Monologue Analysis

THE CHOCOLATE AFFAIR - A monologue from the play by Stephanie Alison Walker

BEVERLY: I can't take it anymore!!

I'm up every day at five. Every day. Up at five, go for a jog, take a shower, wake Sally, cook breakfast—something healthy—egg whites, flax, kale, organic coffee, sprouted wheat. Sit down with Dave and Sally for breakfast. Eat a tiny portion. Be sure to leave some on the plate. Always leave some on the plate.

Get dressed. Something feminine, flattering. Kiss Dave goodbye. Make sure to give him a little something worth coming back home to.

Check on Sally. Comb her hair. Pack her lunch. Wait with her for the bus. Hug her goodbye. Make sure that hug lasts all day long...that she feels your arms around her even at recess when the mean kids pick on her because their moms don't hug them enough. Then let go. Watch her walk away, board the bus.

Choke back your tears. Taste the salt slide down the back of your throat. Go back inside. Check yourself in the mirror. Ugh. Turn around. Turn back hoping to see someone else. Cross through the kitchen. Pause. Feel the quiet of the empty house. No one watching. What can you eat? Open the pantry, look inside. Grab the jar of peanut butter. Unscrew the lid. Take a whiff. Stick your finger in the jar of peanut butter. Lick it off. Feel someone watching you. Shit. Turn around to face them. No one's there. Put the peanut butter away. Wash your hands, careful to remove any trace of peanut butter. Reapply lipstick. Head out the door. To work. Again.

This isn't fun anymore. There's something wrong with me.



Although I don't really know anything about this monologue from the play 'The Chocolate Affair', I found that the techniques used in the text were interesting as it explains more about her feelings and emotions. The character in this monoloque, Beverly, mainly speaks in short sentences, which could show how she feels her life is just one giant list of things she has to do in the same routine every single day. This is also shown as the writer uses asyndetic listing where it makes it seem like her life is just one long list of chores, "Up at 5, go for a job, take a shower, wake sally, cook breakfast...". Different types of puntuation has also been used to show the character's thoughts, "cook breakfast—something healthy—egg whites". Dashes are used here instead of brackets, this could be because when brackets are used, it shows that what is said within the brackets aren't necessarily needed or said. Also, because this is a dramatic monologue, brackets are usually used to show stage directions.

The monologue is written in an informal manner and in first person. This is because the character is talking to herself, because of this, the writer has used high frequency lexis to show a more casual approach to the character. The monologue would relate to a target audience of middle aged women who understand the lists of things to do in a single morning and the every day routine that you would suddenly fall in to due to children, husbands and the temptations of having a quick treat without anyone finding out, in this case, a jar of peanut butter. Relating back to my point about how the whole structure of the monologue is like a long list of duties and how the sentences are mostly very short, there isn't a high level of detail. This makes it seem like every sentence is just another boring step in her morning routine.

Blog Analysis

http://www.everywhereist.com/

This blogger uses humour throughout the text to engage the audience. This is important as it keeps the reader amused and interested and not get bored of reading large amounts of text. The humour in this blog also makes it easier for the blogger to get her point across of how she felt about a certain situation, "I didn't recognise my own bedroom. Oy." Using the word, "oy", could perhaps show how confused she felt at the time or the disbelief that she couldn't even recognise her bedroom.
The blogger writes in a semi-informal manner and uses contractions such as, 'I'd' and 'It's', adds more a relationship between the blogger and her readers. Also, she uses synthetic personification to create a more personal bond with her readers.
The 'everywhereist', makes the text seem much more casual by using dashes, "the mundane routine of the everyday - the one that...", which makes it more approachable by a younger target audience. However, the blogger has also used colons to make it slightly more formal for an older audience, "Let me tell you: having piles of fresh clothes...". Also using a vast amount of exclamation marks in her blog posts shows the enthusiasm and excitement of travelling around the world and as it suggests in the name, travelling everywhere!

Analysis Homework

Do I Wanna Know? – Arctic Monkeys

Have you got colour in your cheeks?
Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type that sticks around like summat in your teeth?
Are there some aces up your sleeve?
Have you no idea that you're in deep?
I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week
How many secrets can you keep?
Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat
Until I fall asleep
Spilling drinks on my settee

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways
(Sad to see you go)
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay
(Baby we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day

Crawling back to you

Ever thought of calling when you've had a few?
Cause I always do
Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new
Now I've thought it through

Crawling back to you

So have you got the guts?
Been wondering if your heart's still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts
Simmer down and pucker up
I'm sorry to interrupt it's just I'm constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you
I don't know if you feel the same as I do
But we could be together if you wanted to

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways
(Sad to see you go)
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay
(Baby we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day

Crawling back to you

Ever thought of calling when you've had a few? (calling when you've had a few)
'Cause I always do ('cause I always do)
Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new?
Now I've thought it through

Crawling back to you

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways
(Sad to see you go)
Was sorta hoping that you'd stay
(Baby we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day

(Do I wanna know?)
Too busy being yours to fall
(Sad to see you go)
Ever thought of calling darling?
(Do I wanna know)
Do you want me crawling back to you?

In this song by the Arctic Monkeys, there are a few language techniques that are used throughout the lyrics that I found interesting. Rhetorical questions are used frequently throughout the lyrics, “Do I wanna know?”, “So have you got the guts?”, this is used to emphasise the feelings and thoughts towards the person that this song was written about and to stimulate a response but does not necessarily impose an answer. I think that this could be because the writer of this song would prefer for the person that this is aimed at to think about how he’s feeling as the answer is quite obvious.

In the lyrics an idiom has been used, “Are there some aces up your sleeve?”. This has been used because the writer feels like the person who it has been aimed at may have an advantage that no other knows about and may come as a surprise to some. This could portray how the song writer thinks that some people are a mystery.

Elisions are used, such as “wanna”, “sorta” and “summat”, which reduces the formality of the language giving a much more informal approach and to also improve the flow of the sentence. As well as this, contractions have been used throughout the text, “can’t”, “you've”, “I've”, which is also used for the same reasons and so the syllables can flow much easier to the rhythm of the song. Also, the words “baby” and "darling" have been used which gives the song a slight hint of an intimate register which makes it more familiar between who’s singing the song and who the song is being sung about.

Delirious in Devotion

Delirious in Devotion

I glimpse and behold in your pupils so profound

I embrace you further and further every second that vigorously goes past

You leave me to implore when you depart

Hailing your name numerously in a structure of one after the other

Such a whimsical concept that I must make an elaborate effort to justify

My sentiment and satisfaction is what should be criticised

Indeed, as things go I understand that I may not recognise

Just how ones affection can accomplish something that no other human being could achieve

My appearance is ever so out of one’s mind

Your devotedness has made me appear berserk

My presence is bizarre without delay

The contact you and I both have seems to have my presentation awfully ludicrous

I am waiting in anticipation for you to contact me

Expecting you to rescue me from harm and danger due to the touching of our lips as a sign of love

My appearance is ever so out of one’s mind

As I converse with my acquaintances in hush tones

“Who on earth do you believe you are?” Take a glance at what you have made of me

Wearing tennis foot wear, no need for me to purchase a new ensemble

You won’t be attending and there is no other to impress

It must be the way that you apprehend what I thought I understood

It is the beat that my heart skips when I am accompanied by you

Alas, I still find it difficult to comprehend

Just how much your affection can achieve what no other has been able to

My appearance is ever so out of one’s mind

Your devotedness has made me appear berserk

My presence is bizarre without delay

The contact you and I both have seems to have my presentation awfully ludicrous

I am waiting in anticipation for you to contact me

Expecting you to rescue me from harm and danger due to the touching of our lips as a sign of love

My appearance is ever so out of one’s mind

(Crazy in Love – Beyoncé)

Armstrong and Miller

In the video, “Armstrong and Miller RAF pilots 'D-Day'”, the two main characters (Armstrong and Miller) use speech in a different register to what would be expected by where it’s set; during the war, black and white picture, etc. In fact, the register used is the complete opposite as you would expect the two characters to speak in a formal language, whereas they’re talking in a colloquial language in this video which would most commonly be used my teenagers.  Armstrong and Miller use slang and everyday modern language, such as ‘lush’, ‘aint’ and ‘blud’, which is interesting as it contrasts to their very posh and stereotypical British accents. What’s interesting about this video, is that when you think of a black and white production, you wouldn’t associate the language to be spoken in this way, as colloquial register was rarely used in this time of day (developed later on).

The characters use fillers, such as ‘like’, in a colloquial register that is used as well as a range of high-frequency lexis. Also, back channel agreement is used, words such as, ‘yeah’ and ‘mmm’ when communicating with eachother.