Critic Gives Suggestions for Oral Interp Categories
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Monday, February 24, 2014 1:37 PM
New oral interpretation literary categories for 2013-14 present the challenge of exploring not only fresh literature that performers have never encountered or performed in the past, but they also require of contestant and coach a very careful study of the category description.
The descriptor provided in the Constitution and Contest Rules is critical to understanding the goal of the category. Before beginning to look for literature, you should ask yourself: “What is the intent of this category?” You will find the purpose stated in the paragraph that introduces each of the prose and poetry categories.
Let’s take a journey through Category A of Prose. I invited a critic that judges frequently on the tournament circuit and who serves on our State Prose and Poetry Advisory Committee that designed the new categories to weigh in and share her perspective on the performances she has evaluated thus far at invitational tournaments. I believe Phyllis Tucker’s comments will be helpful, and I encourage you, after reading her observations, to evaluate your own or your students’ performances in light of her comments.
Category A: Inspiring My Journey
The goal of this category is to explore the concept of past or present heroes/heroines or survivors. The contestant shall perform a single prose selection. The selection may be fiction or non-fiction, written by one author or a collaborative work by two or more authors or written anonymously.
The introduction should be used to define the contestant’s idea of a hero/heroine or survivor. The selection should reflect these inspirational qualities.
What is a hero or a heroine? Let’s start with a few simple definitions.
he·ro noun as defined by dictionary.com
1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
her·o·ine noun as defined by dictionary.com
1. a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.
Now let’s look more in-depth into an article from Psychology Today, “What Makes a Hero?” Take a brief look at the subtitle, “Why Most Of Our Heroes Aren’t Really Heroic.”
(Published September 19, 2010 by Alex Lickerman, M.D. in Happiness in this World, Psychology Today)
“What actually makes a hero? I'd argue it's the willingness to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others. If you don't find yourself having to resist a voice inside your head urging you to save yourself instead of whatever action you're contemplating, my heart, at least, will refuse to recognize your actions—however legitimately compassionate or courageous they may be—as heroic. Serving others while simultaneously serving oneself can be noble, certainly, but a special kind of nobility attaches itself to those who serve others at a cost to themselves. That's the nobility that tugs at my heart. That's the kind of behavior I find heroic.”
So how do these definitions and perspectives on heroes relate to the UIL Category A of Prose?
In judging at numerous invitational meets, I am quickly struck that prose readers and prose coaches need to revisit the descriptor of this category. In considering literary works dealing with heroes or heroines or perhaps survivors, one must consider several angles of a prose selection. Does the prose depict a man or woman distinguishing courage or ability, or someone who is admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities or someone who has survived against all odds? Does the prose depict a person who displays heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act?
“The introduction should be used to define the contestant’s idea of a hero/heroine or survivor.”
Critical to this category is the statement within the contest rules, ”The introduction should be used to define the contestant’s idea of a hero/heroine or survivor.” At tournaments, I have heard some great expressions of what a hero means to the performer in the introduction, but then the prose piece is performed and it has no reflection of those qualities within its content. I hear no connection to heroism or survivorship. One must absorb the entire descriptor. It continues with, “The selection should reflect these inspirational qualities.” So there should be a connection between what the performer admires in an individual and the qualities evident in the protagonist of the story.
In other cases, performers never even mention hero/heroine/survivor in the introduction. As a critic who must evaluate the specific question listed on the ballot, “Did the performer adhere to the prescribed category,” I listen for an introduction that prepares to inspire me. I also listen for a performance filled with hero or heroine or survivor qualities that match those shared by the performer in the introduction. Let’s explore this concept in greater depth.
“The selection should reflect these inspirational qualities."
As a judge evaluating the performance, I must ask myself if the performer has portrayed a hero and/or heroine or survivor in the selection s/he has performed. Some performers are mistaking a principal character in a story inherently to be a hero when in actuality that persona does not display heroic qualities. If the selection has portrayed a character in a heroic personal act of sacrifice or selflessness, and this is set up in the introduction, as a critic, I believe the performer has met the intent of the category. Even when exploring tall tales and myths, this type of literature often develops characters that portray a heroic sacrifice or survivor catastrophic crises.
So, the intent, the very nature of this category is one of inspiration and encouragement in the goodness of others, whether the situation, for example, is overcoming a physical ailment, bullying, abuse, or a public servant sacrificing for others or an individual coming to the aid of others. In this category, the performer’s choice of literature should “reflect these inspirational qualities”. The judge in your round will be listening for these and, in addition, listening for whether your choice of literature truly embodies the qualities you as the performer have personally shared in your introduction to be demonstrations of heroism or survivorship.
The UIL District speech competition is right around the corner. Take a few moments to examine your Category A prose performance. Does your literature inspire others? Does your selection portray someone with hero/heroine qualities according to the definitions we have explored or does the character in your prose exemplify a survivor? In the weeks to come, inspire others with your Category A program by depicting the strength that exists within mankind. Keep in the forefront of your mind the title of this category: Inspiring My Journey. A reflection on what and who inspires you will take you a long way toward success!