1. Oral Interpretation
Poem
Short Story

2. Your Presentation Be friendly in appearance
Do not hurry your presentation
Pause and look at the audience
Tell why you selected the piece
Tell about the author, setting, etc.
Use activity and gestures to impart mood and meaning

3. Your Presentation
Voice must tell and imply much by using a variety of the following Vocal Controls:
Pause- a lull in the presentation or conversation
Rate- speed at which a speaker talks
Pitch- the vocal notes (highs and lows) that a speaker reaches while speaking
Melody- a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds
Intensity- the degree to which something is made acute or sharpened; an enhancement
Tone- speaker’s attitude toward a subject as reflected by his voice and choice of words

4. Your Presentation
Do not block voice flow or face; bounce head up and down
Do place your hand on the book to mark your place; allow your face to express
At the conclusion, pause a second or two
At the conclusion, do no slam the book shut or shuffle papers.

5. Poem Selection Keep audience in mind
Does it give insight, beauty, amuse, entertain, etc?
Totally analyze and interpret the poem
Know the place and time of setting
At the beginning, state title, author, why selected and give historical background

6. Short Story Selection Must have vocal changes within story
Build suspense
Lead to a climax
Conclude swiftly
Be spontaneous
Stay close to the audience

7. Short Story Selection Preparing
Know meaning of every word and reason for punctuation
Try to understand authors point of view and philosophy
Acquire knowledge of the circumstances that surround the story
Acquire knowledge of the setting surrounding the story
Capture its mood
Paraphrase: get rid of “he said”
Practice aloud until almost 80% of your attention is going to the audience

8. Chapter 16 Notes Overview I. What is Oral Interpretation?
Not trying to mimic a voice…that’s “doing an impression”
You create an appropriate and original voice to give life to words on a page.
Oral Interpretation is the art of communicating works of literature by reading them aloud.

9. I. What is Oral Interpretation?
One of the oldest of human social activities.
Literature was passed down orally before paper replaced memory
Experiencing a rebirth in the U.S.
Storytelling effective tool to persuade potential client of the quality of a product, or to convince employees of a policy change.

10. I. What is Oral Interpretation
Historians point to ancient Greece as birthplace for art of interpretation
Wandering minstrels, rhapsodes, would assemble to read their works in public competition.
Poetry Readings popular during Augustan Age (27 BC – AD 14)
Recitation contests in Middle Ages
In U.S., before radio and t.v., families would read aloud in evening
Today, “performance poetry” & “poetry slams” popular in coffeehouses and bookstores.

11. II. Choosing Your Material
Where to look
Anthologies
Teacher suggestions
Librarians
** Your own taste in literature **
Choose a work that you enjoy reading
Moved you the most?
Made you stop and think?
Favorite selections?

12. II. Choosing Your Material
Consider quality of the literature
Valued for beauty and permanence or universal interest
High quality literature offers insights into life, inner truths that teach lasting lessons
Consider occasion and desires of your audience

13. III. Interpreting Your Material
Meaning
All the ideas communicated by the work
Analyze those ideas to create performance
Know meanings of each word
Ex. From To Kill a Mockingbird
Apoplectic: a person in a fit of rage
Denotative & Connotative Meanings
Connotative = Implied Meaning of a word
Definition of “Love” has a different Connotative meaning to nearly every person
Paraphrase selection to understand meaning
Theme: Central Idea you must make clear in your interpretation.

14. III. Interpreting Your Material
Feeling
Mood: the particular feeling in a work; the emotional tone created by the work
Example poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas pg. 409
Angry tone- father had given up the will to live.
Admiration- the “wild men”
Use voice to change from anger to admiration back to anger again.

15. III. Interpreting Your Material
Determine Narration
Who is telling story
Whom that person is telling story to
What relationship that person has to the events described
How much knowledge that person has of those events.
Once persona is determined, use imagination to fill-in details- vocal characteristics and facial expressions

16. III. Interpreting Your Material
Prose: First-Person Narrations
Read sample from McAfee’s “This is My Living Room”
What does narrator look like?
How is he dressed?
Where does he live?
What kind of accent might he have?
How old is he?
How does the narrator feel about his wife and children?
Answer these Q’s to help decide how to portray this narrator in your interp.

17. III. Interpreting Your Material
Prose: Third-Person Narrations
Example from O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
Ask same type of questions
Now must portray two characters
The author’s omniscient narrator’s “voice”
Grandmother’s “voice”

18. III. Interpreting Your Material
Poetry
Be especially sensitive to author’s intent
Understand some technical terms
Meter
Rhythm
Rhyme
Imagery

19. III. Interpreting Your Material
Meter
Measures rhythm in a line of poetry
Determined by what syllables you stress in the words that make up the line
Stress placed based on your knowledge of proper pronunciation and on your interpretation of the poem.
Rhythm
Flow of stressed and unstressed syllables

20. III. Interpreting Your Material
Rhyme
Repetition of sounds between words or syllables or the endings of lines of verse.
Be careful not to “singsong” which can distract from effectiveness of your reading
Imagery
Language that creates mental pictures

21. IV. Presenting Your Material
Introducing Your Material
Same principles you learned apply here
Characters need to be identified
Relationships explained
Important plot points outlined
Don’t spoil the story by “giving away the ending” but don’t allow listeners to be confused
Establish mood consistent with the mood of the selection itself
Keep it brief; aim for about 1 minute

22. IV. Presenting Your Material
Cutting Your Material
May need to cut, or condense…why?
Too much material
Certain parts of selection may be inappropriate
Particular episode may lessen the overall effect
Longer short stories, might choose a climactic scene only
Cut in, not out! Build your cutting around your favorite lines.
Eliminate dialogue tags (he said, she said)
Eliminate minor characters that might confuse listeners
Cut references to events that you do not have time to fully explain

23. IV. Presenting Your Material
Developing Your Material
Eye Contact
Character Placement
Characterization
Avoid stereotypes
Word Color
I want to kiss you vs. Please pass the butter
Showmanship

24. IV. Presenting Your Material
Practicing Your Material
Read aloud!
Practice exactly as you plan to present it.
Videotape yourself and watch it back
Practice in front of a mirror