Dorothy “Dot” Miles was not just a poet; she was a revolutionary figure in the world of Deaf culture and sign language poetry. Known for her work in both English and sign languages, including British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL). Known for her distinctive voice and strong regional identity, Miles is celebrated for her ability to weave together language, culture, and personal experience into poignant and evocative poetry. Miles’s contributions go far beyond her literary achievements. As a passionate activist in the Deaf community, she helped lay the foundation for modern sign language poetry in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Dorothy Miles’s work was groundbreaking, bridging the gap between the written word and visual forms of communication, and influencing the trajectory of contemporary Deaf poetry. This article delves into the life and work of Dorothy Miles, exploring her unique style, highlighting her activism, her pioneering role in Deaf poetry, and her lasting impact on the Deaf community and the broader literary world.
Here’s honoring lasting legacy and global impact of Dorothy Miles…
Early Life and Education: A Life Dedicated to Deaf Advocacy
Born on 19 August 1931 in Holywell, Flintshire in North Wales, Dorothy contracted cerebrospinal meningitis in 1939, which left her deaf at age 8. She was educated at the Royal School for the Deaf and the Mary Hare School, where she developed a strong connection to Deaf culture. At 25, she moved to the United States to study at Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University), supported by the British Deaf and Dumb Association. After spending two decades in the United States, she returned to England in 1977.
As a Deaf activist, Miles raised awareness about Deaf culture and language. Her significant contribution to the arts was her pioneering work in Deaf poetry, where she integrated BSL and ASL to create a new form of poetic expression.
The Birth of Sign Language Poetry
As a pioneer of British Sign Language Poetry, Dorothy Miles is often credited with elevating the language from a practical communication tool to an art form. Her performances blended hand movements, facial expressions, and body language with poetic themes, creating a new kind of poetic experience. Her work inspired many Deaf poets to explore the possibilities of sign language as a medium for creative expression.
Miles transformed sign language from a communication tool into a powerful artistic medium. Her poetry, performed in BSL and ASL, conveyed emotions through visual movement, hand shapes, and facial expressions, creating a deeply immersive experience for her audiences.
British Sign Language and American Sign Language in Poetry
One of the key aspects of Miles’s work was her use of both BSL and ASL in her poetry. By performing in both languages, she bridged cultural and linguistic divides, showcasing sign language as a legitimate form of poetry. This bilingual approach helped elevate sign language poetry internationally.
Influencing Contemporary Deaf Poets
Miles’s legacy is still felt today. Her groundbreaking use of BSL and ASL in poetry influenced many contemporary Deaf poets, including Jodylsn Wells and Heather Artinian. She demonstrated that sign language could convey the full range of human emotion, encouraging Deaf poets to embrace it as a means of artistic expression.
Thematic Focus: People, Place, and Identity
One of the defining features of Dorothy Miles’s poetry is her ability to capture the essence of life in the Welsh valleys. Her poems often explore themes of hardship, community, and identity, reflecting the everyday lives of the working-class people around her. For Miles, the valley was more than just a geographical location—it was a symbol of resilience and strength. In her collection, “The Valley,” Dorothy Miles depicts the personal struggles and triumphs of ordinary people, using the valley as both a literal and metaphorical space.
Her characters are often ordinary people struggling against the backdrop of industrial decline and social change. Yet, despite the hardships they face, Miles’s poems imbue them with dignity and courage. Miles also addresses issues of Welsh identity, particularly in relation to the Welsh language. In her work, she frequently reflects on the tension between the Welsh language and English, exploring how language shapes personal and national identity. The Welsh language, with its own distinct rhythm and musicality, finds its way into her poems, lending them a musical quality that is unique to the Welsh poetic tradition.
Dorothy Miles’s Writing Style: A Blend of Simplicity and Depth
Dorothy Miles’s poetry is often praised for its simplicity, directness, and emotional clarity. While her poems might seem straightforward at first glance, they are rich with layers of meaning, inviting readers to pause and reflect. Her use of everyday language, combined with vivid descriptions of the Welsh landscape and its people, creates a deep emotional resonance that connects with readers on a personal level.
Her writing style is also known for its use of dialogue and local dialects. Miles often includes colloquial speech and regional expressions in her work, which adds an authentic and relatable voice to her poetry. By doing so, she is able to create a sense of intimacy with her audience, allowing them to see the world through the eyes of her characters and share in their experiences. The emotional core of Miles’s poetry is perhaps best seen in her depictions of loss, grief, and resilience.
Whether writing about the death of a loved one or the decline of the local coal mines, she captures the complex emotions that accompany change and hardship. Yet her poems never feel bleak or resigned; instead, there is always a sense of hope, an unwavering belief in the strength of the human spirit, and a deep connection to the community.
Poems and Works
Dorothy Miles’s poetry touched on themes of identity, language, culture, and the Deaf experience. Some of her best-known poems include:
#1. “I Am Deaf”
This poem is perhaps the most iconic of her works, encapsulating her sense of self and the complexity of living as a Deaf individual in a hearing world. The poem is both personal and universal, expressing the frustrations, joys, and triumphs of navigating a world that often marginalizes Deaf people. The poem celebrates Deaf identity and the pride of being a member of the Deaf community.
An excerpt from the poem reads:
“I am Deaf,
I cannot hear,
but I see.
I speak with my hands,
my face, my soul.
I am not broken.
I am whole.”
#2. “The Deaf World”
This poem highlights the rich cultural landscape of the Deaf community and the shared experiences that bind Deaf individuals together. Dorothy Miles celebrates the bonds of community and the deep sense of belonging that exists within the Deaf world, which is often misunderstood or overlooked by the hearing majority. In this piece, she defies common misconceptions about Deaf people, asserting that their world is not one of silence, but of communication and connection.
#3. “Sign Language”
In this Dorothy Miles poem, she extols the beauty of American Sign Language as a mode of expression. Her verses explore the visual and emotional power of signs, giving poetic voice to the language that had long been undervalued in mainstream society. This work was groundbreaking in its attempt to elevate ASL to the level of spoken language in the literary world, and it helped to bring attention to the legitimacy of Deaf culture and its linguistic richness.
Impact on the Deaf Community
Dorothy Miles was instrumental in shaping Deaf culture and advocating for the recognition and acceptance of Deaf people as a distinct cultural group. In the mid-20th century, the Deaf community was fighting for basic rights, such as the right to use sign language in education and the right to be understood by hearing society. Dorothy Miles’s poetry and activism brought attention to these issues in a way that was both powerful and artistic.
Her work also helped to bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf communities. While she was primarily focused on serving the Deaf community, her poetry was intended to show the world that Deaf people had unique experiences, identities, and cultures worth recognizing and respecting. Dorothy’s writing demonstrated that Deaf people could not only participate in society but also enrich it through their contributions to art, language, and culture.
The Lasting Legacy of Dorothy Miles
Dorothy Miles’s work transcended cultural and linguistic barriers, bringing sign language poetry to the forefront of the British and American literary scenes. She created an artistic space for the Deaf community to share their stories and identities, providing a powerful voice in the cultural landscape. Her advocacy and creative work continue to inspire Deaf poets and artists around the world, ensuring her influence remains central to the development of sign language poetry.
Death
Dorothy Miles tragically died after falling from the window of her second-floor flat on 30 January 1993. The inquest concluded that she took her own life during a manic depression episode.
Conclusion
Dorothy “Dot” Miles was a true pioneer in Deaf poetry and advocacy. Through her innovative use of BSL, ASL, and English, she transformed the intersection of language, culture, and art. As the mother of modern BSL poetry, her legacy continues to inspire contemporary Deaf poets, ensuring her place in Deaf cultural history. Dorothy Miles gave the Deaf community a voice in the wider cultural landscape, and her contributions to sign language poetry will continue to be remembered for generations.
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