Leslie Marmon Silko's Speech Summary

Leslie Marmon Silko states her view on the significance of oral tradition in the Pueblo community. Silko begins her written speech by saying, “The words most highly valued are those spoken from the heart, unpremeditated and unrehearsed,” (467). Storytelling lies at the heart of Pueblo culture, for it brings their heritage together no matter the time or distance (Silko 470, 479). Pueblo oral tradition differentiates from English writing; oral tradition challenges academic writing. Silko’s written speech uses a number of Pueblo influences: written and oral expression, narrative form, identity, and language; in order for her audience to experience English in an abstract organization that holds the practices of oral traditions. Silko includes Pueblo expression to establish a different perspective of writing through the influences of her culture. Pueblo written and oral expression follows a spider-web like structure, while in English academic writing its structure has a distinguishable …show more content…
In Pueblo culture, the way of teaching is to tell stories; all information, scientific, technological, historical, religious, is put into narrative form (“An Interview with Leslie Marmon Silko”). These stories create many connections between the listener and story teller, for it creates a structure of stories within stories (Silko 468). The perspective on narrative represents an important contribution of Pueblo culture to the English language, for it allows students to recollect information. Silko also reminds her audience that there is no distinction between the different types of genres of stories; whether it be myth, legend, historical, sacred, or gossip it is not functional to deliver the Pueblo experience of storytelling (471). Silko includes narrative form to establish a different perspective of writing through the influences of Pueblo oral