story of Jean Massieu, The

I was born at sperms in the Cadillac district of the canton of Sainte Macaire in the Gironde. My father died in January 1791 and my mother is still alive. In our family there were six deaf-mutes-three male childs and three girls. The oldest male child died. I, the second son am now in Paris. The third is in Bordeaux learning to read and write. The oldest daughter can read and write; she is in Cadillac. The next to the first daughter died; we were twins. The third daughter knows in what manner to read too, and she is at dwelling Until I was thirteen years and nine month of advanced age I never received any kind of education. I was unschool I told my ideas using manual signs or action s which are different from those of educated deaf-mutes. Strangers did not understand when my family used of that kind signs, but our neighbors did. I saw many discourages horses, jackasses, pigs, dogs, cats, vegetables growing, houses, make open fields, vineyards, and seeing these things I remembered them well. As I said, when I was a child, I couldn't read and write. I wanted to read and write. I watched other lads and girls going to school; I saw them and I was jealous. With tears in my organ of sights I asked for permission to move too I picked up a volume and opened it upside-down showing my stupidity; I set it under my arm as if to affect I was going off to gymnasium My father would not give permission to me go, he signed to me that I could not ever learn anything, for I was a deaf-mute. Then I wept. And again I took his works to read them-but I couldn't understand any alphabetic characters words or sentences. In desperation I stuck my fingers in my ears and angrily asked my father to clean them without for me. He answered that there was no help I was inconsolable.

One day, I left my father's house and went not on to school without telling him. I stood in forehead of the teacher and asked him with action s to teach me to read and write. He completely refused and sent me away. This made me make an outcry for many nights but I was not discouraged. I many times thought about reading and writing. I was twelve at the time. I tried upon my own to draw the alphabetic characters of the alphabet with a quill commit to paper

When I was a child, my father made me pray each morning and night using action s Resting on my knees, I clasped my hands and mov my lips, in imitation of speaking clan praying to God. Now I know there is a heaven the creator of all heaven and earth. on the other hand as a child I worshipped the firmament not God. I did not diocese God, I saw the celestial expanse I did not know whether I was created, or if I had created myself. I was growing up on the contrary if I had not met my teacher, the abbe Sicard, my mind would not have grown at the same rate as my material substance it was impoverished. I would have exhausted all of my days believing that sovereign of the universe is only the sky.

No children my age would play with me They direct the eyeed down on me. They cogitation I was like a dog. I passed my time alone playing with a spinning top or a mallet and a ball, or walking upon stilts. Before my education I knew in what way to count; my fingers taught me I did not know any numbers; I numbered on my fingers, and when the number was more than ten I made markings upon a stick.

When I was a child sometimes my parents had me direct the eye after their flock of sheep, and sometimes nation who passed by took pity and gave me a little cash One gentleman took a liking to me and invited me to his house to eat and drink. Later, when he traveled to Bordeaux, he told the abbe Sicard about me and Abbe Sicard proffered to begin my education. This man wrote to my father, who showed me the alphabetic character although I couldn't read it. My relatives and neighbors explained its contenteds to me, they told me that I would be going to Bordeaux; they cogitation the reason was so that I could learn to be a barrelmaker. My father told me the reason was to learn to read and write. I went with him to the city. When we arrived I notion the houses were very beautiful. We went to diocese the abbe Sicard, whom I place to be extremely thin.

I began my studies through tracing the letters of the alphabet with my fingers. Several days later I could write a small in number words. Within three months I knew in what manner to write many words; in six month I knew more [i]or[/i] less sentences. In one year's time I wrote bonny well. In a year and a scarcely any months I wrote even better than that and I could give useful answers to a few questions. I had been with the abbe Sicard for three and a half years when I left with him for Paris. In four years I had become as well vers in many things as clan who hear and speak.

"My dear Massieu, before you were educated, what did you think about tribe who moved their lips in the vicinity of one another?"

I contemplation they were expressing ideas.

"Why did you think that?"

Because I remembered single time when someone spoke to my father about me and then afterwards he threatened to punish me

"What is gratitude?"

It is the memory of the heart.

"And what is God?"

The necessary Being-an eternal orb of day

"What is eternity?"

A day without yesterday and tomorrow.

"What were you thinking about when your father had you down upon your knees?"

The celestial expanse

"What did you think you would accomplish by dint of praying to the sky?"