The documentary Sound and Fury brought to light a controversial topic that I had never considered before. I personally do not know anybody who is deaf, nor did I know of the cochlear implant before watching this documentary. I do not belong to the proper Discourse.
There are two different sides to the implant. The people involved were either all for or against it. Both sides had valid and interesting arguments. If I were presented with such a difficult and important decision, I would most likely be able to come to a conclusion. As for right now, I do not have a definite opinion on the topic.
Peter and Nita, as well as Mari's parents believe that the deaf culture is a significant part of their lives. If the parents were to take that away from their child, that would be considered abuse. It would be offensive to take the deafness away from anybody--if a child is born deaf, it should stay deaf.
For Chris and Mari, their main concern was communication. They wanted the best and brightest future for Peter, and his future did not look so bright without the implant. It is true that deaf people in the "hearing world" is more difficult compared to people who can already here. That is definite. Although, there is a whole deaf community out there that is amazing.
Peter and Nita found one of those communities and it is completely possible for the deaf to be successful, even aside from their communication difficulties. The problem for Little Peter is that he is the only deaf person in his immediate family. It would be less rational for his family to move to a deaf community, unlike Heather's family. Since Heather's immediate family is all deaf, it would be more natural if she stayed deaf and progressed in the deaf community with her deaf family.
Getting a cochlear implant could either be a good thing or a bad thing, it really just depends on the situation. At the end of the documentary, I believe that both families had made the right decision for their children and their futures.
