Week Two: Understanding Phonophobia as a Phonophile

Of the three audio files I listened to, I found Caitline Ann Blinder’s “Attuning to Phonophobia” captivating and effective in her use of sonic assets.

Aural Assets

She included an array of elements from music, ambient soundscapes, and instrumental chaos to biological sounds like breathing and pounding, anxious heartbeats. She built a sonic laboratory in which the listeners could dive into her experience as a student with hyperacusis.

The narration, coupled with the movements into and out of academic voices, created a balance of experience and validation/credibility; entertainment and education. Likewise, her equipment, like her microphone, sounded like it was of professional quality, which added to the quality of the audio. Even when a cacophony of sounds played, her voice cut through, no matter what, because her microphone was so clear. That tells me that her mixing and editing of the audio was well thought out and meticulous. The professionalism and sophistication of the editing alone is a rhetorical tool in itself, in that it does not distract or take away from the content; it is a feature.

Genre

With that being said, this audio essay expresses typical genre conventions of an academic tone. She cites her sources very much like one would find in an essay; her movement around the piece follows like an essay with an introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion of her arguments. However, with the narration and the sequential timeline of her writing, it is a very dynamic piece as it changes over time and requires the listener to listen from beginning to end in order to follow the scope of the piece. 

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Conclusion

Overall, this piece in its entirety combines both overt and very subtle aural elements to keep the listener captivated without being too distracting or too dull. As some who drove myself to near deafness due to the sounds I willingly subjected myself to (a percussionist that didn’t know the importance of protecting her ears), I found Caitline Ann Blinder’s audio essay very convincing in its argument to be considerate of and implement accommodations for students who struggle with hyperacusis. Not just in her narration but in her use of sonic assets to truly showcase her experience with hyperacusis and how she was able to adapt.