Pep-Talks For The Socially Awkward Soul

Hello teenage-kind. 

Today's blog is suppose to be short and crisp (It's also stems off of a class assignment). But we all know i go on forever so, apologies in advance 

I know monologues are as English Lit. as it gets. But today I had the greatest epiphany there ever was.  

I've always struggled with being a "people person" I can't hold people in awe or move a crowd to tears. heck I can't even get my dog to come play fetch with me -_-

Of course being socially awkward is inevitable but it helps to turn to some of our favorite fictional heroes for pointers and much needed help (because I for one distinctly recall every insignificant thing a protagonist has said ever.)

So today, we're talking Movies. Monologues. Bad-ass characters. Stuff that blows every compartment of my nano-particle brain. I've picked two of my favorites, 

Here goes,

#1 Elizabeth Swann in Pirate of The Caribbean: At World's End 

"Then, what shall we die for? You will listen to me! LISTEN! The Brethren will still be looking here, to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilge rats aboard a derelict ship? No. No, they will see free men and freedom! And what the enemy will see is the flash of our cannons. They will hear the ring of our swords, and they will know what we can do. By the sweat of our brows and the strength of our backs, and the courage of our hearts. 

Gentlemen. Hoist the colors!"

hoist the colours? frightened bilge rats? flash of our cannons?!

OK. HOLD UP. can we reassess our entire lives? 

what's not to like about this particular scene/monologue? She's smart. She's not afraid. She manages to reduce a cohort of seaworthy, blood-thirsty pirates to a bunch of big wusses.

and she's unapologetic while she's at it.

Also the fact that Elizabeth Swann, daughter of Lord *blah blah blah*, is a pirate aboard the Black Pearl bossing around a bunch of savage men in an era when women were shut up at home minding everyone else's business is pretty mindblowing.

No doubt she did.

What makes this monologue super effective for me is not only her narrative and the super emotional soundtrack, but also the fact that she was loud and passionate and not afraid of the consequences.

 Her jumping on top of the mast-thingie, her wild carefree "I-dont-care-if-we-die-but-I-sure-as-hell-will-regret-it" spirit all compensates for the eerie tension in the air .

 She had me spell-bound for all of  45 seconds  when she did open her mouth because she epitomized feminism in a non-lethal way. I kind of believed everything she said even though it was clear to me that the odds were against their favor. But she didn't care, and neither should you

and that, my friends, is why girls run the world and epic monologues for the most bit.

#2 Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding in The Shawshank Redemption

"Rehabilitated? Well, now, let me see. You know, I don't have any idea what that means...I know what you think it means, sonny. To me, it's just a made-up word. A politician's word, so that young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did?...

There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret. Not because I'm in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then, a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try to talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are, but I can't. That kid's long gone and this old man is all that's left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It's just a bulls--t word. So you go on and stamp your forms, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don't give a sh-t."

Soak that in just a second. I KNOW!?!

Now this one, is more carefree and on the opposite side of the spectrum of awe-inspiring.

I mean there's awe-inspiring and then there's Morgan Freeman playing a hardened criminal at Shawshank. 

I found this excerpt to be everything I've wanted to tell my mom as a child. seriously.

Freeman's nonchalance combined with his super cool chill-factor gave him thunderous applause and hurrah's all around as he finally uttered the phrase " I don't give a sh-t" 

To say he hadn't effectively (yet depressingly) brought our attention to the utter misery that an inmate faces after years in prison would not be adequate. He more than moved our Impassionate hearts and with it in time bought his ticket to ultimate redemption :)

That's about it for now (I  think I've dissected one too many a monologue and successfully given you all a splitting headache :p) 

Being socially awkward maybe a challenge for people like us. Having the courage to do speak up more so. Let these passionate out-pourings of non-existent people be inspirational to you. 

who knows? soon you'll have friends, Romans and countrymen lending you their ears ^~^

Until next time,

Maria