Our Presentations
This past week we completed our study unit on World War II letter writing with our presentations which accompany our papers. It was very interesting to listen to many of the presentations and take note of the various public speaking techniques that were being used. I was especially impressed with the visual aids incorporated into the presentations and how each aesthetic differed from the next. One such presentation I found compelling addressed the theme of hope in letters from the “Last Letters from the Holocaust” archive in Yad Vashem. The individual spoke about that even in times darkness and destruction, hope always finds its way to the surface. Torah and Talmudic scholarship were used to support the argument and it was interesting to see which individuals were used to support the different strings of reasoning. I was surprised that the presenter volunteered to go first as she was struggling to brainstorm ideas. That being said, she did a great job.
Next up…Ezra!
When I was called up to present, I was very nervous. I am still not done with my paper and not having all of the necessary points to defend my argument about elements of romanticism in the My Dear Bessie Letters scared me. Overall, I think I presented pretty well considering the limited time I had to prepare due to Jewish holidays. I knew that it would be more interesting if the audience was involved and thank goodness there was participation. Making use of my surrounding space was very important to me and I used it when talking about the word “forage.” The laughter I received in response to my doing that was satisfying. I initially was very nervous about the time constraint in my presentation but after I finished, I was pleasantly surprised. Ironically, I wish I had a little bit more time to talk about my last point which would have tied the presentation together.
Hearing that we have extended time to complete our papers was the highlight of my day. Even though I will continue to spend much time writing and editing, I find comfort in knowing that I don’t have to be so stressed out about the impending deadline. Stay tuned next week to read my paper!
