Unit 10

How I Found My Voice

Learning Objectives

To grasp the main idea and understand the structure of the text

To appreciate the style and structure of the passage

To understand a teacher’s role in helping a student find the best of himself

Teaching Procedures

Pre-reading QuestionsText I. How I Found My Voice● Passage● Main idea of the passage● Structural analysis● Comprehension questions● ● Text explanation ● sentence studies ● vocabulary studiesText II. Thank You, Mr. Chips Exercises

Pre-reading questions

1. Have you ever spoken to a large audience? How did you feel?

Nervous? Confident?

Stutter? Smooth?

Blush? Heart beat?

2.Do you think voice is important to personal development?

Yes?

No?

Main idea of the text

In this text, the author tells us how he overcame his severe stutter with the help of his teacher, Professor Crouch, and became successful as an actor and television announcer. From this, we can see the great effect a teacher can have on his student.

Structural analysis

This autobiographical narration comprises three parts.

Part I (Paragraphs 1-2)

In this part, the writer describes how successful his career is at present and what an important role his voice plays in his career. It forms a sharp contrast with the fact that he suffered from a stuttering problem as a child.

Part II (Paragraphs 3-22)

This part mainly describes the writer's stuttering problem when he was a child and the process of how Prof. Crouch helped the boy tackle the problem by way of the forced public speaking.

Part III (Paragraphs 23-29)

The concluding part shows various honors and successes the writer has obtained, which further emphasizes the great effect the teacher has brought about on the writer's career as well as his whole life.

How I Found My Voice

Today I am known for my voice as much as for my acting. It has been my good fortune to receive jobs such as the speaking role of Darth Vader in George Lucas’s Star Wars trilogy and the voice-over announcer for CNN cable television. I also narrated Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait on a compact disc I recorded with the Seattle Symphony. Perhaps my greatest honor came when I was asked to read the New Testament on tape.

question

But it took a long time to believe such good things could happen to me. When I was a youngster I stuttered so badly I was completely unable to speak in public.

Since I was eight I’d had trouble speaking. It was so bad that whenever I stood up in class to read, the other kids snickered and laughed. I always sat down, my face burning with shame.

I’m not sure what caused my stuttering. Perhaps it was an emotional problem. I was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, and when I was about five, I moved to live with my grandparents on their farm near Dublin in northern Michigan. It was traumatic moving from the warm, easy ways of catfish country to the harsh climate of the north, where people seemed so different.

question

Fortunately, my granddaddy was a gentleman, a farmer who taught me to love the land. He was short and he had a prodigious amount of energy. He even built a church to please grandmother, a fervent worshiper of the Lord. All sorts of people were invited to our little church; white, black and American Indian came together in a nondenominational fellowship. Granddad’s Irish heritage came out in his love for language; during the week he used “everyday talk”, but on Sunday he spoke only the finest English.

As much as I admired his fluency, I couldn’t come close to it. I finally quit Sunday school and church, not wanting to be humiliated any more. All through my grade school years, the only way the teacher could assess my progress was for me to write down everything I had learned.

Oh, I could talk, all right. Our farm animals knew that. I found it easy to call the pigs, tell the dogs to round up the cows, and vent my feelings to Fanny, the horse whose big brown eyes and lifted ears seemed to express interest in all I said. But when visitors came and I was asked to say hello, I could only stand, pound my feet, and grit my teeth. That awful feeling of my voice being trapped got worse as I grew older.

question

Then when I was 14, Professor Donald Crouch came to our school. He was a retired college professor who had settled in nearby Brethren, a Mennonite community. When he heard that our agricultural high was teaching Chaucer, Shakespeare and other classics, he couldn’t stand not being a part of our school, so he left his retreat to teach us English, history and Latin.

why

Donald Crouch was a tall, lean man with gray hair; English was his favorite subject, poetry was his deepest love. He’s been an associate of Robert Frost. He held a book of poems as if it were a diamond necklace, turning pages as if uncovering treasures. He memorized a poem every day, explaining that if he ever lost his eyesight he would still be able to savor all that beauty.

When he learned that I not only loved poetry but was writing it, we found a kinship. There was, however, one difficulty between us. Professor Crouch (we always called him that) could not stand the fact I refused to read my poems to the class.

“Jimmy, poetry is meant to be read aloud, just like sermons, ” he pressed. “you should be able to speak those beautiful words.”

I shook my head and turned away.

Then he tricked me. I labored long and hard on a poem, and after handing it in I waited expectantly for his critique. It didn’t come. Instead, one day as the students assembled, he challenged me. “Jim, I don’t think you wrote this.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Why,” I started, anger flooding me, “of course I did!”

“Well, then,” he said, “you’ve got to prove it by getting up and reciting it from memory.”

question

By then the other students had settled at their desks. He looked at me meaningfully and nodded. With knees shaking, I walked up before my peers.

“ Jim will recite his latest poem,” announced Professor Crouch.

For a moment I stood breathless. I could see smirks and wry smiles on some faces. Then I began. And kept going, I recited my poem all the way through without hesitation or fault! I stood amazed and floated back to my desk in a daze, amid wild applause.

Afterward, Professor Crouch congratulated me. “Ahs,” he said. “Now we have something here. Not only will you have to write more poetry and read it aloud to know how good it feels, but I’m sure that you will want to read other writers’ poetry before the class.”

I was dubious about that, but said I’d try.Soon I began to discover something other stutters

know. Most have no problem singing because the lyrics’ rhythmic pattern flows by itself. I found the same cadences in poetry, and before long my fellow students actually looked forward to hearing me recite. I loved the rolling beat of The Song of Hiawatha, especially since I had Indian blood in my veins.

I discovered I did have a voice, a strong one. Under Professor Crouch’s tutelage, I entered oratorical contests and debates. He never pushed anything at me again; he just wanted all his students to wake up.

As my stuttering disappeared, I began dreaming of becoming an actor, like my father, who was then performing in New York city. No one in my family had ever gone to college. But encouraged by Professor Crouch, I took exams and won a scholarship to the University of Michigan.

There I entered the drama department and after graduation fulfilled my ROTC responsibility by serving with the Army’s Cold Weather Training Command on mountain maneuvers in Colorado.

Later, on the GI Bill, I signed up with the American Theatre Wing in New York and supported myself between roles by sweeping floors of off-Broadway stages. In 1962 I earned an Obie for my role in an off-Broadway production of Othelo, and have been an actor ever since.

Meanwhile, I always kept in touch with my old professor, by letter and telephone. Every time we talked it was always “Hi, jim. Read any good poetry lately?” he was losing his sight and I remembered his early explanation of why he had memorized poetry. In later years when I was doing Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens at the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, I phoned him. “Can I fly you in from Michigan to see it?”

“ Jim,” he sighed, “I’m blind now. I’d hate not to be able to see you acting. It would hurt too much.”

“I understand, Professor,” I said, helped in part by the realization that though my mentor could no longer see, he was still living in a world vibrant with all of the beautiful treasures he had stored.

About two years later I learned Donald Crouch had passed on. When I was asked to record the New testament, I really did for a tall, lean man with gray hair who had not only helped to guide me to the author of the Scriptures, but as the father of my resurrected voice, had also helped me find abundant life.

Comprehension questions

I. Decide which of the following best states the author’s purpose of writing.—See textbook P154.

II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.—See textbook P154.

Text Explanation

Part IQuestion:Did you expect a person as described in

Paragraph 1 could have suffered from stutter?

It is really out of anyone’s expectation that a person with the experience of stuttering may have such a great achievement, especially in a career dependent primarily upon voice and fluency.

Part II Questions:1. What are supposed to be the causes of

his stuttering?The first cause is that he moved "from the

warm, easy ways of catfish country to the harsh climate of the north, where people seemed so different". The second is that he felt great pressure from his grandfather who had an inherited love for language and was always accurate and fluent in speaking.

Trilogy: A group of three dramatic or literary works related in subject or theme. 三部曲：三部戏或三个文学作品组成的一组，在主题上相互联系

He is known for his ~ on working class life.

The voice-over announcer:An announcer who makes a commentary or gi

ves an explanation which is heard as part of a film or television program, but he himself is not actually seen

stutter: to speak with a spasmodic repetition or prolongation of sounds.

stutter (out) an apology 结结巴巴地道歉 The discussion ~ed to a halt. The match ~ed along.snicker: to utter a partly stifled laugh~ at sb.~ to oneself~ out loud at sth.

2. Why could he talk to all kinds of animals on the farm, but not in front of people?

Shame and humiliation held him back from public speaking. The more he worried about being laughed at because of his stuttering, the more he retreated from other people. And it got worse as he grew older.

3. What attracted Prof. Crouch to the writer's school?

It was his deep love for poems that attracted Prof. Crouch to the writer's school.

4. How did Prof. Crouch help the author to find his voice?

He "tricked" the boy by questioning whether the poem was really written by himself. The teacher's disbelief made the boy very angry, and to prove he really did it, he recited the whole poem to the class without any stuttering, which gave him a big surprise and a lot of self-confidence at the same time.

I always sat down, my face burning with shame . :

I always sat down, and blushed because I felt ashamed.

More examples of absolute structure:

A number of officials followed the emperor, some to hold his robe, others to adjust his girdle, and so on. (infinitive clause)

His voice drowned by the noise, the speaker stopped in the middle of his lecture. (-ed participle clause)

He went off, gun in hand. (prepositional phrase)

The floor wet and slippery, we stayed outside. (adjective phrase)

It was traumatic moving from the warm, easy ways of catfish country to the harsh climate of the north, where people seemed so different

.: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.

in a nondenominational fellowship:

in a close relationship without caring about the different religions

Granddad’s Irish heritage came out in his love for language; during the week he used “everyday talk”, but on Sunday he spoke only the finest English

.: Granddad had a love for language, which might have been inherited from his I

rish ancestors. In weekdays, he used plain English, but when in church on Sunday, he spoke perfectly standard English.

Come out To become known: 成为众所周知：The whole story came out at the trial. 整个真相在审问中变得众所周知 To be issued or brought out: 发行或发表：The author's new book just came out. 作家的新书刚出版 To make a formal social debut: 正式的社交：She came out at age 18 in New York City. 她于十八岁在纽约城初入社交圈 To end up; result: 结束；结果：Everything came out wrong. 每件事都是错误地结束 To declare oneself publicly: 自己公开宣布：The governor came out in favor of tax breaks. 这位政府官员公开宣布赞成停止

征税Come close to: become almost the same as

assess To estimate the value of (property) for taxation.assess sb.'s efforts 评价某人的工作

To set or determine the amount of (a payment, such as a tax or fine).

The annual income of school teachers in this place was assessed at ＄900.

这地方的学校教师的收入为 900 美元。 To determine the value, significance, or extent of; appraiseDamages were assessed at 1000 RMB.损失估计达一千元人民币。round up To seek out and bring together; gather. 驱拢；集拢 To herd (cattle) together from various places. 赶拢：把（牛群）从

不同的地方赶到一块儿

vent n 1 opening that allows air, gas, liquid, etc to pass out of or into a confined space （气

体、 液体等进出的）孔 , 口 . 2 (idm) give (full) vent to sth: express sth freely He gave vent to his feelings in an impassioned speech. 他慷慨陈词抒发感情 .

v ~ sth (on sb): find or provide an outlet for (an emotion) He vented his anger on his long-suffering wife. 他拿一贯受气的妻子出气 .

Synonyms: vent,express,utter,voice,air

These verbs mean to give outlet to thoughts or emotions.

To vent is to unburden oneself of a strong pent-up emotion: 指消除被抑制的强烈感情：

“She was jealous . . . and glad of any excuse to vent her pique” “ 她嫉妒…并且以找借口发泄她的怒气为乐”

Express, a more comprehensive term,refers to communication both by verbal and by nonverbal means: 指的是既通过言语又通过非言语方式实现的交流：

can't express the idea adequately in words expressed her affection with a hugUtter involves vocal expression;it may imply speech but can al

so refer to inarticulate sounds: “The words were uttered in the hearing of Montezuma. 听到蒙

提祖马的名字时吐出了这些词Voice denotes the expression in speech or writing of the outlo

ok or viewpoint of a person or, often, of a group 用言语或书写表达某人或通常为某团体的观点或看法：

The judge voiced her satisfaction that the jury had reached a verdict. 法官对陪审团已作出裁定表示满意。

He wants a forum where he can air his favorite theory. 他想召开一个讨论会来炫耀他最为欣赏的理论

ventilate v 1 cause air to enter and move freely through (a room, building, etc) 使空气进入（房间、 建筑物等） ; 使空气流通 :

ventilate the galleries of a coal-mine 使煤矿坑道通风 My office is poorly-ventilated. A sea breeze ventilated the rooms. 一阵海风使房间的

空气更清新2. To expose to public discussion or examination:The students ventilated their grievances. 学生们公开表示

了他们的愤怒这事不该掩盖起来 , 而应公开自由讨论。The matter should not be hushed up, but freely ventilated.

savorTo impart flavor or scent to; season:调味：给…增加滋味

或风味；使有味： savored the bland soup with salt.将淡汤加盐调味To taste or smell, especially with pleasure: 品尝或闻，尤指带着快乐地：

savored each morsel of the feast. 每一道菜肴都尝To enjoy and appreciate something like food, or drink, or a

n experience, as much as one can I savored every mouthful of breakfast, reluctant to let it en

d.He savored the word as he said it. 我要享受成功的微妙时刻I want to savor this great moment of accomplishment.

labor work with difficulty, for example because one is not strong en

ough or clever enough He was laboring under the strain of a worsening political cri

sis. His classmates were laboring with elementary algebra.To distress; burden: 使痛苦；使承担：I will not labor you with trivial matters.我不会拿琐碎的事来烦你To deal with in exhaustive or excessive detail; 致力labor a point in the argument. 在这场辩论中，过于注意一个论

点To proceed with great effort; plod:费力地从事；沉重缓慢的走：labored up the hill.费力地爬上那座山

I stood amazed and floated back to my desk in a daze, amid wild applause.:

I stood there, amazed at my performance, then not knowing how, I drifted back to my seat, and my classmates gave me a big applause.

In a daze:茫然 , 恍惚 he is walking around in a daze. 眼花缭乱

Most have no problem singing because the lyrics' rhythmic pattern flows by itself.:

Most stutterers can sing without stuttering because they can sing along with the rhythm pattern which just flows by itself.

He never pushed anything at me again; he just wanted all his students to wake up:

From then on he never gave me pressure, and what he tried to do was to help students realize and tap their potential.

Part III

Questions:

1. Why did the writer want to show his successes to his teacher?

Because he wanted to show his gratitude to his teacher.

2. What kind of comments did the writer make about his teacher?

He spoke highly of him, respecting him as a father who provided a new life for him by helping him find his voice and leading him to the world of literature.

I signed up with the American Theatre Wing in New York and supported myself between roles by sweeping floors of off-Broadway stages.

Before acting any new role, I … supported myself by sweeping the floors vof off-broadway stages.

"Can I fly you in from Michigan to see it?":

“Can I offer you a flight to Michigan to see my acting?"

... he was still living in a world vibrant with all of the beautiful treasures he had stored.:

... he had stored many poems by memorizing them so he could enjoy his life with the rhythms of poetry even after he had lost his sight.

resurrectv (usu fig) 1 bring (sb) back to life again 使（某人）复活 :

That noise is enough to resurrect the dead! 那噪音都能把死人吵活 !

2 revive (a practice, etc); bring back into use 使（某种做法）复兴 ; 重新使用 :

resurrect old customs, habits, traditions, etc 恢复旧的习俗、 习惯、 传统等

resurrection n a resurrection of hope 希望的复萌 .

Dubious adj. （形容词）Fraught with uncertainty or doubt; undecided.

不确定的：充满不定或怀疑的；未决的 The result is still dubious. 结果尚未定。Arousing doubt; doubtful:引起怀疑的；可疑的： a dubious distinction.令人怀疑的区别Of questionable character:有问题的： dubious profits.靠不住的利润

Translation:

1. People were flooding in from the surrounding countryside.

2. His performance has come close to perfection.

3. Mary was in a daze all the way to London.

4. In this mountain retreat you can find the best climate in the country.

5. He leaned back into his seat and relaxed, savoring the comfort.

6. What makes this young couple proud is that their child could recite poems from memory at the age of three.

7. He repeated in public what he had said in private.

8. A family vibrant with life and love is to be built with the joint efforts of all its members.