#Storytime - I Talk Like a River

Summary

The script narrates a poignant tale of a young individual struggling with speech impediments, waking up each morning to a cacophony of words that they cannot articulate. The protagonist's silent suffering is palpable at school, where classmates perceive their silence as strange. A tender moment with the father at the river offers solace and a metaphor for their speech, likening it to the flowing water, both turbulent and serene. Emboldened by this, the protagonist finds the courage to share their favorite place, the river, with their class, symbolizing their journey towards self-expression and acceptance.

Takeaways

• 🌲 The protagonist wakes up each morning surrounded by the sounds of words, which they struggle to articulate.
• 🗣️ The speaker feels a physical impediment to speaking, with words like 'pea' and 'pine tree' causing them to stumble.
• 🌙 The imagery of the 'moon' and 'morning' is used metaphorically to describe the speaker's difficulty in expressing themselves.
• 😶 The protagonist is silent during breakfast and tries to avoid speaking at school, highlighting their fear and anxiety about communication.
• 🏫 At school, the protagonist hides in the back of the class, hoping to avoid being noticed or having to speak.
• 👀 The classmates' perception of the protagonist is one of strangeness and inability to understand their speech difficulties.
• 🗣️ The protagonist's mouth is described as 'full with words of the morning,' emphasizing their internal struggle with speech.
• 🌊 The father takes the protagonist to the river, using the flowing water as a metaphor for how they should speak.
• 💧 The protagonist is encouraged to think of their speech like a river, both turbulent and calm, to help them find their voice.
• 🌊 The river serves as the protagonist's favorite place in the world and a source of inspiration for overcoming their speech challenges.
• 📢 In the end, the protagonist finds the courage to speak in class about their favorite place, the river, and to 'talk like a river.'

Q & A

What does the narrator wake up to every morning?

The narrator wakes up to the sounds of words all around them, with each sound representing different elements like the pine tree, crow, and the moon.

What metaphor does the narrator use to describe their struggle with speech?

The narrator uses the metaphor of a pine tree growing roots inside their mouth and a crow stuck in their throat to describe their struggle with speech.

How do the narrator's classmates react when the narrator is unable to speak in class?

The classmates turn and look, but they don't see the metaphorical pine tree or hear the crow call, they only notice the narrator's inability to speak like them and perceive it as strange.

What does the narrator's teacher ask the class to do, and how does it affect the narrator?

The teacher asks the class to talk about their favorite place in the world. This task affects the narrator negatively because they are unable to speak due to their speech difficulties.

How does the narrator's father help them cope with their 'bad speech day'?

The narrator's father takes them to the river for a quiet and comforting experience, using the river's movement as a metaphor to explain how the narrator should speak.

What does the father tell the narrator about speaking like a river?

The father tells the narrator that they should speak like a river, with both the energy of the rapids and the calmness beyond them, to represent the stuttering and the smooth flow of speech.

What does the narrator associate with the calm river beyond the rapids?

The narrator associates the calm river beyond the rapids with smooth and glistening water, symbolizing the desired smooth flow of their speech.

How does the narrator overcome their fear of speaking in front of the class?

The narrator overcomes their fear by remembering the metaphor of speaking like a river, which gives them the courage to talk about their favorite place, the river, in front of the class.

What is the narrator's favorite place in the world, and why is it significant to them?

The narrator's favorite place is the river because it serves as a metaphor for their speech, helping them to understand and express themselves better.

What emotions does the narrator experience throughout the script?

The narrator experiences a range of emotions including fear, sadness, frustration, and eventually a sense of understanding and acceptance through the metaphor of the river.

How does the script use nature as a metaphor to convey the narrator's feelings and experiences?

The script uses elements of nature like the pine tree, crow, moon, and river as metaphors to convey the narrator's struggle with speech and their emotional journey towards self-expression.