Declamation Pieces

For a while now, people have been asking for declamation pieces. I havea tried searching on the net for possible declamation pieces and found none. This afternoon, I found myself some time to spare so I headed to the library and got a book on declamation pieces. After reading some of the pieces, I feel compelled to post some of them because they have been used during my grade school days. No luck finding Vendetta and Birthday Gift though but I shall search again when I find the time.

In the meantime...

I think this is a nice piece that can slightly be modified as performed so that it is more dramatic.


Guilty or Not Guilty
Anonymous



He stood at the bar of justice; creature wan and wirld, in form too small for a man, in feature too old for a child, but he stood so worn and pathetic -- 'twas stamped on his pale young face. It seemed long years of sufferings must have left a silent trace. "I will tell you just how it was, sir. My father and mother are dead, and my little brothers and sisters were hungry and asked me for bread. At first I earned it for them by working hard all day, but somehow the times were hard, sir, adn teh work fell all away. I could get no more employment. The weather was bitter cold and the young ones cried and shivered; little Johnny's but four eyars old.

so, what was I to do, sir? I'm guilty, but not condemned. I got, oh was it stealing the bread to give to them?" Every man in the courtroom graybeard, and thoughtless youth knew as they looked upon him that hte prisoner spoke the truth. Out from their pockets came kerchiefs, out from their eyes sprang tears; and out from the old faded wallets treasures hoarded for years.

"Your name?" said the judge as he eyed him wiht kindly look at kin: "Is... Mark McGuire, if you please, sir".

"And your age"

"I'm turned fifteen."

"Well, Mark", and then from a paper he slowly and gravely read, "You are charged here, I am sorry to say it, with stealing three loaves of bread. You look not like an offender and I hope that you will show the charge of stealing three loaves of bread to be false. Now tell me are you guilty of htis or no?". A passionate burst of weeping was at first his sole reply; and he dried his tears in a moment then looked at the judge's eyes.

** I feel it is a bit short of drama if you end here, so perhaps you can add more lines for the boy and perhaps the last line can be... "Sir, I ask you, am I guilty or not guilty?"


Casablanca
Anonymous

There was a great battle at sea. Once could hear nothing but hte roars of the big guns. The air was filled with black smoke. The waster was strewn with broken masts and pieces of tmiber, which the canon balls had knocked from the ships. Many men had been killed, and many more had been wounded.

The flagship had taken frire. Teh flames ewere breakin out from below. The deck was ablaze. The men who were left alive made haste to launch a small boat. The leaped into it, and rowed swiftly away. Any other place was safer now than on board of the burning ship. There was powder in the hold.

But hte captain's son. young Casablanca, still stood upon the deck. The flames were almost all around him now but he would not stir from his post. His father had bidden him stand there, and he had been taught always to obey. He trusted in his father's word, and believed that when the right time came, he would tell him to go.

He saw the men leap into the boat. He heard them call to him to come. He shook his head.

"When father bids me, I will go", he said.

And now, the flames were leapin gup the masts. The sails were all ablaze. The fire blew hot upon his cheek. It scorched his hair. It was before him, behind all around him.

"O Father," he cried, "may I not go now? The men have all lef thte ship. Is it not the time that we, too, should leave it?"

He did not knwo that his father was lying in the burning cabin below, that a cannon ball had struck him at the very beginning of the fight. He listened to hear his answer.

"Speak louder, Fahter," he cried, "I cannot hear what you say".

Above the roaring of hte flames, above hte crashing of the fallin gspars, above the booming of the guns, he fancied that his father's voice came faitnly to him through the scorching air.

"I am hre, Father. Speak once again," he gasped.

A great flasho of light fills the air; clouds of smoke shoot quickly upward to the sky and ---

BOOM!

Oh, what a terrific sound. Louder than thunder, louder than the roar of all gusn. The air quivers: the see itself trembles; the sky is black. The blazing ship is seen no more. There was powder in the hold.

These are all I have for now. I think the other pieces are pretty easy to find plus, I believe they are copyrighted so for now I only have these two. I will try to find The Birthday Gift, Please Smile and Vendetta as they are really my favorite pieces.

I hope this helps. :)