Orality

One of the key themes of the course (especially during the first month of class) was orality, and the ways in which orality influenced Asian theaters.  In these oral communities, you were taken at your word; contracts weren't necessary.  That's a major contrast from today's highly literate society... Indeed, it's honestly hard to imagine.

In this blog entry, I'm going to discuss what orality meant to me in the context of our 334-banjar.  Having the ability to openly discuss things with classmates was the first thing that stuck out to me as setting apart Classical Asian Theaters from the typical classroom experience.  It was extremely refreshing to have a classroom setting that mirrored a family, and furthermore it made the experience even more meaningful following the loss of a member of the Tribe.

The system of orality in our classroom allowed us to talk openly about anything- even things that we, ourselves, felt uncomfortable with.  And so, the discussion of death really meant a lot to me as it highlighted the importance of community and provided a much-needed outlet for many members of our class to talk about their feelings regarding our loss.  Without the oral community that was encouraged and fostered in our class, I feel as though the experience of 334 would not have been the same.

Although our classroom setting was still a far way away from the experience of a purely oral society, it still provided a great look into a different, but very compelling, way of doing things.  As a result of this orality,  I felt as the importance of contact and face-to-face discussions with others was reaffirmed.  And therefore, in the future I'll be striving to live up to the standards of an oral society- to be able to be taken completely at my word, and to always live up to it.