Works Cited

Works Cited:

Bell, Alexander Melville. "Elocutionary Manual." The Principles of Elocution. Print.

Blackman, Robert D. Voice, Speech and Gesture : A Practical Handbook to the Elocutionary Art. Print.

Cavenaugh, Greg. "Corresponding with Delsarte: Occult and Ontological Dimensions of Nineteenth-century Elocutionary Performance." Text and Performance Quarterly 31.2 (n.d.): 130-48. Web.

Higdon, Michael J. "Oral Advocacy and Vocal Fry: The Unseemly, Sexist Side of Nonverbal Persuasion." Journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors 13 (n.d.): 209-19. Web.

Links to Routines of Comedians used:

Eddie Murphy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMSL4weVgyY

Louis C.K. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xWMEgvnmzI

Bill Burr - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxINJzqzn4w

Chelsea Peretti - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Brg2TuM1Ro

Breaking the Elocutionary Rules with Vocal Fry

Many comedians are a prime example of following the rules of the elocutionary movement to the point of success with your audience.  But what happens when you choose not to follow the rules?  The ideals of the elocutionary movement suggest that failure on any of the aspects of the presentation can lead to a less effective presentation that doesn't reach the audience as well.  An elocutionary faux pas can be seen with comedian Chelsea Peretti and her suspect voice.  Simply put, Chelsea Peretti has a vocal fry.  "Vocal fry" is a term used to describe a specific tone of voice in which the speaker ends his or her sentences with an inflection higher than in the beginning.  Also characterized as the "Valley Girl lift", vocal fry is exhibited more often in females than males, and it tends to result in a negative reaction from those who listen.  This reaction has been overwhelmingly negative for women in the workplace without any rational reason.  Michael J. Higdon points out the overtly harmful reaction to this trait more prominent in women:  "This 'Valley Girl lift,' as Hofstra fine arts professor Laurie Fendrich maligns it, 'reveals an unexplainable lack of confidence in one’s opinions and a radical uncertainty about one’s place in the world.' ... So we re wrong when we raise our voices, and we’re wrong when we lower them----Creaky Girls may be seen as overly masculine and derisive" (Oral Advocacy and Vocal Fry, p. 216).  Rightfully or not; vocal fry seems to be detrimental to women of all professions, yet Chelsea Peretti is seeing more success in her career than ever before.  This is possibly because Chelsea Peretti follows the rules of elocution everywhere else.  If people in thhe audience are initially turned off by Peretti's voice, they only have to wait a moment for her to shine in terms of impersonation or great timing for her punchlines.  Simply put, Chelsea Peretti's voice does not get in the way of her ability to set up a joke and reach her audience.

Image

Elocution places importance on everything the audience can see or hear.  This includes the way in which we present ourselves.  The looks we have and the outfits we wear are great factors in the message we try to send to our audience.  This ideal of the elocutionary movements carries the same sentiments as we do when we choose our outfits for a romantic night out or a very important job interview.  The importance of the speaker's personal image has been shown to have roots in occult teachings and the supernatural.  To some elocutionists, such as Francois Delsarte, the body was meant to "postulate correspondence between two aspects of life*the visible outer world and the invisible spiritual realm*and three spheres*the natural, spiritual, and divine’’ (Corresponding with Delsarte, p. 134).  Self image is present in every stand up comedian, and each image of body portrays a different message than the ones around it.  In this video we see Bill Burr selling his image to the audience simply by his outward appearance.  Bill Burr doesn't wear anything fancier than a casual button down shirt which he doesn't even tuck in.  As he presents his routine, he leans on the microphone stand with one arm.  His generally informal posture matches his act as an angry man with a Bostonian accent.  Because of his image, Bill Burr is able to sell his act to the audience much more effectively.

The Voice

The use of the voice is another key part of creating an effective presentation that keeps the audience's attention.  Many different qualities of the voice individually contribute to the way a presenter can convey his or her message.  The simple details, such as word choice, pronunciation, tone, inflection, and timing, all affect the message that the presenter is delivering.  Comedian Louis C.K. is a perfect example of a master of the voice as an elocutionary instrument.  His bit on learning that everyone eventually dies puts his voice in several ranges to create a unique, hilarious experience.  Throughout the bit, Louis C.K. portrays several different people with his voice in different manners to distinguish each of them.  Through multiple imitative tones, he creates and angry grandfather, a dumb child, and a mother trying to avoid a deep, heavy, conversation with a little kid.  Each of these voices have different levels of cheerfulness and understanding to create new experiences for the audience.  The most masterful quality of Louis C.K.'s humor lies in his timing and his pauses for breath.  Whenever Louis C.K. delivers a punchline he pauses for breath with a timing that allows the audience understand and laugh at his joke as much as possible.  This is a textbook example of the elocutionary expressive pause, which conveys a "preparation for important emphasis", which is highly effective in the anxious state in which the audience is stuck ("Elocutionary Manual", the Principles of Elocution, p. 116).

Gesture

Gesture is the use of your body's movement in presentation.  The gestures your body makes are given a great deal of attention from the audience throughout a presentation.  A gesture as simple as a slight hand movement can convey a completely unique message for the audience.  The most important part of gesture use is the timing in which a presenter makes his or her actions more extreme.  The elocutionist ideal would refer to this timing of gesture as "frequently advantageous and necessary, especially at commencement, or when an argument is concluded, or to relieve the monotony of demonstration" (Voice, Speech, and Gesture, a Practical Handbook to the Elocutionary Art, p. 155).  Eddie Murphy's bit on the icecream truck is a perfect example of this timing of gesture.  His moments of brief exposition are followed up by spastic, chaotic movements that represent children  losing their minds.

What is the Elocutionary Movement?

The elocutionary movement is a movement encompassing the way we present ourselves to the people around us.  It is a rhetorical movement that fully focuses on the art of the presentation rather than the message of the presenter.  From body language to the pronunciation of words, the elocutionary movement carries a philosophy of the ideal traits a presenter should possess.  While many would bring a close lens to more serious presenters, such as politicians or marketers; this movement also applies heavily to the art of telling a joke.  Stand up comedians have a tendency to speak the most outrageous words out of the human race, yet their words incite laughter and entertainment.  The key factor is the presentation.  Much of a comedian's joke is made great because of that comedian following or breaking the elocutionary "rules".