Detail View: Deaf Studies, Culture, and History Archives: Performances and presentation

Filename: 
ds_0064_holtetal_cap_01.mp4
Identifier: 
ds_0064_holtetal_cap_01.mp4
Title: 
Performances and presentation
Creator: 
Holt, Chris
Subject: 
American Sign Language literature
Subject: 
Storytelling
Subject: 
Deaf, Theater for the
Subject: 
Deaf, Writings of the, American
Subject: 
Deaf Poetry
Subject: 
ASL poetry
Summary: 
Chris Holt performs a poem, "Evolution," then Brenda Liebman Aron and Ilene Liebman Youngs present "Building Blocks of ASL Storytelling." This presentation describes the standard requirements of ASL storytelling which includes at its most basic, a specific form of rhythm and at its most complex, the nuances and climactic pauses that are the key to excellent storytelling characteristics. At the heart of American Sign Language storytelling are the stories themselves that have gone through changes as they are passed down from one storyteller to another over the generations in Deaf families. Lastly, Jose Saldana performs a dramatic narrative, "Wolf Land."
Publisher: 
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Digital Publisher: 
Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT Libraries - RIT Archive Collections
Contributor: 
Aron, Brenda Liebman
Contributor: 
Youngs, Ilene Liebman
Contributor: 
Saldana, Jose
Contributor: 
Karen Christie ASL Literature Collection
Contributor: 
Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections
Contributor: 
American Sign Language Literature Conference (2nd 1996 National Technical Institute for the Deaf)
Date of Original: 
1996
Date of Digitization: 
2018
Broad Type: 
moving image
Digital File Format: 
mp4
Physical Format: 
VHS
Dimensions of Original: 
55 minutes
Language: 
American Sign Language
Language: 
English
Original Item Location: 
RITDSA.0064
Library Collection: 
Sculptures in the Air: An Accessible Online Video Repository of the American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry and Literature Collections
Library Collection: 
Karen Christie ASL Literature Collection
Digital Project: 
2018-2019 CLIR Grant-ASL Poetry and Literature
Catalog Record: 
https://albert.rit.edu/record=b3955312
Catalog Record: 
https://archivesspace.rit.edu/repositories/2/resources/852
Place: 
New York - Rochester
RIT Spaces and Places: 
Henrietta Campus
Rights: 
RIT Libraries makes materials from its collections available for educational and research purposes pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. It is your responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder to publish or reproduce images in print or electronic form.
Rights: 
CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Transcript: 
HOLT: FROM THE BLACKNESS OF THE UNIVERSE, A SPINNING ORB BEGINS TO FORM, AND WE GO DOWN THROUGH THE CLOUDS UNTIL WE MEET THE LANDSCAPE OF THIS SPINNING FORM-- MOUNTAINS, GROWTHS, PLANTS. MORE AND MORE THINGS DEVELOP AND SPREAD OVER THE SURFACE OF THIS PLANET--TREES... RIVERS, BODIES OF WATER, AND FROM THESE BODIES OF WATER, ORGANISMS SPRING, ORGANISMS WITH STRANGE APPENDAGES WHICH OVER TIME DEVELOP INTO OTHER STRANGE APPENDAGES-- CLAWS, WINGS, FLIPPERS, BEAKS. MORE TIME--BEAKS, TALONS, FANGS, FEATHERS, WINGS, SNOUTS. MORE AND MORE CHANGES OCCUR UNTIL THESE ANIMALS GO TO LAND, AND THEN A CRUDE, FUMBLING, 4-LEGGED CREATURE WHICH EVENTUALLY GOES UPRIGHT AND THEN EVENTUALLY DEVELOPS WEAPONS AND SUSPICION AND ANGER, BOWS AND ARROWS AND ANIMOSITY. THIS CREATURE LATER WEARS A LORGNETTE, IS SOPHISTICATED, SMOKES A CIGARETTE, WALKS IN A MORE SOPHISTICATED WAY. THIS CREATURE THEN CREATES THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, CARS, MORE AND MORE CARS, MORE AND MORE WAYS TO DESTROY THIS NEW WORLD THAT HAS BEEN CREATED. MORE AND MORE THINGS ARISE ON THIS CREATED WORLD, THINGS THAT ARE SEEN, THINGS THAT ARE HEARD. LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, I LOOK, AND I SEE IT. I CALL ON THE PHONE, AND I WATCH TV, AND MY HEART POUNDS AS I SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD-- AIRPLANES, AIRPLANES, PEOPLE LEAVING THIS WORLD TO A NEW WORLD TO CREATE A NEW COLONY BECAUSE WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS WORLD WILL DESTROY THIS WORLD, ALL THE TREES DESTROYED, ALL OF THE ANIMALS EXTINCT. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT IN THIS WORLD FOR US ANYMORE. ARON: THE PURPOSE FOR OUR PRESENTATION TODAY-- THE TITLE IS KNOWN AS "BUILDING BLOCKS OF STORYTELLING"... AND I KNOW THAT THESE 3 DAYS, YOU'VE SEEN MANY FASCINATING PIECES OF LITERATURE PRODUCED FOR YOU... AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE WHAT AND THE HOW OF IT ALL, AND I THOUGHT, WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE TECHNICAL STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES OF EXPRESSING STORIES. MY PURPOSE TODAY WILL BE TO IDENTIFY AND DEFINE SOME TERMINOLOGY, AND THEN MY SISTER WILL BE ILLUSTRATING THE POINTS THAT I AM MAKING. MANY OF THE STORIES WE WILL BE SHARING COME FROM STORIES THAT OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE SHARED WITH US AND PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. MOST OF THESE STORIES ARE ORIGINAL STORIES RATHER THAN TRANSLATIONS. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF STORYTELLING AMONG DEAF PEOPLE. THERE'S NO RESEARCH THAT'S REALLY BEEN DONE WITH THAT, AND THERE IS A BODY OF INFORMATION ABOUT ASL LINGUISTICS REGARDING MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX AND ALL THOSE TYPES OF TERMS, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO POETRY AND DISCOURSE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, NOT MUCH HAS BEEN DONE, SO I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE, PERHAPS, SOME OF THE RESEARCHERS TO TAKE THAT ON, SO WHAT I'M PRESENTING TODAY IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S BASED ON RESEARCH. IT'S BASED ON THINGS THAT I HAVE OBSERVED AND BOTH MY SISTERS WILL HAVE EXPERIENCED, AND WHEN WE'VE SEEN GOOD STORIES, WE'VE ANALYZED THOSE STORIES... AND PERHAPS YOU'LL THINK THAT WHAT WE SHARE WITH YOU TODAY IS INCOMPLETE AND THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE SOME OTHER ASPECTS THAT NEED TO BE ADDED, AS WELL. THAT WOULD BE NICE, AND WE WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT KIND OF FEEDBACK. NOW, IN TERMS OF HISTORY AGAIN, I WENT TO A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, AND BACK IN THOSE DAYS, WE DIDN'T HAVE TV CAPTIONED PROGRAMS, AND, OF COURSE, THAT'S AVAILABLE NOW, BUT AS CHILDREN, WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT, AND I REMEMBER, IN THE DORMITORIES IN THE EVENINGS AT THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS, WE USED TO TAKE TURNS TELLING STORIES TO EACH OTHER, AND WHENEVER SOMEONE HAD A REALLY GOOD STORY, THEN WE'D ASK MORE CHILDREN TO COME AND WATCH THAT PERSON TO REPEAT THE STORY, AND WE TOOK TURNS DOING THAT. NOW, WE HAVE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE DEAF, AND I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT MY MOTHER WAS A PHENOMENAL STORYTELLER. SHE OFTEN TOOK STORIES FROM BOOKS AND SHARED THOSE, BUT SHE ALSO ALWAYS WOULD READ THE STORIES AND THEN FIGURE OUT HOW TO TELL THE STORIES HERSELF IN ASL, AND WE LOOKED FORWARD TO THOSE TIMES. WE OFTEN WOULD HURRY TO GET INTO OUR BEDCLOTHES SO THAT WE COULD WATCH MOM TELLING HER STORIES TO US, AND ONCE SHE HAD TAKEN A LOOK AT A BOOK AND SHE WOULD SHARE WITH US, WE WOULD ASK FOR MORE, AND SHE ALWAYS WOULD SAY, "YOU'VE GOT TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT DAY, AND I'LL TELL YOU SOME MORE FROM THIS BOOK," BECAUSE SHE'D READ A FEW CHAPTERS AT A TIME AND DELIVER THEM IN ASL, AND WE OFTEN WOULD WATCH THESE, AND THERE WERE FRIENDS OF HERS WHO SAID THAT THEY ALWAYS USED TO BE FASCINATED WITH THE WAY THAT SHE WOULD TELL STORIES, AS WELL, SO THESE STORIES WE HAVE NOT YET PUBLISHED, BUT WE HAVE BEEN CARRYING THEM ON AS PART OF A, QUOTE, "ORAL" TRADITION, AND VERY NATURALLY, OF COURSE, OVER TIME, THEY'RE GONNA CHANGE SOMEWHAT DEPENDING IN THE STYLE OF THE PARTICULAR PERSON WHO'S DELIVERING THE STORY. NOW, YOU MIGHT WONDER WHY WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON STORYTELLING. WHAT'S THE VALUE OF STORYTELLING? IF YOU THINK ABOUT AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT LANGUAGE, BUT THAT WORD "LANGUAGE"... THAT'S A WAY, THROUGH STORYTELLING, THAT WE CAN PRESERVE THE VALUE OF OUR CULTURE AND OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS THROUGH CARRYING ON STORIES AND SHARING THEM WITH OTHERS. NOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT PURPOSES FOR STORYTELLING-- PERHAPS TEACHING A MORAL LESSON OR SOMETHING ABOUT OUR WORLD, MAYBE FOR ENTERTAINMENT-- AND THERE ARE A VARIETY OF PURPOSES FOR STORYTELLING... AND SOMETIMES WE TELL STORIES TO TEACH A LESSON OR SIMPLY TO SHARE LANGUAGE... SO THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS THE GOAL, THE REASON FOR WHICH WE'RE TELLING THAT STORY, AND THAT SHOULD DRIVE HOW WE DELIVER THAT STORY. WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE GONNA SHARE IT. WE HAVE TO THINK OF THE PURPOSE. IS IT TO TEACH? IS IT FOR ENTERTAINMENT? IS IT FOR EXPLANATION? IS IT FOR TEACHING AND SO FORTH AND IN ORDER TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK? IT IS TO MAKE THEM THINK OR FOR THEM TO ENJOY THE SIGN LANGUAGE ITSELF, SO WE HAVE TO REALLY ANALYZE FOR OURSELVES THE GOAL BEFORE WE PRODUCE OUR STORY. NOW, HEARING PEOPLE HAVE A TERM THAT'S CALLED INTONATION BECAUSE THEIR VOICES CHANGE WITH INFLECTION TO SHOW EMOTION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WELL, DEAF PEOPLE HAVE THAT BUILT INTO AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, AS WELL, THROUGH VISUAL IMAGERY. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE WALKING, THERE'S A WAY TO INFLECT THE SIGN FOR WALK AND SHOW WHETHER YOU'RE WALKING IN A SLOW WAY OR A FAST WAY, AND WE CALL THAT VISUAL IMAGERY, AND THAT'S OUR EQUIVALENT OF VOCAL INFLECTION OR INTONATION. NOW, THE PURPOSE OF THAT IS THAT WE WANT TO DELIVER INFORMATION VISUALLY FOR THE EYES TO SEE. WE WANT THAT EXPRESSION TO BE DELIVERED TO DEAF PEOPLE. WE DON'T WANT TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING THAT THEY CANNOT HEAR. NOW, I'VE SHARED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF STORYTELLING, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY WITH THEIR EYES, AND BEFORE I CONTINUE, WE HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN... SO WHAT DO WE WANT TO SHARE WITH OUR AUDIENCE? WHO ARE OUR AUDIENCE, OUR LISTENERS, OUR WATCHERS? ARE THEY PEOPLE IN THE DORMITORIES, HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS? SO IT'S IMPORTANT. ARE THEY ADULTS? ARE THEY SOMEBODY FROM A CLUB FOR THE DEAF, OR WHO ARE THEY, EXACTLY? NOW, I DO HAVE AN OUTLINE THAT I CAN SHARE WITH YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, LATER ON SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE NOTES. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT WHO THE AUDIENCE IS. ARE THEY MALES OR FEMALES? WHAT ARE THE AGES OF THIS AUDIENCE, AND WHAT'S THE CULTURE? IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THEIR CULTURE, AND PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTH IN NORTH CAROLINA HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF CULTURE THAN PEOPLE UP IN THE NORTH. IT'S NOT THE SAME, SO WE NEED TO ADAPT OUR STORIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES. NOW, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE SIGN "EASTER" THAT I'VE JUST SHARED? OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT SIGNS FOR EASTER, OK? THERE'S SOME COMMON AGREEMENTS HERE, BUT, SEE, I HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SIGNS FOR EASTER. YES. I'M SHOWING A VARIETY OF THESE SIGNS THAT REPRESENT EASTER, OK, SO WE HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT YOUR REGIONAL SIGNS ARE AND THEN USE THOSE, INCORPORATE THEM INTO OUR STORIES THAT WE DELIVER. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT EASTER. MAYBE WE'VE GOT A STORY RELATED TO THAT, AND I HAVE TO THINK. I HAVE TO PLAN FOR MY AUDIENCE AND HOW I COULD SHARE THAT IN THE BEST WAY. NOW, GOING TO TECHNIQUES AND THINGS THAT WE NEED TO PUT INTO IT, MAYBE YOU'LL THINK THAT-- OH, I'VE FORGOTTEN-- I'M GONNA SHARE WITH YOU THE TECHNIQUES I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO DO THIS. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE 11 OF THESE STRATEGIES OR TECHNIQUES... AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SIGNING SPACE, WE MEAN WE HAVE TO HAVE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE. WE CAN'T HAVE A LIMITED SIGNING SPACE UNLESS THE PERSON, OF COURSE, IS SHY AND TIMID. THEN WE WOULD WANT A VERY SMALL SIGNING SPACE, BUT IF WE GOT A PERSON WHO'S VERY BOLD AND SO FORTH, WE'D WANT TO USE A LARGER SIGNING SPACE. EVERYDAY CONVERSATION, THEN WE WANT TO CHANGE OUR ROLES ON THE STAGE ITSELF, CHANGE POSITIONS. THAT'S WHAT I MEAN WHEN I USE THE TERM "SIGNING SPACE"... AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SETTING A SCENE... IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED QUITE A WHILE AGO IN HISTORY, WE MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE OUR APPEARANCE THROUGH CLOTHING, HAVING SOMETHING FRILLY AND HAVING HAIR THAT LOOKS BEFITTING THE TIME THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. FOR EXAMPLE, WOMEN USED TO HAVE BODICES A LONG TIME AGO, AND WE MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW THE ENVIRONMENT WAS BACK THEN AT THE PERIOD OF TIME THAT WE'RE TRYING TO EMULATE. MAYBE THE HOUSES WERE ROW HOUSES AND JUST STRETCHED ON FOREVER, AND THEN WE'D SEE A STEEPLE AT THE END WITH ONE CHURCH IN THE TOWN, SO WE HAVE TO GIVE THAT KIND OF VISUAL INFORMATION TO SET THE SCENE BEFORE WE TELL THE STORY. NOW, ALSO IN TERMS OF CHARACTERS, SOME CHARACTERS ARE SHY. SOME HAVE AN EGO AND AN ATTITUDE. WE HAVE TO SHOW THAT, SO WHEN WE TELL NARRATIVE AND WE HAVE A PERSON-- FOR EXAMPLE, A GUY FALLS IN LOVE WITH A SWEET, YOUNG THING-- WE WANT TO SHOW THE CHARACTER WITHIN EACH PERSON, AND SO WE CAN SHOW THAT THROUGH OUR POSTURE AND HOW WE MOVE AND JUST ANY WAY. THE PERSONS, WE HAVE TO SHIFT OUR ROLES BY ACTUALLY ACTING OUT THE CHARACTER WITHIN OURSELVES. NOW, THE PERIOD OF TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING MATCHED UP CORRECTLY. NEVER MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, BACK IN THAT PERIOD OF TIME WHEN YOU TELL A STORY, PERHAPS THERE WAS NOT ELECTRICITY AT THE TIME, SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT, SO ALARM CLOCKS WOULD BE DIFFERENT, SO YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN THOSE KINDS OF DETAILS BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW. FOR EXAMPLE, BACK A LONG TIME AGO, THERE WERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEHICLES FOR TRANSPORTATION, SO WE ALSO TALK ABOUT ROLE SHIFTING, AND I MENTIONED ABOUT MOVING BEFORE. NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TIMES WHEN WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY STEP TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE STAGE TO INDICATE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS ON THE STAGE, SO WE INCORPORATE MORE MOVEMENT INTO OUR DELIVERY. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHANGING PERSPECTIVES... WE HAVE TO MOVE, AS WELL. LET'S SAY, IF WE WERE GONNA TALK ABOUT A RABBIT AND A TURTLE, WHEN WE SHOW THE TURTLE GOING VERY SLOWLY AND THEN SHOW THE RABBIT FROM A HIGHER LEVEL AND VERY RAPID KINDS OF MOVEMENTS AND THE TURTLE MOVES IN A SLOW WAY, WE CAN SHOW PERSPECTIVE THAT WAY, OR IF AN ANIMAL IS UP IN A TREE OR A BIRD'S UP IN A TREE, THAT ANIMAL, THAT BIRD, NEEDS TO LOOK DOWNWARD, AND THE ANIMAL WOULD NEED TO GAZE UPWARD INTO THE TREE, AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY PERSPECTIVE. NOW, WE ALSO HAVE A THING WHERE WE CAN HAVE INANIMATE OBJECTS TAKE ON PERSONALITY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE MOVIE "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST," YOU HAVE TEACUP, AND THAT TEACUP HAS A LITTLE BABY TEACUP, AND SO THE MOTHER TEACUP WALKS ALONG, AND SHE TELLS HER LITTLE BABY TO HURRY, SO WE CAN TAKE ON THE PERSONALITIES OF THE TWO TEACUPS WHEN WE'RE DESCRIBING THAT IN SIGN LANGUAGE, SO WE CAN INCORPORATE PERSONALITIES INTO INANIMATE OBJECTS. NOW, THESE ARE-- I ALSO HAVE 4 THINGS, TERMS THAT BEGIN WITH "E," THAT WOULD HELP US TO MAKE THE STORY COME ALIVE, AND THE FIRST TERM THAT I USE IS ELABORATION, AND I'M MEANING DESCRIBING SOMETHING BY ELABORATION. FOR EXAMPLE, IF I'M A SMALL CHILD AND I'M GAZING UP AT ABRAHAM LINCOLN-- THE STATUE IN WASHINGTON, DC-- AND I NEED TO GO UP THE STAIRS TO GO AND SEE THAT STATUE, I SHOW AS I'M CLIMBING HOW LONG AND HIGH THOSE STEPS ARE TO ME AS A CHILD, AND WHEN I GET TO THE STATUE, I HAVE TO LOOK WAY UP TO SHOW THE PERSPECTIVE INVOLVED, AND THAT'S WHAT I MEAN BY ELABORATION... AND THE SECOND TERM I HAVE WITH AN "E" IS THAT OF ENHANCEMENT, AND BY THIS, I'LL GIVE AN ILLUSTRATION. IF WE WANT TO SHOW FEELINGS OR EMOTIONS OR PERSONALITY, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ELABORATE ON THAT. FOR EXAMPLE, IF A GIRL IS SHY, YOU DON'T JUST USE THE SIGN. YOU HAVE TO SHOW HOW THE PERSON WOULD MOVE AND HOW SHE WOULD HOLD HER HEAD, OR IF A PERSON IS A BRAGGART, HOW THEY WOULD WALK IN A VERY BRAGGADOCIO WAY, AND SO WE NEED TO EMPHASIZE THAT, AND THEN WE MOVE ON TO EMBROIDERMENT... AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, AS WELL. WE HAVE TO SHOW CONFLICT OF GOOD AND BAD AND DARK AND LIGHT, SHOW ANGER AND HAPPINESS. WE SHOW CONTRAST, AND WE HAVE TO SOMEHOW WEAVE THOSE TOGETHER, AND ALSO, OF COURSE, EXPRESSION IS VERY IMPORTANT AS A FOURTH TERM AND SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. WE HAVE TO SHOW OUR EMOTIONS. SOME OF YOU, WHEN YOU'VE TOLD STORIES, YOU SHOW HOW A PERSON CAN BE PLUMP OR IF THE PERSON'S SCARED AND HOW THEY MANAGE TO WALK ALONG WHEN THEY'RE SCARED. IT'S ALL IMPORTANT, HOW YOU CARRY YOUR BODY AND SHOW EXPRESSION THROUGH YOUR FACE. ALSO, WE LOOK AT TIME. WE CAN INFLECT OUR SIGNS IN A WAY THAT SHOWS THE TIME WAS A LONG TIME AGO OR THAT IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT DISTANCE IN THE FUTURE, GREAT PERIOD OF TIME IN THE FUTURE, OR IF WE ARE HEARING SOMETHING, WE CAN SHOW THROUGH RHYTHM THAT SOMETHING'S COMING CLOSER TO US, AND WE CAN SHOW HOW SCARED WE ARE. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, THOUGH, TO LOOK AT THESE ASPECTS OF STORYTELLING... AND WE HAVE TO WATCH OUR AUDIENCE, AS WELL, AND SEE HOW THEY'RE REACTING TO THE WAY WE'RE TELLING OUR STORY. IF WE'RE NOT GETTING KIND OF THE USUAL FEEDBACK FROM OUR AUDIENCE THAT WE WOULD EXPECT IN LISTENING BEHAVIOR, THEN WE NEED TO CHANGE OURS ACCORDINGLY SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF OUR AUDIENCE, SO THAT IS VERY CRITICAL IN TERMS OF OUR DELIVERY OF STORIES TO AN AUDIENCE. NOW, IF I WERE PRESENTING ON STAGE LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, I'D DO IT ONE WAY, BUT IF I'M IN A CLASSROOM, THEN I MAY HAVE TO TELL A STORY IN A WAY THAT SUDDENLY, I COULD GET THE CLASSROOM TO PARTICIPATE, AS WELL, AND ASK PEOPLE, "WHO STOLE OUR HAT?" AND SOMEBODY SAID, "I KNOW. I KNOW," SO I COULD ACTUALLY STOP A STORY AND ASK FOR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE WITH ME AND RESPOND, SO MAKE IT INTERACTIVE IN A CLASSROOM SITUATION. YEAH. I'D LIKE TO PUT AN OVERHEAD UP AT THIS POINT IN TIME TO SET THIS UP, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA PICK SOME OF THESE STRATEGIES TO INCORPORATE INTO A STORY TO SHOW YOU, TO DEMONSTRATE. YOUNGS: OK. YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS PICTURE. IT SHOWS A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOVEMENT IN A DIFFERENT PLACE, AND YOU WANT TO SET IT UP. FOR AN EXAMPLE, HOW WOULD YOU SIGN SOME OF THOSE THINGS IF YOU WERE GONNA USE THIS PICTURE IN A STORY? YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE ROCKS. YOU SEE THE PEOPLE'S CLOTHES THERE. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE SOME OF THAT? OH, I'M SORRY. YOU CAN'T SEE ME OVER HERE ON THIS SIDE. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE A CHARACTER CHANGE AND THAT, LIKE, THE ROCKS ARE REALLY HEAVILY LAID OUT UP OVER THE HILL, AND YOU CAN SEE THE DRAGON WITH THE BIG TEETH AND THE SCALES ON IT AND EVERYTHING, AND YOU SEE THE KNIGHT, SEE THE KNIGHT WITH HIS SWORD AND EVERYTHING, AND YOU HAVE THE DRAGON WITH HIS TONGUE HOT UP THERE AND THE SOLIDER LOOKING AT THAT, AND YOU'VE GOT THE RAM UP THERE WITH HIS HORNS HANGING OVER THERE... AND YOU HAVE TO DESCRIBE THE DRAGON WITH THE EYES BUGGING OUT AND HIS TONGUE FLICKING OUT OF HIS MOUTH AND JUST BREATHING THESE HEAVY BREATHS AND THE BIG CLAWS ON THE ENDS OF HIS PAWS AND JUST FIRE COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH AND THE FLAMES SHOOTING ACROSS AND THE SOLDIER DRAWING HIS SWORD OUT AND FINDING THAT PERHAPS IT WAS STUCK IN THERE, AND HE FINALLY GETS HIS SWORD DRAWN, AND HE'S LOOKING AT THE DRAGON AND CONTEMPLATING CUTTING ITS HEAD OFF, AND THE GIRL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU'D DESCRIBE THE GIRL AS HAVING NICE CLOTHES AND BEING AN ATTRACTIVE, SWEET, YOUNG LADY WITH A HEADBAND ON AND THE FELLA ACTING EXTREMELY MACHO AND PUSHING THE GIRL ASIDE TO PROTECT HER AND STEPPING OUT IN THE PATH. YOU CAN SEE THE KINDS OF CHANGES THAT I MADE AS I DESCRIBED THAT. ARON: OK, AND NOW I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE TERM "GENRE." I STILL THINK THAT MANY OF OUR STORIES WE'RE TRYING TO FIT INTO THE FORMS OF FOLKLORE AND LEGEND AND SO FORTH THAT ARE ALREADY EXISTENT IN THE SPOKEN ENGLISH LANGUAGE, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT WE HAVE REALLY COLLECTED ALL THE POSSIBILITIES FOR ASL LITERATURE, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF-- THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKLORIC OR LEGEND EXAMPLES AVAILABLE, AND I'M SURE THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR BETWEEN BOTH ENGLISH AND ASL-- DON'T GET ME WRONG-- BUT WHEN WE DO TALK ABOUT FOLKLORE, I TOOK THE TERM AND THE DEFINITION FROM THE DICTIONARY, AND THIS IS WHAT WE CAME UP WITH, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN PASSED DOWN ORALLY... PRACTICES AND BELIEFS, TALES FROM A PEOPLE... SO IT'S BEEN PASSED ON OVER TIME AND BECOMES A LEGEND, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S TRUE OR NOT, SO THERE ARE ALWAYS QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. NOW, ILENE IS GOING TO BE SHARING SOME OF HER STORIES THAT ARE WITHIN THAT REALM. YOUNGS: MANY, MANY STORIES AS I WAS GROWING UP I SAW, AND I WATCHED. WELL, I JUST KIND OF PICKED A FEW OF THEM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU. WOULD YOU PLEASE STEP FORWARD HERE? THERE ARE MANY, MANY STORIES THAT VARIOUS ADULTS HAVE TOLD. OH, WAIT, BUT YOU INTERRUPTED ME. IT MADE ME MOVE HERE, AND I GO TO GET MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT BACK. ALL RIGHT. WHEN I WAS A SMALL GIRL, I WAS ALWAYS FASCINATED BY THIS STORY THAT OLDER FOLKS WOULD TELL. I'D SAY, "PLEASE TEACH ME THIS," AND THERE WAS ONE STORY-- YOU KNOW, A MAN WHO HAD TOLD THE STORY-- THAT REALLY IMPACTED ME, AND I THOUGHT, "WOW. THIS IS REALLY SOMETHING." THE STORY WAS JUST TERRIFIC. THERE'S A DEAF KING IN THIS COUNTRY, AND ALL OVER THE LAND THAT THE KING HAD-- OK. I'VE GOT IT TOGETHER NOW. LET ME GET STARTED HERE. ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS ALL OVER THE LAND WERE DEAF AND HEARING, AND THE KING HIMSELF WAS DEAF, AND THE KING, WHO WAS DEAF, CALLED ALL OF THE VILLAGERS TOGETHER AND SAID, "COME ON OVER HERE," AND THE VILLAGERS ASSEMBLED, WONDERING WHAT WAS WRONG, AND THE KING SAID, "I'M REALLY ANGRY. SOMEBODY STOLE MY CROWN. WHERE IS MY CROWN?" AND THE PEOPLE WERE ALL LIKE, "GEE, I DON'T KNOW. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED," AND THE DEAF KING LOOKED OUT OVER ALL OF HIS PEOPLE, AND HE SAID, "I'VE GOT AN IDEA. ALL RIGHT. ALL OF YOU FOLKS GET IN A ROW," AND THE MEN AND THE WOMEN ALL LINED UP, AND THERE WERE DIFFERENT FOLKS THERE. THERE WERE THIN PEOPLE, AND THERE WERE BIG, STRONG, HEAVY PEOPLE, AND THERE WERE SOME FOLKS WHO REALLY LOOKED EMACIATED AND THAT, AND THE KING SAID, "SOMEBODY'S GOT TO BE LYING HERE. OK. BRING THIS PRISONER OUT FROM JAIL," SO THIS PRISONER CAME OUT, AND HE WAS SHACKLED, AND THE CHAINS WERE WRAPPED AROUND HIS ARMS, AND THE KING SAID, "YOU SEE, THIS FELLA'S GUILTY "FOR STEALING, AND HE'S BEEN CONVICTED OF THAT ALREADY. "I WANT ALL OF YOUR FOLKS-- "I DON'T KNOW WHO STOLE MY CROWN, "BUT I WANT YOU TO SEE THERE'S THIS BIG POT "OF WATER HERE, AND IT'S A VERY SPECIAL WATER. "IT'S NOT YOUR NORMAL WATER. IT'S A SPECIAL-- "IT'S VERY UNIQUE. "IF SOMEBODY DOES SOMETHING BAD AND THEY DIP THEIR HANDS "IN THE WATER, THEY'LL COME OUT BLUE, "AND THAT MEANS THEY'RE GUILTY OF DOING SOMETHING, "AND IF THEY DIP THEIR HANDS IN AND COME OUT AND THEY'RE UNCOLORED, THAT MEANS THEY'RE INNOCENT," AND THE VILLAGERS WERE ALL LOOKING AROUND AND THINKING, "OH, WOW. THIS IS SOMETHING SPECIAL," AND THE KING ORDERED THAT THE PRISONER IMMERSE HIS HANDS IN THE WATER, AND WHEN THEY CAME OUT, THEY WERE ALL COVERED WITH BLUE, AND THE KING SAID, "YOU SEE? YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE A GUILTY INDIVIDUAL?" NOW HE ORDERED BOWLS OF WATER TO BE SET FOR EACH PERSON IN THE CROWD, AND ONE MAN WAS STANDING THERE THINKING TO HIMSELF, "WHAT AM I GONNA DO?" HE SAID, "OH, BOY, I KNOW WHAT I'LL DO. "I'LL JUST ACT LIKE I'M DIPPING MY HANDS IN THE WATER AND JUST BARELY TOUCH THE SURFACE OF IT," SO THE KING SAID, "ARE YOU READY? EVERYBODY IMMERSE THEIR ARMS," AND ALL OF THE VILLAGERS IMMERSED THEIR ARMS AND THE KING SAID, "RAISE YOUR HANDS," AND THEY RAISED THEIR HANDS, AND THE KING LOOKED, AND FIRST ONE WAS BLUE, AND THE SECOND WAS BLUE. EVERYBODY WAS BLUE. THERE WAS ONE PERSON WHOSE ARMS WEREN'T COLORED, AND EVERYBODY ELSE'S WERE BLUE, AND THE KING SAID, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DID IT." OUR SECOND STORY, YOU KNOW, IMAGINE A KING. THE KING IS HEARING NOW, AND THIS HEARING KING THINKS, "I'VE GOT ALL OF THESE VILLAGERS," AGAIN, DEAF AND HEARING COMINGLED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THE KING ASSEMBLED EVERYBODY, AND ALL OF THE VILLAGERS CAME, AND THEY WERE WONDERING WHAT WAS UP, AND THE KING SAID, "I WANT ALL OF YOU TO TELL ME A STORY, "SOMETHING THAT I CAN ENJOY, UNDERSTAND? "TELL ME A STORY. I DON'T WANT YOU TO STOP. "I'LL DECIDE WHEN THE STORY ENDS MYSELF. "I WILL TELL YOU WHEN IT'S THE END. YOU CAN'T DECIDE THAT," SO THE VILLAGERS GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, "WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? "WE HAVE TO AGREE ON THE STORY, AND WE CAN'T STOP. "WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TELLING THIS STORY "UNTIL THE KING CAN TELL US TO STOP. WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?" SO THE KING COMMANDED ONE MAN TO STEP OUT FRONT, AND THE MAN STEPPED OUT, AND HE STARTED TO SPIN THIS TALE, AND HE CAME TO THE END, AND THE KING SAID, "BEHEAD HIM," AND THE OTHER MEN WERE LIKE, "OH, MY GOSH." THE SECOND GUY CAME UP, AND HE WAS TRYING TO TELL A STORY AND GO ON AND ON AND ON, AND HE RAN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY. IT CAME TO THE END, AND THE KING SAID, "BEHEAD HIM," AND THE NEXT PERSON AND THE NEXT, AND FINALLY, THERE WAS A DEAF WOMAN WHO STEPPED FORWARD, AND SHE THOUGHT, "OH, BOY, THE PEOPLE HAVE DWINDLED. OUR NUMBERS ARE GETTING FEWER AND FEWER." SHE HAD AN IDEA. SHE SAID, "I'LL TELL THE KING A STORY." KING SAID, "FINE. STEP FORWARD," SO THE WOMAN STEPPED FORWARD, AND SHE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE TREE THAT WAS OVER THERE, AND THERE WAS A BABY BIRD, A NEST THAT WAS IN THE TREE, AND THE BABY BIRD WAS SO CUTE AND JUST CHIRPED UP IN THE TREE, AND THE BABY BIRD SITTING IN A NEST AND WAS JUST CROWING AND CROWING AND TRIED TO FLY AS IT GOT BIGGER AND STRONGER AND WAS FINALLY READY TO FLY, AND IT PRACTICED AND PRACTICED, AND IT LAUNCHED ITSELF OUT OF THE NEST AND FLAPPED ITS WINGS, AND IT WAS REALLY THINKING, "OH, GEE, I JUST CAN BARELY FLY," AND WAS GETTING STRONGER AND READY TO DO ALL OF THIS AND TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE NEST A LITTLE MORE. IT WAS INSPIRED AND FINALLY, IT LOOKED AT THE GROUND AND FLEW OUT AND THOUGHT, "OOH, I CAN DO THIS. I'LL BE ABLE TO FLY," AND FLEW UP JUST A LITTLE HIGHER AND FELT GOOD AND STARTED TO TRAVEL ALL OVER AND WAS JUST SOARING ABOVE THE LAND AND FLYING AND LOOKED DOWN ON ALL OF THE TREES AND THE SCENERY AND SAW THE RIVERS AS IT SOARED THROUGH THE SKY, AND THE MOUNTAINS SHE LOOKED AT AND ALL ACROSS THE LAND AND THE VARIOUS ANIMALS AND WAS JUST FLYING OVER THE TREES AND SOARING BACK AND FORTH AND ENJOY ALL THE SIGHTS IN THE WORLD, AND THE KING STARTED TO BECOME SLEEPY AND SAID, "THAT'S ENOUGH. THAT'S OVER," AND THE WOMAN WAS LIKE-- HAD SAVED ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE LAND, AND THE PEOPLE WERE SO ELATED. THAT'S A STORY A MAN TOLD ME WHEN I WAS VERY SMALL, AND IT REALLY HIT ME. WHAT DID IT MEAN? HE TAUGHT ME SOMETHING. I LEARNED SOMETHING FROM THAT STORY. IT'S A TRUE STORY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. IT'S A TRUE STORY. YOU KNOW, MY FAMILY-- MY SISTER WHEN SHE WAS VERY SMALL... YOU KNOW, SHE HAD A HOLD OF MOM'S HAND. WE WERE WALKING ALONG, AND MY SISTER WOULD ALWAYS BE BOTHERING MY MOTHER AND HITTING HER AND SAYING, "MOM, WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THIS?" AND MY MOTHER WAS CONSTANTLY BEING INTERRUPTED BY MY SISTER SAYING, "WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THAT?" SHE WAS SO CURIOUS, SO ONE DAY, MY MOTHER DECIDED SHE WAS JUST GONNA IGNORE MY SISTER. SHE HAD HAD ENOUGH OF THIS, AND MY SISTER JUST KEPT POKING HER AND POKING HER AND POKING HER. FINALLY, MY MOTHER WAS EXASPERATED, AND SHE LOOKED DOWN TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED, AND HERE, MY SISTER HAD BEEN LOOKING UP AT A BIRD FLYING IN THE SKY, AND THE BIRD POOPED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HER FACE. THERE'S ANOTHER ONE. THAT STORY REALLY HAPPENED. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, MY MOTHER, YOU KNOW, WHO WORKED THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL, IT'S A TRUE STORY. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE OR NOT, BUT IT MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT SOMETHING. THIS SMALL GIRL, YOU KNOW, IN THE GIRLS DORM, THEY ALL HAVE A LINE-UP GETTING READY TO GO TO THE BATHROOM TO BRUSH HER TEETH AND WASH HER FACE AND GET READY IN THE MORNING, AND THE DORM PARENT-- HER SUPERVISOR, THIS VERY SWEET, SOFTHEARTED WOMAN-- SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON, AND SHE WOULD ALWAYS SIT IN THIS CORNER IN A ROCKING CHAIR, AND SHE WOULD WATCH AS THE GIRLS FILED INTO THE BATHROOM, AND THEY'D ALL WAVE TO HER, AND SHE'D WAVE. SHE'S JUST SUCH A SWEET WOMAN, AND THE GIRLS ALL LOVED HER, AND IN THE MORNING AS THEY WENT IN TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR TOILETRIES AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL EVERY DAY, SHE'D SIT THERE AND WATCH THEM COME BY. IT WAS THE SAME OLD ROUTINE, AND ONE DAY, SHE WAS ABSENT. SHE WASN'T THERE, AND THE GIRLS, AS THEY WERE LINED UP GOING TO THE BATHROOM, WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED, AND THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOL CAME OUT AND SAID, "I HAVE SOME VERY SAD NEWS. "YOU KNOW, THE DORM MOTHER WHO WAS ALWAYS HERE HAS PASSED AWAY," AND THE GIRLS WERE JUST ASTOUNDED TO HEAR THAT SHE'D DIED, AND THEY LOOKED OVER AT THE EMPTY ROCKING CHAIR, AND THE NEXT DAY AS THEY FILED IN IN THE MORNING TO GO IN THE BATHROOM AND GET CLEANED UP AND READY FOR SCHOOL, THEY LOOKED AT THE ROCKING CHAIR. IT WAS EMPTY, BUT THE CHAIR WAS STILL ROCKING, AND THE GIRLS LOOKED AT THE WINDOW TO SEE IF THE WINDOWS WERE OPEN AND THERE WAS A BREEZE DOING THAT, BUT THE WINDOWS WERE ALL CLOSED, AND STILL, THE CHAIR ROCKED, AND THE GIRLS ALL THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, AND AS THEY GREW UP, IT WAS THE SAME. THEY'D COME IN IN THE MORNING TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, AND THAT CHAIR WAS ALWAYS ROCKING. OK. YOU WANT TO COME BACK AND GO ON WITH THIS NEXT PART? ARON: HMM. I'M THINKING ABOUT THIS HERE. YOUNGS: OK, OK. I HAVE ANOTHER ONE. I'VE GOT ONE MORE STORY I CAN TELL. OH, THAT STORY ABOUT THE YOUNG GIRLS-- ARON: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. TURN OFF YOUR VOICE, PLEASE. YOUNGS: THE INTERPRETER HAS BEEN ORDERED TO BE QUIET. ARON: HOW MANY MINUTES DO I HAVE LEFT? 10 MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. OK. I THINK WE'LL MOVE ON TO MYSTERY. WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXAMPLES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ROCKING CHAIR COULD HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF OVERLAP BETWEEN LEGEND AND MYSTERY. ANOTHER STORY THAT I REALLY ENJOY WAS ABOUT MY MOM AND MY SISTER, BUT THERE ARE OTHER ONES. THERE ARE MYSTERY STORIES, AND SOME ARE SCARY AND MIGHT NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, SO WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE AGE OF THE CHILDREN THAT WE'RE TELLING THE STORIES FOR. NOW MY SISTER WILL TELL ANOTHER ONE THAT'S A MYSTERY. YOUNGS: ONE NIGHT OUT ON A BLACK, DARK STREET... THERE WAS A WHITE LIGHT, AND I WALKED DOWN THIS LONG, DARK HALLWAY THAT WAS SO BLACK... WITH THIS WHITE LIGHT JUST AT THE END OF IT AND KEPT WALKING AND WALKING, AND IT JUST SEEMED SUCH A DARK, BLACK NIGHT WITH THAT ONE WHITE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE LONG HALL AND KEPT APPROACHING IT, AND IT SEEMED LIKE AN INTERMINABLY LONG, DARK, BLACK HALLWAY WITH A LITTLE, WHITE LIGHT AT THE END WHICH WAS WAVERING AND MOVING AROUND... AND WHEN YOU FINALLY GOT IT ALL TUNED IN AND THEN WATCHED THE PROGRAM. ARON: NOW WE'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT ROMANCE. AND HOW MUCH TIME DO WE HAVE LEFT? SEVEN MINUTES. I THINK WE'LL MOVE ON. WE HAVE A GOOD STORY THAT'S ABOUT ROMANCE DURING THE WAR, THE GERMAN WAR. AND IT'S ABOUT JEWS. IT'S VERY TOUCHING-- IT'S SO LONG--ABOUT A COUPLE THAT WERE SEPARATED DURING THE WAR AND THEN MET AGAIN AFTER THE WAR. SO WE DO HAVE ROMANTIC STORIES LIKE THAT. AND THAT IS AVAILABLE IN THE ASL LITERATURE. AND WE ALSO HAVE STORIES THAT HAVE REPETITIVE LINES THAT ARE GOOD FOR CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY CAN LEARN HOW TO GIVE AND TAKE IN A CHORUS IN RHYTHM. WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF THAT. AND, LIKE, THE TEENY-TINY HOUSE, AND HAD A TEENY-TINY CAT. AND THE TEENY-TINY CAT LIKED TO EAT WHAT? LITTLE, TEENY-TINY MICE. AND THEN IT'S REPEATED. AND THERE WAS A LITTLE, TEENY-TINY MOM WHO LIVED IN A LITTLE, TEENY-TINY HOUSE. AND WHAT DID SHE HAVE? SHE HAD A LITTLE, TEENY-TINY CAT WHO LIKED TO EAT WHAT? SMALL, TEENY-TINY MICE. AND SO THAT'S HOW YOU PLAY THAT KIND OF STORY WITH CHILDREN. AND WE HAVE LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF THAT. LIKE, THERE WAS A PERSON WHO CAME-- A MAN WITH A YELLOW HAT. AND WHO CAME? YES, THE MAN WITH THE YELLOW HAT. YOU'RE CORRECT! HE CAME TO EAT DINNER. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF EXAMPLES LIKE THAT THAT ARE MORE INTERACTIVE. THEN WE HAVE RHYTHMIC CLAPPING STORIES. AND BARBARA KANNAPELL HAS A STORY THAT SHE TELLS THAT'S JUST AMAZING. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN IT. BUT IT INVOLVES RHYTHM AND CLAPPING. AND, ILENE, COULD YOU PLEASE SHOW THIS FOR US? AND THEN I'LL EXPLAIN ABOUT IT. YOUNGS: YOU KNOW, LIKE, A BUNCH OF SMALL CHILDREN, MAYBE THREE OR FOUR YEARS OLD. AND YOU HAVE THE NURSERY. YOU HAVE THEM IN A NURSERY. YOU GET THEM TO CLAP. THEY CAN CLAP. THEY LOVE THE ACTION KIND OF A STORY. YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, EASTER IS NEAR, SO YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THE EASTER BUNNY. AND YOU CAN SAY "THE BUNNY HAS WHAT?" IT'S GOT THIS CHARACTER, AND IT'S GOT THE LONG EARS. AND YOU SAY, "FINE." YOU PULL SOMEBODY OUT THAT CAN SAY "THE LONG EARS." IT'S GOT THE BIG WHISKERS, AND IT'S GOT THE BIG THUMPING FEET AND, OF COURSE, A COTTONTAIL ON IT. AND YOU CAN GET THE CHILDREN INVOLVED IN THAT KIND OF A STORY. AND THEY REALLY ENJOY THAT. SO FOLLOW ME BY CLAPPING IN RHYTHM. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP-CLAP... [AUDIENCE CLAPPING THROUGHOUT] RABBIT, RABBIT, HOP, HOP. EARS. HOP, HOP. WHISKERS. HOP, HOP. THE COTTONTAIL. HOP, HOP. FOOT, FOOT. HOP, HOP. CUTE. AND THAT'S IT. THAT GIVES YOU THE IDEA OF HOW YOU CAN GET THE CHILDREN INVOLVED. AND CHILDREN JUST LOVE THAT! 3- AND 4-YEAR-OLDS CAN DO THAT. AND THEY HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FUN WITH THAT. ARON: AND IF YOU THINK THAT'S ONLY FOR CHILDREN, THAT'S NOT RIGHT BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO REALLY DO LIKE THAT WHO ARE OLDER. AND EVEN AT GALLAUDET, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY USE RHYTHMIC KINDS OF SONGS. AND CHEERLEADERS USE RHYTHMIC KINDS OF SONGS IN THEIR CHEERLEADING. SO WE'VE SEEN EXAMPLES OF THAT. AND THERE'S ONE THAT'S CALLED "RYE WHISKEY." IS ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH THAT SONG THAT HAS A RHYTHM OF CLAPPING TO IT? AND OLDER PEOPLE ENJOY THE RHYTHM. THEY HAVE A SENSE OF RHYTHM WHEN IT'S REPEATED. AND PERHAPS IT'S DIFFICULT FOR CHILDREN WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE A RHYTHM. SO IF YOU GIVE THEM STORIES THAT HAVE RHYTHM INCORPORATED INTO THEM, IT HELPS THEM TO LEARN A SENSE OF RHYTHM FOR THEMSELVES. NOW, THERE'S THIS WORD THAT'S "VISUAL-- "VISUAL ONOMATOPOEIA." WHICH IN ENGLISH, WE HAVE SOUNDS AND THE TERM "ONOMATOPOEIA" THAT REFERS TO THAT. BUT, ALSO IN ASL, THERE'S A FORM OF ONOMATOPOEIA THAT'S VISUAL IN NATURE. FOR EXAMPLE, FOR "ALARM CLOCK" AND "SHOES TAPPING," AND WATCHING THE REPETITION OF THAT, THAT'S A FORM OF ONOMATOPOEIA. SOMETIMES YOU JUST LOOK AT A LEAF AND YOU SEE IT SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH. AND SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE, AND EXAMPLE OF VISUAL ONOMATOPOEIA. NOW I'VE GIVEN YOU A LOT OF DIFFERENT GENRES. AND YOU MAY WONDER, HOW CAN I START TO CREATE STORIES? OH, BEFORE I FINISH, THOUGH, I ALMOST FORGOT. THERE'S SOLILOQUY, AND THAT'S WHEN A PERSON-- IT'S A VERY COMPLEX KIND OF A GENRE WHERE A PERSON DELIVERS A SOLO KIND OF PERFORMANCE. AND YOU PROBABLY SAW JULIANNA FJELD WHEN SHE WAS TELLING HER SOLILOQUY. IT WAS JUST FASCINATING. AND PATRICK GRAYBILL TOLD ONE ABOUT THE EVILS OF CHEWING TOBACCO. AND SO I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT-- THAT'S A REAL TOUGH ONE TO MASTER. SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO START OUT WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE SIMPLE. NOW, IF WE TALK ABOUT FINGERSPELLING IN STORIES, I'D LIKE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT THAT. IT'S IMPORTANT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT FINGERSPELLING NOT TO USE TOO MUCH. YOU HAVE TO REALLY RESTRICT HOW MANY THINGS YOU'LL GO AHEAD AND FINGERSPELL. IF YOU WANT TO EMPHASIZE SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT GO AHEAD AND FINGERSPELL A WORD, LIKE "ALIEN" OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT WOULD BE USED IN A STORY. SO YOU DON'T REALLY USE IT THAT MUCH. AND WHEN YOU DO FINGERSPELL, YOU SHOULD DO IT VERY SLOWLY, THOUGH, AND IN A PRONOUNCED WAY. AND OTHER THINGS I'VE SEEN IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE TELLING A STORY, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PANTOMIME AND TELLING A STORY ITSELF. WE CERTAINLY CAN INCORPORATE PARTS OF PANTOMIME, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TELLING A STORY--FOR EXAMPLE, TALKING ABOUT A MONKEY-- IF YOU TAKE ON THE CHARACTERISTIC OF A MONKEY AND JUST JUMP AROUND, THAT'S NOT REALLY PART OF THE STORY. THAT'S A DESCRIPTION OF THE MONKEY ITSELF WHEN IT'S SCRATCHING ITSELF AND HOW IT DOES THAT. THAT'S FINE IF IT'S A PART OF THE STORY. BUT IF YOU JUST BECOME COMPLETELY THE ANIMAL ITSELF, THAT GOES ACROSS THE LINE INTO PANTOMIME RATHER THAN STORYTELLING. NOW, ONE THING I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE, BUT IN "NANCY DREW" STORIES, YOU SEE THAT THINGS COME IN AND MIME AS THAT. AND MAYBE THAT'S IMPORTANT. I'M NOT SO SURE... THAT YOU SHOULD MIME IT AT THAT POINT IN TIME. SO WE NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH IN THAT. SO I HAVE A LOT OF SUGGESTIONS WITH STRATEGIES, AND THEY'RE ALL INCLUDED IN THE OUTLINE THAT I HAVE AVAILABLE FOR YOU HERE. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEM YOURSELVES AND THINK ABOUT THEM. THANKS SO MUCH. AND I WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND THAT IF YOU LOOK AT CARTOONS THAT HAVE NO WORDS TO THEM-- AND I'LL SHOW YOU ONE HERE ON OVERHEAD-- THOSE ARE GOOD TO START WITH TO PRACTICE DESCRIBING THEM IN THE MIRROR. ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS, ONCE I'VE DONE IT, I LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND LOOK AT MYSELF, AND THEN I REALIZE IT DOESN'T LOOK SO GREAT. SO I TEST IT OUT ON MY CHILDREN AND MY FAMILY AND PEOPLE WHO KNOW ASL. AND IF THEY LOOK AT ME LIKE THEY DON'T GET IT, THEN I KNOW I'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT REALLY EXPRESSES IT WELL. SO I KEEP TRYING UNTIL I'VE GOT IT ADAPTED TO A POINT, YOU KNOW. AND, OF COURSE, THESE THINGS ARE NEVER THE SAME. YOU'RE ALWAYS WORKING ON THEM TO MAKE THEM BETTER. OK. SO IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CARTOON UP HERE, THERE ARE NO WORDS. AND SO YOU COULD USE SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO GET YOU STARTED ON HOW TO EXPRESS THINGS. BECAUSE THAT WAY, YOU WON'T GET BOGGED DOWN IN ENGLISH IF YOU LOOK AT ENGLISH, THEN IT'S VERY HARD TO BE CREATIVE. SO IF YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING LIKE THIS WITHOUT ENGLISH, THEN THAT MAKES IT A LOT EASIER. WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAVE JUST A COUPLE OF SENTENCES OR LOOK AT FOLKLORE AND TRY TO TAKE ON THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSON AND CHANGE BEFORE CHARACTERS. OR PERHAPS YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT CHILDREN'S STORYBOOKS THAT HAVE ONE OR TWO LINES AND PONDER HOW YOU COULD TELL THOSE STORIES. AND I DO HAVE A BOOK HERE THAT I REALLY RECOMMEND. AND IT HAS SOME REALLY GOOD STORYTELLING THINGS IN HERE. AND IT WOULD BE GOOD TO PRACTICE THEM. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT, I DO HAVE AN ADDRESS WHERE YOU COULD GET HOLD OF THIS BOOK IF YOU'D LIKE. AND I'LL PUT THAT UP ON THE SCREEN. NOW, I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU SOME IDEAS AND, ON THE OVERHEAD, HOW YOU CAN START. BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT CHILDREN WHO ARE BEING MAINSTREAMED, AND I'M SO CONCERNED THAT MAYBE WE'RE GONNA LOSE THIS, THAT CHILDREN AREN'T GOING TO HAVE DEAF STORYTELLING. SO WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING MORE. AND SO I REALIZE IT'S REALLY CRITICAL TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO INTO THE SCHOOLS AND TELL STORIES TO THEIR CHILDREN AND TO PASS ON THAT ORAL TRADITION THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. I HAVE SOME OTHER STRATEGIES OF HOW TO DO THAT, AND I'M SURE THAT YOU COULD THINK OF SOME YOURSELF. AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T WORK IN A SCHOOL OR A COMMUNITY, YOU COULD STILL VOLUNTEER YOUR SERVICES TO TELL STORIES TO CHILDREN. MAYBE IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY OR AT A CARNIVAL, A STATE FAIR, AND GO WITH AN INTERPRETER AND DO IT. WE REALLY NEED TO GET THIS WORD OUT AND DO MORE OF IT FOR CHILDREN. SALDANA: WHERE AM I? I ENTER THROUGH A PORTAL AND WALK ALONG A LANDSCAPE. OVER THERE, A STATELY DEER REGARDS ME. AND AS I LOOK AT THIS LANDSCAPE AND WORK MY WAY THROUGH IT, I NOTICE THE PORTAL IS DIMINISHING, GETTING SMALLER AND FADING INTO THE BACKGROUND. A BEAUTIFUL GLITTERING STREAM FLOWS NEARBY. I CROUCH NEAR THE STREAM'S WATERS AND GATHER IT IN MY HAND TO REFRESH MYSELF. AND AS I REACH DOWN FOR MORE WATER, I SEE REFLECTED IN THE WATER THE SHAPE OF EARS AND A SNOUT, GLITTERING EYES AND A SALIVATING MAW, BREATHING HEAVILY. AS I MOVE, THE WOLF MOVES. AND I RETREAT AND THEN START TO RUN, THE WOLF IN HOT PURSUIT. I RUN AS FAST I CAN, FEELING HIS PANTING BREATH BEHIND ME AS I MAKE MY WAY THROUGH THE TREES, THROUGH THE FOREST WITH HIM SO CLOSE BEHIND. AND I SEE ANOTHER PORTAL. AND I RUN TOWARDS IT AS FAST AS I CAN TO ESCAPE THE WOLF, WHO'S GAINING ON ME. FASTER I GO UNTIL I THROW MYSELF THROUGH AND ARRIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE TO A DARK SPACE ALL AROUND ME. AND I LOOK AT MYSELF AS IF SEPARATE FROM MYSELF. THIS PORTAL HAS DISAPPEARED, AND I'M LYING THERE. ALL IS DARKNESS, AND I FEEL SOMEBODY TUGGING AT MY ARM. "HEY, HEY!" TUGGING AT MY ARM. "YO, YOU SLEPT TOO LATE. COME ON. GET UP. WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE." "WHAT? WHAT? LEAVE ME ALONE." AND THEN AS I SIT UP IN BED AND MY FRIEND TURNS, I SEE BEHIND HIM A WAGGING, LONG, FURRY TAIL. AAH!
Notes: 
"This project is supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation."