An Anthropologist on Mars, Essay Example

Introduction

Temple Grandin is an autistic person. However, she is the most remarkable of all of them. She has a PhD, proving that one can overcome the obstacles that are set by the illness and become anything they want to be. The book “An Antropologist on Mars” (Sacks, 1996) is giving everyone a different view of people living with a lifetime condition, and it is full of motivation. The below review is created to provide an overview of the book and the personality, diversity and attitude of the main character: Temple Grandin.

Why Temple Grandin is different

The author explains that the public view of autistic people is based on children with strange, motoric movements, maybe head-banging and lack of social interaction. They are generally “written off” for the society, as they are considered to be unable to interact, imagine or feel for. However, the public has little knowledge about the life of autistic adults; they conclude that because of their language, imaginative and social disabilities, they are unable to find their own role and become a useful person. Temple Grandin is a real life example of the opposite, and she is the proof that with the right approach, everybody can overcome the obstacles they need to face due to their disabilities. Indeed, every person lacks several skills: some cannot enjoy a book, others have difficulties with mathematics, and others lack empathy. The author would like to break free from the stereotypes associated with autism, as no two people with the illness are the same. (Sacks, 1995, pp. 246.) Most children become isolated and disabled, as they are refused by normal schools and there is a lack of special needs facilities that can help them overcome social skill deficiencies. However, given that children benefit from the right approach from the society, there is a chance that they can “compensate” their disabilities, not just overcome them. Temple was different, and the acceptance of her diversity by her environment has made her the person she is today.

Is Temple Grandin an anthropologist on Mars?

Temple knows that she is different. She learns the customs, emotional differences, gestures and social norms as a book. She is unable to tell the difference in emotions when it comes to people, but she has learned the signs of animal feelings. She makes a note and analyzes, as if her brain was a CD Rom, looking for the right detail to match with emotions. She cannot connect, feel sorrow or trust people. Although she is lonely, she can seemingly “fit in” the society. She can behave how it is expected, as she has roughly learned the “right thing to do” in every situation. She is analytical, but not influenced by emotions. Just like many autistic people, she can be more attracted to animals than people. She does not know what love is. She never got married and would never learn about deep emotions. However, this disability has made her a successful animal behavior researcher. She can use 100% of her analytical brain and extremely strong visual memory to research human and animal behavior.

Conclusion

Temple says: “Autism is who I am.” (Sacks, 1995 pp. 291) She knows her handicaps inside out, and she knows that she is only able to observe the society, instead of becoming a part of it. Still, her powerful memory, the impairment of her emotional development is compensated by a logical and analytical brain that processes and memorizes information fast and can retrieve it to create rules and develop new approaches, free from sentimental approaches. The story of Temple Grandin shows people that everyone can make the most of their abilities and develop “compensation methods” to become a highly functional person in today’s society.

References

Sacks, O. (1995) An Anthropologist On Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales. Vintage Books.