Find three examples of names that need to be spoken aloud in order to catch the allusion. Discuss the examples as well as the reading technique that requires you to read aloud in order to make connections. Why does King want us to read aloud?
There are many positives that come with reading a story aloud. It breaks that barrier of intimacy you have when reading in your head. I find that even when alone, reading something aloud feels as though I’m in front of an audience. It is a slight shift in the reality of reading, you have a different connection to the story you are taking on. With this being said, it may encourage you to immerse yourself, and be a part of the story, which is what King may have been inviting us, the readers, to do. There were a couple names that needed to be spoken aloud in order to catch their allusions, but the three I gravitated towards were, Dr. Joseph Hovaugh, Polly Hantos, and Sally Jo Weha.
Perhaps the most obvious of the bunch, is Dr. Joseph Hovaugh. Admittedly I did not make this connection right away. It struck a chord with me upon reading it on the page, but it wasn’t until I read the name out loud that I realized the obvious allusion to the Bible. I learned that “Jehovah is God’s unique name in the Bible” (Who is Jehovah.)
In addition to Dr. Joseph Hovaugh, two other names I noticed were both Polly Hantos, and Sally Jo Weha. It is to my understanding that Polly Hantos is supposed to be alluding to Pocahontas. This is a character that has been adapted into the Disney universe. If I’m being honest, the film Pocahontas was a favourite of mine. There was something about the aesthetic of the film, paired with the soundtrack that made it so alluring to me. Thinking back on this film, it got me thinking of how effectively did Disney portray the young Indigenous luminary? The third name that stood out to me was Sally Jo Weha, which again, to my understanding, was an allusion to Sacagawea.
King has done this masterfully as it is not as simple as just reading the names aloud to clearly reveal their hidden identities. The reader must skip syllables, or even squeeze others together to uncover this language King has created for the reader. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the act of reading aloud to oneself, provides a “distinct stimulus of self-recognition” (Hendricks.) As Sophie Hardach puts it, nowadays “Reading out loud is largely reserved for bedtime stories and performances” (Hardach, 2020.) Perhaps this is another reason King is encouraging us to read aloud. Perhaps he is wanting this to be more than a standard reading experience, but more of a “performance” we are taking part in only to ourselves.
Works Cited
Stebbins, S. J. (2010, August). Pocahontas: Her life and legend. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/pocahontas-her-life-and-legend.htm
Hardach, S. (2020, September 17). Why you should read this out loud. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200917-the-surprising-power-of-reading-aloud
Hendricks, D. (2020, October 06). The little-known truths about reading aloud. Retrieved from https://www.scilearn.com/little-known-truths-about-reading-aloud/
“Who Is Jehovah?” Jehovah’s Witness, jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/who-is-jehovah/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2021