “normal,” and become who she used to be. This is her wanting acceptance from others, but the truth of the matter is she needs to accept herself first. She doesn’t want to be the person that she is and isn’t willing to accept who she is. Thankfully, we get to see her finally accept herself eventually though it was a long time coming for the reader. This just shows students that it can take some time to overcome obstacles and learn to accept yourself.

However, as Cece becomes to accept herself there is an immediate shift in the text. By accepting herself, Cece refers to herself as El Deafo, and embraces her differences rather than focusing on the parts that she doesn’t like. This is a powerful and important message for students to understand, and I believe students will be able to grasp this from both the words and the imagery in the text.

Another thing that happens when Cece accepts herself is she becomes a lot happier and that is clear. By having the positive attitude she immediately begins to reach out to others and have more friends as well. Accepting herself had many different effects on her personal life and that is something that student should see. It is an everlasting impact towards your personal life when you are able to accept who you are. This is clear because the author has written this book in a better position than she was when she first got the news that she had a hearing impairment. This would be another thing that I may talk about when using this book in a classroom setting. This theme of accepting yourself is almost more strong than in other novels because it is a personal and true story based on the authors life. If I can convince my students that this author was able to accept themselves and create a better life, then this could be a powerful lesson.

Another way that this novel shows acceptance is through the theme of accepting others around you. Many people are stuck in their own way and do not understand some of the challenges that others face daily. This is especially true with elementary aged students, because they are still learning how to get in to their daily groove. However, this story shows how a young Cece Bell was treated by her peers when she first learned that she had a hearing impairment, and through the rest of her childhood. It’s clear that at first her peers are skeptical of her and are not willing to accept her. We see how that affects Cece because the novel is written from the perspective of her during her childhood. This makes the theme of accepting others even more powerful because we see how it can affect other people when we don’t accept them. The pain and emotions are tough to see, so it encourages students to accept others no matter what the differences may be.

While some of her peers don’t accept Cece, others begin to accept Cece for who she is, and some had accepted her all along. The effects of feeling acceptance from her peers is particularly motivational to see when reading this novel. The impact it has on Cece emotional is important and valid.

Tying in to the theme of acceptance is a simple theme of kindness. When her peers were kind and accepted her Cece was able to feel normal and accept herself. She wasn’t longing for attention from other people and that is something that is important for our students to see. Acceptance can be a tough life lesson/skill for students to have at a young age. However, with books like El Deafo, students are able to see first hand what the importance comes from.

One last theme is to be positive. It would have been easy for Cece to feel discouraged for the rest of her life. However, she took an event that she found to be negative and created a positive aspect to it. Referring to yourself as a superhero and getting your friends and classmates to do the same shows a complete turn around. This is an important lesson to teach our students and can be quite powerful from a young age!

Overall, the theme of acceptance is extremely prevalent in this novel meant for young adults/elementary students. Along with that positivity is closely involved. It’s extremely important to show our students these skills and lessons at an early age.