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September 27, 2005
Genie
I find it interesting that Genie missing the critical period for language formation not only prevented her from learning language when she was older but also it also made her seem retarded. If I had happened to run into Genie randomly I would be under the assumption she is retarded rather than merely a lack of language and human experiences. Her behavior and intelligence is similar to that of retarded children. I believe also an aspect of Genie's life that may have been overlooked a little bit in the movie was the human experiences she, well, did not experience. Everything we take for granted for experiencing in our childhood Genie did not experience. Birthday parties, Sesame Street, kindergarden, coloring books, making friends, losing friends, playing games, homework, playing dress-up, first crush, first kiss, etc. All of these and more make up who we are today because humans experience and then change and experience and then change; it is a cycle. Genie did not have that oppurtunity and perhaps the critical period was also the period for her to experience everything children with normal lives are supposed to experience to function properly in society. It is impossible to reverse because as our mind and personality grow so does our body; they are supposed to be in sync. Genie's body grew (though obviously not as it should either due to malnutrition and abuse) but she as a person did not because she did not interact and experience with other humans.
Posted by lcisfreya at September 27, 2005 05:54 PM
Comments
Freya, I think that if I were to run into Genie today, I too would think that she was mentally retarded. I would never have guessed that she just missed the critical period of learning a language. I had never even heard of the critical period before this class, but I think it's a very interesting idea. How can our minds stop us from learning something that is so important to us, just because we have reached a certain age.
Posted by: Katie at September 29, 2005 10:55 AM