Read this right away, because this assignment is due on Thursday!
Now that we’ve examined one writer’s way of creating dialogue, it’s time for you to create your own!
How will we do this?
- Get out your phone. Yes, a professor is telling you to do this.
- Go to your texts.
- Find a text thread where you’ve had an argument, a comedic back-and-forth, a lecture to or from a family member, even a boring “can you pick up X” conversation.
- Create a post titled Full Name, Dialogue 1. Save it under Dialogue.
- Copy and paste the text thread in the post. Add “stage directions” like Parks does and revise the conversation to make it clear to the audience who, what, when, where, why, and how. Change names! Change details! Make a fictional story from truth! Have fun with this!
- Find three more text threads and repeat steps 4 and 5 (obviously, change the “Dialogue 1” to “Dialogue 2” and so on.
- Have all four dialogues ready to share with your Cohort by Thursday’s class!
Dialogue Discussion on Thursday
By now, you’ve read the three scenes from the awesome play, Topdog/Underdog. I provided a series of questions after 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?
During class on Thursday, I will ask you to go to your assigned scenes and write your answers in the “reply” section of this post.
- Cohorts 1 & 2 are assigned the questions for Scene 1.
- Cohorts 3 & 4 are assigned the questions for Scene 2.
- Cohorts 5 & 6 are assigned the questions for Scene 3.
Be sure to state which scene you are commenting on and read other comments before you respond. If you notice that someone in your group has already responded with your answer, 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 continue to think about is how Parks used stage directions to enhance her dialogue, as I mentioned in last week’s Announcement. 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.
Be sure to read Week 14’s Assignment page!
Cohort 3 (SCENE 2)
1. The rhythm and pace in scene 2, it’s kind of relax a bit of humor.
2. I’ll say a bit of humor because, at the very beginning of the scene, Lincoln states “Taaaaaaaadaaaaaa! as if he made a funny entrance into the scene. They’re probably going over a scene as well. Lincoln and Booth are calling them themselves Pa! and Ma!. Not only but, the stage directions are really helpful in coming up with the scene. Later on, the stage directions describe that both Lincoln and Booth were laughing.
3. We have learned that both brothers have a really good relationship, most of their time consists of laughing and having fun.
the rhythm and pace sound a bit sad to me because it two people who arguing about life and they both are struggling to make a living in order to survive, they repeat words like “hustle” over and over, when I hear the word hustle it most likely gives a sad struggling meaning to it, nothing good really comes out of it, well most of the time. In my opinion, both of the brother’s points of view are actually almost the same because they are both hustling to survive.
What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
In this scene unlike the first, the pace slows down. The brothers are conversing on equal terms instead of arguing or being unresponsive, they are enjoying each other’s company.
How can you tell? (Hint: Again, look at the stage
directions.)
You can tell by the actions taken during stage direction, from joyish laughing to pouring whisky for each other the mood of this scene is really joyish helping to slow the pace.
What do we learn about the brothers’ characters
and points of view?
We learn that the brothers care for each other doing the little things like getting drinks for each other and the larger thing like surprising each other with suits.
We also learn that lincoln doesn’t mind his brother’s actions as long as he isn’t bothering the common folk and while Booth’s point of view is more cutthroat like killed or be killed.
Cohort 4 -Scene 2
The pacing is somewhat sharp and at a fast speed to show that the two are arguing about what they do for a living and wanting to go back to hustling. The rhyming is used to show the sorrow that lincoln has and the hardships that have gone through in his life, showing that this is all he has left. You can tell because there is very little pausing between location and booth when they are speaking showing a constant conversation. Pausing only really occurs near the end when the argument is slowing down and the two brothers start talking about the origins of their names. We learn that they are brothers who got their names from a joke their father had. We also learn from lincoln’s song that they have gone through a rough life and Lincoln doesn’t want any more of that so he is working an honest job while booth wants to continue hustling.
Scene 1 Cohort 2
The flow of the sense seems to be very fast paced like they are having an argument with each other.
We can see this by the escalation of words like “don’t push me” or when it goes from Lincoln to booth back to Lincoln without dialogue
We learn that Booth is upset with his situation because he has to look out for his older brother when he is the younger of the two. He also points out that he’s looking out for his brother and there is no one to look out for him. They seem to be struggling so they have to hustle some time but Lincoln wants to do honest work.
Cohort 5, Scene 3
What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
The rhyme and pace is very fast moving and kind or anxious.
How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
Lincoln is like on the edge of his seat because he wants to hear what happened between Booth and Grace. booth is almost taunting his with the details of his intimate night to remember.
What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
The characters are very open and honest with each other about events that happen in their lives, its like he couldn’t wait to get back and share what happened. They have great relationship.
Cohort 5, Scene 3
What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
The rhyme and pace is very fast moving and kind or anxious.
How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
Lincoln is like on the edge of his seat because he wants to hear what happened between Booth and Grace. booth is almost taunting his with the details of his intimate night to remember.
What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
The characters are very open and honest with each other about events that happen in their lives, its like he couldn’t wait to get back and share what happened. They have great relationship.
In scene 1 I agree that is sort of a fast pace back and forth banter between the brothers Lincoln and Booth. Based on the scene they kind of pick at each other and make smart remarks. The conversation the two brothers have we learn that Booth is the younger brother yet he is in a position where he’s acting as the older brother since he’s looking out for Lincoln. We also learn about Lincoln’s job where he actually dresses up as Abraham Lincoln and people get to shoot at him which is ironic since the two brothers are named Lincoln and Booth. Booths expresses that he doesn’t like Lincoln’s job he seems to prefer the hustle of 3 card monte. However Lincoln sees 3 card monte as just a hustle and not a real job but that’s exactly how Booth feels about Lincoln’s job as well. The two brother clearly often bump heads.
The rhythm and pace of this scene is not necessarily tense but I do notice that they are sort of arguing. Lincoln cut him off at one point. Booth later on says “yeah, you sorry alright” and it sort of sounds like he’s mocking him. I think that the brothers Booth and Lincoln are a bit different in a sense. In the beginning of scene one we see Booth have this sort of temper. The way the that Booth is shown in this play makes him seem like a bold character where as Lincoln is seen to be more calmer. You can see the difference in the way they speak.
Cohort 3, scene 2
What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
the rhythm is it little casual and a little funny
How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage directions.)
I can tell because of words like “Pa!” “Ma!” etc…
What do we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view?
we have learned that the two brothers are in business relationship
They are hustlers.
Group 4
1. Scene 2 is quite fast-paced, having a continuous rhythm.
2. The actions of the characters in this scene are done at a fast pace- drinks are quickly poured, the drinks are gulped down, etc.
3. Booth has a big ego, but also feels a sort of inferiority to Lincoln. The ego is seen in Booth’s claim that Grace will marry him once she sees him in his new suit, while the inferiority is on display when he notes that he still has skills of his own even though he’s not as good at card games as Lincoln. Lincoln is much calmer and reserved, as seen when gives Booth a genuine but simple compliment (“You did real good, 3-card”) and Booth’s dominance of the exchange they have when Lincoln asks him to show him the reserves .
1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
The rhythm is very energetic at first when Lincoln brung home money from work then it get’s laid back after the two drink away.
2. How can you tell? (Hint: Again, look at the stage
directions.)
You can tell Lincoln is excited to bring home some money with his first words being “Taaaaaadaaaaaaa!”. You can also tell that booth is excited by his line “Bringitherebringitherebringithere.” and stage directions “(With a series of very elaborate moves Lincoln
brings the money over to Booth.)”.
You can tell they start to simmer down as soon as the drink they’re whisky, “(Lots of laughing and slapping on the backs.)”
3. What do we learn about the brothers’ characters
and points of view?
We learn the brothers care for each other. We also learn that Lincoln doesn’t mind that Booth stole for each other from that department store.
Scene 2, Cohort 4
1)The pace of the scene is kind of fast and very exciting, the character bought bacon and they were already enjoying it before eating it giving a sense of excitement for what is yet to come. They smelt it and were drinking.
2)I can tell by the way they’re talking and it’s expressed in the writing, the informal yet exciting way they talk shows that they’re having fun and having a blast. When Booth said he was fainting and the medicine lincoln was giving him was whiskey said the mood to be playful and full of humor.
3)The brothers seem to have a good relationship even though apparently booth stole the suits he still doesn’t fight him over that fact, they even tried them on and commented how great they look on them.
Cohort 1 Scene 1:
1. What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?
Answer: The rhythm/pace of this scene started out to be tense.
2. I could tell because the brothers were arguing about how to survive life and hustling. But then, as it went on it turned very emotional.
3. One thing we learn about the brothers’ characters and points of view is that they are both very hard working but not just not at the same level. For instance, the younger brother is more serious and mature than the older brother.