Alan Bennetts Talking Heads Essay -- Alan Bennett Talking Heads Essay

Alan Bennett's "Talking Heads" "Talking heads" by Alan Bennett is a collection of monologues in which the audience are showed into the life of a character and given an insight into the character's personality and situation.peoples lives are portrayed in comic ways leaving the audience feeling sympathy and guilt for the character in laughing at their misfortune. Monologues are a long speech made by one person. This style of script is really effective and has a powerful effect on the audience. These monologues were written for television broadcasting, programmes presented in this way are put under the genre of tragi-comedy. This style of script has a dramatic effect upon the audience because from one statement , several emotions arise, for example Irene writing to someone informing them that their wife is a prostitute it is comic that she would care to write a letter about something that does not concern her of this sort of information but in another way it displays pathos because she is has enough time to spare to have such an interest in finding out information such as this. The talking heads monologues often give an exaggerated story largely influenced by the environment and era in which the characters live in. For example Doris' jaded views of nursing homes which are perhaps stereotypically nursing homes from the era in which she brought up in. This cynical view also emphasises the lack of respect in the ironic way that an elderly person has been influenced by negative views of the older generation. Within this essay I am going to analyse the talking heads scripts and bring about my point of views as well as also using my background knowledge on the era and several other topics which seem to o... ...eotype people which displays irony as they fit into 3 groups of people which are well known to be stereotyped: porn stars, o.a.p's and interfering busy-bodies. "When I saw his vest it had electrician written all over it." Lesley says on meeting a man with a tattoo. I think these stereotypical associations are made due to their ignorance towards different cultures, classes and race. As a conclusion to this essay I feel that Alan Bennett has created these monologues effectively through the use of pathos which is present through all the monologues. He enforces feeling brought about by the pathos with metaphors as well as clichà © phrases.The television episodes are simple but effective in setting an atmosphere appropriate to the monologue. He brings the characters to a level which we can all relate to in some way which makes the impact of tragedy far deeper.