LESSON 16
MY EXPERIENCE IN ELOCUTION
John Neal, 1793-1876, a brilliant but eccentric American writer, was born in Portland, Maine. He went into business, when quite young, in company with John Pierpont, the well-known poet. They soon failed, and Mr. Neal then turned his attention to the study of law. He practiced his profession somewhat, but devoted most of his time to literature. For a time he resided in England, where he wrote for “Blackwood's Magazine” and other periodicals. His writings were produced with great rapidity, and with a purposed disregard of what is known as “classical English.”
In the academy I attended, elocution was taught in a way I shall never forget—never! We had a yearly exhibition, and the favorites of the preceptor were allowed to speak a piece; and a pretty time they had of it. Somehow I was never a favorite with any of my teachers after the first two or three days; and, as I went barefooted, I dare say it was thought unseemly, or perhaps cruel, to expose me upon the platform. And then, as I had no particular aptitude for public speaking, and no relish for what was called oratory, it was never my luck to be called up.
Among my schoolmates, however, was one—a very amiable, shy boy—to whom was assigned, at the first exhibition I attended, that passage in Pope's Homer beginning with,
“Aurora, now, fair daughter of the dawn! ”
This the poor boy gave with so much emphasis and discretion, that, to me, it sounded like “O roarer! ” and I was wicked enough, out of sheer envy, I dare say, to call him “O roarer! ” —a nickname which clung to him for a long while, though no human being ever deserved it less; for in speech and action both, he was quiet, reserved, and sensitive.
My next experience in elocution was still more disheartening, so that I never had a chance of showing what I was capable of in that way till I set up for myself. Master Moody, my next instructor, was thought to have uncommon qualifications for teaching oratory. He was a large, handsome, heavy man, over six feet high; and having understood that the first, second, and third prerequisite in oratory was action, the boys he put in training were encouraged to most vehement and obstreperous manifestations. Let me give an example, and one that weighed heavily on my conscience for many years after the poor man passed away.
Among his pupils were two boys, brothers, who were thought highly gifted in elocution. The master, who was evidently of that opinion, had a habit of parading them on all occasions before visitors and strangers; though one had lost his upper front teeth and lisped badly, and the other had the voice of a penny trumpet. Week after week these boys went through the quarrel of Brutus and Cassius, for the benefit of myself and others, to see if their example would not provoke us to a generous competition for all the honors.
How it operated on the other boys in after life I can not say; but the effect on me was decidedly unwholesome—discouraging, indeed, —until I was old enough to judge for myself, and to carry into operation a system of my own.
On coming to the passage, —
“Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts;
Dash him to pieces! ” —
the elder of the boys gave it after the following fashion: “Be ready, godths, with all your thunderbolths, —dath him in pietheth! ” —bringing his right fist down into his left palm with all his strength, and his lifted foot upon the platform, which was built like a sounding-board, so that the master himself, who had suggested the action and obliged the poor boy to rehearse it over and over again, appeared to be utterly carried away by the magnificent demonstration; while to me—so deficient was I in rhetorical taste—it sounded like a crash of broken crockery, intermingled with chicken peeps.
I never got over it; and to this day can not endure stamping, nor even tapping of the foot, nor clapping the hands together, nor thumping the table for illustration;having an idea that such noises are not oratory, and that untranslatable sounds are not language.
My next essay was of a somewhat different kind. I took the field in person, being in my nineteenth year, well proportioned, and already beginning to have a sincere relish for poetry, if not for declamation. I had always been a great reader; and in the course of my foraging depredations I had met with “The Mariner's Dream” and “The Lake of the Dismal Swamp, ” both of which I had committed to memory before I knew it.
And one day, happening to be alone with my sister, and newly rigged out in a student's gown, such as the lads at Brunswick sported when they came to show off among their old companions, I proposed to astonish her by rehearsing these two poems in appropriate costume. Being very proud of her brother, and very obliging, she consented at once, —upon condition that our dear mother, who had never seen anything of the sort, should be invited to make one of the audience.
On the whole, I rather think that I succeeded in astonishing both. I well remember their looks of amazement—for they had never seen anything better or worse in all their lives, and were no judges of acting—as I swept to and fro in that magnificent robe, with outstretched arms and uplifted eyes, when I came to passages like the following, where an apostrophe was called for:
“And near him the she wolf stirred the brake,
And the copper snake breathed in his ear,
Till he, starting, cried, from his dream awake,
‘Oh, when shall I see the dusky lake,
And the white canoe of my dear! '”
Or like this:
“On beds of green sea flowers thy limbs shall be laid;
Around thy white bones the red coral shall grow,
Of thy fair yellow locks, threads of amber be made,
And every part suit to thy mansion below; ” —
throwing up my arms, and throwing them out in every possible direction as the spirit moved me, or the sentiment prompted; for I always encouraged my limbs and features to think for themselves, and to act for themselves, and never predetermined, never forethought, a gesture nor an intonation in my life; and should as soon think of counterfeiting another's look or step or voice, or of modulating my own by a pitch pipe (as the ancient orators did, with whom oratory was acting elocution, a branch of the dramatic art), as of adopting or imitating the gestures and tones of the most celebrated rhetorician I ever saw.
The result was rather encouraging. My mother and sister were both satisfied. At any rate, they said nothing to the contrary. Being only in my nineteenth year, what might I not be able to accomplish after a little more experience!
How little did I think, while rehearsing before my mother and sister, that anything serious would ever come of it, or that I was laying the foundations of character for life, or that I was beginning what I should not be able to finish within the next forty or fifty years following. Yet so it was. I had broken the ice without knowing it. These things were but the foreshadowing of what happened long afterward.
STUDY NOTE
Elocution is the art of clear and expressive speech. Proper pronunciation and articulation are particularly important.
STUDY GUIDE
A. Vocabulary Practice—Read the meanings carefully and answer the questions.
1. Something that is unseemly is indecent or not acceptable. What is an example of unseemly behaviour at school?
2. Envy is when we feel jealous of what someone else has or can do. Have you ever envied one of your friends? Why?
3. Crockery is cups, plates, and dishes. Do you have some nice crockery in your house?
4. If something is encouraging, it gives someone confidence or hope. Give an example of something encouraging about yourself.
5. Foreshadowing is a hint at future events. Give an example of foreshadowing from your life or someone you know.
B. True or False—Write T (true) or F (false) for the following statements. Give reasons for your answers.
[ ] 1. The narrator wore no shoes to school.
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[ ] 2. The shy boy was good at elocution.
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[ ] 3. The narrator thought the two brothers were good at elocution.
_____________________
[ ] 4. Mr. Moody was short.
_____________________
[ ] 5. The narrator's sister and mother thought he was good at elocution.
_____________________
[ ] 6. The narrator continued his elocution for a long time.
_____________________
C. Discussion Questions—give your opinion about the following questions.
1. Do you think elocution is important? Why or why not?
2. Do you like speaking in front of many people? Why or why not?
3. Do you think being good at making speeches is a useful skill to have? Why or why not?
4. What are some other important skills for people to have?
5. Do you know someone who is good at elocution? Who is it?
6. What is a skill that you would like to get better at? Why?