Waiting for the telegram

‘Waiting for the telegram’ is a dramatic monologue by Alan Bennett. This works as a piece of drama and is humors which helps the audience to understand more about the charters. Violet is one of the main characters and she talks about her life and memories. Violet is 95 and she is in a nursing home which is in poor condition and is not very good. Violet exaggerates some of her speech to make it more interesting and she also makes it humors by changing the meanings of words or phrases. Exaggerating the speech makes it fun, interesting and humors for the audience to watch.

Violet uses humor in the drama to catch the audience’s eyes and to also make it interesting to watch. Violet uses humor by making funny suggestions or changing the meaning of something for example when she is talking about having control over her body. Alan Bennett uses humor in the play very well and it works with what the speech is about. ‘I saw my legs today…that Devon was giving me a bath…whose legs do you think they are…well I have never known this place…’.

In the drama repapered words is very common because it is showing Violets old age for example when a fellow if talking to violet he has to say hello about 5 time before violet answers him because she is not understanding what he is saying or can’t hear what he is saying but violets response is ‘bugger off’ and this is also humor. Alan Bennett put this to the drama because it makes more of a funny response. ‘I drop off and when I wake up theses a fellow… hello I sad hello…they send these folks round to test you…’.

Alan Bennett uses foreshadowing to build up the drama about what is going to happen next for example when Violet is talking about her little frock and Frances wouldn’t put Violet in the tangerine frock because it is not Violets color and Violet wants the green frock. ‘And this frock isn’t mine… where’s the green frock…Francis wouldn’t put me in this frock…’.

Impersonation is used in the play when you impersonate another character for example when Violet is talking about what do you call it and Verity is saying Violet what do you call it is banned and it continues with Violet and Verity arguing over what do you call it which means penis but Violet doesn’t say that because she thinks that is in inappropriate. ‘I saw this fellows what do you call it today… Violet what do you call it is banned…well you wont catch me describing that…some bodies what do you call it any way I saw it’.

Parallels are used in the play between Edward and Francis are on the same track by them both being different but they are both very good friends with Violet for example Edward was in the war and Francis is a nurse to Violet so they both have different features and different minds. ‘Well you won’t catch me describing that.’

Alan Bennett contrasts the drama by comparing the differences between Violet and Betty Grable when they are taking about Violet not being like Betty Grable for example ‘Well I have learned some thing… no wonder your talking goes…bit of a madam Betty Davis’ and this is showing the differences because Violet doesn’t have a cig and she doesn’t sing.