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The memoir of
Christopher Nolan
Under the Eye of the Clock
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Nolan writes his life story as a severely
disabled young boy named Joseph Meehan, a child
born severely brain damaged and known to the
world as the crippled boy. Living in Ireland
with cerebral palsy, Joseph fights to escape the
restrictions and confines of his existence.
Locked for years in the coffin of his body,"
paralyzed and mute, we are made aware of his
efforts and those of his family to release him
from his isolation to find the smallest moments
of control in his life. Nolan describes his
battles with self-pity in early childhood, his
occasional despair and anger, the frequent
loneliness, his growing faith in God, the joy of
riding his sister's pony, family vacations, and
the huge effort and wonderful success of going to
a regular school and establishing genuine
friendships.
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Author
Nolan writes his autobiography as if it were a
biography. By setting himself in the third
person, Nolan gives himself a greater freedom,
makes it possible to distance himself from the
pain of his past and disability. His style is
poetry. Christopher Nolan became a published
author at the age of 15. Also Author of
Dam-Burst of Dreams
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QUOTE
He gazed with his hurt gaze, lip protruding, eyes
busy in conversation. He ordered her to look out
the window at the sunshine. He looked hard at her
ear ordering her to listen to the birds singing.
Then jumping on her knees he again asked her to
cock her ear and listen to the village children
out at play in the school yard. Now he jeered
himself. He showed her his arms, his legs, his
useless body. Beckoning his tears he shook his
head. Looking at his mother he blamed her, he
damned her, he mouthed his cantankerous why, why,
why me? She says "You are you...listen here
Joseph...you can see, you can hear, you can
think, you can understand everything you hear,
you like food, you like nice clothes, you are
loved by me and Dad. We love you just as you
are." His mother said her say and that was that.
She got on with her work while he got on with his
crying.
I choose this quote because I really thought that
it showed that Joseph, really did know that he
was not like the rest of the children. This was
the point that he really expressed his true pain
for his disability. I thought that it portrayed
Joseph as a normal person that was fully aware
of his disability but knows that its just his
body and not his mind.
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RECOMMONDATIONS
This is a very sad and honest book. I would
recommend it to any high school student. Under
the Eye of the Clock, is truly a good book that
has no dull moments.
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Presentation by Vanessa Pasillas