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American Monologue: Vet Story

After constant re-watching of other monologues,  the one I decided to choose is Vet Story by Seema Sueko, acted out by Tobias Segal. Tobias depicts a veteran experiencing PTSD, which causes him to take actions that even himself questions. What made me choose this monologue is the fact that he does not blame his actions on PTSD, rather on himself because he is self-aware. He desires his innocence back from before he went to war, but understand that he made the choice to go into war in the first place.

For the majority of the monologue, Tobias constantly repeats “Why”, and that is something I believe all of us can all relate to when we do something irrational or want answers. As human beings we all question ourselves and our actions and when we realize that what we have done may be wrong, we cannon undo those actions and the only way we compensate is through self questioning and apologizing.

I guess why this monologue left an impact on me is because of how Tobias freely expresses his thoughts and emotions. We have to be aware of our actions before we take them and realize that nothing can undo the results we create.

My America

After watching quite a few monologues “CURRENT EVENTS” by Neil Labute struck out to me as something i am able to relate to. In the beginning of the video she starts out with talking about what she wants in life and about her “American Experience.” She talks about being the next generation and her struggles and trying to build upon what her parents have gave her. She wants to believe she is living the “American Dream.” When she talks about sharing the dream aspired for her from her parents it gives a sense of being able to relate as many of our parents have made sacrifices for us live in a better world.  A world where we don’t have to deal with wars that are going on all the time.

She then starts talking about how we should get out of the middle east as they are not our problems and just leave them to it. She discusses how her problems are what matters to her and she is “designated driver” and not have to worry about others.

This monologue made a very strong impression on me because just like her i want to be able to not have to focus on other problems that are not my own. Just like her i want it to be about me.

MyAmerica Monologue: CAKE by Bekah Brunstetter

As someone who is new to monologues, I wasn’t sure of what to expect when watching “CAKE” by Bekah Brunstetter. The monologue starts off with Jennifer Mudge, the monologue’s performer, as she talks to someone else about her groceries and Fourth of July plans. Halfway through the video, she brings up her son Timmy which completely shifts the mood of the monologue from a happy and casual conversation to a mournful and serious conversation. This shift begins when she brings up the other person’s husband named Michael who passed away while serving for America. Jennifer then briefly discusses how money is starting to become a necessity to enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks and how the holiday is starting to lose its value in regards to American tradition.

I chose this monologue because I have friends who recently went off to the Army/Marines. I can only imagine the amount of stress and anxiety that comes from having a husband, wife, daughter, or son that leaves to serve the United States thousands of miles away from home.

Jennifer Mudge rambles on and on about her Fourth of July cake and her thought process when she goes to shop for groceries. The monologue does an excellent job of showing how a housewife might occupy herself in order to keep her mind off thoughts of possibly losing a family member from a war.

My America Monologue

Out of all the fifty videos, Fire In Dreamland by Rinne Groff caught my attention because the title was surprisingly connected to the theme of my narrative essay. In this video, a man portrayed by Jefferson Mays introduces his movie script based on a tragic event happened in 1911 — the destruction of the Dreamland, an amusement park located in Coney Island.

The movie begins with the fire breaking out in the Dreamland. A circus man, however, still takes his animals to perform on the stage where no one is watching, in hope that God would put down the fire. The star of the movie, a lion named Black Prince disobeys the circus man and rushes out the tent. His fur then catches the flame and he is later captured and killed. After the description of his movie, the man then states that “this is America” and asks for one hundred thousand dollars to help him to make this movie.

My favorite part of this video is the irony of the last line. The making of the movie is basically this man’s American Dream, but the last line reveals that no dreams can be achieved without the support from reality, in this case, money. I believe that most people would agree to it like I do, but what makes this video especially interesting is that the message is deliver in such a subtle yet ironic way. I hope you enjoyed it!

Monologue

 

As the monologue begins, the woman begins by asking others if they could allow her to use their phone to make a phone call. She continues to say that she needs to make a phone call in order to get into contact with her sister, who is about to leave. From this monologue, I believe the woman is trying to get to the point of people not caring enough to see the desperation of others. Nowadays people are too preoccupied with their electronics to not be able to see what is happening around them. She includes that people are “connected to someone in China while ignoring the flesh and bone body standing next to you.” From this, I can conclude that people will give their attention to something that they do not witness, but would not if they did. While people take notice or like a post on the media, most do not actually take action to help the situation. For example, a person could post about poverty in another country but would not give a glance to the poor he/she passes by on the block he/she walks by every day. This monologue left a strong impression on me because it reminds me that most people are all talk but no action. People are “sympathetic” or “empathetic” but would not do anything to help, thus making them passive.

My America Anthem

Raymond Pietzak – My America Anthem

Being a huge sports fan I’ve always respected the National Anthem. Before every game I would stand to show my gratitude toward those who fight for us. In this monologue I felt such a connection with Gwydion Suilebhan, the writer of the monologue, when he talked about how much it meant to him in that moment, and then it just goes away and we just stop paying attention to the flag. Before one of my high school football games the national anthem started to play and my head should have been in the game but I just couldn’t. I was thinking about everything going on in the world, and how we as a nation are reacting, then like he said it just stops and no one seemed to care anymore and then it was kickoff. Our anthem is who we are as people and a way to respect everyone who has risked and lost their life for our freedom and safety. This monologue especially got to me, because of what is going on in the NFL with certain players not standing for the national anthem. With them not standing, although it is because of what they believe in, it feels like a disrespect of what we as a nation stand for. This relating to the idea that at the end of the nation anthem, Suilebhan felt like all of the meaning behind saluting our flag was gone.

My America Monologue – JOHN by Kenneth Lin

In my search for an apt material to work with, “John” by Kenneth Lin struck out to me as nothing more than a frank and brazen exposition of passionate pursuit of success. In today’s society, after the uprising of many influential figures, success and grandiose fortunes lies scarce in the present population. Many simply view themselves as the ‘ordinary’ person; find a job, earn a living and start a family. Many less strive to see themselves as entrepreneurs, much less a figure of influence. This is illustrated by the many other companies and figures that have already settled in their fields, ready to oppose and crush any success one may find in his goals. In the end, he questions the viewer to ask him or herself; “Am I willing to face everything down this path?”

This made a particularly strong impression on me that it illustrates how arduous it may be to be that one person who solely stands up with a passion to meet his goals. Today, many people lack the inner fire to truly give it their all and risk their all. In his words; “If you think that one in a hundred person can’t be you, I won’t bother wasting our time.” and “You’re already dead.” goes to show how a single doubt in a person’s mind will kill his passion and goals, thus, ‘dead’ in terms of their enthusiasm. Success is laborious, precarious and demanding. One must be able to face the challenges ahead of them to reach their goals and those who bear doubt in their mind would not be able to make it over the hurdle.

Blog Post – 9/12/16 – Peter Yu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9SSQZX8fUE

        True democracy is scarce in our present societies, yet the illusion of a truly democratic government that is present in our nation refuses to subside. In a sense, this is one of the many myths as described in “Americans And Their Mythologies” by Jean-Paul Sartre, which is, as described ”the myth of liberty–and the dictatorship of public opinion; the myth of economic liberalism”. Democracy truly doesn’t exist in the form in which the United States operate their federal government in the manner in which people are merely deciding what position they want their state to reside instead of directly voting for a certain candidate/solution.

        This system of representation, in which one entity represents the population of a single state promotes the opinions of the majority while ignoring those of the minority, is faulty but yet viable to a certain degree. True democratic control over a government would simply be nonfunctional in that everyone would be able to have their own opinions, leading to nothing being actually done to address a certain issue. The fact that the founding fathers purposely establishing this lesser system of democracy illustrates how a completely democratic system would not be able to accomplish any tasks by abiding to the public population.

        In order to truly discuss the nature of democracy, we must observe our own stance in this system of governance, which is praised for its democracy while it is, in fact, a republic. To further explore a theme in detail, it would be best to explore the differences in that manner in which we perceive in democracy.

Tony Lin MyAmerica Monologue

Browsing through the monologues, I didn’t expect to be intrigued by a video titled “TOUR DE FRANCE” by Neil LaBute. In this video, Neil LaBute explains what he thinks America is through a very short life experience that is common to Americans. By speaking and going through with his monologue to answer the question: “What is America?” Neil LaBute states that the ability that he is given to do so, is America.

In Neil LaBute’s brief life event, he is running in the park while observing the way others are moving around themselves around. Nothing catches his attention until after a black guy riding on a bicycle passes. This catches his attention because he thinks about how back in his father’s days, the rider’s actions wouldn’t be acceptable and there would be accusations of the rider stealing the bike. In the present, there are no problems with a black guy riding a bike. The rider is smiling and the people around him do not mind him.

I felt intrigued by this monologue because I felt that Neil Labute did a great job at explaining how America is connected with the idea of freedom and that courage determines whether we do or don’t do things. Living in America, I don’t feel restricted, there are things to do anywhere at anytime. I have done a countless amount of things that I may or may not be judged for, but none of that stops me from doing so in America.

My America monologues

After watching a handful of monologues from the My America series, I decided to write about “A.K.A” by Melanie Marnich. This monologue hooked me in because I found it to be really relatable. It starts off with the actress saying that she is Melanie Marnich, but at the same time, she is not Melanie Marnich. After going through chapters of her life, I learn what she means by this.

After learning about her parents being immigrants in the United States and the fact that her grandfather was “a tyrant who starved and beat his children”, we learn that her father changed his name and his attitude to live a better life. In other words, he tried to achieve what is known as, “the American dream.”

When asked about what is her America, she has the same response I do. Born and raised in America, an American, it feels odd and silly to answer the question. The path in which she took to answer this question, helped me answer it as well.

This monologue struck a chord with me because my parents moved to the United States about 20 years ago in hopes of providing a better future for me and my siblings. My America is my parents hard work, dreams, and aspirations.