SASL Newsletter - Fall 2019 Issue Issue 15 - Fall 2019 | Page 3

caricature is more than just a portrait or a drawing, and that caricature can be interpreted as a literary
device. Also, it is reassuring to know that the quote legitimizes the literature of ASL, considering that it
has its own caricature.
In the last issue, I discussed what Mary Beth Miller did with hyperbole in her narrative, New
York, New York. I will use the same narrative and indicate what exactly she did with caricature. Her
narrative has several sub-topics, and I will focus on one that talks about a female ballet dancer. It is
important to understand the difference between hyperbole and caricature that Miller used within the
same sub-narrative. Hyperbole occurs when she comically described the dancer’s whole body as
being so wrapped up like a mummy. If she were to be unwrapped, her face and torso would become
droopy in an exaggerated and impossible way.
As for caricature, the dancer had a very rigid-looking face with a perfect ballet bun. Her hair
was drawn back so tightly and excessively, that it caused the eyes to protrude and the cheeks to be
unnaturally hollow. She also had a very slender frame, skinny limbs, and very muscular legs. This
ridiculous description perfectly fits Cuddon’s literary definition of caricature. The similarity between
hyperbole and caricature is exaggeration but the key difference is that hyperbole refers to something
so outlandish that everyone knows it could not possibly be true. Caricature, on the other hand, is an
exaggerated portrayal of an individual’s physical features and characteristics. The portrayal can be
intentional or unintentional and there can also be some truth to it. Below is Miller’s video that indicates
the usage of caricature in her sub-narrative:
“Reproduced with permission from Sign Media, Inc.”
Source: Miller, M. B. (1991/2010). Live at SMI!: Mary Beth Miller [DVD]. Burtonsville, MD: Sign Media, Inc.
Sam Supalla’s narrative, For a Decent Living, serves as the second example of caricature.
Specifically located in the 32 nd strophe of the fourth chapter entitled Getting a Job, Supalla talked
about a boy visiting an aircraft factory with the hope of finding a job. He stopped by the office and met
a receptionist who was a very prim and proper lady. She had a ridiculous-looking bouffant hairdo and
wore a pair of glasses, which was tied to a very fancy eyeglass holder around her neck. Throughout
the video, she pursed her lips into a very prim expression, even when using the typewriter and
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The Power of ASL
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Fall 2019 – Issue 15