Assignment+Rationale

Abena Antwih and Harry S. Gatanis, Jr. Dr. Darren Crovitz ENGL 7741 20 June 2011 Reading the World: Engaging High-School English Students with Narrative through Performance Art How can the art of storytelling engage all aspects of human perception and sensuality—from the wonders of eye and ear to the rhythms of touch and insight? Must creative fiction sequester its poignancy only in the bosoms of verse and prose? We have attempted to introduce these queries into the ninth- and tenth-grade literary discourse via the vibrant choreography and song of the Atlanta-based Giwayen Mata troupe: a local performance group whose musical routines embody the animation, intensity, and heritage of traditional African continental dance. Through a careful study of these artists’ dramatic performance “Putting It All Together”—recognizing and interpreting the dancers’ on-stage application of (oral) voice, body-motion, and blocking as explicit forms of communication—we have prepared a narrative portal from which our students may learn to both question and reinforce their understanding of storytelling and plotted narrative: a lens which compels the viewer to contemplate the written narrative structure’s organization of conflict, crisis, and resolution as a compendium of meaning not necessarily wed to the printed page. By allowing each pupil to view, annotate, reinterpret, and narrate Giwayen Mata’s dance—and, by proxy, all other forms of artistic expression and storied commerce (from film productions to visual advertisements)—we wish to embolden the learners’ analytical perspectives, providing them with the knowledge of plot-form and awareness of story-omnipresence considered crucial for “reading” the world’s print and non-print conversations. For if all the world is indeed a stage, and all the people merely players in it, then must not all individuals read and respond to their scripts—their intersecting catalogue of stories, whether literary, social, political, economic, or cultural? Since this topic bears the academic impression of intensive literary deconstruction—de-structuring and studying the organs of human narrative production—and may thus prove confusing to students who have not yet interrogated the elements of storytelling, we have included the following teaching examples and discussion questions for in-class presentation and arbitration—should our wiki’s introductory page not provide a proper explanation and inquisitive framework for narratological criticism. Additional Examples: Questions:
 * 1) Explain the facets of plot construction through the fairy tale “Cinderella,” revealing this narrative’s conflict (“Cinderella wishes to attend the royal ball, yet remains barred from following her dreams by the evil stepmother”), crisis (“Cinderella proves her identity as the Prince’s amatory interest by wearing the glass slipper”), and resolution (“Cinderella marries the Prince and lives happily ever after”).
 * 2) Ask students to provide additional examples of conflict, crisis, and resolution in other fairy tales (i.e. “Snow White,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Gikuyu and Mumbi,” etc.).
 * 1) Why must a plot encourage conflict between its characters? How (and why) does literature both confront and reflect on notions of violence—whether direct or systemic—and suffering?
 * 2) Would you agree with the assertion, “wherever exists conflict, there also exists a story?” Please explain your opinion. Furthermore, would your agree with the argument, “wherever exists conflict, there also exists a plot?” Please explain your opinion.
 * 3) Why must a plot entail a climax and resolution? How do these elements “periodicize” or shape a narrative’s meaning? How does conflict relate to climax? How does conflict relate to resolution?
 * 4) If writers express their narratives through word and language, through which means may other artists (i.e. musicians, painters, actors, etc.) tell their tales? Do “non-artistic” members of society also apply these storytelling techniques in everyday life? Please corroborate your answers with specific details!