Personal Technology Project

Narrative Comparison

Overarching question: How does narrative tone affect your perception of the character? What literary elements are encompassed in narrative tone, and how can you best use those elements in your own writing? 

Assignment: Listen to a selection from any audio book of your choosing. Select 90 seconds to re-record yourself. When you record these two examples of how to narrate, be sure that they are contrasting in the narrative delivery of the text. Then write a one-page reflection, detailing why you chose that particular narrative tone, and how you feel it is supported by the text. Please then post a video of your readings, including the professional reading selection, to our class wiki. Your reflection you do not have to post, although you may for extra credit. 

This assignment addresses Standard 4 of the Utah LA Core: Understand and use receptive and expressive oral language skills to communicate

part f: Plan, present, and critique dramatic readings of literary selections. 

Sample Response:

Anxiety and Speed

My first recording of Mia Thermopolis (the name of the main character in The Princess Diaries) I tried to go at a fairly normal speed (compared to some of the fast talking friends I know) as if she were a normal, somewhat shy 9th grader, because that’s who I feel like she is. I think that Mia is reticent to share any information beyond what she usually feels like she has to, although some of her insights do give the story character. 

But I wanted just a normal read, nothing too out-of-the ordinary. There was no excessive tone or volume, and I thought that the pacing was good, although I didn’t try to match the pacing of the professionally recorded narrative. 

The second recording I definitely tried to speed up the pace. I did this for two reasons. One, I thought it would convey the anxiety of the character, but two I also feel like it lends to Mia showing that she wants to share with someone, that she really wants a friend. Which is the whole reason she has a diary in the first place I feel like. However, as I mentioned before, Mia seems a little shy and sometimes unwilling to give up the information, even to her oh-so-secret diary, and I wanted to see if the words when read with a quicker pace would still convey that hesitancy. They did not. If you read the passage like a girl dying to share her secrets, It sounds like a girl... dying to share her secrets.