The Sound we Praise

Question: WHAT DO YOU SEE?

The photo is of Harold Whittles. In the caption of the picture it read 'Harold Whittles hears for the first time ever after a doctor places an earpiece in his left ear.' But I see so much more than that.

I see a boy who is shocked; the shock seems to have been a positive shook rather than a negative one.

It is a look of utter shock smeared across a young boy's face. 

It says 'I can't believe this' and 'Am I dreaming?' Never in his life did he think of such a miracle occurring, at least not to him. 

His eyes scream SURPRISE by the way they are widened almost representing saucers. The pupils are tiny and the shine represents the light. His eyes scream HOPE, which is what he always had. 

His eyebrows are arched in CONFUSION and SHOCK. He does not know what is happening, all he has is a strange feeling, something we all take for granted: Hearing.

His lips are gaped in shock. They resemble a fish that is out of water.  His lips are curved, plump and somewhat feminine. A bit of his tooth shows under his upper lip.

His Hair is ruffled and somewhat combed, it seems as though he ran a comb through a minor case of bedhead.

His head seems too big to fit on his shoulders but that is Okay because he is only a child.

He is wearing what seems to be a light or white shirt. He came dressed for the occasion.

The device coming out of his ear seems to be causing his the shock. It just stays inside his ear like a headphone does to us nowadays.

Only in his wildest dreams did he think of this ever happening. 

The shadows across his face signify a planned event. The shadows signify a flash, most likely of a camera flash or some other form of light. The shadows go from the right side of his face to the left. They create a somewhat perfect atmosphere to the boy's shock and confusion. 

Maybe it was a gift or the boy's greatest wish. The event was planned and the photo was taken, marking it as a day in this boy's history, a memorable time for him to ever remember. A day he would never forget.

Question: WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Harold Whittles is hearing for the first time. A device is plugged into his ear in the resemblance of a headphone. The device allows him to hear sound as we normal, mundane even- people do on a regular basis. He is doing something he has never done. He is doing something he has never experienced or even recognizes as we do on a regular basis. Harold Whittles is hearing sound.

He seems (and most likely is) extremely surprised, shocked even. Shock is an unanswered question that nobody can stop asking. The young boy is asking himself, 'What is happening? What is this strange feeling? What is it that vibration I hear? Am I hearing?' 

Although people who are born deaf don't understand what it is like to hear sound, they still know what it is. They can feel sound through the vibrations delivered to their ear. 

In this picture Harold Whittles is not only receiving vibrations but his brain is also interpreting it. 

He is hearing and is in shock because of it. There is a wide-eyed blank gaze in the eyes of the boy. 

He doesn't comprehend the event happening, all he can feel is the confusion and shock.

Question: WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?

It is very obvious what is going to happen. Harold Whittles is going to spend his days hearing. He is going to be grateful to the doctor who put an implant in his ear allowing him to hear. He would also be grateful to the choices his parents made causing him to hear for the first time ever. He might not entirely understand the concept of hearing, which is to perceive by the ear. Now that he has a listening device he is capable of hearing and interpreting sound. Although he will not understand what anybody is saying, he would do his best to comprehend. Harold might want to stick to using a pencil and paper or even sign language to communicate. Harold will have to take special lessons to understand languages and special classes to learn how to speak fluently and without gurgles. He could probably learn more than one language easily now that he has the ability to hear. Harold would then proceed to go to school with kids his age. He might be bullied because of the device attached to his head that allows him to hear.

On the negative side, he also might become suicidal due to the bullying and attempt to kill himself or remove the device allowing him to be in silence, his peace, once again. At night he would remove the listening device and be at peace with himself and his mind. Harold would be overwhelmed at first by the many strange and sometimes annoying sounds he may hear. He may become overwhelmed to the point of never wanting to hear. He would detest the person who implanted the listening device and want to rid of it forever. Those were some of the negative things that might happen in Harold's future.

On the positive side, Harold Whittles might lead a great, joyful life. He would learn a couple of languages and go to school. He would have great friends and maybe a girlfriend when he was older. He would have a great High school life but might be bullied a couple of times, then again that's what his friends are for. After high school, he would get a diploma to some college and get a degree of his choice. His disability wouldn't hinder him anymore and he would be forever grateful to the doctor who fixed his hearing. If his devise were ever to break he would be miserable but he would have friends at his side who understand him.