Part One: Chapter Nine, The President's Speech Summary and Analysis

This is perhaps one of the more difficult chapters in the book. The reader is almost required to read the chapter several times before comprehension begins to set in. The subject of the chapter is aphasia or the inability to comprehend words. However, patients with aphasia have an enhanced understanding of the tone with which words are spoken. Sacks spends a great deal of time explaining this phenomenon before getting to the "story" part of the chapter. Perhaps his immediate focus on the clinical rather than the story is what confuses the reader.

The story is relatively short and tells of Emily D. a former English teacher who now suffers from aphasia. Emily must pay close attention to word use and can no longer follow slang speech. As Emily...