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Character | William Walker | |
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Gender | Male | |
Age Range(s) | Adult (36-50), Senior (>50) | |
Type of monologue / Character is | Persuasive, Descriptive | |
Type | Comic | |
Year | 1969 | |
Period | Contemporary | |
Genre | Drama, War | |
Description | William Walker tries to convince politicians to revolt agains Portugal | |
Details | 28 minutes into the film |
Summary
Set in the 19th century, the film's central character is a British spy who is sent to a Carabbean island owned by Portugal to instigate a revolt by the slaves and by the local politician in order to get England into the sugar trade.
In this monologue, William Walker tries to convince a group of plantation owners to rebel against Portugal, the foreign government that owns the island..
Written by Administrator
Excerpt |
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William Walker: “Gentlemen, let me ask you a question. Now, my metaphor might seem a trifle impertinent, but I think it’s pretty much to the point. Which do you prefer, or should I say, which, which do you find more convenient? A wife or one of these mulatto girls? No, no, please don’t misunderstand. I’m speaking strictly in terms of economics. What is the cost of the product? What does the product yield? Product, in this case, being love. Uh, purely physical love since sentiments, obviously, play no part in economics. Quite. Now, a wife must be provided with a home, with food, with, uh, dresses, with medical attention, etcetera, etcetera. You’re obliged to keep her a whole lifetime, even when she’s grown old and perhaps, a trifle unproductive. Then, of course, if you have the bad luck to survive her, you have to pay for the funeral. No, no, it’s true. Gentlemen, I know it seems amusing but actually those are the facts, aren’t they? Now, with a prostitute, on the other hand, it’s quite a different matter, isn’t it? You see there’s no need to lodge her, or to feed her, certainly not to dress her or to bury her, thank God. She’s yours only when you need her. You pay her only for that service. And you pay her by the hour. Which, gentlemen, is more important? And more convenient? A slave or a paid worker? Which do you find more convenient foreign domination with its laws, its vetoes, its taxes, its commercial monopolies or independence? With your own government, your own laws, your own administration, and the freedom to trade with anyone you like on terms that are dictated only by the prices on the international market.” |