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Memory and oral storytelling 16 · the berkeley rep magazine · 2012–13 · ISSUE 2 by Julie mCCormiCk Sing,
Muses it is a central mark of our humanity that we work so hard to remember what has happened to us as individuals and as a species. In ancient times, storytellers encoded information in oral tales to share with future generations, and philosophers used their keen powers of observation to craft ingenious mnemonic systems. More recently, scientists have tirelessly studied behavior, psychology, and the physical landscapes of our brains to better understand how we remember and why. As we’ve evolved from singing around the campfire to cloud storage, the ideas we wish to remember and the technology used to record them have grown evermore complex. While possible to document events in a detached and clinical fashion, the meaning only emerges for us when we can tease out a narrative from tangles of data. The desire to tell a story about what has happened to us remains the same. We want our wisdom to endure and to improve the lives of our children’s children, and above all, we want them to know and understand us, so we tell a story. Linguist Walter J. Ong has done extensive research into oral cultures all over the world. He divides societies into two main categories: societies that have had no exposure to written language, and groups that have incorporated writing into their social fabric. In the wake of globalization, very few communities have had no contact with the printed word, but some cultures have a higher “oral residue” than others. The ancient Greeks in the days of Socrates and Herodotus lived in a society with a significant oral residue. Though a Greek alphabet had existed for some time and the Greeks had contact with numerous other literary cultures, written documents had not yet been fully embraced either as an art form or as the most effective means of recordkeeping. Plato records a fascinating story from Socrates about the Egyptian god Theuth’s (Thoth) gift of letters to the king Thamus: ‘This invention, 0 king,’ said Theuth, ‘will make the Egyptians wiser and will improve their memories; for it is an elixir of memory and wisdom that I have discovered.’ But Thamus replied, ‘Most ingenious Theuth…. this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are not part of themselves will discourage the use of their own memory within them. You have invented an elixir not of memory but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom.’ In other words, writing is a prop and a poor substitute for actually learning something. Socrates goes on to assert that it is an impersonal and incomplete way of connecting or acquiring 2012–13 · ISSUE 2 · the berkeley rep magazine · 17
Page 1 and 2: A brief history of light 9 · Engag
Page 3 and 4: Calendar Unless otherwise noted, al
Page 5 and 6: prologue Several summers ago I was
Page 7 and 8: prologue one of the things that dre
Page 9 and 10: eport A brief history of light by C
Page 11 and 12: Ships’ registry: Bermuda. ©CUNAR
Page 13 and 14: Spots are now open for student mati
Page 15: We believe that art inspires the hu
Page 19 and 20: The Greek goddess of memory, Mnemos
Page 21 and 22: much of what we know about the Troj
Page 23 and 24: just like the original homeric epic
Page 25 and 26: erkeley repertory theatre, in a co-
Page 27 and 28: len, Singapore, Stockholm, Stuttgar
Page 29 and 30: The Big C, A Gifted Man, and Smash.
Page 31 and 32: Additional thanks production assist
Page 33 and 34: Contributors produCer CirCle seasOn
Page 35 and 36: We acknowledge the following donors
Page 37 and 38: oard oF trustees Marjorie Randolph
Page 39 and 40: Take the Theatre home with you The

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