Each of us had to work on our own and create a monologue that described the character’s situation and their feelings towards it.
In the monologue, I portrayed the character Ben and described how his friends and family tried to make him happy without success. Sadly, they perceived him as ungrateful and left. Ben shared with the audience his desire to be alone and independent, as he believed his loved ones were treating him as if he were young and foolish by doing everything for him. The intention was for the audience to empathize with Ben’s situation.
I also depicted Ben’s previous interests, such as tennis, football, and parties, which he could no longer enjoy due to being paralyzed. This was to elicit sympathy from the audience, highlighting how Ben missed doing the things he loved.
Furthermore, Ben mentioned a nurse named Brenda who constantly complained about her children’s obsession with sports like football and tennis. Ben longed to be able to participate in these activities with them. Through this anecdote, I aimed to once again evoke sympathy for Ben’s predicament, as Brenda complained while he yearned to experience the joy of outdoor sports.
Overall, my purpose was to provide a detailed understanding of Ben’s emotions regarding the entire situation.
One of the dramas we produced focused on Ben’s life. We were divided into small groups to develop different scenes. The chosen format for the performance was still images accompanied by a narration that gave each image a title. The first image portrayed Ben’s 5th birthday, highlighting that Ben was not always grumpy and sarcastic, but a joyful boy surrounded by friends and family.
The second image depicted Ben’s triumph at a tennis championship, aiming to showcase his exceptional sport skills and evoke sympathy from the audience due to his inability to engage in sports anymore. The third image portrayed Ben joyfully socializing with friends at a bar, intending to exhibit their happiness in a place that eventually became the source of their torment. The fourth image displayed Ben’s jubilation and celebration of his new job at the bar, aiming to evoke empathy from the audience as his dreamed opportunity turned into a dreadful nightmare. The fifth image depicted Ben’s family photo with him paralyzed, serving to demonstrate their unwavering support for him even after the accident.
The last image portrayed Ben’s loneliness despite his family’s presence. It aimed to evoke sympathy from the audience by highlighting his inability to move. To bring our still images to life, we incorporated role play and cross cutting. Through cross cutting, we presented two scenes. One showed Ben discussing the impact of his changed life with his sister, while the other depicted Ben’s parents requesting financial assistance for his operation from Rosalie, Ben’s sister, and Charles, his best friend. Since Ben’s parents lacked the means and were too old to work, Charles accepted their offer while Rosalie declined, having never liked Ben. The connection between these scenes occurred when Rosalie entered Ben’s room and mocked him, leading the family members to kick her out for upsetting them.
In the first image, I utilized a monologue to convey my character’s deepest thoughts, aiming to deepen the drama and engage the audience. My intention was for the audience to empathize with Ben and understand the impact of the situation on him. By sharing Ben’s hobbies with the audience, I hoped to evoke sympathy as it highlights that he will never be able to pursue those activities.
The audience expressed sympathy towards Ben, evident through their reaction of saying phrases like ‘aw’ or ‘bless her/him’. In the second image, we employed role play as a means to further develop the characters and highlight their connection to Ben. Through this technique, the audience empathized with Ben as it became apparent that not all of his family members cared for him.
We utilized still images to depict Ben’s life in great detail, with the intention of directing the audience’s attention towards his facial expressions and body language, aiming to enhance their understanding of the character’s emotions. The images successfully evoked sympathy from the audience as the initial four images portrayed Ben, his family, and friends in a state of happiness. However, in the latter two images following the accident, this happiness transformed into sadness and despair. Additionally, cross-cutting was employed to juxtapose contrasting scenes; in one, Ben’s family members can be seen shouting and exhibiting anger, while in the other scene, a calm and quiet atmosphere prevailed. This technique effectively conveyed to the audience that Ben was not alone in his frustration regarding the issue, as his family and friends were also experiencing anger, sadness, and annoyance. Lastly, narration was employed to provide a narrative account of the events unfolding. By having Ben narrate the situation, our aim was to foster empathy from the audience towards him and enable them to comprehend the difficulties he was facing.
In my first piece, I depicted my character by allowing my body parts to fall to the ground. I also formed a sad smile on my face and maintained direct eye contact with the audience. This portrayal conveyed the character’s sadness due to paralysis, aiming to evoke sympathy from the audience. Through facial expressions, the audience could perceive the impact of the accident on Ben. In my second piece, I portrayed a character that was an older woman. To achieve this, I spoke in a more formal and authoritative tone, resembling someone of mature age. For example, when Rosalie insulted Ben, I responded with “excuse me,” which is typically what an adult would say. As Ben’s mother, I embodied the persona of an older woman by placing my left hand on my heart and loudly calling out Rosalie’s name to display shock over her comment. Additionally, in order to demonstrate anger, I raised my voice, stood up, and pointed at Rosalie as a visual indication that I was both in control and furious with her.
In the first still image, I portrayed my character as bending down to be at Ben’s level and standing next to him. I mimicked holding a cake by placing my hands in front of both of us and smiled while looking at Ben. The purpose of this was to establish friendship rather than control and to convey that we were both equally important. My smiling expression indicated friendliness and lack of harm.
In the first piece, I evoked sympathy from the audience towards Ben by expressing how I used to love sports and how it always made me happy. However, due to my paralysis, I could no longer engage in any activities, which led to despair and sadness. This also made the audience empathize with Ben’s friends and family because despite their efforts to make him happy, his immobility prevented him from experiencing joy.
In the second piece, I elicited sympathy from the audience towards Ben by illustrating his transformation from a happy and active individual before the accident to someone filled with sadness. He remained silent, indicating his desire for solitude as being around people or receiving assistance reminded him of his previous happier days. Furthermore, when Rosalie made fun of Ben, it further evoked sympathy as the audience witnessed Ben’s attempts to move and express anger despite being incapable of doing so. Despite his plea for her to stop, she continued with her insults, leaving Ben with no option but to endure them.
Both scenes depicted a stark contrast, showcasing the joy and contentment they once felt with their loved ones and passions. However, after the incident, all affection vanished and happiness was replaced with sorrow and hopelessness. This evoked sympathy from the audience towards Ben, as his abilities were forever lost. The second piece incorporated cross cutting, highlighting a contrast where one scene displayed serenity while the other exhibited anger and shouting. This conveyed that Ben’s family members were also exasperated with the situation. The levels used in the second piece further contrasted Ben’s paralyzed state, seated in a chair, with his little sister standing above him. This portrayal emphasized that Ben was treated like a child due to his paralysis, relying on others to perform tasks for him, which made him appear foolish, young, and ineffectual. One image in the second piece symbolized familial love, depicting each individual placing a hand on a family member’s shoulder as a gesture of unity and affection.
By purposefully making my legs, arm, and hands drop to the floor, I portrayed paralysis. This elicited empathy from the audience as they understood Ben’s condition.
