Dramatic Monologues Explained!

Dramatic monologue (also known as a persona poem) is related to lyrical poetry as it is an expression of thoughts and feelings. The speaker of a dramatic monologue should be addressed as the ‘speaker’ or ‘poet’ instead of the ‘narrator’.  Although there is a narrative feature to an extent, it is implied through the expression of thoughts and feelings.

The characteristics of a dramatic monologue are:

–          An invented speaker – a character that is not the poet.

–          A situation that provides conflict or tension, for example a murder or an affair.

–          An implied audience to whom the speaker is addressing.

–          Often (although not always) there is a balance of judgement and sympathy, for example if somebody kills their husband/wife because they have had an affair you may judge them as it is murder but you may also feel sympathy for them because of the heartbreak that drove them to that extreme action.

–          There is only one voice present in the monologue.

Lyrical Poetry Explained!

Lyrical poetry is a form common within a lot of poems; however it can be quite difficult to determine what does and does not confer to this form. So in this short text I will help to explain the features, common characteristics and how to determine what lyrical poetry is.

Lyrical poetry is in general shorter than epics and plays. It is an expression of one’s personal thoughts, feelings and emotions and is often connoted with songs. It would never describe a series of events (as that would make the poem a narrative), but the feelings felt within the occurrences. The voice within the poem does not necessarily have to be that of the poet’s, it could be that of a fictional character. The form it takes can be speech, song like, or a combination of the two. A common example of lyrical poetry is a sonnet. The meter used within lyrical poetry is predominantly regular, such as iambic or trochaic and represents the rhythm of a song or a chant. Often refrains are included (the repetition of certain lines in a poem or a song for effect) which almost ‘acts’ as a chorus in the poem. Non-lyrical poetry on the other hand can be dramatic verse (common in monologues and plays) and narrative (the telling of events).

I hope this short summary has helped to explain lyrical poetry, if you have any questions please feel free to comment below and I will answer them.

Panic Attack Awareness and Advice

In this article my best friends and I would like to raise awareness for panic attacks. We have all experienced them and we would like to give sufferers, advice on prevention and how to handle them. Panic attacks are a lot more common than you may think, it is said that 1/50 people in the UK can expect to have one at some stage in their lifetime and if you know how to prevent them and handle them in advance it can potentially stop them all together. They are a completely normal reaction to extreme stress that you may be feeling. They can occur when you are not expecting them and if you know how to control them when they do come you can stop them from progressing further.

Why do people have panic attacks? People can have them for all kinds of reasons. Whenever you feel uneasy or panic about negative possibilities that could happen or something negative that may happen again that will upset you in some way a panic attack may occur. The symptoms of a panic attack are very easy to spot. However every experience varies from person to person. You could feel, pain around your chest and heart, your heart beating rapidly or irregularly, your chest becoming tight making you feel out of breath, feeling faint or sick, feeling tingling and hot and cold flushes. These symptoms can last anything from a few seconds to a few hours. Having a panic attack is a terrifying experience however there are several effective methods which you can try which will hopefully help to stop or prevent them.

The top tips we have learnt are:

–          Deep breathing – breathing in and out slowly really helps as it has a calming effect on your body.

–          Life style change – exercising regularly and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, also eating a balanced diet and eating regularly.

–          The acceptance that these feelings of panic will come and go – the realisation that this is a temporary feeling that will go away and will make you feel more in control.

–          Talking – Do not bottle up your feelings of worry or panic inside, if you tell someone the chances are they can find a rational solution to the problem you are panicking about.

–          Controlling the subject – Imagine whilst having a panic attack the feelings that are panicking you being put into a box and being crushed, this is a very effective technique during a panic attack.

–          Reduce negativity – by reducing negativity and stress in your life, it reduces the likelihood of a panic attack happening as a panic attack is an extreme reaction of stress.

–          Do not ask what if – do not worry about what ‘might’ happen because it has not happened and may never happen, instead focus on dealing with the things in your present.

–          In a public place – Try and get to a place that is quiet so you can calm down away from busy places, also try and get outside so that you have fresh air.

We hope that this article will help other panic attack suffers overcome them.