ELA: Chapter 6 Discussion When I was in the 11th grade, I recall reading Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We students enjoyed the role-play from the safety of our seats. By the 11th grade, there is no longer any intimidation factor to reading aloud in class. Assigning different students to read different parts only made the text more comprehensible. It wasnt until we were required to memorize Mark Antonys famous funeral speech and recite it before the class that we began to experience anxiety. Yet, nothing compares to a public speaking assignments ability to push a student to practice and rehearse. I gained a deeper understanding of the character through practicing and repeated citations of Mark Antonys words. I also learned to appreciate the value of preparation. Public speaking requires both preparation and confidence. We should definitely require our students to do a public speaking project at least once each term. Chapter 6 starts with a quote that originated as far back as circa 43 A.D. What do you think Publilius Syrus means when he declares, Speech is the mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he.