How I Found My Voice How I Found My Voice By James Earl Jones

Unit 9Unit 9

主讲人： 赵俏梅

1

Background Information

2

Text Comprehension

34

5

Language Points

Paraphrase Sentences

Discussion and Activities

Contents

Pre-reading questions:

1.Have you ever spoken to a large audience? If so, how did you feel?

2.Do you think voice is important to personal development? If so, give your reasons.

3.Why do you think some people who are stuttering when they begin to say? How to overcome stuttering in your opinion?

Background Information

StutteringStuttering is a communication disorder that

affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, persists throughout the life span. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, known as “disfluencies.” Disfluencies are not necessarily problematic;

Background Information

however, they can impede communication when a speaker produces too many of them or does not resolve them promptly.

Background Information

About the author:

James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 ), is an American actor who in a career of more than 50 years has become known as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile"

Background Information

actors and "one of the greatest actors in American history.“ After earning his bachelor’s degree in drama from the University of Michigan, and was soon performing on Broadway. He appeared in numerous film and television projects throughout for CNN and

Background Information

the part of King Mufasa in Disney’s The Lion King, which remains the most successful animated film of all time. After a long career as a theater, film and television actor, Jones’s steady, authoritative voice is among the most recognizable in the USA.

Background InformationAbout his childhood:• James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla

, Mississippi, son of Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), an actor, boxer, butler, and chauffeur who left the family shortly after James Earl's birth, and his wife Ruth (Connolly) Jones, a teacher and maid. Jones and his father reconciled many years later. Jones was raised by his maternal grandparents, farmers John Henry and Maggie Connolly. He is multiracial, with African, Irish, and Native American ancestry.

Background Information

Geoffrey Chaucer(1340-1400), an

English poet, one of the most important figures in English literature and the author of The Canterbury Tales.

Background Information

Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963), one of

America’s leading 20th-century poets and a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize. An essentially pastoral poet often associated with rural New England, he wrote poems whose philosophical dimensions transcend any region.

Background Information

• Cabe News Network, a U.S. organization that broadcasts news on television 24 hours a day to countries all over the world.

Text ComprehensionPart I (Paragraphs 1 – 2) The writer presents a striking contrast between his s

uccessful career as an actor and television announcer and his severe stutter in his early childhood. (beginning)

Part II (Paragraphs 3 – 22)The author recollects how his high school teacher, P

rofessor Crouch, helped him to overcome his stutter and find his voice. (development)

Text Comprehension• Part III (Paragraphs 23 – 29) • The author tells the reader how his voic

e found with the help of Professor Crouch turned a new leaf in his life and brought him great successes in memorable roles on stage, in films, and on television, and how grateful he is to his teacher, “the father of my resurrected voice.” (ending)

Text Comprehension

• This text is an autobiographical narrative and it is intended to tell the readers that the building-up of self-confidence is very important to one’s personal development.

• It comprises three parts:

Text Comprehension

Part I (Paragraphs 1 – 2)1. Do you expect a person as described in

Para 1 to have suffered from stuttering?2.Why could the narrator hardly believe that

such good things as described in Paragraph 1 could ever happen to him?

Language Points1. the voice-over announcer the unseen announcer who makes a commentary or gives an explanation which is heard as part of a film or television program Comparison: newscaster, host/hostessnewscaster: sb. who reads the news during a newscast .e.g. The newscaster was in competition with ten others for the job.

Language Points

2. host/hostess: sb. who introduces and talks to the people taking part in television or radio programse.g. Benidick is a popular TV host.

Text Comprehension

Part II (Paragraphs 3 – 22)1.Why does the narrator describe his moving

at the age of five as traumatic?

2.Why did the narrator quit Sunday school and church?

3.Why does the narrator say the farm animals knew he could talk?

Text Comprehension

4. Why couldn’t Professor Crouch stand not being a part of the narrator’s school?

5. What event made the narrator open his mouth in public without stuttering for the first time?

Language points in public ： If you do sth. in public, people in general will hear about it or see it.e.g. She was too proud to show her grief in public. On this occasion, we departed from our normal practice of holding the meetings in public.Antonym: in privatee.g. Cecil can be very rude in private, though in public he is usually polite.

Language Points Derivation: traumatic a. (1) of a wound or injurye.g. a traumatic operation(2) (of an experience) distressing and unforgettablee.g. The onset of depression often follows a traumatic event.

Language Points come close to: v. become almost the

same as, or very near to e.g. His performance has not yet come

close to winning the award. get close to nature leave sb. close to tearse.g. Translate the novel close to the original.e.g. The speaker’s remark hit close to home.

Language Pointsassess: v. consider or judge the quality or

worth of sth.e.g. They say they can assess intelligence f

rom these tests.e.g. The test was designed to assess the

students’ level of language proficiency rather than what they have achieved from the course.

assessment

Language Points round up: v. gather together animals or people,

often when they do not want to be gathered together; arrest a number of people

e.g. The cows are rounded up twice a day for milking.

The dog helps the shepherd in rounding up the sheep.

The police had to round up some football hooligans as the situation seemed to be getting out of hand.

Language Points vent: v. give free expression toe.g. I don’t see why you should vent your anger

like this. It won’t do anyone any good.The rioters vented their indignation by burning a

number of police cars when they learned about the brutal murder of a young black African American.

n. as in the expression “give vent to”e.g. Most people did not air their views at the

meeting; rather, they took it to be an opportunity to give vent to their strong feelings.

Language Pointssavor: v. enjoy and appreciate sth. like fo

od, or drink, or an experience, as much and for as long as one can

e.g. I savored every mouthful of breakfast, reluctant to let it end.

He savored the word as he said it.

Language Pointssmirk: v. & n. (to) smile in an unpleasant

way because sth. bad has happened to sb. else or because you think you have achieved an advantage over others

e.g. Come on, Professor, don’t smirk at me like that.

A smirk flickered at the corner of his mouth as he watched my struggle.

They might be forgiven for a small smirk at the troubles of their old rivals.

Language Pointsin a daze: unable to think clearly or understand

what is happening because of surprise, upset, fatigue or a hit on the head

e.g. She wandered in a daze through the hundreds of brilliant butterflies.

He was in a daze and could not understand what was happening.

daze: v. stun, as with a heavy blow or shock; stupefy

e.g. They can also use their knowledge to daze, harm, or hinder their enemies.

Text Comprehension

• Part 31) Why did the writer want to show

his successes to his teacher?2) What kind of comments did the

writer make about his teacher?

Language Points

vibrant with: a. lively and exciting withe.g. This is a city vibrant with life and

energy. The drama is vibrant with life all through.

Language Pointsresurrect: v.make sth. exist again or use sth. again e.g. Berry had one last chance to resurrect

his international career. A furious argument ensued in which both

sides resurrected all their old differences. bring sb. dead back to lifee.g. That noise is enough to resurrect the

dead!

Paraphrase long sentences

1. … he couldn’t stand not being a part of our school. (Paragraph 8)

Explanation:… he wanted very much to be a teacher of

our school.2. We found a kinship. (Paragraph 10) Paraphrase:We found a strong connection between us.

Paraphrase long sentences

3. I … supported myself between roles by sweeping floors of off-Broadway stages. (Paragraph 25)

Paraphrase:I supported myself by sweeping floors of off-

Broadway stages before there was any new role for me to play.

Paraphrase long sentences4. He was still living in a world

vibrant with all of the beautiful treasures he had stored. (Paragraph 28)

Paraphrase:He was still living in a world that was

exciting and lively because of all the beautiful poems he had memorized.

Paraphrase long sentences5. It was traumatic moving from the

warm, easy ways of catfish country to the harsh climates of the north, where people seemed so different.

Paraphrase:We moved from the familiar and pleasant

country to the north where I felt cold both in body and in heart. That was really an upsetting experience in my life.

Paraphrase long sentences6. That awful feeling of my voice being

trapped got worse as I grew older. Paraphrase:As I grew older, I became more self-

conscious of my stuttering. 7…he was still living in a world vibrant with

all of the beautiful treasures he had stored.…he had stored in his mind many poems so

he could enjoy his life with the rhythms of poetry even after he had lost his sight.

Discussion and Activities

1. In the text the author recounts from the first-person point of view the process of his growth from a timid stuttering boy into a successful public figure thanks to his voice. For all his achievements, he is greatly indebted to Professor Donald Crouch, who came into his life when he was 14 years old.

Discussion and Activities

Now imagine yourself to be Professor Crouch and tell from your point of view how you helped the boy overcome his timidity and influenced his life. You can start your talk from the time when you became interested in teaching English in his agricultural high up to the last time you heard his voice on the phone.

Discussion and Activities

2. Self-confidence is one of the qualities we need for our success in life. This is exactly the quality Professor Crouch helped the author to build up. Apart from self-confidence, there are other qualities which are important to college students, for, to a great extent, they will determine how successful they will be in their later life. Discuss with your classmates what these qualities are, and find examples to illustrate their importance.