Culture: The Role Of Humor In Deaf Culture

Culture-specific humor is humor that sometimes does not translate well into other cultures. A joke that might be laughable to one culture may not be to another. However, in every culture it does play a role and within the Deaf Culture, it is a part of everything we have learned so far. As discussed in our lecture power point, humor is the best medicine.
My favorite joked in our lecture was about the Deaf Tree. I have not read a joke like that before, and to give hearing aids to a tree gave me a chuckle. However, it also didn’t because in a way I thought it was just making fun of Deaf people. However, that could just be my own perspective. I think that many Deaf people would not find this funny at all. (Humor OLC). What is important is that

the use of humor has been a long tradition in Deaf Culture because it was once used as a method of resisting oppression. On the other hand, it has also become a bridge between the hearing and the Deaf.

2.
The poem is written in a Deaf person’s perspective and that really enlightens the readers in their perspective. In the line, “What it is like in a corner to stand,
Though there's nothing you've done really wrong,” I felt sad, alone, and frightened as if the whole world was against me (You Have to be Deaf to Understand). I felt inferior. I felt weak. That would be my perspective if I were in his or her shoes.
On the other hand, as someone who is reading the poem I felt empowered. I did not want anyone to feel such. I wanted to lend a hand, but most of all, I wanted to understand him or her and say that it everything is alright. The prominent theme I am able to extract in the poem are pleas for understanding and dismay at being deaf, which are definite at the repetitive line of “You have to be deaf to understand” (Deaf Poetry OLC).

3.
The way poetry was assembled is through heavy rhyme and meter. Poets, often, wrote in this continued pattern. Due to popular belief that voice was an important component in poetry, which led to question whether or not the Deaf people could write good poetry (Deaf Poetry OLC). So, many Deaf poets wrote under pen names, which was what Laura Cathererine Redden did in the 19th century. Her pen name was Howard Glyndon for the St. Louis Republican (Gallaudet.edu). It is important to note, however, that it was difficult to rhyme ASL translated English poems because many of its features were lost.
On the other hand, there are some Deaf poets, such as John Carlin, that believed in the idea that great poet writers could only be hearing. His most famous poem was The Mute’s Lament and he hoped to be able to hear in heaven. There were many challenges that Deaf poets face, but that still did not stop them from writing poems.

4.

The purpose of theater is the same as storytelling as well as an entertainment field. As discussed in our lecture, it was a “Carnival” experience where people of different backgrounds or ethnicity come together and enjoy a show (Deaf Theater OLC). Moreover, there are collaboration that are present in the realm of Deaf Theater such as between the Deaf and Hearing. For instance, in the UK, there is a theater called Handprint Theater where Deaf and Hearing people work together (DeafUnity.org). Since 1991, their passion has been to impact the cultural lives of both deaf and hard-of-hearing people via storytelling.
Deaf Audiences, often, prefer simple and creative visuals. Visuals that have colors, movements, and gradations between light and dark. Furthermore, they also prefer a wide variety of genres that encompasses sign in full body. For example, in the film Children of a Lesser God, many scenes were focused on Sarah, or all the attention on one actor at a time. These preferences derive from the traditions and culture values that was passed down from generation to generation, of which couldn’t have been possible without the Preservation of Sign Language by George W Veditz (The Camera as Printing Press OLC).

5.
A visual scream is a visible sign that is intended to alert someone’s attention toward something without the use of vocals or sound (Signing the Body).

For instance, Willy Conley’s Falling on Hearing Eyes performance displayed the struggle in communication between Deaf and Hearing people. The style used in this performance was a “in-your-face approach” with a large content of injustice between the two cultures (Light OLC). Many visual screams were also presented in silent films, such as Charlie Chaplin’s A Dog’s Life. A story of communication struggles between the rich and poor. The silent film served as a bridge between the Deaf and hearing using a humor style which slowly faded away when “Talkies” came about. Furthermore, there was also a scene in a Children of a Lesser God where Sarah and James just had dinner and were dancing when Sarah visually screamed when James asked her “don’t you want to be able to get along with the world?”. In this scene, there was a lot of tone, emphasis, and movement expression. There was also a vivid sense of pain and, and excitement as they venture through frustrations

together.

6.
As answered in the previous question, collaborations are widely present in the realm of Deaf Theater such as between the Deaf and Hearing. It is prominently shown in I am Ordered Now to Talk, performed by Peter Cook (Deaf Performer) and his collaborator Kenny Lerner. In this performance, they impact the cultural lives of both the Deaf and Hearing with the use of storytelling and poems. A line that hit me the most was “that speech freako wants me as example for the society rip my brains…” and “…it was me that was broken” (Deafness as Culture). As a hearing individual myself, I was more focused on his gestures and precise body movements. It was passionate, and somewhat reminded me of a YouTube video called This is Tutting where both performers call their dances or movements an art, often with a story embedded. On the other hand, when Peter used his speech it seemed, not fluent, but understandable much like one of the students in the Children of a Lesser God. Knowing what I’ve learned so far in the course helped me understand more about Deaf culture as he performed.
If there were any change in perception, I think it really depends on the individual’s knowledge and background. For instance, if I had not learned more about Deaf Culture and Deaf Literature beforehand, I may have taken this as, maybe, a cry for help rather than a sign of expression. Our perception, almost always, changes with experiences in our daily life.