Oral interpretation of translated Chinese poetry is both difficult and audacious. However, non-native readers are less bound by the Chinese literary canon than native readers and therefore are more free to develop their personal taste and discover new modes of expression. As a result, these performers are potentially ideal translators of Chinese…

The ability to think of poetry rhetorically is a valuable instrument for interpreting poetry. The poet is the speaker "of" the poem, the persona the speaker "in" the poem. The communicative circle is complete when it includes the reader who combines an analysis of the text (the words of the persona) with an analysis of the…

This teaching guide packet is designed to be used with the television documentary "Fooling with Words" hosted by Bill Moyers featuring the 1998 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, during which thousands of people gathered for four days to listen to, read, discuss, and celebrate contemporary poetry. The packet can be used in arts and…

Presents an annotated bibliography of documents from "Resources in Education" on oral interpretation theory, research, and instruction. (PD)

Discusses how Black orality, which combines elements of Black speech and music, is supplemented by dance and other nonverbal cues and actualized in the performance of contemporary Black poetry. (JMF)

Describes poetry programs presented to children by a troupe of performers who incorporated music, humor, and audience response in their performances. Lists qualities of the shows that contributed to their success with children. (HOD)

The recitation of a nineteenth century Swahili poem is analyzed for the devices in spoken Swahili used by the performer to keep the audience's attention. The poem has a very formal structure in both rhyme, rhythm, and words linking one stanza to the next, giving it great rigidity. The primary focus of the analysis is on three variables:…

The (CBS Radio) Columbia Workshop, formed in 1936, encouraged the writing and production of creative, non-traditional radio drama such as Archibald MacLeish's verse play "The Fall of the City," which aired on April 11, 1937. MacLeish considered radio the ideal medium for poetry because it offers only aural stimuli without competition…

Composing oral poems and storytelling are two exercises that speech teachers can use in oral interpretation courses. Conducting the oral poetry exercise early in an introductory interpretation course allows students to become acquainted with each other and to encourage each other while sharing something of themselves with the entire class. This…

WRITTEN FOR BOTH THE "GENERAL" STUDENT INTERESTED IN CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE AND THE ORAL INTERPRETATION STUDENT WHO NEEDS A VARIETY OF CRITICAL ANALYSES TO COMBINE WITH ORAL PERFORMANCE IN HIS STUDY OF LITERATURE, THIS BOOK PROVIDES FIVE EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT CRITICAL APPROACHES TO LITERATURE AND ITS ORAL INTERPRETATION. PART 1, "THE…

Describes how one elementary school teacher recreated the drama of his own childhood encounters with literature by dramatically reading poetry to his students. (ARH)

Examines performance as a literary critical method. Describes group performances of James Dickey's "The String" in an advanced college interpretation course, and considers two central issues: (1) what is learned through the performance of a specific literary work; and (2) what features of a concrete text require performance attention,…

Discusses the advantages of actively using poetry in the classroom, such as development of students' language and communications skills, imagery and aesthetic appreciation, and confidence in reading and oral presentation. Offers examples of poems used on a monthly basis in the classroom, how they are used, and ways to integrate poetry with other…

Poetry performance is an approach to learning where students can use theatrical techniques to develop a response to the poem. This paper argues that ELL students can explore the aesthetic function of language and, more widely, develop confidence in using English as a communicative tool through the dramatization of poetry. We describe the process…