what might happen next” (Ena & Yulia, 2012, pp. 9-10).
The qualities of foreshadowing that I reviewed in the scholarly literature are consistent with
what Wall and Potma tried to explain in regard to ASL literature. Please keep in mind that practically
all ASL literary works are signed, not written. ASL is an unwritten language and possesses its own
literary tradition in the oral form. The fact that Illiad and Odyssey originated as oral works (similar to
current ASL performances) is both remarkable and flattering.
A close look at Supalla's For a Decent Living confirms the use of foreshadowing as a literary
device used in the beginning of the narrative. Supalla talks about a deaf boy staggering through a
snowstorm from his house to the barn and then finding his boots sinking in manure when entering the
barn. Any individual who views the barn incident in For a Decent Living cannot help but become
anxious to know more about what happens to the boy character regarding adversarial experiences.
As the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that the boy has quickly grown up into a man
when he encounters discrimination at the workplace. The setting has changed from the farm to a city.
The deaf club where the protagonist comes to is not helpful. The leaders at the deaf club are not
optimistic about the employment outlook. The protagonist takes the initiative to seek employment in
the aircraft factory. He is rejected numerous times. However, even after he is finally hired, the
protagonist has to fight back when he is thought to be dead (based on the decision of an incompetent
doctor) after an accident on the job. The protagonist becomes a hero to the aircraft factory as other
deaf people are hired.
When thinking about the early part of Supalla’s narrative in the barn, the individual viewing the
narrative is given a hint about future events in the boy's life that are plagued with workplace
discrimination and injustices that are degrading similar to being stuck in the manure. With the boy now
a man, he continues to experience struggles in the aircraft factory. The protagonist has a strong and
persistent character as shown when he was a young boy walking to the barn during a snowstorm. This
explains the protagonist's eventual success in the aircraft factory.
Readers are encouraged to view the video clip below on the barn incident where
foreshadowing occurs in Supalla's For a Decent Living.
“Reproduced with permission from DawnSignPress”
Source: Supalla, S., & Bahan, B. (1994). ASL literature series: Bird of a different feather & for a decent living: Student workbook.
San Diego, CA: DawnSignPress.
(Continue on the next page)
The Power of ASL
3
Winter 2019 – Issue 16