The Right to Speak

This essay is based on Patsy Rodenburgs’s book The Right to Speak. In this essay I will describe and compare a natural voice and a habitual voice. The psychological and physiological factors that inhibit our natural voice will be also described and explained. A definition of ‘hegemony’ will be given and a deeper understanding of things that can affect the way we speak because of our different genders or race will also be discussed ,examples will be given to give a broader view and a better understanding. We get to understand that there is nothing like a bad voice it is just stretched or strained to accommodate the societies view.
Rodenburg gives an understanding of a natural voice as something we are born with. A natural voice is like the first cry a new born baby screams, this kind of voice has not been restricted or changed by the society. A natural voice is a voice that has not been artificially altered. Our life experiences also give growth to our natural voice. People tend to say that their voices have been harmed or blocked but the natural voice can not be damaged because it is in you and it is a sign of self-expression, unlike the habitual voice. The habitual voice is a voice that is restricted and is built by social tendencies.
This voice is a habit voice which can also be seen as a barrier voice. This kind of voice is the one that we use when we are around people and it stops the natural voice from coming out because it has become a habit to conform to society norms. The differences between the natural and habitual voice are that the natural voice is something that is not artificial unlike the habitual voice which is created and mostly grown because of our certain habits.” At their worst, habits can seriously damage a voice” (Rodernburg.P 1992 The Right to Speak Pg. 22).Rodenburg makes us see that a habitual voice is a voice that can do permanent damage to the body if not dealt with.
The way our voices are heard has to do with the state the body is in....