Talking heads - A lady of letters.
Talking Heads: A Lady of Letters The play "A Lady Of Letters" is a monologue featuring a very lonely woman that spends a lot of her time reading and writing letters. The play consists mainly of Irene (the character), a middle aged woman talking to the audience about her daily routine. Her routine consists mainly of sending and receiving letters to and from various people. There are 7 scenes, most of them focusing around a certain letter. The play is set in a simply furnished room with a bay window and it is in the afternoon. She spends a lot of the play talking about her own experiences from the past and stating how she dealt with them. The character, Irene Ruddock comes across in the play as a very isolated and lonely person. The play is set in a simply furnished room, which hints at her very simple and aimless life. She also talks a lot about things that have happened to her and she hardly mentions friends or family. There is also a big suggestion to how lonely and simple her life is in that she spends a lot of time reading and replying to a card that the opticians have sent her. "A card came from the opticians this morning...I thought that it was nice so I took my trusty Platinum and dashed off an answer forthwith." Most people would see that the opticians were purely trying to make money out of her but she is oblivious to this and feels that she is special because
How is the monologue form effective in Allan Bennett's portrait of Dorisin a Cream Cracker under the Settee?
How is the monologue form effective in Allan Bennett's portrait of Doris in a Cream Cracker under the Settee? As Allan Bennett has chosen to write about the character Doris in monologue form we learn a lot about her. She is the only character we hear from throughout the monologue so we learn about the way she speaks, the language she uses and her opinions. Doris manages to constantly bring sanitation and cleanliness into the conversation, whatever the case, never forgetting to emphasize its importance. For example when her husband suggested getting a small bush for their garden the thing she was concerned about was how hygienic it would be, "Never mind character, Wilfred, where does hygiene come on the agenda?" She has a home help who is meant to take care of the cleaning in elderly Doris house, she is called Zuleema. Zuleema is made out to be a patronising person who has no respect for the elderly, and who tries to be an authoritarian. She sounds intimidating as Doris tells us she constantly threatens her with mentions of Stafford House, a retirement home, "I am the only person that stands between you and Stafford House." Doris tells us Zuleema says. Doris reacts with cheeky or sarcastic comments, letting us know that she is not bothered and knows that Zuleema is just trying to influence her, "They don't put people in Stafford House just for running around with the
Discuss the Theme of Isolation and Loneliness In 'Talking Heads'.
Discuss the Theme of Isolation and Loneliness In 'Talking Heads' Most of Alan Bennett's characters in Part One of the "Talking Heads Monologues", are lonely or they are threatened with loneliness, and this leads to alienation from society and the environment they live in. This essay looks at the effects of loneliness, illness, unhappiness and lack of self-knowledge and how this is portrayed in Bennett's works. It also shows how isolation and loneliness, are dealt with in different ways, by people of varying ages and backgrounds. A great number of people are unaware of being lonely such as Doris in 'A Cream Cracker under the Settee' "We were always on our own, me and Wilfred" "Mix, I don't want to mix" Throughout their marriage, they never socialised. Doris had very definite views on cleanliness and avoided people for this reason. Later on in the story we learn that this could have stemmed from the stillbirth of their son and for Doris this is her defence mechanism. Doris, indirectly, reveals that she never got over the trauma of losing her son, possibly clouding her view of life. Wilfred, obviously did not understand or feel her emotions. "I don't think Wilfred minded" "It was then he started talking about getting a dog" It is easier to put up a barrier and hide away rather than reveal our true feelings. This can later lead to loneliness and isolation. By not
How does the audience respond to Miss Ruddock in Alan Bennett(TM)s A Lady of Letters? What are Alan Bennett(TM)s messages about society?
How does the audience respond to Miss Ruddock in Alan Bennett's A Lady of Letters? What are Alan Bennett's messages about society? The play 'A Lady of Letters' is about a woman who has an obsession with writing letters to different people about different things saying how she felt. She seems to criticise everything that goes on around in the neighbourhood and it has become a daily routine from which she can't stop herself. Miss Ruddock's lack of friends means that she needs something to occupy her time. It is written in a monologue which is just one character speaking, it shows inner thoughts and feelings. The audience learns that she is very nosy and wants to know about things that are going on around her; she always wants people to know what she thinks and how she feels about what is going on in and around the neighbourhood. An example of this is when a new family moves in across the road from her house and she could hear a baby crying aged no more than 5, then she realises that they go out every night at about 7 o clock and no-one comes in to baby-sit. She says "nobody comes in to sit" without speaking to them to find out what is happening. So then writes them a letter so she knows that they know how she feels about it. I think that she would definitely irritate the audience as she has this constant urge or need to write letters to people saying what she felt and
Born in Yorkshire in 1934, Alan Bennett.
Born in Yorkshire in 1934, Alan Bennett has been writing, performing and directing since his first theatrical encounters as a student at Oxford in the early 1960's. He first gained success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and later, in collaboration with Dudley Moore, Peter Cooke and Jonathan Miller, enjoyed considerable acclaim with the original Beyond the Fringe. (www.museum.tv. Accessed 26/01/03) Alan Bennett is the archetypal Northerner, his bespeckled, dour appearance make him an unlikely celebrity and he would not look out of place as a slightly muddled professor or, as Bennett himself observes, a vicar. He says on the subject of appearances 'people often end up doing what the mirror tells them they are suited for, while feeling themselves quite different inside. And in the process whole lives are thrown away' (Observer.co.uk. Accessed 21/01/03) Bennett writes about ordinary people, involved in mundane activities, but with his unique style he can liven up the dullest tale and add interest to life's lonely outcasts. Although the stories in Talking Heads are fiction, it is easy to see that some are influenced from events in Bennett's early life. His mother suffered from depression and he uses his experience of mental illness as a core for some of his characters. As he says, the people he writes about are 'part of a story to the meaning of which they are not entirely
How Does Alan Bennett achieve both a sense of tragedy and humour in his 'Talking Heads' monologues?
How Does Alan Bennett achieve both a sense of tragedy and humour in his 'Talking Heads' monologues? Alan Bennett uses a variety of techniques to convey a sense of both tragedy and humour in his 'Talking Heads' monologues. I will be looking specifically at 'Bed Among The Lentils' and 'Cream Cracker Under The Settee.' Alan Bennett achieves both of these effects by use of several clever choices regarding the casting as well as sound and visual effects. There are two very different types of humour in 'Bed Among The Lentils' and 'Cream Cracker Under The Settee'. BATL uses a lot of sarcastic, bitter humour whereas CCUTS uses some wry, discreet humour and at times Doris, the elderly woman in CCUTS, seems to be mocking herself "Love God and close all gates." "I ought to put a note on the gate. 'Not my leaves.' The second example gives the impression that she is almost embarrassed by having leaves in her garden and feels that people must acknowledge the fact that they are not her leaves. Susan mocks other people and not herself "Big day for you", she says this to Mr and Mrs Belcher as they carry out simple tasks. This shows that she is bitter, resentful and patronising towards them; this may be because she is jealous of them as they are receiving thanks and affection from Geoffrey - something she rarely gets. Whenever Doris uses humour she changes her tone of voice but keeps
Goodbye to all that.
goodbye to all that I am so tired of this, she decides. Tired of undergoing treatment, tired of having to be so reliant on people, tired of being made fun of, and tired of herself. She hunches over her study desk and drags a penknife across her pale white wrist lightly. It traces a long jagged path across the sun-deprived skin. The crimson blood that starts seeping out from the uneven wound startles even herself. She doesn't realise that she'd cut herself deep enough to break a capillary. She examines her limbs in the mirror. Dark, angry bruises map the location of the cruel needle stabs she receives when she undergoes chemotherapy, a cruel atlas reminding her of the pain that is to come with each passing day. Never mind, she says to her reflection. I must be tired. I'll just sleep it off. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Her reflection seems to grin wickedly at this pathetic hope. As she gets into bed, she says the same little prayer every night, for her parents to be happy, for herself that she might not lead such a lonely life and that she might miraculously get better one day, that tomorrow might be better than today. But somehow, each day seems to get impossibly worse than the last one. She falls into a rocky dream. The next day proves to be equally bad. Her classmates make fun of her falling hair. They don't know what she's going through, for she never talks. She never
English Monologue - 'One Chance'.
Domenico Clores English Monologue - Coursework 'One Chance' (In Prison Cell, Talking To a Fellow Inmate) They said I was too small. I wanted to get into the under-18s and under-19s with England and never did that, because I was told I was too small. I just took it on the shoulders, just played my own game; I waited for the right moment. Didn't wanna let it get to me. Just wanted to prove myself, I used it to spur myself on. I was in the local paper and a couple of tabloid papers, and people started showing a little bit of interest in me, saying that I was going to be big. I didn't listen to him though, if you know what I mean. I remember, I was asked for my first autograph - by my Grandad! I used to practise it all the time. It is a beautiful feeling. The fact of being able to perform for loads of people... I like it. It's like, I don't know, a dancer, right? Something like that, something similar to that, I enjoy doing it because, first of all, from the personal pleasure I gain and, secondly, I know that so many people like to see good football and so you try to offer it to them. And then there's the responsibility because of the fact that people their pay to see it and they want to see a good performance. You have a responsibility to offer it to them. Actually running out on the pitch is one of the best feelings in football. My best memory was of when I broke
What, in your view, makes Alan Bennett's 'A cream cracker under the settee' an interesting piece of dramatic writing?
What, in your view, makes Alan Bennett's 'A cream cracker under the settee' an interesting piece of dramatic writing? The cream cracker under the settee is a well written and original script, obviously pushing Alan Bennett's creative skill to the limit. He has invented a strong character, Doris, and has conjured up a funny but heart-warming story in which she fits perfectly. On top of all that he has managed to fit it into just twenty minutes of screen time. I have a number of ideas about how he has done this. We know that Doris and Wilfred were married, as there wedding photograph was mentioned in the monologue. Doris obviously misses him as she mentions him so much. I think she misses mainly just his company, she grew tired of his 'mad ideas' and didn't really have any positive points to say about him, she was just needed someone to be there with her. She only realized how much she would miss him when he was gone, and she realized she was on her own. She would have had more company, love and care had she had her child, so she would not of had to let herself die if the miscarriage hadn't happened. Doris is given a very strong character, which is vital as she has to keep the interest of the audience for twenty minutes, all by herself. What makes her personality particularly powerful is her desire for independence, which sparks off the conflict between herself and Zulema.
Dear Thora, Congratulations on getting the part of Doris in our forthcoming production of 'A Cream Cracker Under The Settee'.
6, Abbots Close Edgware London LE5 1EH Thora Hird 26 Stobba Close Edgware London LH5 1HE Dear Thora Congratulations on getting the part of Doris in our forthcoming production of 'A Cream Cracker Under The Settee'. This play is set in modern times, and is about an old woman called Doris, in her seventies who likes to be very clean and tidy, but because of her age, will have to move into old peoples home if she is caught cleaning. Zulema comes for home help, and Doris believes that she doesn't do her job properly. Doris goes to prove her point, by getting down her deceased husband's photo, but unfortunately falls and hurts her leg. She stays like that, and later in the day, she sadly dies. The props will include a cracked photo of Doris's husband, Wilfred, to show that she was once not lonely and used to care for someone. The key themes in this play are society's treatment of the elderly, loneliness, and segregation. The writer is trying to show how old people, who think they are all well and fit, are not really and need a lot of care. He does this by giving Doris a fearless character and showing that your not as strong as you may seem to be to yourself Doris is alert, and aware of her situation in life as an old person. She is in poor health and lives alone. Her dominant concern is cleaning. Doris dislikes old peoples homes, because of lack of hygiene, smell