DRAMATIC INTERACTION, THE PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR DEVELOPING THOUGHT AND LANGUAGE, IS AN OFTEN UNEXPLOITED METHOD OF ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS. STUDENTS CAN LEARN ABOUT LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, AND COMPOSITION IN A COHERENT FASHION BY WRITING PLAYS, SHORT STORIES, AND POEMS, OR BY ACTING, INTERPRETING, AND CREATING DRAMA. THE SEQUENCE OF SUCH EXPERIENCES SHOULD BE RELATED TO THE STUDENTS' MATURITY AND TO THE LITERATURE PROGRAM. DISCOURSE SHOULD BE ARRANGED ALONG A CONTINUUM EXTENDING FROM THE PERSON AS AN INNER-SPEAKER (SOLILOQUY) TO THE PERSON AS A SPEAKER-ABOUT-THINGS (ESSAY). THE CONCEPTION OF COMMUNICATION AS DISCOURSE PROVIDES AN EFFECTVE RATIONALE FOR TEACHING THE STUDENT TO COMPOSE AND TO RELATE HIS OWN EXPERIENCES TO THOSE OF THE AUTHORS WHOSE LITERATURE HE READS. THREE WAYS IN WHICH THIS MAY BE DONE ARE (1) BY COMPARING THE GENERATION AND TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES WITH AN AUTHOR'S EFFORT TO SPECIFY AND RELATE HIS THOUGHTS, (2) BY INDICATING THE CONTINUITY BETWEEN DRAMATIS PERSONAE AND AUTHORS (THE PALER PERSONAE OF WRITTEN MONOLOGUES), AND (3) BY EMPHASIZING THAT RHETORIC IS THE ESSENCE OF DRAMA--PEOPLE ACTING UPON EACH OTHER. (THIS DOCUMENT IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH, 508 SOUTH SIXTH ST., CHAMPAIGN, ILL. 61820, $1.25, ORDER NO. 17751.) (RD)