Rhiannon Jones
Short Poem Analysis
Ann Hostetler
The Rift Between Hearing and Deaf Family Members
Patrick Graybill’s collection of poetry, Poetry in Motion, contains two variations of translations of a poem by a famous hearing poet and nine original poems composed in American Sign Language[1]. One of the original works, named “Paradox,” represents a problem which many Deaf people face.
In Paradox, Patrick Graybill uses a song about loneliness as a metaphor for the relationships between Deaf people and their hearing family members. He conveys the emotion of the singer when taking on her persona by tilting back his head and closing his eyes. This conveys the deep impact which separation from loved ones may cause. He then connects this metaphor to the Deaf community by discussing familial patterns rather than romantic love.
The trend that hearing family members of deaf individuals infrequently are able to sign well enough to communicate easily with their deaf family members is expressed in the poem “Paradox” (Parasnis 120). The following is the interpretation of the poem suggested by Michael Davidson, a writer, professor, researcher of disability studies, and hard of hearing man, in the book “Signs and Voices: Deaf Culture, Identity, Language, and Arts” (“Michael Davidson”).
A woman, who is black, sings a song. As the pianist plays the piano, she sings a song whose title is “My man, where is the man I love?” White and black keys of the piano bounce up and down as her voice rises. There are women in the audience with men among them. All watch the singer as she cries out, “My man, where is the man I love?” The piano keys, black and white, come to a stop. In a white and black room, women rise and applaud the singer—men as well—applaud for a long time. The woman smiles, bows, walks over to someone seated. Her man! So that for her, the meaning of the song is just a song, nothing more (Lindgren, DeLuca, and Napoli).
Patrick Graybill employs a number of poetic devices in this poem in order to emphasize certain details. He mentions some of these in his comments which appear after the poem. He uses the “1” handshape, in which the index is fully extended and the rest of the fingers are balled up into a fist, for the word “black,” “smile,” and when he says that she bows and walks up to the seated man (Vicars; Poetry in Motion). For the allusion to music, he uses the four handshape, in which the thumb is across the palm of the hand, the rest of the fingers spread wide and draws this handshape back from the mouth of the singer and from the keys of the piano. [R1] After the singer stops and walks away those patterns of poetic devices are stopped, thereby highlighting the ending statement in which the narrator says that for him the song brought to mind the difficulties which arose between him and his father.
The narrator’s statement about his father is further brought out by the large amount of contrast in the poem. He says that the woman singing is black, that some of the keys on the piano are black, that the room is partially black, and that the other keys are white, and the rest of the room is white (Poetry in Motion). When describing the composition of the audience, he first mentions the women then changes hands and the men, again creating a dichotomy (Lindgren, DeLuca, and Napoli 185). This pattern of contrast parallels the differences between the life of the hearing singer who does not have any deep feelings connected to the song, and the life of the Deaf audience member (the narrator) who feels a strong connection to it because it describes the linguistic rift which he feels separates him from his father. The narrator then further contrasts that although his mother could sign his father could not.
Immediately following the performance of the poem, Patrick Graybill describes how the poem is significant in his own life. Patrick Graybill grew up in Kansas and went to the Kansas School for the Deaf (“Patrick Graybill”). Like ninety percent of deaf children, his parents were both hearing, but he also grew up with six siblings, four of whom were Deaf. [R2] Because two of his older sisters were Deaf and learned American Sign Language at the Kansas School for the Deaf and they taught him, Graybill’s first language was ASL. His mother was able to sign moderately well, but his father was able to sign only a very small amount (Poetry in Motion). It is common for the mother but not the father of a deaf child, to know how to sign. [R3] By bringing this trend into the poem, Graybill further demonstrates his connection with the Deaf community.
The poem “Paradox” is a work by and about the Deaf experience. By using a specific example, metaphor, contrast, rhyme scheme, and visible emotion, Patrick Graybill explains a problem which the Deaf community faces continuously.
Work Cited
Lindgren, Kristin A, Doreen DeLuca, and Donna J. Napoli. Signs and Voices: Deaf Culture, Identity, Language, and Arts. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press, 2008. Print.
"Michael Davidson (Poet)." World News. World News Network, 2011 Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://wn.com/Michael_Davids
Poetry in Motion: Patrick Graybill a DVD by Sign Media Inc Perf. Patrick Graybill, 1989.
Vicars, William. "American Sign Language: Handshapes." ASL University. lifeprint.com, 8 Jan.
1997. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. <http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-
layout/handshapes.htm>.
Wilcox, Sherman. American Deaf Culture: An Anthology. Silver Spring, Md: Linstok Press,
[1] American Sign Language or ASL is the language used by the Deaf community in the United States, some parts of Canada, and some other areas of the world. The Deaf community is, in part, a group of people who live in the same area, and who work together to achieve some common goals which are related to the Deaf people (Wilcox 3).
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