Teaching Students About Interior Monologue
Interior monologue, also known as stream of consciousness, is the technique used in writing where the writer presents the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of a character in a story. This technique reveals the inner workings of the character’s mind and emotions. Teaching students about interior monologue is important in making them understand how it adds depth to a story.
Here are some activities and tips that can help in teaching students about interior monologue:
Start with the basics
Before delving deeper into interior monologue, students need to have a good understanding of basic literary terms such as protagonist, antagonist, conflict, climax, and resolution. These terms are fundamental to understanding how interior monologue works in a story.
Use examples from literature
To make the concept of interior monologue more relatable to students, select a short passage from a book that uses this technique. It could be a passage from William Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury,” James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” or Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” among others. Read the passage aloud to the class and then have students read it individually. Discuss what the passage means and how the author used interior monologue.
Encourage students to write their own monologues
Provide students with a writing prompt and have them write a short piece using interior monologue. Ask them to focus on the thoughts and feelings of their characters as they retell an event or experience. Once everyone has finished writing, have them share their work aloud to the class or in small groups. Discuss how each student used interior monologue to convey their character’s emotions.
Analyze movies and TV shows
Interior monologue is not limited to literature. It is also used in movies and TV shows, where actors often convey the inner thoughts of their characters through voiceovers. Watch a video clip or an episode of a TV show that uses this technique. Discuss with your students how it affects the audience’s understanding of the character and the story.
Practice with journaling
Journaling is a great way to practice writing interior monologue. Ask students to spend a few minutes reflecting on a recent event or experience and write down their thoughts and feelings. Encourage them to focus on using first-person perspective and to be as detailed as possible in describing their emotions. Afterward, have them read their entries aloud and discuss how they captured their thoughts and feelings through interior monologue.
In conclusion, teaching students about interior monologue is essential in developing their text analysis skills and their understanding of the human experience. By providing them with opportunities to practice and analyze various forms of interior monologue, students can build their confidence in communicating their thoughts and feelings in writing.