#MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE MOVIE#
#MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE TRIAL#

'They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can't kill yourself no matter how bad it is. Interspersed throughout his screenplay are journal writings that provide insight into Steve's life before the murder and his feelings about being held in prison during the trial.

#MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE MOVIE#

To calm his nerves as he sits in the courtroom, aspiring filmmaker Steve chronicles the proceedings in movie script format.

#MONSTER WALTER DEAN MYERS MOVIE TRIAL#

But was Steve really the lookout who gave the 'all clear' to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this innovative novel by Walter Dean Myers, the reader becomes both juror and witness during the trial of Steve's life. How does the art in this book enhance the story? As SteveвЂ™s movie begins, the credits look like those in Star Wars.'Monster' is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. Sawicki warns his students against making their films вЂњtoo predictableвЂќ and also advises them to вЂњkeep it simple.вЂќ Have Steve and, by extension, the author of the novel, achieved those goals? Why or why not?ДЎ2. Is the screenplay format an effective way to tell the story? Why did the author choose to use this device? In film class Mr. The one who grabbed the cigarettes, the one who wrestled for the gun, the one who checked the place to see if the coast was clear.вЂќ Is everyone equally guilty, or are there varying degrees of guilt? What are the degrees? Is Steve innocent or guilty?ДЎ1. Petrocelli, the prosecuting attorney, maintains that вЂњthey are all equally guilty. What else do they need to know?вЂќ What does this statement imply about the American justice system? Does it treat everyone fairly? Do you agree with OвЂ™BrienвЂ™s assessment? Was race a major factor in the outcome of the trial? Why or why not?ДЎ0. YouвЂ™re young, youвЂ™re Black, and youвЂ™re on trial. SteveвЂ™s defense attorney, OвЂ™Brien, tells him, вЂњhalf of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. Which witnesses were sympathetic to Steve? Who is credible-the witnesses or Steve?Д©. They canвЂ™t touch my soul.вЂќWhat does he mean by this? Is he right?ДЁ.

What makes the characters so realistic? How do they make the story and life in jail seem real? One of the prisoners, Acie, says, вЂњAll they can do is put me in jail. The bookвЂ™s characters are diverse in many ways, including race, background, and age. It was me who lay on the cot wondering if I was fooling myself.вЂќ Why doesSteve begin to doubt himself?Д§. After a visit from his mother, Steve says, вЂњI knew she felt that I didnвЂ™t do anything wrong. Who is right? What happens to truth in our legal system? Are people always encouraged to tell the truth? Are lawyers always most concerned with the truth? Are fact and nonfact the same as truth and nontruth? How might the characters in Monster answer this question?Д¦. Reread the prisonersвЂ™ debate on truth (pages 220вЂ“222).

Steve imagines the defense attorney is looking at him and wondering вЂњwho the real Steve Harmon was.вЂќ Who is the real Steve Harmon? Is he a вЂњmonster,вЂќ as the prosecutor calls him? Why is it so important to Steve to have a better understanding of who he is?ДҐ. Steve also writes that the story is вЂњtold as it actually happened.вЂќ Is that true? How does the fact that the story is told from SteveвЂ™s point of view influence what the reader knows about the events surrounding the robbery?Д¤. In the opening credits to his movie, Steve writes that this is вЂњthe incredible story of how one guyвЂ™s life was turned around by a few events.вЂќ When does Steve lose control of his own fate? What could he have done differently to avoid the situation he finds himself in?ДЈ. Is justice served in SteveвЂ™s case? Based on the evidence, what was SteveвЂ™s role during the robbery? Should he have been charged with, or convicted of, felony murder? How should the jury have voted?Дў.

Monster walter dean myers movie