New Marking Period....here goes.
In class: vocabulary 14. This is due next Monday May 16.
As we talked about last week, you will writing and performing scipts based upon the novel The Great Gatsby. Please read the details below. The performances are next Monday.
Writing Project: Scenes from a novel
Your job is to prepare a script based upon one of the following scenes in the novel, which portray a point of dramatic climax, or give insight into the characters’ actions. You may adapt lines spoken by the characters in the scene, but you must also create lines that could be spoken by the character. That means you must understand that individual, his background and his motivations. (note: I am using the pronoun his as gender neutral.) This should be a minimum of five full pages. That might seem intimidating, but remember you are working with dialogue. At the same time, you should be very specific about who is speaking to whom, emotions to be conveyed, gestures, props, etc. Diction is also very important, and for that reason, you have a term’s list from the 1920’s. Now this is important. Before you submit your script, you and your classmates shall review the work for anachronisms in terms of history and language, as this is part of your assessment and demonstrates your knowledge of the characters and the Jazz Age.
Possible dramatic scenes to be expanded into scripts. (You’ll draw lots for your scene.)
1: Nicks’ first encounter with Daisy and Tom at their house
2: Gatsby and Daisy together before the war
3. Gatsby and Daisy at the mansion when he’s showing her around
4. At the Plaza
5. Tom, Myrtle and friends at the apartment
Script /performance tips: use the accompanying format
typed
more than one person may play a character within the script.
exchange e-mails; this requires group communication
a character may be excluded or imagined
significant props should be included
you may adjust the room as needed- where is your audience?
your performance should evoke the character’s body gestures
actions are written in the present tense (‘Alice goes to Bill’, not ‘Alice went to Bill’).
you may include topical music or dance, but only as an integral part of the scene
everyone is participating in the performance.
Group A: Willis, Shanelle, Lee Ana, Perri, Marissa
Group B: Nautica, Helene, Nell, Emil,
Group C: Olivia, Lee, Maddy, Shaudrana, Melissa
Group D: Latriece, Mary, Manny, Roberto, Brennan
Script format
1. The basic elements of a script are: actions, dialogue and speakers’ names.
The font is Courier 12-pitch
If you look at a sample page, you’ll see it’s broken into lines and paragraphs.
page number — this (obviously) is the page number Place this
scene number — again, pretty obvious, (You probably will have only one, although you can if you choose the war, you might include a flashback.
scene header — the description of where and when the scene takes place,
action — description of what characters do and what action takes place,
character name — the character’s name just above the dialogue, to indicate who speaks the following lines,
character tag — special instructions for dialogue where the speaker is unseen (e.g. ‘OS’ for a character who is off-screen in a different room, or ‘VO’ for an invisible voice-over)
parenthetical — a small note about how the dialogue is delivered (e.g. ‘shouts’),
dialogue — the words actually spoken,
transition — directions on how to change from one scene to the next (e.g. ‘CUT TO:’).
Sample mechanics
INT. INTERVIEW ROOM -- NIGHT (IMMEDIATE)
The door opens, and Lorraine and David are caught half- clothed in the pool of light.
GARRY (O.S.)
Lorraine!
Lorraine scrambles round, startled
LORRAINE
Damn
She hurriedly starts fastening her jeans, as Garry switches the light on
GARRY
(crushed)
With him..?
LORRAINE
What's the difference?
Garry turns on David, and points threateningly
GARRY
You!
Garry throws Lorraine out of the way, and advances on the frightened David.
LORRAINE
No, Garry, leave him...
Garry head-butts David viciously.
David cries out.
LORRAINE (CONT'D)
(shouts)
No, Garry, don't...
David falls to the ground.
Garry throws some furniture out of the way.
GARRY
She's mine!
CUT TO:
Everyone turns towards the sound of the fight in the Interview Room.
Helen looks to Jimmy.
JIMMY
Sounds like they've started allocating next year's budgets...
He runs to the Interview Room.
Vocabulary 14 definitions
beatific- (adj)- blissful; rendering or making blessed; rapturous, ecstatic, transcendent
behemoth (noun)- a creature of enormous size, power or appearance; mammoth, whale, elephant, colossus
blandishment- (noun (often plural)) – anything designed to flatter or coax, sweet talk, apple-polishing; allurement, enticement, cajolery.
cacophonous- (adj)- harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant
chicanery- (noun)- trickery, deceptive practices or tactics; double-dealing
consign- (verb)- to give over to another’s care, charge or control; to entrust, deliver; set apart for special use; transfer, remit, convey
coup- (noun)- a highly successful stroke, masterstroke, tour de force, plan or stratagem; a sudden takeover of power or leadership
euphemism-(noun)- a mild or inoffensive expression used inplace of a harsh or unpleasant one; a substitute
febrile- (adj)- feverish; pertaining to or marked by fever, frenetic
gainsay – (verb)- to deny, contradict, controvert; to dispute, oppose
imminent (adj)- about to happen, threatening; impending, looming
innate- (adj)- natural, inborn, inherent; built-in; impending, looming
loath- (adj)- unwilling, reluctant, disinclined; averse, indisposed
manifest (adj)- clear, evident to the eyes or mind; (verb)- to show plainly; exhibit, evince; (noun) a list of cargo and or passengers
minutiae (plural noun)- small or trivial details, trifling matters; trivia, trifles
moratorium (noun) a suspension of activity; an official waiting period; an authorized period of delay
nostrum (noun) an alleged cure-a;;; a remedy or scheme of questionable effectiveness; panacea, elixir
pariah (noun) one who is rejected by a social group or organization; outcast
visionary (adj)- not practical, lacking in realism; having the nature of a fantasy or dream; (noun) one given to far-fetched ideas; a dreamer or seer characterized by vision or foresight.
wizened (adj)- dry, shrunken and wrinkled (often as the result of aging); withered, shriveled
Vocabulary 14. Exercise 1 Write the correct word in the blank space. Be careful with form!
1. However much I may dispute your views, I will never ________________________ your right to hold them.
2. Just when it seemed that defeat was inevitable, she pulled off a dazzling ________________ that totally discomfited her opponent.
3. When it became clear just how shamelessly he had treated his brother, he became a virtual _________________ in his own family.
4. In a touching ceremony, the soldiers _____________________ the body of their fallen leader to the grave and his memory to their hearts.
5. On the first play, our diminutive quarterback was “sacked” by a veritable _____________________ of a linebacker, ominously nicknamed “Bone Crusher.”
6. When the swollen river threatened to overflow its banks, a devastating flood seemed _________________________.
7. Since I was brought up in a sleepy country town, I found it very hard to adjust to the _______________ pace of big-city life.
8. You may be, as you say, “_________________________ to leave such a fascinating book,” but I’m telling you right now to take out the garbage!
9. If you spend all your time on _______________________, you won’t have any left for really important matters.
10. The nation’s economic ills call for a variety of remedies; they cannot be cured by any single, miraculous ____________________________.
11. Suddenly I was overcome by such a feeling of ________________________ peace that I began to wonder whether I was on earth or in heaven.
12. One way to bring relief to small farmers who cannot meet their mortgage payments is to declare a temporary _____________________ on foreclosures.
13. Before you dismiss him as just another impractical ______________________, think of how many great inventors were once regarded as mere “cranks.”
14. Though the ability to paint is probably a(n) ________________________ gift, it can certainly be improved by training and practice.
15. Some Civil War generals weren’t professional soldiers and got their jobs through wire-pulling and other forms of political _________________________ .
16. Through her body had become bent and _______________________________ with age, her mind was as alert and active as ever.
17. No matter what _________________________________ you use to describe his conduct, you can’t disguise the fact he betrayed his best friend.
18. Some people enjoy the type of atonal music written by such composers as Arnold Schoenberg; others find it _______________________________.
19. We were all surprised that someone with the reputation of a frivolous playboy could ____________________________ such courage and determination.
20. Only a fool would have succumbed to the cloying __________________________of that smooth-talking rascal.
Vocabulary 14. Exercise 2 Fill in the blank with the word that best fits. Use the correct form.
1. The passenger _________________________ helps investigators find out who is on board a plane.
2. The ______________________________ old woman walked with the aid of a cane.
3. Some wished to _________________________ the conclusions of the US Supreme Court in the matter of the 2000 Presidential elections.
4. During the awards ceremony, the Gold Medal winner had a positively ____________________ expression on her face.
5. The accountants used legal _____________________________ to cover up the company’s shaky financial position.
6. The surprise __________________________ by high-ranking military officers toppled the weak government in a matter of hours.
7. Musical excellence often comes from ______________________ ability.
8. Common ______________________________ for die include the expressions pass away and go to the other side.
9. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was a ________________________ whose dreams inspired the American civil rights movement.
10. My hard-working grandfather was ______________________ to retire.
11. The scene opened with _____________________________ laughter coming from three witches gathered around a steaming cauldron.
12. The king was often influence by subtle __________________________ of self-seeking sycophants.
13. The ship’s captain ________________________ many duties to her trusted first mate.
14. In most of the world today, those who are suffering form the disease of leprosy are no longer treated as _________________________.
15. A(n) ____________________________ hurricane forced the islanders back to the mainland.
16. The Loch Ness monster is a famous __________________________, whose giant form is yet to be confirmed.
17. The journalist wrote with ____________________________ intensity to make sure he met the deadline.
18. The federal Food and Drug Administration was created in part to keep unsavory characters from peddling _________________________ to the public.
19. Because the researcher was too concerned with __________________________, she was unlikely to make an original discovery.
20. The conference was held to try to negotiate a _______________________________ on arms sales to both sides of the conflict.
Vocabulary 14 exercise 3
Synonyms
1. a substitute for the word fired ______________________________
2. considered an outcast by her neighbors ______________________________
3. delivered a well-time masterstroke ______________________________
4. fooled by a worthless panacea ______________________________
5. when mammoths roamed the Earth ______________________________
6. accused of outright double-dealing _____________________________
7. an intrinsic capacity for learning _____________________________
8. dared to controvert the scientific evidence _____________________________
9. without the withered look of advanced age _____________________________
10. fascinated by the trivia of celebrity gossip _____________________________
11. transcendent vision of another world _____________________________
12. the raucous roar from the trading floor _____________________________
13. transferred to an underground facility _____________________________
14. warned of an impeding investigation _____________________________
15. open to the enticement of lobbyists _____________________________
Antonyms
16. a realistic blueprint for change _____________________________
17. proceeded at a relaxed pace _____________________________
18. was willing to make a compromise _____________________________
19. demanded an immediate acceleration _____________________________
20. the hidden cause of the problem _____________________________
Vocabulary 14 exercise 4
1. Although I play a fair hand of bridge, I’m not capable of the brilliant (coups / manifests) that mark a true master of the game.
2. Only when we tried to implement the plan did its (innate / imminent) defects become clear to us.
3. The (wizened / febrile) tempo of the symphony’s opening movement gives way to a placid and stately largo in the next.
4. Accidents at nuclear power plants have prompted some people to agitate for a (moratorium / nostrum) on the construction of such facilities.
5. When he took his first bite of Mother’s famous coconut custard pie, a look of (visionary / beatific) joy spread over his face.
6. The plan is certainly ingenious, but it strikes me as far too (visionary / imminent) to serve as the basis for practical legislation.
7. It is a rare leader indeed, who can tell the public unpleasant truths without evasions or (pariahs / blandishments).
8. Someone who “can’t see the forest for the trees” is usually too concerned with the (minutiae / nostrums) to be aware of the overall picture.
9. “As soon as we received the order,” I said, “we crated the equipment and (gainsaid / consigned) it to the buyer in Atlanta.”
10. The kind of financial (minutiae / chicanery) involved in bringing off that deal may not have been illegal, but it was certainly unethical.
11. No one who knows the facts would venture to (gainsay / consign) your claim to have done your utmost to improve this community.
12. The solution to our problems is to be found in long-term programs of social planning, not in easy (pariah / nostrums).
13. Although I am (febrile / loath) to boast, I must acknowledge my superior qualities as a student, athlete, financier and all-round social luminary.
14. “How much of a chance do you suppose a 98-pound weakling like me actually stands against that 320-pound (coup / behemoth).
15. (Imminent / Loath) disaster stared us in the face when we were thrown for a loss and then fumbled the ball on our own five-yard line.
16. After it had been left to rot in the sun for a few days, the plump little apple began to take on the (visionary / wizened) appearance of a prune.
17. After he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, Aaron Burr found himself no longer a respected statesman, but a social and political (coup / pariah).
18. The (cacophony / moratorium) that suddenly greeted my ears made me suspect that a fox had somehow gotten into the henhouse.
19. “The evidence that we will present in this trial,” the prosecutor told the jury, “will make the defendant’s guilty abundantly (beatific / manifest).”
20. It didn’t make me any happier to learn that my firing was being referred to (euphemistically / cacophonously) as a “termination.”
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