Article
Shutterstock.com (background); Lifestyle pictures/Alamy Stock Photo (Darth Vader); James Earl Jones Collection (young James Earl Jones)
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Becoming Darth Vader

How a boy who stuttered grew up to be one of the most famous actors in the world

By Allison Friedman
From the February 2022 Issue

Learning Objective: to write an essay synthesizing information from two articles

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    The first article tells the story of how James Earl Jones grew up to become an actor known for his voice after developing a stutter at age 6. The second article informs readers about how a girl their age manages her stutter.
  • Structure
    Both articles combine narrative and informational passages. Text features include photos and sidebars that add additional information.
  • Language Conventionality and Clarity
    Vocabulary: The articles contain higher-level vocabulary words such as genetics, rapt, resonant, and sonorous.
  • Knowledge Demands
    The article mentions the racial injustice that existed in America in the 1930s and refers to the famous movies Star Wars, The Lion King, and well-known people Shaquille O'Neal, Ed Sheeran, Emily Blunt, and Joe Biden.
Lexile: 850L
Featured Skill: Synthesis,
Other Key Skills: key ideas and details, setting, text features, interpreting text, inference, synthesis
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, R.7, R.9, W.1, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.5, L.6
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.5, RI.6.8, W.6.1, SL.6.1, SL.6.2, L.6.4, L.6.5, L.6.6
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.3, RI.7.4, W.7.1, SL.7.1, SL.7.2, L.7.4, L.7.6
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.4, W.8.1, SL.8.1, SL.8.2, L.8.4, L.8.6
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j (grade 8 only), 8d, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12g, 12i, 12j

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AS YOU READ

Think about what empowered James Earl Jones.

Becoming Darth Vader

How a boy who stuttered grew up to be one of the most famous actors in the world

Allison Friedman

James Earl Jones Collection

James Earl Jones as a boy.

The wind howled and icy snowflakes whipped and whirled through the air as 10-year-old James Earl Jones raced through mountains of snow.

It was 1941, and a fierce blizzard was raging across western Michigan. Back at home, James Earl’s uncle Randy had collapsed, dangerously ill. James Earl had been sent out into the storm to get help.

Finally, he reached the local store and burst through the door. “Call a doctor!” he wanted to shout to the store owner.

But the words felt stuck in his throat.

James Earl had a speech disorder called stuttering, which made it difficult for him to speak in a smooth and flowing way. Worried that others would make fun of him, he rarely spoke at all.

But now, he had to break his silence. Uncle Randy’s life depended on it.

Edmund Eckstein/Getty Images (James Earl Jones); Photo 12/Alamy Stock Photo (The Lion King)

James Earl Jones records lines in a studio. His work as the voice of Darth Vader led to other voice acting roles in movies like The Lion King.

Life on the Farm

Today, James Earl Jones is a world-famous actor, known for his powerful, sonorous voice. You might know him as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies and Mufasa in The Lion King, or from his voice-over work in TV commercials.

But when he was 6 years old, James Earl stopped speaking almost completely.

James Earl was born in 1931 in a small Mississippi town, more than 600 miles south of Michigan. His dad left the family before he was born, and his mom moved away to find work when James Earl was young. So he was raised by his grandparents, John Henry and Maggie, on their farm.

Life on the farm was busy and joyful. When he wasn’t helping with chores, James Earl ran around playing with Randy and his other uncles and his aunts. They were all so close in age that they viewed each other as sisters and brothers.

But John Henry and Maggie worried about the children’s futures. In Mississippi and other Southern states at the time, Black people were not allowed to vote or to work in many jobs. Black children had to attend different schools than White children—schools that were often run-down and inadequate. John Henry and Maggie wanted their children and grandchild to have a good education and a life of greater freedom.

And so, in 1936, the family took a train north to Michigan, to a farm that would become their new home.

For young James Earl, the trip was full of fear and uncertainty. Where was Michigan? he wondered. Would he ever see his mom again? Soon after the family arrived at their new home, James Earl began to stutter.

Breaking Out of Silence

More than 70 million people around the world stutter. Stuttering is especially common among children. For most, stuttering goes away as they get older, though about 20 percent continue to stutter as adults.

Scientists do not yet fully understand the causes of stuttering, though it is believed that genetics is often a factor; stuttering tends to run in families. In very rare cases, stuttering could be brought on by a traumatic experience. This is what James Earl believes happened to him, when he made the difficult move to Michigan.

“I began to find it painfully difficult to talk,” he recalls.

Like many others who stutter, James Earl would stretch out or repeat sounds. Other kids laughed at him. And so little by little, James Earl stopped speaking.

But on that night in 1941 when he hurried through the blizzard to save Randy, he knew he had to try. Breathing deeply, he forced his hammering heart to slow down until—at last—he was able to get the words out. The doctor was called, and Randy soon recovered.

Still, it would be years before James Earl broke out of his silence for good.

Finding the Key

After moving to Michigan, James Earl and his family still experienced discrimination. James Earl recalls going out to a restaurant and being told that Black customers would not be served. But he and his aunts and uncles did get what John Henry and Maggie had wanted for them: a good education.

In high school, James Earl was introduced to the poetry of William Shakespeare and other great writers. He was so inspired that he decided to write poetry himself. It turned out that he was good—very good. After reading one of his poems, his English teacher accused him of copying it.

“To prove you wrote it, get up in front of the class and say it by heart, out loud,” the teacher commanded.

James Earl stood up, shaking with fear. “I strained to get the words out, pushing from the bottom of my soul,” he remembers. “And to my astonishment, the words flowed out smoothly, every one of them.”

After eight years of silence, James Earl had made an incredible discovery: His stutter mostly disappeared when he spoke written words out loud. This turned out to be the key that unlocked his voice. It also led him to become an actor.

A Source of Strength

Michael Zorn/Invision/AP Images

In March 2022, the Cort Theatre in New York City was renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre. Over his long career, Jones appeared in many Broadway plays. He first performed at the theater that now bears his name in 1958. 

For the rest of high school, James Earl strengthened his voice. He stood onstage in the school gym, reading the work of Edgar Allan Poe to rapt audiences. He joined speech competitions and became a champion. After high school, he studied drama at the University of Michigan. Soon, he was acting in plays in New York City.

Then, in the 1970s, he landed the role in the movie that changed his life: Star Wars. As the voice behind the masked villain Darth Vader, he didn’t appear on-screen, but his resonant voice made him a star across America. For the more than 40 years since then, James Earl has voiced Darth Vader in film and on television. He has also starred in numerous films, plays, and TV shows and won many awards.

Now 91 years old, James Earl still stutters, though years of training with acting coaches has helped him manage it. Because of his stutter, he has had to work harder than most actors, but he believes that has helped make his voice powerful. So the next time you hear Darth Vader, you’ll know his secret: Behind that mighty growl is a brave boy fighting to be heard.

Tips for Talking With Someone Who Stutters

  • Don’t finish the person’s sentence or fill in their words for them. Calmly wait for them to finish what they are saying.
  • Avoid saying “Slow down,” “Relax,” or “Start over.” Even if you’re trying to be encouraging, you may actually be adding to the pressure the person feels.
  • Maintain eye contact and nod while they speak. That signals that you’re listening to what’s being said, not how it’s being said.
  • If you don’t understand what is being said, simply say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you just said.” This is preferable to pretending you understood.

Finding Her Voice   

How one teen learned to embrace her stutter

Alessandra Potenza

Courtesy of family

Olivia Simmons

Olivia Simmons stood in the middle of the stage, a bright spotlight shining on her. The only sound in the theater was the thump thump of Olivia’s heart.

The 11-year-old took a deep breath and began reciting a story she’d written about a difficult experience she’d had in math class. Every few words of the story, she repeated the sound of a letter or paused for a few seconds. Yet she kept going.

When she finished, the 60-member audience burst into cheers and applause. Olivia couldn’t believe her ears.

It was June 2019. A few months before, Olivia would have been too nervous to speak to a stranger, let alone perform in front of a large group of them. That’s because Olivia stutters. But now, it seemed like everything would be different.

A Big Change

Olivia and her family do not know why the stutter started, but Olivia was 6 years old when it began. She was reading out loud in her first-grade class and struggling to get the words out. The whole class started laughing.

As Olivia grew up, her stuttering continued. Simple things like ordering at a restaurant often left her feeling humiliated. She tried to hide the stutter by keeping to herself.

“In class, I would be so anxious to say anything that I wouldn’t talk,” says Olivia, who’s now 13. “I felt like somebody would judge me from just hearing my voice.”

Her life began to change three years ago, when Olivia joined SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young. The organization teaches kids who stutter how to sing, dance, and act. The goal is to help them build confidence and communication skills. A few times a year, the kids perform onstage.

Olivia looks back on her performance in the summer of 2019 as a turning point in her life.

“It was empowering,” she says. “I felt like I finally had a voice.”

Being Herself

Olivia has now performed with SAY about a dozen times. Joining the group has helped her embrace her stutter. She’s no longer afraid to tell people that she has a speech disorder.

Plus, she’s formed new friendships. When she’s with her friends at SAY, Olivia feels like she can be herself, without fear of judgment.

Olivia has some advice when it comes to talking to someone who stutters: “You just have to be patient and kind because you really don’t know what people who stutter are thinking about themselves.”

Writing Prompt

How have the performing arts empowered James Earl Jones and Olivia Simmons? Answer this question in a well-organized paragraph. Support your answer with text evidence.

This article was originally published in the February 2022 issue.

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Activities (6)
Skills Activities
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Activities (6)
Skills Activities
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Lesson Plan

Essential questions: In what ways can we share our voices? How can we embrace and celebrate our differences? How can we build positive and supportive relationships with our peers?

1. PREPARING TO READ (5 MINUTES)

Note to teachers: These articles should be handled with special sensitivity if you have a student who stutters in your class. We suggest sharing the articles with the student in advance, introducing them as inspiring stories about people who stutter. After the student has had a chance to read the pieces, ask how they feel about them and whether they would be comfortable having the class read and discuss them. Listen to any concerns the student has and come to an agreement about whether and how to share the articles with the class.

 

Preview Vocabulary (5 minutes)

Project Vocabulary: Definitions and Practice on your board. Review the words and complete the activity as a class or in groups. Highlighted words: genetics, rapt, resonant, sonorous. (Optionally, share the interactive link directly to your LMS and have students preview the words and complete the activity independently beforehand. The audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides.)

2. READING AND DISCUSSING (45 minutes)

“Becoming Darth Vader”

  • Have a volunteer read the As You Read box that appears on page 16 of the magazine and at the top of the digital story page.
  • Read the article through once as a class. Optionally, have students listen to author Allison Friedman read her article aloud while they follow along. The audio read-aloud is located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View
  • Have students reread the article silently to themselves. Then pose the following close-reading questions to the class. Have students share their thinking with a partner first, then expand the share into a whole-class discussion.

Close-Reading Questions (20 minutes)

  • Why did James Earl Jones stop speaking almost completely? (key ideas and details) At around age 6, James Earl developed a stutter, a speech disorder that made it difficult for him to speak fluently. Other kids made fun of him for this, and it became painfully difficult for him to talk—so difficult that he stopped speaking almost completely. 
  • How does author Allison Friedman characterize the 1930s in America? (setting) Friedman characterizes the 1930s as a time of racial injustice. Laws and customs segregated society and dictated most aspects of Black Americans’ lives; Friedman explains that at the time, Black people were not allowed to vote or hold many jobs. James Earl’s family left the South so they could get a better education and a life of greater freedom in Michigan, though even after moving to the North, the family continued to experience discrimination. 
  • How has James Earl managed his stutter? (key ideas and details) After eight years of silence, James Earl’s love of poetry led him to discover that his stutter mostly disappeared when he spoke written words aloud. He used this discovery to strengthen his voice—reading poetry, joining speech competitions, studying drama, acting in plays, and eventually, acting in film and television. His years of training with acting coaches continue to help him manage his stutter today.
  • How does the sidebar “Famous People Who Stutter” contribute to the article? What similarities do you notice between the people featured in the sidebar and James Earl Jones? (text features) By sharing the experiences of well-known people, the sidebar supports the idea that many people stutter—and also that stuttering should not prevent people from achieving their dreams. Like James Earl, a few of these folks manage their stutter by reading or performing written words aloud through poetry, acting, and music.

 

“Finding Her Voice”

  • Read the article as a class. Optionally, have students listen to author Alessandra Potenza read the article aloud while they follow along. The audio read-aloud is located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View.

  • As a class, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Question (5 minutes)

  • Olivia’s shirt says, “Stuttering is okay because what I say is worth repeating.” What does this message suggest about Olivia? (interpreting text, inference) This message suggests that Olivia embraces her stutter and believes that her voice is valuable. It shows that Olivia is confident and comfortable with herself.

3. WATCH A VIDEO (15 minutes)

  • Have students watch the video, “Get To Know Olivia Simmons.”
  • As an exit ticket, have students respond to the following critical-thinking question, which draws on the articles and the video.

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • The articles and the video include details about kids laughing at James Earl and Olivia because of their stutters. After reading the articles and watching the video, what advice might you give someone who treats a peer in this way? Answers will vary.

 

4. SKILL BUILDING AND WRITING (20 MINUTES)

  • Have students complete Preparing to Write: Powerful Voices. This activity will help them organize their ideas in preparation for the prompt on page 19 in the printed magazine and at the bottom of the digital story page.

 

Text-to-Speech