Question

Reflect on your experience with watching the scene performed versus your experience of reading it. How were they different? Was any element emphasized more in one version? Was any element missing from one? Explain your answer in two to three sentences.

Answer 1

Answer: This is Sample Response:

Watching the scene performed was a completely different experience from reading it. The performance emphasizes the body language and facial expressions of the actors as a means of conveying meaning. These elements are missing from the text of the scene and must be imagined by the reader.

Answer 2

Literature is meant to be read out loud. Poetry and plays are examples. Poetry and plays often come fully alive only when read out loud, even if this means people must read them out loud when alone. In short, to fully appreciate poetry and plays, people should perform them. Plays and other performance arts are discussed in a later chapter. Poetry is discussed in this chapter along with other nonperformance literature such as stories and creative nonfiction because most of these forms of literature primarily are experienced by reading them when one is alone.