Recitatif

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Interludes”

Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” is titled with the French translation of “recitative,” an operatic interlude. Watch "Recitative vs. Aria and How to Tell the Difference" to identify the mood and tone associated with a recitative, or an interlude. Interludes are often overlooked in stories because readers are trained to look for the main events and climaxes in a narrative. Watch the composer Leonard Bernstein explain the importance of a recitative in propelling a story. Consider the importance of interludes to a human life and to a story. In groups, write, direct, and act out a script in which interludes feature as the prominent implication of theme instead of the main events.

• Use an organizer to think through situations in which the “in-between” is as important, if not more important, than the central conflicts.

Situation

Ex) A high school senior awaiting her college acceptance notifications comes home from school and checks her mailbox. In the mailbox there are two acceptances and three rejections from universities.

Central Conflict or Event

• The future awaits.