Creative Writing, 5/4/20

Hello, dear students!

So, let’s dive into what’s due on Monday, 5/4/20…

Email your two poems to my creativewritingspring2020@gmail.com address by midnight Monday (that’s 11:59 PM on Monday, 5/4/20). Please send them in one email. If you’ve already sent them in multiple emails, please send them again, for my sanity.

Thanks in advance!

And now, let’s talk about dialogues…

Hopefully by now you’ve read the three scenes from the awesome play, Topdog/Underdog. I provided a series of questions that followed each scene:

What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?

How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage
directions.)

What do we learn about the brothers’ characters
and points of view?

I’ve divided the class into discussion groups for each scene in a document titled “Discussion Groups for Topdog/Underdog.”

By midnight on Monday, 5/4/20, I want you to comment on this post with your answers. Be sure to state which scene you are commenting on–Scene 1, 2, or 3! If you notice that someone in your group has already responded, you can say “I agree with X, but I’d like to add X” or “I disagree with X, I think X.”

One thing I want everyone to think about (and comment on) is how Parks used stage directions to enhance her dialogue.

Note especially the (rest) or the stacking of names to indicate that the brothers are involved in activities during conversation. Just like when you write poetry, white space in dialogue is very important.

Your homework for Monday is to revise your dialogue(s), based on your reflection on reading Topdog/Underdog and be ready to share them with your Cohort on Wednesday.

If you want to talk to me about anything, remember that my official office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, but I can schedule different times.

Stay safe & be well!

12 thoughts on “Creative Writing, 5/4/20”

  1. Ralph Lauren Ocampo
    5-14-20
    Scene 3 of Topdog/Underdog

    1)What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    By reading scene 3, I would say the rhythm or pace of the dialogue is pretty fast. The reason being is that both Lincoln and Booth only answered in a single sentence or word. Such as “Go on” and ” Sure I do” which is pretty fast to say when you are in conversation with someone. You would also notice that Booth is the only one that talked more than one sentence while Lincoln is just basically answering him. Which is why I believed this is a Fast Pace Dialogue.

    2)How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage
    directions.)
    The reason I could tell is that the stage direction states “Rest” which shows they are talking in a fast pace conversation. Because if you think it logically having a slow conversation would not use all of your breath at once. In fact, you would not even need to rest when talking in a slow conversation. On the other hand, having a fast pace, the conversation can actually tire you at since you speaking fast and disrupt your breathing in the process. Which is why sometimes you need to catch your breath and then speak again.

    3)What do we learn about the brothers’ characters
    and points of view? I would say that Booth likes to talk and share his experience with Lincoln. While Lincoln would often listen and answers in only short words. In terms of Point of View, I think Booth often likes to show off (I’m not sure), while Lincoln would look up to him since he did it already and he has the experience to back it up. Such as their conversation in Scene 3.

  2. Nicholas Albanese
    5/4/2020
    Scene 2 of Topdog/Underdog

    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    Answer: At first, the scene is very fast paced and frantic and the tone is very comedic. However, once the scene comes to its end, the pace starts to slow down and the characters discuss their suits that they are meant to wear.

    2. How can you tell? (Hint: Again, look at the stage directions.)
    Answer: I can tell this because throughout the first half of the scene, the two brothers are speaking frantically without stopping and even Booth is speaking so fast in the scene that the words blend in with each other. However, as the scene continues and reaches its second half, there is a rest, indicating that the pace of the scene is starting to slow down.

    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    Answer: From this scene, we learn that the characters are very close together when they are drinking. They share a sense of camaraderie. We also learn that the brothers are poor as Lincoln asks Booth to “budget it out” and check how much money they have for the week. Booth also mentions that he stole the suits that they were meant to wear that night from a department store.

    1. I agree with Nicholas but I’d like to add on to what he has said.
      Scene 2:
      What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
      I felt that the pace of this scene was quick. It jumped into about money. I wondered at the beginning where this money was from. If you only read scene 2, you also wonder who Lincoln and Booth are. You wonder what is their social status and why the characters curse so much.
      How can you tell?
      With a series of very elaborate moves Lincoln brings the money over the Booth- From this direction, it seems like money is very important to the characters but I questioned where they got this money from. It was clear later on.
      Lincoln quickly pours two large glasses of whiskey- From this direction, it seems like both characters are good friends to be enjoying whiskey together.
      What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
      The character, Booth seems to be leading in this story. The character, Lincoln seems like the second lead in the story. It seems fine for Booth to steal. Lincoln seems fine with Booth stealing too. They both view stealing as an okay thing. They seem to be longtime friends who care about each other. For example, they mentioned about women they both knew.

      1. Daniel Wu
        5-4-20
        Scene 2 of Topdog/Underdog
        I agree with Nicholas and Christina but with more details.
        1. Scene 2 starts off immediately fast, They are excited talking about money they have made. Then starts to slow down when Booth talks about Lincoln’s ex-wife Cookie. Then Booth shares that he had gotten them both suits by stealing them and him stating the department store earns more than they ever could. This indicates that that they have lower social status, and that Lincoln earns money by hustling in card games.
        2. Its fast as shown the two brothers are excited about making some money, they rely on each other on different things. They celebrate this achievement by pouring each other 2 glasses of whiskey.
        3. The scene shows that Lincoln and Booth rely on each other. They are not above doing whatever they can to survive, which includes some nefarious means to earn money. Booth commenting on how he stole the suits from the department store that probably earns more money in a day than they ever would their whole lives indicates how Booth might as seen it as some form of Robin Hood of vigilantism maybe even a way of fighting the system.

  3. Jackie Zheng
    5/4/20
    Scene 3 of Topdog/ Underdog

    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    I’m going to say this pace of the scene is fast. I also noticed how Booth was answering Lincoln more than one sentence. Lincoln on the other hand, he’s having his time speaking one or two words to Booth to which why I said this is a fast paced dialogue.

    2. How can you tell? (Hint: Again, look at the stage directions.)
    In this conversation the two have, it starts off by Booth discussing what he has been dealt with to Lincoln. I can tell it’s a fast paced type of dialogue because in each part of the scene that said (Rest) tells those characters at first are speaking fast then the pace of the dialogue is slowing down bit by bit.

    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    From what I read in this scene, Booth has a lot to say for Lincoln to remind him what’s going on in his mind lately. For Point of View, Booth got a vast majority of lines that has to be said at Lincoln and I would say Booth is it for this scene because he got a whole diversity of emotions towards Lincoln. With Lincoln, he’s that one character that something bad has happened, he would just shrug it off and have no problem with it.

  4. I agree with you that their pace of conversation is really past. Also to note that Booth has more experience and emotion when talking to Lincoln. The diversity of emotion he shows in scene three shows that he takes everything seriously. While as you said Lincoln just shrug it off as nothing happened.

  5. Christopher Castellon
    5/4/20
    Scene 3 of Topdog/Underdog
    1. I believe the rhythm of the dialogue is fast because Lincoln only answers with only one or two words, this conversation ends too quickly because one character talks more than the other.
    2. How I know this is every time these certain characters speak to each other they would suddenly pause for a while and speak to one another just from one or two words.
    3. What I have learned so far is that one character named Booth loves to talk and share his stories to Lincoln, but what Lincoln would do most is listen to Booth’s conversation and answer him with one or two words. One friend would love to tell his stories while the other loves listening to his friends story, these two characters are perfect friends.

  6. Yan Tao Zhu

    5-4-20

    Scene 3 of Topdog/Underdog

    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    
I think the scene 3 is mainly a fast pace scene. But there is time that the pace slows down in the middle of the scene.

    2. How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
    
I can tell the conversation is fast pace because Lincoln often gives short sentence and often insist Booth to continue talking by saying “go on”. I think there is some time that the pace is getting slow down because there is stage direction (rest) before or after Booth’s line, which gives me a sense of pause.

    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    By looking at the scene, I can tell that Booth is a talkative person who likes to share his experience with people he close to. Lincoln on the other hand like to be a listener, he mostly gives short phrases or just has something to add on to what Booth was talking about. I feel like both Booth and Lincoln has a similar point of view because they often agree with each other and know what other was try to say.

  7. Cathy Ho
    5/4/2020
    Scene 1 of Topdog/Underdog

    What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    I think in the first scene, the rhythm/pace seems slow before it changed to a fast pace due to short dialogue and there seems to be a tension between Booth and Lincoln.

    How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
    I could tell that there was a pause between Booth and Lincoln on the second page after Booth said: “Don’t push me”. There is a pause or a stage direction (rest) when they were singing together to get to an agreement.

    What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    The brother’s characters seem to be down each other’s necks because it started out with a bitterness to it. It seems like Lincoln is more of a doer and Booth is there to help Lincoln stay grounded. Though they have their ups and downs, they still there for each other and have a good relationship as brothers. Based on point of view, I feel like in this scene there was a different point of view but they work things out to get to the same point and view on certain stuff that they faced.

  8. Sence 1:
    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    The rhythm of sense 1 is fast.
    2. How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
    I could tell from the plot. They are ague about how Lincoln dresses and move to Lincoln being not supportive and then ended with Lincoln play a song about everything are leaving and his lonely.
    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    Lincoln didn’t pay enough attention to his brother Booth, and Booth is tired of school and want to do business. Also, their weak relationship has been going on for a while.

  9. Isaiah Griffin-Sparrow
    Scene 3:
    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    Well, it seems that this scene is very hesitant therefore slowish. Booth is being respectful of Lincoln’s feelings, not wanting to hurt him, he decides to ask several times if he should continue explaining what happened.
    2. How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
    There are no stage directions here, but the fact that he keeps asking if it’s ok to continue makes me think that this is the case.
    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
    We learn that at the end of the day no matter what happened they are brothers and will care for each other. We see that on Booth’s side he has been respectful of his brother’s feelings while sharing his experience with a girl that he has been with. We also see that Lincoln has moved above his feelings to let his brother express his excitement. From both of their points of view, it looks like they have come to an agreement and things have turned back to the close bond that brothers often share.

  10. Keilyn De Los Santos
    5/21/2020
    Scene 2 of Topdog/Underdog
    I agree with Cathy, but I’d like to add:

    1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
    The pace of this scene in the beginning was very fast. The brothers were speaking in shorter sentences to each other and seemed very enthused. After they get their drinks down, the scene slows down and they begin to speak about their clothing. In this conversation, we learn their financial status.

    2. How can you tell?
    I can tell that the pace was quick based on how the scene began. Lincoln and Booth spoke out of excitement and took what it seemed like celebratory drinks for the money they made. After they participated in the act, the dialogue between them began to slow down and the conversation shifted.

    3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters point of view?
    In this scene, we can see that the brothers care for another very much and they prioritize one another. This is shown when Lincoln asks Booth to lay the money out so they can sort it out for the week. We also learn that the brothers aren’t lazy and that they’re about their money. Due to their economic status, they have to resort to stealing and card games to make some money.

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