Good evening everyone! I remember when I was in 4th year high school, I’ve practiced my declamation speech for a week, and the performance they arrived, my speech is entitled- Am I to be blamed? Here are some lines of the speech: “They’re chasing me, they’re chasing, no they must not catch me, I have enough money now, yes enough for my starving mother and brothers.
I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I see hope, they will not catch me now. But why?… Why am I to be blamed?” That was my lines and performance 4 years ago.
For those who don’t know what declamation is, it is a speech recitation. Now, back to my story, I delivered that speech with all of my heart, because it is based on a true story, and I am the one who experienced it. When I was 9 years old, my father left us, my mother became jobless, so we became poor, really poor that even a single penny is very important to us. There were times when we sleep hungry because there’s no food to eat at home.
I remembered those days when other children in our neighborhood are playing outside, while me and my siblings are just staying inside our house because we don’t have any clothes to wear that are presentable in public. That’s why I can really relate to the lines of my declamation speech.
Now, I am already a college graduate, and I am working. Every time I receive my salary, the first thing I always do is send money to my mother, because I want her to know that I will never forget what she did for me and my siblings. Even though we are not rich, but at least we are not poor anymore.
I am sharing this story to all of you because I want you to know that no matter how hard life is, always remember that there is hope. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. So never give up on your dreams, and continue fighting for what you believe in.
“Could you please let me go, let me go home before you imprisoned me?” These were the only lines of my declamation poem. My teacher permitted me to perform these few phrases. When she advised me that I was done, sat down, and received my grade, I was shocked. She gave me a 94 on my paper without allowing me to complete at least half of it.
I was very disappointed with that experience. I am a High School student who is active in school organizations and clubs. I am also a writer. I write articles, poems, and stories. And I like to declaim my works. But what happened to me last week made me think twice about writing anddeclamation.
What happened was this: our teacher asked us to prepare for a declamation contest that will be held next week. We were given two weeks to prepare. So I took my time in choosing the piece that I will Declaim. I wanted to make sure that I will do well in the said contest so I searched for good pieces online and finally found one entitled “Please Let Me Go” by Author Unknown.
The piece is about a girl who was imprisoned by her kidnappers and was asking them to let her go home. I liked the message of the piece so I decided to declaim it. I practiced every day for two weeks, making sure that I memorize all the lines.
My friend told me, “You haven’t completed at least a paragraph of your speech, right?” when I was sitting down. I just nod in agreement. I’m furious; when she permitted my brilliant classmates to finish their speeches and receive grades of 98, 99 or 100. I know I’m not great at English but because of what happened, it seems like everything my effort into practicing my speech, gestures, and so on has been for naught.
I don’t know what should I do. I was sitting on my desk, wondering what should I do. I have practiced my speech for days, trying to make it perfect. But still, when the day of the presentation arrived, I choked. My mind went blank and I totally forgot what I was supposed to say. As a result, I got a grade lower than what I expected.
This experience has taught me a valuable lesson: never give up on yourself, no matter how hard things seem at first. Whenever you face difficulties or fail at something, pick yourself up and try again. You might not get it right the second time either, but if you keep trying eventually you will succeed. So don’t be discouraged if things don’t go your way at first – just keep going and never give up.
I felt as though no one was interested in listening to or watching me perform as a result of that experience. I became too scared and pessimistic about myself. That is why, in school, they claim that I am quiet. Unless I am called upon to recite, I avoid reciting since my grades are acceptable when it comes to written exams or tasks. My best is all that I can do; hopefully someone will appreciate my work already when it comes to things like this.
High school is not just about academics. High school is also the time to find our passion and develop our talents. High school is where we make friends that will last a lifetime. High school is a time for self-discovery. So, never give up on yourself. Pursue your dreams. Do what you love. Be who you are meant to be.
