ornamental line

Your Precious Silent Castle

"I can't ever get close enough."
Children of a Lesser God (1986)


Points for Reflection

Tom Shakespeare's "The Social Model of Disability" (DSR 195-203)

  1. Given what he argues later in his essay, which British organization would Tom Shakespeare presumably consider more enlightened, the Union of Physically Impaired Against Segration (UPIAS), a Marxist group which accuses society of disabling physically impaired people, or the Liberation Network which recognizes both the social dimension of disability and the "inherent" problems tied to disability (DSR 196-97)?
  2. Which of these two groups was created solely by white, heterosexual men?
  3. UPIAS considers impairment "individual and private," and disability "structural and public" (DSR 197). What other group of disenfranchised folk also makes a distinction between private and public identity constructions?
  4. Which model perpetuates use of the liberal term "people with disabilities," the medical model or social model?
  5. Does UPIAS promote charity or civil rights for individuals with disabilities?
  6. What strengths does Shakespeare identify in the social model of disability?
  7. What does Shakespeare consider the primary drawbacks of the social model?
  8. What does Shakespeare recommend, moving forward?


Randa Haines's Children of a Lesser God (1986)

  1. How does diegetic sound function in the opening two scenes, both the nighttime scene and that which takes place on the water?
  2. At what points does the film allow for a non-diegetic musical score to shape the audience’s feelings?
  3. The school principal discourages “razzle dazzle” in his opening conversation with James, suggesting that all the students need are the fundamentals.  Does Mr. Leeds follow Dr. Franklin’s suggestion?
  4. Is listening to music something that James thoroughly enjoys doing alone?
  5. Can Sarah read lips at all?  Does her ability improve over time?
  6. Why might the filmmakers have chosen swimming as Sarah’s preferred form of exercise?
  7. Dr. Franklin tells James that Sarah is content remaining a janitor at the school.  Is this accurate? [Brittany T]
  8. Is the audience taught some sign language over the course of the film?
  9. Why might the filmmakers include a student, Johnny, whom Mr. Leeds fails to reach? [Trevor T]
  10. In what environments do James and Sarah most easily connect?
  11. At what points are Sarah’s signs not interpreted aloud?
  12. Does Sarah’s dancing in the Italian restaurant reflect awareness of vibrations in the music?
  13. How does Sarah’s dancing differ from that of those around her?
  14. Why doesn’t Sarah wish to learn to speak? [Ryan W]
  15. Does Mrs. Norman know how to sign?
  16. Mrs. Norman says the boys who hung out with Sarah’s sister really liked Sarah and treated her with “respect” whenever she came home to visit.   How does this accord with the way Sarah describes those teenage interactions?
  17. What draws James towards Sarah?
  18. At what points is James overly presumptuous with Sarah?
  19. Where does the film’s first intimate encounter take place, and why?
  20. How dependent is Sarah on James’ explaining things via sign language at the movie theater?
  21. Why might Sarah call James the “nicest person she’s ever met,” yet say other people have never hurt her--two incongruent observations?
  22. To whom does James teach speech besides his students?
  23. How does Sarah react after showing up at the school during the dance and song number performed by James’ 11th-grade speech-and-language class?
  24. Do Sarah and James have similar instincts when it comes to family?
  25. Is Sarah a good poker player?  Why, or why not? [Nick W]
  26. As Dr. Franklin explains, Sarah was considered retarded until 7 yrs old, but quickly proved herself one of the most intelligent students at the Deaf school.  Do Dr. Franklin and James treat her intelligence as surprising, or normal?  Are their comments supportive, condescending, or something else? [Harmon Y]
  27. When James asks her what she hears—whether it’s merely silence—she says no one has ever gotten in there to find out.  He asks her if she’ll let him in.  Does he manage to enter that silence somehow?
  28. What changes within Sarah at the second party she and James attend together—the one where Marianne, a Deaf economist with two PhDs, is the guest of honor?
  29. Does the film set up either Sarah or James as being more in the right when they angrily disagree? [Olivia W]
  30. Consider the last ten or so seconds before the credits begin at the film’s conclusion.  Why might we see and hear what we see and hear?


Children of a Lesser God one poster of Sarah leaning over James in romantic situation, black and white
Children of a Lesser God (1968)
one poster from original film release



Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu