ENG 1D1: SHORT STORY UNIT – DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE …



ENG 1D1: SHORT STORY UNIT – MONOLOGUE ASSIGNMENT

This is a two-part assignment and the requirements are as follows:

PART 1: PREPARE AN INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE

• Choose one short story we have studied this term.

• From that short story, choose one character, main or secondary, and, in approximately 100-150 words, write a detailed description that includes the exact time, place and reasons behind your monologue. For example, you may want to consider any or all of the answers to the following:

a) What experiences have influenced the character’s personality and/or behaviour when we are first introduced to the character?

b) What motivates the character to behave/react a certain way during the course of the story as the conflict unfolds and/or intensifies?

c) What motivates the character to make a decision(s) that influences the outcome of the story and/or resolution of the conflict?

PART 2: WRITE A MONOLOGUE:

Once you have prepared the introduction, you are required to write a monologue.

• Your monologue will be written in the first person.

• The person is speaking to an obvious silent listener.

• Stay in the present verb tense.

• The time (it may be after the story ends) and place is revealed.

• It should be approximately 200-250 words. Word-processed, using a 12-point font.

• You must incorporate details from the story.

Use the details to explain either the experiences or motivations that impact the way your character deals with and/or resolves the conflict(s) in the story, and, simultaneously reveals the theme of the story.

Turn over for further instructions…

• You must incorporate the use of figurative language and narrative techniques.

For example, use similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, symbol, irony, suspense, etc. Use language creatively to make your character real, believable and interesting.

• Incorporate feelings and emotions by tapping into our senses.

Include details that engage the senses in order to make the audience empathize with your character. Make the audience feel what your character is feeling. For example, if you say, in the role of your character, “My heart began to race,” the audience will know that you are feeling either excited or scared (depending on the situation). By appealing to the senses, you do not have to state explicitly what emotion you are feeling.

• As you write your monologue, try to link the past to the present in a meaningful way.

If your character is recounting a story, think about how the story is being used to accomplish something with whomever or whatever they are addressing now.

For example, your character might recall a story to prove something to the listener, to hurt the listener (i.e. by bringing up a memory that is painful for him/her), to make peace or reconnect with someone (i.e. by talking about a time when they were close friends).

Further examples include: a character recounting a painful memory to heal; a character recalls a happy moment to overcome sadness; a character recalls a story to fight weakness in the moment; or, a character might recount a story to demonstrate his/her strength in dealing with a situation.

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DUE DATE: _______________________________________________________________

SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

1. The Rubric

2. Final, good copy of the Preface with a Rationale (word-processed, 12-point font)

3. Final, good copy of the Monologue (word-processed, 12-point font)

4. Draft copy of the preface with evidence of hand-written revisions

5. Draft copy of the monologue with evidence of hand-written revisions

6. The Graphic Organizer for the Monologue

7. Organizer for the Preface

What is a monologue?

✓ A monologue describes a piece of writing in which a character is speaking his/her thoughts aloud, to himself/herself, to another character, to the reader, or to the audience. Monologues are a means of reflection that occur as characters attempt to come to terms with and/or overcome obstacles, fears, or doubts.

✓ Monologues can be the most dramatically effective part of any literary piece (i.e. a novel, short story, play or film) because they reveal the most about the character speaking.

✓ An effective monologue can give life to a fictional character and influence a story’s effect on the reader.

✓ The character speaking in a monologue speaks at a critical moment or a moment of tension in his/her life.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER: Rough Work for the Monologue

|Title and Author |Character |

|Theme of the Story |Moment of Tension During Which the Monologue Takes Place |

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|Three Character Traits the Monologue Reveals About the Character |Details From the Story I Can Use to Reveal Character |

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|Figurative Language That Will Reveal Theme and Character Traits |Details From the Story I Can Use to Link Past and Present |

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ORGANIZER: Rough Work for Preface

Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________

Story Chosen: __________________________________________________________

Character Chosen: _______________________________________________________

When does the monologue take place? (i.e. past, present, end of story)

To whom is the character speaking? (i.e. himself/herself, another character, audience)

What is the mood of the character at this critical moment? Does the mood change during the monologue?

What does the character want to reveal about himself/herself?

What details from the story will you incorporate to make a case for the way your character deals with or resolves the conflict in his or her life?

How does the monologue link the past to the present? How does it reveal the theme?

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