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Apr. 26th, 2009 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightlywoven I think I've just seen the best enactment of a 'tone argument' ever.
We've started watching 'Glittering Prizes' - a series of short films about students in Cambridge at different times from the early 50s to the 70s. The first episode, set in 1952, centres around Adam Morris, played by Tom Conti. Adam, who is Jewish, recounts an experience in 6th form as an explanation of why he despises his headmaster.
The students are listening to a sermon, which proceeds thus
'I like to think about the young Christ, or Jesus as he was then, as a young man in his work as a carpenter. He worked with his hands. At the end of the week he would take what he had made to sell them, and the shopkeeper, being a good Jew, would pay him as little as possible'
There is general merriment in among the students.
Cut scene and Adam is in front of his headmaster
H "You wrote this letter to Rev Staunton, a man I had personally invited to preach here?"
A "Yes sir"
H "You called him - let me see - a bigot, and a psychotic. Which you have misspelled"
A "Have I sir? Well I am most terribly sorry if I've misspelled it."
H "You're not furthering your cause here you know, Morris"
[Adam looks quizzical]
H "I mean, you're not going to win him around to your way of thinking with language like this"
[ Adam looks non-plussed.] "Well sir, perhaps you could advise me as to how I might win him round..."
H "You shall apologise"
[Adam looks frankly incredulous ] "I...apologise?"
H "Yes. Now, Morris, Reverend Staunton has assured me that, had he known there would be any Jews present, he would not have spoken as he did."
A "Did he? How very Christian of him."
Originally posted at http://brightlywoven.dreamwidth.org/26122.html
Please comment there using OpenID
We've started watching 'Glittering Prizes' - a series of short films about students in Cambridge at different times from the early 50s to the 70s. The first episode, set in 1952, centres around Adam Morris, played by Tom Conti. Adam, who is Jewish, recounts an experience in 6th form as an explanation of why he despises his headmaster.
The students are listening to a sermon, which proceeds thus
'I like to think about the young Christ, or Jesus as he was then, as a young man in his work as a carpenter. He worked with his hands. At the end of the week he would take what he had made to sell them, and the shopkeeper, being a good Jew, would pay him as little as possible'
There is general merriment in among the students.
Cut scene and Adam is in front of his headmaster
H "You wrote this letter to Rev Staunton, a man I had personally invited to preach here?"
A "Yes sir"
H "You called him - let me see - a bigot, and a psychotic. Which you have misspelled"
A "Have I sir? Well I am most terribly sorry if I've misspelled it."
H "You're not furthering your cause here you know, Morris"
[Adam looks quizzical]
H "I mean, you're not going to win him around to your way of thinking with language like this"
[ Adam looks non-plussed.] "Well sir, perhaps you could advise me as to how I might win him round..."
H "You shall apologise"
[Adam looks frankly incredulous ] "I...apologise?"
H "Yes. Now, Morris, Reverend Staunton has assured me that, had he known there would be any Jews present, he would not have spoken as he did."
A "Did he? How very Christian of him."
Originally posted at http://brightlywoven.dreamwidth.org/26122.html
Please comment there using OpenID