What is waiting for the Telegram about and how does it work as a drama?
What is waiting for the Telegram about and how does it work as a drama? Alan Bennett's 'Waiting for the Telegram' consists of just one character talking to an audience in this monologue. Violet is in her nineties and living in a nursing home, it is about her character now and how she is treated and her past life containing death, regret and life choices. In this essay, I will analyse the monologue on what it is about and how it works as a drama. In the monologue, through stories and actions, the author shows the grim reality of growing old. This is evident when Violet sees her legs '"Them's never my legs"' Alan Bennett is trying to demonstrate to us that older people do not realise how extensively they change physically and that they end up having everything done for them. However they still feel the same emotionally, as under the surface we come to realise that Violet feels love towards Francis, 'It made you want to... (She mimes a kiss)...do that, whatever it's called.' Therefore, Alan Bennett tries to get us to realise that we do not expect older people to feel love. He shocks us as we see that she loves Francis. As Violet is nearly one hundred, you would assume that someone of this age has a different attitude towards things than those of a younger generation in the play. Alan Bennett illustrates to us how older views of the world clash with the outlook of a younger