How could you describe a rainbow to a blind person?

Question

If someone has been a blind all its life; what does a colour mean ?

How could you explain the difference between red and blue?

And, what could you in order to transmit to him the sense of beauty of this rainbow...

Answer 1

I guess I'd have to go with textures. Think of all the wonderful textures and then put them all together, side by side, and that's how a rainbow is... just... interpreted through an understandable sense.

Answer 2

A person can be blind but he still has the other senses. If you want to describe a rainbow, a sunset or those beautiful things we can admire with our eyes, you have to think of something that feels like a sunset and transmit that sensation to the blind person.

The blind can still hear, smell or feel the touch, so use those senses to transmit what you want to communicate. Maybe like a hug; one that gives you a warm feeling and relaxed feeling. Or a beautiful song, or the smell of flowers. Those things will let him have an idea of the beauty of a rainbow and all God creations.

Answer 3

The question implies that there is considerably more to be communicated than a description of a natural phenomenon. Therefore, it becomes necessary to understand as many different aspects of a rainbow as possible.
One piece is order. All rainbows ever generated produce colors in exactly the same order, each and every time. To suggest this, try a progression of chords or tones.
Another is fusion of apparent opposites. A rainbow can only occur when sunlight shines through rain. To suggest this, try a sample of chocolate; as a friend of mine named Dave Ponkey pointed out, people prefer it to a sample of sugar because there is an element of bitterness in the chocolate.
There are many other elements, but ultimately, a rainbow is a sublime experience (and I do encourage folk to look up the definition of 'sublime' and incorporate that into their description) that each of us must perceive for ourselves. Perhaps your blind friend will try and not wholly succeed in communicating an equally moving sensation to you...

Answer 4

You can't describe a rainbow to a blind person who has been blind since birth. Why? Because everything is experienced-base. Therefore, if something is not in a person's experience, either directly or indirectly, that person will have no idea of what you're talking about.

The blind man might understand the concept and might understand that there is a thing called color, but he won't really understand it because he has never been able to experience it.

Answer 5

first impressions come through smell, engage the person in the aromas of different coloured flowers don't lead with description let them experience the subtle differences and allow the hues to speak for themselves. Then include music, using the number seven for colours, smells and scales or chords of sound, Im no expert but I'm sure this would create a sense of colour changes within the mind of the person, identified with the moods created by the sounds and smells. Heat & cold with the variations between can also convey colour, it seems to be organically imprinted within nature and the appreciation of sensory pleasures transmits the beauty through the subtle changes that take us from one extreme to the other. Try a multi-sensory approach.

Answer 6

I have a Greek uncle. He was born in Greece and learned to speak the English language. I grew up around him and even though he was blind everyone loved him because when you were in his presence you felt like you were his favorite person. He always wanted a hug and then he would feel our faces. He told us we were beautiful. He has since passed away but if I were to describe a rainbow to him I would hug him, tell him of my love for him and I would hold his face in my hands and tell him that a rainbow is beautiful just like he is and tell him of the beautiful colors. I would tell him when I see a rainbow that it's breath taking and makes me feel all the love he had in his heart. Thanks for this wonderful question. It has brought back his memory and I am tearful as I think of him and a rainbow.

Answer 7

I read something like this somewhere...sometime ago. Or was it in a movie? Someone conveyed the idea of a rainbow to this blind person through sounds and taste...Like a strawberry for red, a happy song for yellow or something along the lines of that...Who knows if it really works!

Answer 8

A rainbow looks like a large arch in the sky. An arch is shaped like the edge of a dish. The rainbow is made p of many colors. Colors are to light as notes are to sound. Its like a beautiful chord stretching over one end of the sky.

Answer 9

I think the best way to describe a rainbow to a blind person, while conveying a sense of its beauty would be to play one of those sets of chimes that often accompanies "magic spells" on cartoons. That sound, played from low tones to high, captures the sweeping arc of the rainbow, while eliciting a feeling of lightness and wonder.

By itself, color "means" nothing, even to sighted people. Any "meaning" we impose on colors is extrinsic, and somewhat arbitrary.

Answer 10

there r some things which u cannot describe to a person blind or not . The feeling which I get from seeing a rainbow I won't be able to describe it to anyone