Declamations Guidelines

·         Any passage you choose must be worth memorizing and must be worth the community’s listening. If you choose anything other than a passage from a book taught in a Webb English class, a passage from Shakespeare, or a passage from the Bible, you must have the written approval of Mr. Rupley. If it is a text from one of the three listed sources, then you will need only your advisor’s and your English teacher’s approval. After receiving approval, give a photocopy of the text to your advisor and another photocopy to your English teacher. Mark the photocopies to show where you will begin and end your declamation, and write your full name, the author’s name, and the title of the work on the photocopies. Approval must be earned and photocopies delivered on or before November 16.

·         Under no circumstances will you be permitted to declaim a heavily metered rhyming poem.

·         Your declamation must be a minimum of three (3) minutes, including the introduction of twenty (20) to thirty (30) seconds. You are strongly advised not to exceed four (4) minutes.

·         You will not be allowed to declaim in Chapel unless, in the view of your advisor, you are fully prepared the day before you are scheduled to present your selection in Chapel. If you are unprepared to declaim on your scheduled day, you will be penalized ten (10) points and you will be expected to declaim the next day on which declamations are scheduled. Before Chapel that morning, Mr. Smith or your English teacher will inform you if there is time for your declamation. If there is time, you will declaim; if there is no time that day, you will be expected to declaim the next available morning. You will be penalized an additional ten (10) points each day you are not prepared. You will not, however, be penalized on those days when there isn’t time in Chapel for your declamation.

·         Evaluated by a team of English teachers, your declamation counts 20% of your English grade in the third quarter. Usually by the end of the day on which you declaim, your teacher will have prepared an evaluation sheet for you that indicates your grade, areas of strength, and areas of weakness. Come see her for that evaluation at 3:00. If the evaluation is not ready, see her the next day.

·         Your English teacher must have approved your introduction at least one week prior to your scheduled declamation date. If, by that date, the introduction has not been composed and has not earned approval, three (3) points will be deducted from your performance. You must compose your own original introduction (no paraphrases of other material); you may seek your advisor’s and your English teacher’s advice. Your introduction must include the author’s name and the title of the work. Beyond that, what you choose to say will depend upon the selection. Remember that the most important purpose of the introduction is to prepare the listeners so that they can understand and appreciate your selection. For that reason, you may need to include such material as the context of the whole work or allusions or main idea and the like.

·         Do not say “And now title of the work” at the end of your introduction. If the introduction is well written, you won’t need to make that pointless statement.

·         Beginning at least one week before your scheduled date, you should begin rehearsing your declamation on the stage with your advisor. Do so several times in the Chapel to ensure that your volume and eye contact will be adequate.

·         You will declaim in English class either the day before or two days before your scheduled Chapel presentation. If you do not do so, five (5) points will be deducted from your declamation grade.

·         You must dress appropriately (boys: oxford shirt, tie, belted trousers, shoes, and socks; girls: oxford shirt, shoes, socks or knee-socks or tights, either pants, skort, or calf-length skirt). Be confident, sit upright, wait attentively, and walk firmly. When sitting on the stage before and after your declamation, do not communicate with anyone.

·         Stand erect and leave your hands in one place (at the sides or behind your back).

·         Make and maintain eye contact with all parts of your audience – those in front as well as in the back, those on the sides as well as in the center. Do not fix your gaze at the back of the Chapel or on the ceiling.

·         Work on projection and articulation of words so that everyone can hear you comfortably.

·         A declamation involves inflection, pauses, pace, phrasing, and voice. Speak your selection for its meaning instead of only reciting the words.

Schedule
Mr. Rupley or your advisor and your English teacher must have approved your selection on or before November 16. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the loss of five (5) points. Your English teacher must have approved your introduction at least one week prior to your declamation. Failure to meet this deadline will result in the loss of three (3) points. You must declaim in class one or two days before your scheduled date. Failure to do so will result in the loss of five (5) points.

Exemplar Introductions

Sorin Choi
Written by Alice Walker, The Color Purple is a novel about Celie, who has lived a desperate life as a black woman, ceaselessly abused by her father and husband. However, with support from her beloved sister Nettie and other enlightened black women, Celie learns to free herself and stand as an independent woman. She has learned to see life from a different perspective and wishes her ex-husband, Mr., could do the same. In the following passage, Celie tells her ex-husband a new version of the story of Adam and Eve, accepted by the Olinka people in Africa, which suggests that Adam was not the first white man -- just the first one the people didn't kill.

Mintaro Oba
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard is most often found in the nature section of a bookstore or library. Among many other examples, Dillard cites from scientist J. Henri Fabre's experiments with caterpillars. However, the nature that Dillard really attempts to reveal is that of human nature. As one discovers the inability of insects to adapt to changes in their environment, it is instructive to ask if the behavior of those insects is as far removed from our own as we might think.

Emmett Miller (winner of the 2007 Declamation Contest)
Feed by M. T. Anderson is a dystopian novel that warns of the dangers of consumerism in America. In the futuristic United States portrayed by Anderson, most Americans have computer chips in their brains called "feeds" which blast advertisements and propaganda directly through their nerves. Those with feeds are completely brainwashed to purchase without questioning. While vacationing on the moon, recently annexed by the U.S. as the 51st state, the main character Titus and his friends are violently attacked by an activist protesting the feeds and must stay in a hospital with theirs deactivated. In the following passage, Titus goes through feed withdrawal in the hospital ward.

Laura Sherrell
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that recounts the life of a hermaphrodite named Cal who is raised as a girl, Callie. Though Callie has many diverse experiences in life, one of the more interesting occurs during the race riot of 1967. Callie tries to save her father, Milton, by following a tank to his restaurant, The Zebra Room. Looking back on that violent day, a slightly cynical adult Cal raises a question about the actual nature of the riot itself.

Nandi Chihombori-Quao
Henry David Thoreau was born July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard in 1837, he worked several odd jobs until his friend and neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, encouraged him to publish his essays and poetry. A staunch opponent of slavery, Thoreau wrote "Civil Disobedience" as a protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Considered one of his greatest essays, "Civil Disobedience" has been an inspiration to such leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma Ghandi. Thoreau tried to explain why the government often does what is in its best interest, instead of the best interest of the people.

Mary Patsimas
Voltaire, a French writer of the 18th century, may be best known for his book Candide. Written in only three days, this novel is the lighthearted story of the young man Candide and his adventures around the world. Even though he encounters thieves, murderers, and cannibals, he always believes that everything that is done in this world happens for a reason. In this passage, the optimistic Candide is engaged in a philosophical debate with a bitter and pessimistic philosopher named Martin about the nature of men in this world.