Stranger Assignment

For my Observance of a Stranger assignment, I chose to observe that preacher from my chapel hour. I was drawn to his unique posture when standing still, to his very distinct movements, and to the way he complimented these movements with his facial expressions. In addition, I was able to observe him for a significant length of time (approximately thirty five minutes). To complete my assignment thoroughly, while still listening to the sermon, I took careful notice of his posture, gestures and facial expressions. The first physical factor that I will note is my subject's posture. The feet were set in a wide stance, slightly turned out. Above that the knees had a slight, but equal, bend to them. My subject was firmly centered between his two feet. The pelvis tilted forward, so that his entire body appeared to be leaning backwards …show more content…
I particularly enjoyed observing the facial expressions of my subject because they were very distinct. He sported heavy set eyebrows, which he used to compliment the two primary movements that I previously mentioned in very different ways. When he performed the first movement, where he would step forward and opened his arms, he would raise his eyebrows and widen his eyes. He would move his mouth more when he spoke as well. When he began to pace, and perform his “contemplation” movement, his eyebrows would come together, or furrow, and he would squint slightly. As he did this, he tilted his head down, and emphasized his words by pointing with his lips and chin. His expressions added the finishing touches to his movements. It is also important to note that he had both a mustache and beard, and that these were often the subject of, or the motivation for, physical movement. At regular intervals, he would touch them lightly, in addition to his regular movements, either with two fingers, or with his full