#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.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Struggling with Speech

The speaker begins by describing their daily struggle with speech, waking up with an overwhelming array of words that they can't express. The imagery of nature, such as the pine tree, crow, and moon, is used to symbolize the words that tangle their tongue. The fear of speaking in school is palpable, as classmates perceive them as different due to their inability to articulate words like others. The speaker's mouth is described as being full of morning words, making them feel isolated and misunderstood.

🏫 School's Silent Challenge

The narrative continues with the speaker's experience at school, where they try to remain unnoticed and silent, especially when asked a question. The act of speaking becomes a source of anxiety, as classmates stare and judge. The speaker's father recognizes their distress and takes them to a quiet place, the river, to help them find solace. The river serves as a metaphor for the speaker's speech, with the turbulent waters reflecting their struggles and the calm waters beyond the rapids symbolizing the potential for smooth communication.

🗣️ Finding Voice by the River

The speaker's father uses the river as a teaching moment, suggesting that the speaker's speech should flow like the water. This moment of realization helps the speaker to cope with their fear of speaking and to embrace their unique way of expressing themselves. The speaker then shares their favorite place in the world, the river, with their class, using the metaphor of the river's movement to describe their speech. This story of overcoming personal challenges and finding one's voice is both inspiring and a testament to the power of nature as a source of strength and inspiration.

Keywords

💡River

The 'river' in the script symbolizes the natural flow of speech and the protagonist's desire to express themselves fluently. It is a metaphor for the protagonist's struggle with speech and their eventual acceptance of their own unique way of speaking. The river's characteristics of bubbling, whirling, churning, and crashing are used to describe the ebb and flow of the protagonist's speech, illustrating the beauty in its natural rhythm.

💡Words

In the script, 'words' are depicted as both a source of joy and a challenge for the protagonist. They are described as sounds that surround the protagonist each morning, indicating an inherent love for language. However, they also become a burden, causing the protagonist to feel tongue-tied and unable to communicate as effortlessly as they desire. The script uses the imagery of words growing roots and tangling the protagonist's tongue to convey the struggle with speech.

💡Speech

'Speech' is a central theme in the script, representing the protagonist's journey with communication. It is portrayed as a complex and sometimes daunting aspect of the protagonist's life, especially in social settings like school. The script highlights the protagonist's fear of speaking and the judgment they face from their peers, but also their eventual realization that their speech, like a river, is a natural and beautiful part of who they are.

💡Stutter

The 'stutter' is a specific speech disorder that the protagonist experiences, which is characterized by involuntary disruptions in the flow of speech. In the script, the stutter is personified as a natural phenomenon, similar to the river's behavior, suggesting that it is a part of the protagonist's identity rather than a flaw. The stutter is also used to emphasize the beauty in the protagonist's unique way of speaking.

💡Pine Tree

The 'pine tree' is used as a metaphor in the script to describe the protagonist's speech impediment, where words feel like they are growing roots inside their mouth and tangling their tongue. This imagery conveys the difficulty the protagonist has in articulating words, creating a vivid picture of their internal struggle with speech.

💡Crow

The 'crow' in the script is a symbol that represents the protagonist's voice, which is trapped and struggling to be heard. The crow's call is likened to the protagonist's speech, which is muffled and not easily understood by others. This symbol helps to illustrate the protagonist's feelings of isolation and the challenge of being heard.

💡Moon

The 'moon' is used in the script as a metaphor for the protagonist's speech, which is described as dusting their lips like magic, making them only mumble. The moon also represents the protagonist's inner world, which is filled with the sounds of words but is not easily shared with others. The moon's fading in the morning sky symbolizes the protagonist's struggle to express themselves as the day begins.

💡School

In the script, 'school' is the setting where the protagonist's speech difficulties are most prominently highlighted. It is a place where the protagonist feels judged and different from their peers, which exacerbates their fear of speaking. The school setting is crucial in the narrative as it is where the protagonist must confront their speech challenges and where they eventually find a way to express themselves.

💡Favorite Place

The protagonist's 'favorite place' is the river, which is not only a physical location but also a metaphor for their speech. The river's characteristics of being both turbulent and calm reflect the protagonist's own speech patterns and their journey towards acceptance. The river serves as a source of comfort and inspiration for the protagonist, helping them to articulate their thoughts and feelings.

💡Quiet

'Quiet' in the script represents the protagonist's desire to avoid speaking and the judgment of others. It is a state of being that the protagonist often finds themselves in, both as a result of their speech difficulties and as a coping mechanism. The quietness also contrasts with the internal richness of the protagonist's world, filled with the sounds of words and the beauty of nature.

💡Dad

The 'dad' in the script is a supportive figure who helps the protagonist navigate their speech difficulties. He provides comfort and understanding, taking the protagonist to the river to help them find a metaphor for their speech. The dad's role is crucial in the protagonist's journey towards self-acceptance and the realization that their speech, like the river, is a natural and beautiful part of who they are.

Highlights

The narrator wakes up each morning with the sounds of words around them but struggles to speak them.

The narrator's mouth feels full of words, like a pine tree growing roots and a crow stuck in their throat, making speech difficult.

The narrator feels self-conscious at school, as classmates don't understand their speech difficulties and find them strange.

The narrator's teacher asks them to talk about their favorite place, but they struggle to speak in front of the class.

The narrator's dad comforts them after a bad speech day, suggesting they go somewhere quiet.

The dad takes the narrator to the river, where they find solace in the quiet and the beauty of nature.

The narrator's dad helps them find a way to describe their speech by comparing it to the movement of the river.

The narrator learns to embrace their unique way of speaking, drawing strength from the image of the river.

The narrator realizes that even the river stutters at times, just like their own speech.

The narrator finds the courage to speak in class about their favorite place, the river, using the river as a metaphor for their speech.

The narrator's speech about the river is a powerful expression of their personal experience with speech difficulties.

The metaphor of the river serves as a therapeutic tool for the narrator to overcome their fear of speaking.

The narrator's dad's understanding and support play a crucial role in helping them navigate their speech challenges.

The story highlights the importance of finding personal metaphors and strategies to cope with difficulties.

The river serves as a symbol of both the struggle and beauty in the narrator's speech journey.

The calm river beyond the rapids represents the narrator's hope for smooth and clear speech.

The narrator's journey is a testament to resilience and the power of finding one's own voice, even in the face of challenges.

Transcripts

i talk

like a river

i wake up with the sounds of words each

morning

all around me

p for the pine tree outside my bedroom

window

c for the crow in its branches m for the

moon

fading in the morning sky i wake up each

morning with the sounds of words

all around me and i can't say them all

the pea and pine tree grows roots inside

my mouth and tangles my tongue

the sea is a crow that sticks in the

back of my throat

the m and moon dusts my lips like the

magic

that makes me only mumble

i wake up in the morning with these word

sounds stuck in my mouth

i say quiet as a stone

i eat my oatmeal without a peep i get

ready for the day without a word

at school i hide in the back of class i

hope i don't have to talk

when my teacher asks me a question all

of my classmates

turn and look

they don't see a pine tree sticking out

from my lips instead of a tongue

they don't hear a crow call call from

inside my throat

they don't hide their eyes from the

moonlight that shines from my open mouth

all they hear is how i don't talk like

them

all they see is how strange my face

looks

and that i can't hide how scared i am my

mouth isn't working

it's full with words of the morning

mornings are always hard but this one's

especially tough

i'm more stuck than ever my teacher says

we all have to talk about our favorite

place in the world

today is my turn but my mouth just isn't

working

and i want to go home my dad picks me up

from school

it's just a bad speech day he says let's

go somewhere quiet

my dad takes me to the river we walk

along the shore

looking for colorful rocks and water

bugs

it feels good to be quiet and alone with

my dad

but i can't stop thinking about my bad

speech day

all those eyes watching my lips twist

and twirl

all those mouths giggling and laughing

i feel a storm in my belly my eyes

fill with rain

my dad sees i am sad and pulls me close

he points to the river and says see how

that water moves

that's how you speak i look at the water

bubbling whirling churning

and crashing

my dad says i talk like a river

this is what i like to remember to help

stop myself from crying

i talk like a river or from not wanting

to speak at all

i talk like a river

when the words around me are hard to say

and i think of the proud river

bubbling churning whirling

and crashing

and i also think of the calm river

beyond the rapids where the water is

smooth and glistening

this is how my mouth moves this is how i

speak

even the ritter river stutters like i do

i wake up in the morning with the sounds

of words all

around me i go to school and i tell the

class about my favorite

place in the world i talk about the

river

and i talk like a river