This is actually a monologue I did for an English assessment. I was really happy with what I'd written, so here I am, posting it. Don't let the fact that it's related to school deter you, i put lots of effort into it. Oh! i have to perform it tomorrow, wish me luck!

My apologies for writing yet another depressing-guy-related monologue. I gotta write something happy soon!


I don't think anyone can see what I can.

I try to find meaning in my emptiness,

but no matter what I do

There is no meaning.

I am far away now

Surrounded by the sky,

But still, nothing is different.

I find myself

alone.

My name is John Barton. Why am I here? I don't really know. I don't think any of us do. But do we need a reason? Perhaps there is no answer anyway. Does it matter? Probably not. There's not really any solution anyway. And I've got no drive to try and figure it out.

All my life I've been misunderstood. Mum and Dad never knew me, especially my father. I don't think they ever even tried. My father pushed and pushed me to be someone I was just not capable of becoming. My father is a politician. It's easy for him to stand in front of people and say whatever comes to mind, even if it's a lie, or something that will hurt people. But that's not who I am, that's not what I want to become.

I've always hated politicians, and those other rich and famous people my father hangs around with. I would like nothing less than to be one of them. Debating isn't really something I enjoy either. Arguing for the sake of arguing? That's all anyone ever does. I want my own life, not some career path forged by my father. A life of lying and bickering, I don't want it. Why can't people see that? Even my school friends, they only know me as someone popular. I don't think that they really know, or even care what I think. Only that I'll be rich and famous, just like "daddy". The only person who came close to understanding was Josie.

There was that incident at the picture theatre between Jacob and I. He became so jealous of Josie and myself going to see MacBeth together. His actions must have been very embarrassing for poor Josie.

I don't know what Josephine sees in Jacob Coote. He is possessive and unreasonable. He wants to be a mechanic for god's sake! Surely Josie is above that. How many barristers are married to mechanics anyway? I don't like the way he speaks to her, or anyone for that matter. It's disgusting. I wish I could grasp why she likes him. I hope she dumps him, She deserves so much better. But, At least she knows what she wants out of life, unlike me.

I don't know what I want out off life. I do know that I'm never going to be what my father wants, but I'm never going to be anything else either. I've known for a long time I was going to die. It seems like forever that I've wanted to. The pressure has been too difficult. I'm tired of this heavy burden weighing me down…

I want to be free. However, I know that my freedom will burden others, so I'm sorry. I want to do the right thing by everyone, but everyone wants something different from me. I can't make everyone happy, especially not myself. This is want I must do. So thankyou. Thankyou for letting me be emancipated.


This is the original poem from the story, i had to change it for my monologue, as it would have been quoting from the book. But here it is, unchanged from the pages of Melina Marchetta's novel.

"can you see what I see?

No I don't think you can

I see images of nothing

And I attempt to make that

Nothingness mean something

As hard as I try there is

Still nothing and that nothing

Is meaningless

I am somewhere else now, outside

I am surrounded by people, and

The sky. I see people and the

Blueness of the sky

But still nothing has changed

Everything remains the same

I am still alone."