The purpose of book 4 is "to learn to narrate the story of the Báb's (and Bahá'u'lláh's) life and to gain an appreciation of the magnitude of the spiritual forces released by Him." And, of course, there is practice or there is supposed to be practice. If we are not visiting a few families and sharing with them simple illustrated presentations, perhaps we should be practicing the art of storytelling with the others in our study circles. Practice, we are told, is the key to becoming a good storyteller and practice, practice, practice the key to becoming a great one.

Reading is not storytelling. Stories are presented in the text of the Ruhí books. In learning to tell those stories, memorizing the text will not help us. Stories in print are "literary" stories and stories told are "oral" stories. There is a world of difference between them. Tim Sheppard writes, "If you've ever tried to transcribe into text the exact words someone says in conversation, including the pauses, repetitions, stumbles and changes in direction, you'll have realised there is a world of difference between the literary and the oral." We need to learn the essential facts illustrating crises and victory and we need to learn how to tell the stories.

There is an abundance of resources for storytellers on the internet. The granddaddy of all resources is Tim Sheppard cited above. His web site, well worth a visit or two is www.timsheppard.co.uk/story. You might also check out "Effective Storytelling: A manual for beginners" by Barry McWilliams. It can be accessed at http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/eest.html. There is universal agreement regarding many tips offered by these and other authors. For example, keep the storytelling short -- 5 to 10 minutes, and NEVER use the text. These tips work well for telling stories for enjoyment, stories such as Aesop's Fables, Nasrudin jokes and the like. But telling stories from the Dawnbreakers is not the same as telling Aesop's Fables. The intention is to educate and deepen. There is a greater purpose to narrating the story of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh's lives.

Amy Crane writes[1],

All stories have a purpose/main idea that answers the question "why are you telling/listening to this story?" Note that listeners may have a different understanding of the story's purpose, which is okay as we all bring different experiences to the story. (That is why it is best not to state a moral or message at the end of the story.)

Amy Crane's motivation for developing storytelling skills is akin to ours. She is a Christian writing about "Storytelling in Sunday School Settings" We'll look at what Ms Crane has to say because we couldn't say it much better, and examine it in the light of the story offered in Book 4, Unit 3, Section 20, page 114 -- the story of Bahá'u'lláh being asked to perform a miracle. This story is described in greater detail in Adib Taherzadeh's, The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh v 1, pages 142-146.

Here is the sequence as given in Book 4:

1. The Shaykh called together all the leading clerics asking them to condemn Bahá'u'lláh so that they could attack the Babís and extinguish the Faith.
2. The most highly respected of the clergy refused to agree and left the gathering.
3. The Shaykh then asked that Bahá'u'lláh be quizzed and answer questions posed by a learned man.
4. Bahá'u'lláh agreed and answered all the questions.
5. Bahá'u'lláh is then asked to perform a miracle.

The climax is the exciting part.

6. Bahá'u'lláh agreed, but gave them conditions.
7. The religious decided not to respond to Bahá'u'lláh's terms.

The end is the winding up of the story.

8. The Shaykh did not give up. He continued to scheme and in 1863, the authorities asked Bahá'u'lláh to leave Baghdad and a new crisis begins

Amy Crane continues:

FASHIONING YOUR ASSIGNED STORY INTO A TELLABLE TALE:

Spend some time with your story. Reread it daily for a week or so. Think about the characters and why they may have done what they did, how they felt, and how other nameless characters in the story may have reacted. Consider the story's setting, which not only is a physical description of a location, but may also consider lifestyles and beliefs of people at that time. Do a bit of background research if you have time.

Taherzadeh's account gives us more details. We can incorporate them in developing our oral story. Be cautious however. Do not add too many unnecessary details.

Think about repetitive phrases or actions throughout the story that the children can help with (for example, in the story of the Ten Commandments, the people are constantly grumbling, first in the wilderness, and then when Moses is on Mount Sinai for a long time).

Look for opportunities to create repetition. For example in the story of Bahá'u'lláh and the miracle, the Shaykh makes four attempts to discredit and defeat Him. When the wisest of the clerics refuses to condemn Bahá'u'lláh, the storyteller can say, "Well, you would think that the Shaykh was defeated and gave up. He was defeated... but he didn't give up...." After telling them how Bahá'u'lláh answered all the questions posed to him, the storyteller repeat, "Well, you would think that the Shaykh was defeated and gave up. He was defeated... but he didn't give up...." Such use of repetition is also a way of building suspense. Repetition is the essential element of many stories (i.e. the three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears) Listen to other oral stories and jokes and look for the use of repetition. Consider the contribution it makes to the story. Consider what the story would be like without the repetition.

Ms. Crane now tells us about:

METHODS FOR LEARNING A STORY:

Do NOT memorize a story word for word. You will inevitably forget the next word and go blank. Learn to tell the story in your own words; some words will be the same each time you tell, but it will vary slightly.

Everyone has their own favorite methods, tricks, and secrets for learning a story. The following are suggestions, but find the method that works best for you personally. The most important thing, of course, is practice, practice, practice!

Read the story aloud over and over in front of a mirror. Try to make eye contact with yourself as much as possible. Don't worry that if when you look away from the written story, you don't repeat it word for word.

Copy the story from a book to paper. (This saves photocopying expense also.)

Draw a picture outline of the story. This helps you see the story as a series of pictures/scenes. It is NOT meant to be an art project; stick figures are fine. Use balloons to hold important words/phrases. After the pictures are done, try telling the story just using the pictures. (It is much easier to tell a story as a series of images than as a set of memorized words.)

Make a story map: a listing of key words, phrases, or scenes in sequence. Use arrows showing how scenes and characters relate to each other.

While most of the story should be told in the your own words, it is often helpful to memorize the first and last lines of the story. This way the story will start and end smoothly.

Tell the story to anyone (or anything) that will listen, such as dogs, cats, stuffed animals, babies, children, friends, families. The more the story is told, the more firmly it will be planted in your mind.

Read the story into a tape recorder, and then listen to it over and over. Listen for expression, pauses, and so on. Re-record the story, to see if you have improved. Or have someone video tape you telling the story. This is a good way to fine tune a tale, particularly the movements and gestures.

Tell the story to yourself whenever you have a chance - when walking the dog, washing the dishes, waiting in line. You will learn the story well enough that you are used to telling it even if you are distracted while performing (for example, someone walks into the room).

Remember that you are learning the story "by heart" to retell in your own words, not memorizing it word for word.

One of the purposes of Book 4 is to develop an appreciation for the lives of the Báb and Bahá'ulláh. The telling of the stories of their lives is not only a skill to be developed, it is also a means for fostering that appreciation.

1 Copyright credits: Amy Crane "The purpose of this booklet is to help teachers, preachers, and others bring storytelling into the church. This manual was prepared for Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church in Tampa, Florida by Amy Crane for non-commercial uses only. Copyright 1999 Amy Crane (amycrane@hotmail.com, 225-683-4603) Permission granted to freely distribute and use, provided the copyright message is included." The storyteller image is used courtesy of Chabad.org.