Dramatic monologue - skrzynecki poetry (1 Viewer)

Lauren1

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Hey everyone, for my half yearly i Have to compose a dramatic monologue which articulates the concept of physical journey from the personal perspective of my character.
I have chosen to be Peter Skrzynecki in Postcard.
If anyone could give me any information concerning this it would be greatly appreciated.

aspects that may be considered include:
-what journeys occur
-who takes these journeys
-motivation
-obstacles
-opportunities

Thankyou in advance :) x
 

Lauren1

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ok so i know that i am infact the one who posted this ^^^
but i am being serious when i say i will accept any advice whatsoever. the speech is due tuesday and im starting to stress. So any input would be lovely ok! thankyou :)
 

emca

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okey lauren I will help but can you please type the whole question with all the nitty gritty detail. How long is the speech, do you actually have to deliver it or just write it etc. if you have to deliver it then staging is important as is tone, pitch and volume. even if you don't have to deliver the speech but have to write it you can put stage directions in brackets. I'll check back later (probably sunday morning) good luck
 

Lauren1

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thankyou!

ok so the task description is:

You are required to present a dramatic monologue which articulates the concept of the physical journey from the personal perspective of your character. Your audience is HSC students who are familiar with the journey texts. You may draw your character from one of Skryznecki's poems. At the beginning of your monologue you must state which text you are using and the name of your character.

- Your dramatic monologue must be no more than 5 minutes long. As the character, you must explain the importance of the journey and reflect on what you learnt in the process of responding to the task and composing your monologue.

You will only be marked on the content of the presentation of your speech and you are not permitted to use makeup, costumes or props.

Some of the aspects you may wish to consider include:
-what journeys occur
-who takes these journeys
-motivation
-obstacles
-opportunities



so yes theres the whole assessment task.. remember i have chosen to be peter in postcard.
and my teacher said its really more of just a monologue than a dramatic one because there is to be no drama involved whatsoever really besides emotion through language and tone of voice.


thanks!
 

emca

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look I gotta be honest I dont know the poem and cant find it on the web. I can get it at school on monday but you have a deadline. IF you type it on this site I can get a grip on the content and help. I have some spare time sunday morning and am really interested in the concept.

I have a vested interest. I'm an english teacher (dont get scared) and might rip off the task details you've sent me for when I have to prep the speaking task for my students so we are both helping each other. My class is doing physical journeys and Away so I'm pretty aware of the concepts just not that familiar with Skryznecki's work.

cheers.
emca
 

emca

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Hey I found the poem, I like it.

It is interesting how Warsaw is personified in the poem. In your speech you could talk to warsaw making comparisions between the physical journey of it being bombed and broken and being re-built to his parents lives being negatively affected by war and re-building their lives in Australia. Further much like Warsaw being new (highrise flats and concrete pylons) all of the old buildings were blown up, Peter represents the new Warsaw as he is the new generation.......
Also think like a child of an immigrant if you are then this will help. My parents are from Ireland, I have been their briefly and consider myself Irish / Australian. How does the physical journey of an immigrant kid vary to the journey through life as a non-immigrant kid? You are the first of your family to be Australian I am Australian but I have a funny Irish name and a liking for guinness and other things uniquely Irish. As a kid Peter might have been ridiculed for his last name and his parents accent and poor English skills. He is clearly proud and inquisitive about his cultural background. No doubt he wonders how his life might have been if he wasn't an immigrant hence the title "immigrant chronicle" Consider this a chronicle is like a diary. Your presentation might see you reading entries from his diary that he has kept his whole life?

There is no need to refer to specific techniques like the symbolism of high rise flats and "the sky's brightest shade" but you will do well if you allude to them. For example - Warsaw, you are not the city my parents know, their warsaw was a city of rubble and skys grey with smoke from burnt out buildings. So here I have used personification and demonstrated an understanding of the symbolism of the sky and high rise without saying the poem has symbolism and personification as techniques.

A postcard is a perculiar thing. it is a static image, almost the opposite of a journey it is a moment of time caught and unchanging. look this is just an idea worth putting thought to.

Presentation wise, i'd have a postcard as a prop to talk to. I know you will be using palm cards but using pauses to look and ponder the post card might be effective, is he contemplating tearing it up or giving it to his parents and why? this could cause your monologue to have suspense running through it. One last thing what is written on the post card by either Peter's friend or by the publisher you can make this up to suit yourself.

I've noticed there are other threads on this site about skrzynecki's poetry and speeches. Sadly, no help to you because of the style of the speech. your teachers have been very creative to ensure plagerism is almost imposible. so start writing, expect to be hitting the delete button more than any other that is the process of creative writing. I am an amateur playright. Sometimes I re-write a short passage 10-15 times, but only on a good day, more often i have to edit a passage 20 or 30 times before I'm happy with it.

I'll check in again and see if you have anything written, sadly if you were hoping of someone to write it for you that would be cheating and you will feel the despair Skrznecki refers to in the poem

good luck and get creative
cheers
emca
 

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