I’ve never before been able to see so well from someone else’s viewpoint than when we did the internal monologues in acting class. The procedure is this: a classmate has to get in front of the class and sit in the dreaded chair, then pretend to talk to someone that they need something from. What they “need“ can vary. Also, I should add that I hesitate to use the word “pretend”. For the person doing the internal monologue, it is a very real experience. It is not uncommon for the person to shed tears while doing their monologue, even though they are surrounded by a classroom full of peers.
This exercise was incredibly enlightening. Suddenly, people you never really knew before become a real person, with real thoughts and worries. Before, this person was only another body filling a seat.
The monologues ranged from a girl telling an uncle to take responsibility for his actions, to a guy pleading for acceptance from a parent. Listening to these, I knew I had to blog about them because this type of experience can lead to “progressive” behavior. Maybe I should explain further.
It’s all about perspective or walking in someone else’s shoes if you want to use a cliché. One girl who went up and began her monologue, and I thought this girl would have nothing interesting enough to say. She looked to be one of those happy, carefree people. I thought she’d do a monologue about something trivial. She didn’t. She was emotional and truthful when she did this monologue, and this was a serious issue she was talking about: her uncle doing drugs and abandoning his family. I reminded myself to not “judge a book by its cover” (using a few too many clichés in this entry, huh?)
I usually believe I have the ability to see from someone else’s perspective, and I pride myself on that, but I’m not completely there yet. There are still biases that I need to work out before I can be completely neutral when assessing someone during that crucial first impression. I’m starting to think the first impression be better left for later on.
If you have a theatre class, you should ask your teacher to consider doing internal monologues. The results can be quite insightful, and you may be surprised how well you connect to these other people.
Wow. I'd be afraid to do that in front of a classroom full of peers, but it does sound somewhat therapeutic and I think things like this should be done, if for no other reason than to bring people closer together. It's so difficult sometimes to work with people you know nothing about.
Yes, and that's why I felt this was a good experience. I know my classmates so much better now, and I'm trying to not judge better based on how they dress, how they talk, or any other outward thing like that.
It was a little scary to do, and I talk about my own personal experience in the next blog entry "Internal Monologues: The Personal Experience" but it does have a therapeutic feel to it.
I have never done the exercise you described, but it does sound very beneficial. It is always nice to understand another persons perspective .
Something that we did do in a class I was in was to right an argumentative paper supporting something the opposite of our belief. For example if you were AGAINST the death penalty, you could right a paper in SUPPORT of the death penalty. Extremely enlightening and while it made us aware of others, it really enhanced why we believe what we believe.
"A library is a hospital for the mind." Anonymous
The debate team in my high school did something like this. I remember a classmate talking about how he was against legalizing marijuana, but by seeing the other side he could truly understand why people could be for it: hemp, less illegal action, etc. It didn't change his opinion, but changed his perspective.
If I had a theater class, I'd definitely ask to try this. And then when it came my turn. I'd be terribly frightened to go through with it.
But giving internal monologues in front of your peers is definitely a great exercise for both opening up and learning not to judge right away. I can also see how it might be a good group therapy type exercise...especially for people like me who bottle everything up inside and need an outlet for it all.
And that's comin' at ya' from yer local redneck hippie.
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The Story of Myself
I did something like this. We wrote down the monologue, and did not have to read it if we chose. There were two other students doing it, both read theirs, and I chickened out. The subject was something you wanted to say to someone, but did not. I did mine to an old classmate who hated me, telling him why I flipped him off after not seeing him for two years. Another girl did hers as more of a comedic monologue, apologizing for ruining her brother's GI Joes when she was younger. The third did his about a teacher who mocked him during class. I regret not reading mine, and still have the paper that I wrote it on.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711