How do Alan Bennett and the director of Talking Heads Essay Example

They understand that she desires independence but lacks the physical ability to do so. Doris refuses to admit her limitations and is advised by Zulema not to do so, as if she were a young child. Doris' response to Zulema's cleaning indicates her dissatisfaction with the cleanliness standard, stating, "Well Zulema, I doubt you've dusted the top of that."

The audience's sympathy decreases as they realize that she is simply fussy. In "A Cream Cracker under the settee," Bennett employs humor to alter the often gloomy mood. Doris seems to possess a strong sense of humor, as evidenced by her numerous humorous remarks throughout the play. For instance, when she realizes that she has cracked a photo, she quips, "We're cracked Wilfred." These comments are effective in maintaining the audience's interest. Furthermore, "My Big Chance" is a Talking Head that is somewhat more lighthearted due to the youthful character, Lesley.

Lesley stands out among the other characters in Talking Heads as she possesses a unique sense of humor, unlike the older and more serious individuals. Unlike her counterparts, Lesley is the only character who confronts the truth about her life. She recognizes herself as a failed actress who overestimates her stardom. In "My Big Chance," Lesley evokes sympathy from others as she yearns for acceptance and likability. Lesley strives to maintain a professional image, repeatedly emphasizing her professionalism and preference for reading over other activities.

Although she tries to appear otherwise, Lesley is not what she seems. Alan Bennett skillfully portrays her lack of intelligence and foolishness. He uses bathos to create humor in "A Bed among the Lentils", as demonstrated by Lesley's comment, "You won't be able

to tell my tits from my goose pimples." Bennett successfully changes the perception that Lesley is professional when she is actually far from it. Moreover, we can find amusement in her attempts to present herself as an interesting person, as she fails to recognize her own flaws. As Lesley herself admits, "Godfrey's bad enough but I am glad I wasn't married to Jesus."

The humor in the text comes from the connection between something ordinary and something godly. This same humorous juxtaposition is seen in "Her Big Chance" when the protagonist mentions killing someone and then dismisses it as interesting. The ridiculousness of this situation adds to the humor. Susan, the main character, is portrayed as a witty individual. She is more intelligent than her husband and makes fun of his admirers in the parish where they live, which adds to the humor. Additionally, she provides detailed descriptions of characters she has observed, such as noting that a vicar appeared young for his role.

In addition to her descriptive writing style, Susan includes a lot of detail when describing the less obvious aspects of people. For instance, she mentions that Ramesh has lovely teeth. Susan's descriptive nature extends beyond just people to other objects as well. She describes a vase as resembling a test tube half filled with gravel, with a lone carnation being throttled by it. This use of description also adds humor to her writing. Unlike the other characters in the stories, Susan's writing allows us to laugh alongside her instead of laughing at her, like Lesley in "My Big Chance" and Graham in "A Chip in the Sugar" to some extent.

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example involving Susan and Mrs Belcher. Susan attempts to get hold of some useless "mouldy old fern," but Mrs Belcher stops her, saying that she needs every bit of her spiraea. The humor lies in Mrs Belcher's pretentious nature, and we can find amusement in Susan's amusing observations. Susan is a figure of pathos as she is trapped in a marriage and social role that she detests but cannot escape. She lacks the courage to abandon them and believes that change is impossible. In "A Chip in the Sugar," Graham and his mother experience a role reversal.

The reason for this is most likely due to his evident mental illness, as he attends a day centre and his mother frequently reminds him to take his 'pill'. Graham seems to be highly concerned about his mother and takes on a parental role in their relationship, particularly when she begins dating Mr Turnbull. Graham is uneasy about his mother's involvement with Mr Turnbull. This reversal of roles both elicits humor and evokes sympathy, as it is unusual for a man in his forties to live independently, and one would typically expect his mother to be worried about Graham instead of the other way around.

In this Talking Head, the humor arises from Graham's mother, Vera, jokingly criticizing the vicar in a purely enjoyable way. This incident highlights Vera's lack of comprehension and her biases. In "A Chip in the Sugar," Graham and Vera's love interest, Mr Turnbull, demonstrate contrasting characteristics. Graham represents the stereotypical Guardian reader by eschewing deodorant, being eco-conscious, and enjoying date and walnut bread. On the other hand, Mr Turnbull is well-off, well-dressed, racist, and a

bigamist. The clash between Graham and Mr Turnbull adds to the comedic elements of the story.

Graham's mother seems to have an unbalanced perspective on life, likely due to her inability to detach from her controlling son. She is frustrated that the money she donated to those less fortunate ended up being wasted, as it could have been used to buy her some Quality Street chocolates. This comedic use of bathos adds humor for viewers/readers. In the Talking Heads series, the director effectively employs cuts, varying camera angles, and music cues when the speaker is talking.