Mrs. Joyner's Performance Analysis

The spotlight shines down and the audience is silent as Kim Joyner takes the stage. She speaks eloquently, her words flowing with the captivated audience scribbling away every detail. With all eyes on her, she perfects the performance with the correct costume and movements, no distractors, just art. The spotlight fades out and this so called theater is revealed as Woodford County High School and the audience is her students listening to their next lesson. Renowned Sociologist, Erving Goffman, once described life as a performance and Mrs. Joyner was the lead actress in this production. Goffman studied the idea of impression management. He believed people are consciously aware of the impression and act in order to make a solid impression upon their so-called …show more content…
Joyner she, “just wings it.” This however goes against Goffman’s idea of the performer or teacher in this case, “find[ing] a division in [the] back region, where the performance of a routine is prepared, and front region, where the performance is presented (Goffman, 1956).” Instead, Mrs. Joyner breaks down this backstage barrier and presents herself in an honest and refreshing manner. This creates less division between her and her students while making a comfortable learning environment. Goffman thought that “...find[ing] access to these regions is controlled in order to prevent the audience from seeing backstage and to prevent outsiders from coming into a performance that is not addressed to them.“ It was believed that perfecting the rehearsal and preparation for the big performance was more professional and correct, but with the mess ups and laughs come the bond between student and teacher. This is what Mrs. Joyner does. She puts her class and her bonds with the class before her own intimidating professionalism, but with her overall knowledge on the subject, she still