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Jessica Dietlin
Ms. Gardner
English 10H 1
18 May 2014
Siddhartha Monologue
I am Siddhartha, son of a Brahmin. I grew up in the shade of a house, in the sunshine of a
river bank, in the shade of a fig tree. I am loved by everyone for my kindness and grace, but it
was not enough for me. It did not bring me joy. I nursed discontent in myself. My expecting
vessel was not full, my spirit was not content, and my heart was not satisfied. I sought
enlightenment and the true nature of the self. My soul would not be content until I had achieved
what I had set out to do. I decided that I must achieve enlightenment to live out my true identity.
Siddhartha was aware that he cannot achieve enlightenment through others' teachings.
The Buddha could not help me. Govinda could not help me. The Samanas could not show me the
ways of the true nature of the self. Siddhartha himself must seek to find what he is looking for on
his own, in his own ways. I wished to search and have a goal. "Searching means: having a goal.
But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal" (Hesse 80). But also, I wished to be
free and achieve enlightenment. I wished to begin anew and search for my identity, search for the
nature of the true self.
"I have always thirsted for knowledge, I have always been full of questions" (16). I
learned that I must strive to answer my questions of achieving enlightenment and uncovering the
self. One day after many days full of pain and suffering, I gained acceptance of my soul and joy
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in all that I have achieved. I not only have pleased others, but I have pleased Siddhartha himself
and emerged into a greater light from my struggle.
















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Pip Monologue
I, Philip Pirrip--or Pip as I call myself, for Philip Pirrip is much too difficult-- had much
of a struggle to find my happiness. During the entirety of my long and lonesome journey, I
yearned to be a true gentleman, with nice clothes and soft hands. However, one could say that I
begrudgingly lost almost everything I had. I was wishing for something wonderful to become of
my late struggle.
I found myself begging for Estella to love me in the way I loved her, but she never gave
into that much needed love. And I found myself taking every possible chance, not always the
ideal choice, to become a true gentleman, even though I had not fully understood the meaning of
being a true gentleman. My mind was set and there was no changing it. I patronized friends and
made wrong decisions along the way, just to achieve my goals. "In a word, I was too cowardly to
do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong
(Dickens 58).
After my life began to drastically change and fall every which way, I finally learned that
being a gentleman is not fully about being looked up to and having soft hands. It is about gaining
self-respect and grace. Moreover, gaining pity, self-control, and compassion. I emerged from my
hardships and struggles, and I finally gained all of the true gentleman qualities.




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Tom Wingfield Monologue
I am Tom. Tom Wingfield. I work in a shoe making warehouse, and I despise working
there with everything in me. "I'd rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out my
brains--than go back mornings! I go!...For sixty-five dollars a month I give up all that I dream of
doing and being ever!" (Williams 23). I adore adventure, excitement, new experiences, new
places--opposite of the life I currently live. I dream of the day where I can escape living at home
and working in that dreadful warehouse. I dream that some day in the future I will experience
adventure and a different life than the one I have now.
I go to the movies because I like adventure. Adventure is something I dont have much
of at work, so I go to the movies (Williams 33). I often escape to the movies because I can
pretend like I am adventurous when I go. All I wish for is to leave home and experience the
wonders of the world. But, I know that if I leave, I will be following in my father's footsteps
since he left as well. However, I cannot stand going to the warehouse one more day.
Maybe one day I will leave this place and emerge from my struggle that bleeds from my
need for adventure and life-changing experiences. I hope that one day in the future I will not be
working at the warehouse because I will have found my identity somewhere new. I will be
adventurous and I will succeed because nothing will stop me.




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Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print.
Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: New Directions, 1951. Print.
Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions, 1999. Print.