In the preparation for emphatic gestures the hand should be
brought up on the oblique to different degrees of elevation, depending upon the force of emphasis, and then given a stroke on whatever line the sense requires.
Descriptive gestures require the curved preparation, i. e., the hand is brought in front of the body in the direction of the opposite shoulder, and then a graceful sweep is made in the line desired.
In the preparation of a selection for recitation, the first requisite is to lay out your picture, and locate every object that is mentioned; let it be firmly set in your mind so that you will not change the position of any portion of the scene during the course of the recitation.
A very fine piece for practice upon this is the “Ballad of Breakneck,” in the present number. Suppose you turn to it and imagine yourself to be standing upon the banks of the Hudson, in a position commanding the view down the river; by examining the marked gestures you will be able to locate the entire scene. In the delivery of a piece, always try to see with your mind’s eye what you are describing to your audience, and if the object is supposed to be in sight, let the eye follow the gesture; this, however, should be avoided in emphatic gestures, or where the thing described is supposed to be hidden from view.
The following rules will serve as a guide in deciding the directions that gestures should take:
Front gestures express unity, personality, direct address, and forward motion; also refer to the future.
Oblique gestures express plurality, general assertion, and are used in addressing numbers.
Lateral gestures express vastness in time, numbers, space or idea; also casting away, and negation.
Backward gestures express remoteness in time or space.