An Introduction to the Discipline of Rhetorical Oral Interpretation

In memory of Margaret Griswold and Professor Clay Campbell. They lit the fire that never burned out.

Contents

1. List of Figures

2. Preface

3. Acknowledgments

4. Introduction

5. Part I The History and the Discipline

   1. Chapter 1 Rhetorical Oral Interpretation: A History of the Discipline

   2. Chapter 2 The Discipline: Toulmin Is Not Only for Debaters

   3. Chapter 3 Justification: Implications—Why Is This So Important?

6. Part II A Compendium of Process: A Practical Understanding of the Discipline Applied

   1. Chapter 4 The Framework: Creating the Manuscript

      Appendix: Competition Events—A Quick Look

   2. Chapter 5 Analysis: The “Thought Method” of Preparing the Interpretation

      Appendix: Journal of Analysis of the Performance Manuscript (Template)

   3. Chapter 6 Technique: The Performance Toolbox

   4. Chapter 7 Rehearsal: It Never Stops!

7. Bibliography

8. Appendices

   1. Appendix A: American Forensics Association

   2. Appendix B: National Forensics Association

   3. Appendix C: Pi Kappa Delta

   4. Appendix D: National Christian College Forensics Invitational (NCCFI)

   5. Appendix E: National Speech Debate Association (NSDA)—High School

   6. Appendix F: National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL)—High School

9. Index

Figures

1. Figure 1. Table of like or similar terms.

2. Figure 2. Toulmin Model.

3. Figure 3. Rhetoric.

4. Figure 4. Parts of an argument.

5. Figure 5. Perelman’s reality.

6. Figure 6. Story arc.

7. Figure 7. First draft filter.

8. Figure 8. Belief story.

9. Figure 9. Story of social significance.

10. Figure 10. Focal points.

All figures have been created by the authors.

Preface

In 1946, my father instructed my mother to go to town and find something that would make up for kindergarten, as I would be attending a two-room school out in the country where we lived that did not offer kindergarten. My mother found a seventh-grade English teacher who agreed to give me “Expression Lessons” once a week during the school year. Miss Griswold agreed to perform this act for $1.00 per lesson. The lessons amounted to my memorizing poems and “readings,” and Miss Griswold having me recite them over and over until I met her standards of oral performance. Later, I would perform these readings for all the PTAs, family gatherings, and clubs in the county. This was my introduction to oral interpretation of literature. I took lessons from Miss Griswold until I graduated from high school. My idea of oral interpretation was that it was a small niche in the area of oral performances with limited audiences.

In 1963, I took a class in college called Oral Interpretation and used the 1959, 2nd edition of a book by Charlotte Lee as the text. This lady shaped my view of oral interpretation to this day. She presented a historical and theoretical link to what oral interpretation really is and how it should be performed. This was my first introduction to theory, and it established a need in me to always have history and theory as a framework in my future academic explorations. Her ideas go on even after she is no longer writing. The latest edition of that original book is the nineteenth and was written by Timothy Gura, who co-authored some earlier editions with Lee and Benjamin Powell. I was excited to find that a lot of what I found to be inspiring was still in the nineteenth edition. A lot has changed, of course, but the art is still there. The 1959 edition is now part of the history of this discipline and becomes part of the theoretical foundation from which new frameworks can be built.

I have always been an oral interpretation purest. The problem has always been to know what that really means. Today’s oral interpretations resemble more of a theatre production than what Miss Griswold taught me so long ago. Boundaries have blurred, and the “art” is often lost in the fog. Charlotte Lee said in her 1959 book that, “Oral Interpretation is built on scholarship, technical know-how, sensitivity, and the desire to share. It demands total synthesis.” It is the purpose of this book to build on that scholarship. Therefore, we will first look at the history of oral interpretation, while examining much of that original scholarship established by Lee and others before going on to establish possible new directions from that “old” theory. We will also focus on “technical know-how” by looking at the tools available in our toolbox and performing various manuscripts. In the end, it is our hope that “total synthesis” takes place, and you find the same love for this form of oral performance that Miss Griswold and Charlotte Lee instilled in me, and that you will see oral interpretation as a discipline rather than just a niche.

Gary Harmon

Acknowledgments

I have found it true in my experience that very little is original. Most of what we know is from application and osmosis. The authors have had the opportunity to experience rhetoric through the eyes of a lot of wise people—coaches and professors, through hours with students in the classroom, and at those laboratories for learning we call forensic competitions. Of course, a lot of authors, such as Kennedy, Herrick, Toulmin, Perelman, Burke, Fisher, and Lee, not only provided our foundation but also led us either directly or indirectly to others who contributed to our knowledge base. By good fortune, we had an out-of-print book by Eugene and Margaret Bahn that provided us a calendar of the history of oral interpretation.

The ideas expressed in this book are our own, but not completely original. They are shared and adapted from so many sources, published and unpublished, that specific acknowledgments are impossible. It is to the academic community that we have embraced and that has embraced us that we acknowledge and say thanks.

Introduction

Rhetoric and effective communication can transform language into a powerful force—one that shapes perceptions, influences decisions, and ignites change. The study of these art forms is both practical and diverse, from ancient orators who swayed crowds in dusty amphitheatres to modern rhetoricians who navigate the digital landscape. For centuries, humans have realized that rich, compelling communication enhances a person’s chances for success. Thank you for the insight, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Vico, Perelman, Toulmin, Kenneth Burke, Fisher, and others. The wise studied the cause and effect and passed their wisdom on to others. We benefit from that wisdom.

The excitement for the penning of this text came from the love of specific events in competitive forensics, labeled interpretation or oral interpretation of literature. Those of us in a specific interpretation event initially gave little thought to its origin or historical foundation. Most of us thought that oral interpretation was a new event started in the 1800s or early 1900s. In fact, its foundation was never a topic of conversation. Conversations that focused on oral interpretation generally centered on what worked and what did not, particularly in a competitive setting. A myriad of unwritten rules existed, then changed over time relative to the institution in power at the time or the whims of judges. Little existed to love except the performance, the art of performing, and the literature itself.