Abstract
This project contains a deep dive into the metaphor of Deafness as resistance in Ilya Kaminky’s poetry collection, Deaf Republic. In this text, the sustainability of resistance is tested in the face of oppression, so the main goal was to explore the ways in which disability was used as a tool for resistance as well as how the breakdown of the characters’ solidarity is indicative of solidarity in real life in that it ebbs and flows. Poetry of witness, a term created by Carolyn Forché and a framework I applied to Deaf Republic during analysis, is a concept that calls readers to see atrocities others have experienced globally and use that window into others’ experiences to advocate for those living in struggle. Using poetry of witness, in conjunction with other scholars’ work on Deaf Republic, Kaminsky, Deaf Studies, and Disability Studies, this project concludes that solidarity with others is important for survival and this can be accomplished through radical listening and the witnessing of others’ experiences. My experiences as a hard of hearing person and educator to many students with varying abilities have influenced my findings and perspectives on the topic at hand.