I really enjoyed reading the excerpts from the Vagina Monologues. They all began with such bold statements, such as “You cannot love a vagina unless you love hair.” I was drawn in immediately. The short, snappy sentences are appropriate and make the monologues incredibly human and relatable. In all of the monologues, I got such an immediate sense of the speaker’s personality, right off the bat. With such short monologues you need to jump right in.
The personal, opinionated, and unique statements in these monologues worked well to show the characters’ personalities and grab readers’ attention. Dramatic statements such as “In order to survive, I began to pretend there was something else between my legs,” are effective and memorable, but writers must make sure to maintain the important balance between drama and realism.
In Because He Liked to look at it, the speaker builds up quite a long list of Bob’s boring negatives, only to make the statement “Turned out that Bob loved vaginas. He was a connoisseur” all the more dramatic. Contrast is also quite an effective mechanism.
A technique I found very useful is when the speaker of a monologue refuses to talk about or admit something personal and possibly embarrassing. In The Flood the old woman says, “I mean… well, never mind. No. Never mind. I can’t talk to you about this.” Refusing to talk about something obviously and tactfully piques reader and audience interest immediately.
The final sentences in all of the Vagina Monologues tied everything together nicely, usually in an ironic, poignant way. The ending of the Flood, however, was a bit too sappy for my taste, but touching nonetheless.
The other group of monologues also had unique, bold interpretations of frequently touched upon themes and topics, such as death. As well as the Vagina Monologues, these monologues were real, gritty, and some were almost animalistic, making them all the more appealing and fascinating to read.
Many of the monologues escalated in intensity as they went on, an effective mechanism. I didn’t, however, particularly like Anne O’Sullivan. It felt preachy, as if she was telling me what to do and how to think about things. It was funny at parts, but it could have used a lot more subtly.
Through reading all of these monologues I learned how crucially important it is to keep themes and allusions throughout a monologue consistent (such as in the one where sex is associated with things such as fire, insanity, and even the devil). Consistency reflects thoughtfulness and focus, making a successful conclusion that much easier to attain.
