1. How I Found My Voice By James Earl Jones Unit 9 主讲人： 赵俏梅

2. 1 Background Information 2 Text Comprehension 3 4 5 Language Points Paraphrase Sentences Discussion and Activities Contents

3. 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?

4. Background Information Stuttering Stuttering 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;

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

6. 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"actor

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Background Information About 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.Arkabutla, MississippiRobert Earl JonesAfricanIrishNative American

10. 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.

11. 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.

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

13. Text Comprehension Part I (Paragraphs 1 – 2) The writer presents a striking contrast between his successful 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, Professor Crouch, helped him to overcome his stutter and find his voice. (development)

14. Text Comprehension Part III (Paragraphs 23 – 29) The author tells the reader how his voice 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)

15. 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:

16. 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?

17. Language Points 1. 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/hostess newscaster: sb. who reads the news during a newscast. e.g. The newscaster was in competition with ten others for the job.

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

19. 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?

20. 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?

21. 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 private e.g. Cecil can be very rude in private, though in public he is usually polite.

22. Language Points  Derivation: traumatic a. (1) of a wound or injury e.g. a traumatic operation (2) (of an experience) distressing and unforgettable e.g. The onset of depression often follows a traumatic event.

23. 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.come closeto get close to nature leave sb. close to tears e.g. Translate the novel close to the original. e.g. The speaker’s remark hit close to home.

24. Language Points  assess: v. consider or judge the quality or worth of sth. e.g. They say they can assess intelligence from 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

25. 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.

26. Language Points  vent: v. give free expression to e.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.

27. Language Points  savor: v. enjoy and appreciate sth. like food, 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.

28. Language Points  smirk: 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.smirk They might be forgiven for a small smirk at the troubles of their old rivals.smirk

29. Language Points in 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.inadaze 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.daze

30. Text Comprehension Part 3 1)Why did the writer want to show his successes to his teacher? 2)What kind of comments did the writer make about his teacher?

31. Language Points  vibrant with: a. lively and exciting with e.g. This is a city vibrant with life and energy. The drama is vibrant with life all through.

32. Language Points  resurrect: 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 life e.g. That noise is enough to resurrect the dead!resurrect

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. Paraphrase long sentences  4. 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.

36. Paraphrase long sentences  5. 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.

37. Paraphrase long sentences  6. 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.

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. 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.