Rigo Chacon Jr.
English 112B
Dr. Warner
Unit Study

Get Tongues Wagging

According to PR Week�s Book of Lists, speaking in public tops the list among things people fear most (death is #7). And because the general consensus is that this fear is here to stay, I believe that it is incumbent upon educators to focus on public speaking exercises that enhance students� ability to communicate effectively. Students may not necessarily enter professions that require speaking in front of people, however, the tools gained by public speaking exercises will undoubtedly prepare them to become better communicators, listeners, writers, and orators.
I propose a unit of study that incorporates poetry, drama and lyrics into literature exercises that enable students to express themselves in an anxiety-free no-wrong-answer atmosphere. Because the genre of poetry often includes poems that are open to interpretation, students can feel at ease while they decipher and explain the authors� meaning or intent. Moreover, students can give their own voice to the work.
Drama—in the form of movies and plays—and music lyrics will offer students a variety of compelling genres from which to choose. The ubiquity of iPods on campuses and the many that flock to the movie theaters demonstrate that students harbor interests in various areas of expression. Educators can tap into these interests by creating a classroom comfort zone that includes these student interests, and offer exercises that put students at ease when speaking from their desks or at the front of the classroom.
The centerpiece for this unit of study is Sam Shepard�s and Joseph Chaikin�s play �Tongues� because of its musical component, its free verse poetic style, as well as the playwriters� decision to allow the actors to perform the piece by developing their own means of expression. The various voices in the play are not intended to be caricatures, but are attitudes or impulses, constantly shifting and sliding into each other, sometimes abruptly sometimes slowly seemingly out of nowhere. Likewise, the accompanying music is not intended to soften the voice but to support the changing impulses and to create temporary environments for the voice to live in.
The �speakers� in the play �Tongues� are expressed in a number of ways: voices travelling, voices becoming other voices, hypnotized voices, sober voices, voices from the living and dead, voices in anguish, etc., which offer a number of choices for students to explore, rehearse and recite.

Launching the Unit
1. Peform or watch a scene from David Mamet�s play �Glengarry Glen Ross� to introduce a later discussion regarding monologues.
2. Ask students to read the following poem/lyrics by songwriter and poet Kris Kristofferson silently and then ask for a volunteer to read the poem/lyrics aloud.
- Ask the students to interpret the meaning of the poem.
- Following this discussion, ask the students if they feel the words should be accompanied by music.
- Ask students what voice they gave the poem/lyrics.
- Then play the CD of Kris Kristofferson�s �Silver Tongued Devil and I� and ask the students if the music or voice changes their feelings or their interpretation of the poem/lyrics. Does the music create a more visceral experience? Is Kris Kristofferson�s voice similar to the voice they imagined?

I took myself down to the Tally Ho Tavern
To buy me a bottle of beer
I sat me down by a tender young maiden
Who's eyes were as dark as her hair

And as I was searching from bottle to bottle
For something un-foolish to say
That silver tongued devil just slipped from the shadows
And smilingly stole her away

I said hey little girl don't you know he's a devil
He's everything that I ain't
Hiding intentions of evil under the smile of a saint
All he's good for is getting in trouble

And shifting his share of the blame
And some people swear he's my double
And some even say we're the same
But the silver-tongued devil's got nothing to lose
And I'll only live 'till I die

We take our own chances and pay our own dues
The silver tongued devil and I

By Kris Kristofferson

3. Engage the students in more discussion about the �voice� of the lyrics. Did they notice any changes in inflection and/or emotion in the singer�s voice?
- Explain that a silver tongued devil is a smooth-talking liar, and ask the students if the poem/lyrics express that.
4. Begin the next session about voice by experimenting with monologues.
- Have students discuss the monologue/performance from David Mamet�s play �Glengarry Glen Ross� and engage the students in a discussion about the difference in a �cold read� and a memorized performance and how that changes the perspective for the audience.
5. Ask students to bring in any song lyrics with the associated CD or any movie DVD and a few lines of dialogue/monologue from the movie that they would like to share with the rest of their classmates.
- Ask the students to prepare to share the short dialogue/monologue in front of the class. (If the dialogue requires a second or third person, ask them to partner-up.)

6. As Sam Shepard�s and Joseph Chaikin�s play �Tongues� as the center piece, ask students to choose one of the voices in the play.
- Each student will perform/recite their chosen �voice� in front of the class.
- The other students in the class will take turns commenting on each voice and at the end of the play all of the students will write an original short stanza in any voice—and from any perspective—that they choose. Also to be recited in front of the class at a later date.

Extending the Unit
Encourage students to read other Sam Shepard plays in groups, notably �Buried Child,� �Curse of the Starving Glass,� �The Tooth of Crime,� �La Turista,� �Savage Love,� and �True West.� Moreover, encourage the students to share their thoughts about the other plays and the �voices� that Shepard uses for his characters.
Because Shepard himself has always claimed that musical elements are as important to many of his plays as their speech, it�s important for students to pay equal attention to both aspects. Encourage students to play close attention to how vital each medium is to the other.
1. Ask students to watch movies on television and take notes about the voices, the characters used, the music during the show, as well as their personal thoughts and experiences.
2. Ask them to share what they watched and listened to during the shows.
- Shows to consider: ER, Modern Family and CSI.
3. Ask students to examine a dramatic moment in one of the films and if possible (using TiVo or another recording device) write down the dialogue or monologue and read it in front of class to see if they can identify the mood or emotion of the scene. Moreover, write the dialogue on the board to see if it can stand alone as a poem.

Young Adult Literature Selections
Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics, by Alicia Keys: A collection of thoughts, poems and lyrics by one of today�s foremost musicians—revealing her heart to fans and documenting her growth as an artist, a person and a woman of color.
Rose That Grew From Concrete, by Nikki Giovanni: A collection of rap poetry by Tupac Shakur that offers a glimpse into his enigmatic life and showcases his spirit, passion, intelligence, energy and the message of hope.
The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, by Maya Angelou: A beautiful insight into one of the greatest poets of our time. Words are inadequate to describe Maya Angelou�s triumphant work.
Love Poems, by Nikki Giovanni: A collection of love poems that embody the passion and wit of one of America�s most celebrated and controversial writers.
Holler If You Hear Me; Searching for Tupac Shakur, by Michael E. Dyson: A look into the life of arguably the most famous rapper of our time. Professor Dyson does what he does best—�keepin� it real�— when describing the hip hop culture and all that it entails. Teenage fans will discover the poetic hip hip genius of Tupac Shakur.
The Art of Public Speaking, by Stephen E. Lucas: This book offers clear explanations and practical applications for students who want to improve their speaking and communication skills.

Concluding Activities
To conclude the unit, students have three options, the first is to choose a song lyric or poem to read in front of the class. Each student will read the lyrics twice—first without music, and a second time with accompanying classical music (provided by the teacher). The exercise is to demonstrate how music and sound can change the overall experience for the audience, as well as to give students more public speaking exposure and confidence.
The second option is to write a short original monologue that will be presented with another student. One student is responsible for choosing the (instrumental) music, and the other is responsible for writing and reciting the monologue.
The third option is to memorize a monologue from John Patrick Shanley�s play �Savage in Limbo,� Ralph Pape�s play �Say Goodnight, Gracie,� August Wilson�s play �Fences,� or Tennessee Williams� play �Summer and Smoke.�
All students will offer feedback on all presentations, and will judge their peers on body language, music choice, dialogue, voice and mood.

Works Cited
Angelou, Maya. The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. Chicago: Random House, 1994.
Dyson, Michael E. Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur. New York: Basic Books, 2006.
Giovanni, Nikki. Love Poems. New York: Harper Collins, 1997.
Giovanni, Nikki. Rose That Grew From Concrete. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009
Keys, Alicia. Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics. New York: Penguin Book, 2005.
Kristofferson, Kris. (LyricsFreak.com/silver+tongued+devil+and+I_20249873.html)
Lucas, Stephen E. The Art of Public Speaking. Columbus: McGraw Hill Companies, 1986.
Glengarry Glen Ross. Mamet, David. 1992.
Book of Lists 2008. PR Week US. 26 November 2009.
Shanley Patrick, John. Savage in Limbo. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 1986.
Shengold, Nina. The Actors Book of Contemporary Stage Monologues. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.
Shepard, Sam. Sam Shepard Seven Plays. New York: The Dial Press, 2005.
Williams, Tennessee. Four Plays by Tennessee Williams. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.
Wilson, August. Fences. New York: Penguin Group, 1986.