2

9b E (Fb)

TANDEM ACTIVITY – Group A: The Bruce-Wayne-Scout Debate (Ben Elton, ‘Popcorn’)

Your task:

Read the excerpt from Ben Elton’s novel ‘Popcorn’ in which the protagonists discuss the question of responsibility. Focus on the arguments put forward by BRUCE and write them down in the table (leave out the grey boxes). As you can see, the counter-arguments are already given. So make sure that your arguments match up with them. Afterwards, find a partner with tandem sheet B. Check your solutions by reading them out and correcting each other, if needed.

Bruce / Wayne & Scout
?
nobody is truly innocent; Christian argumentation: original sin; killing is easy, has nothing to do with people being sinners.
?
inspiration = wrong word; Bruce is no Pavlov, but he makes killing appear cool (57 people get shot in Ordinary Americans)
?
Bruce’s movies thrill other viewers, too, not only them
?
it’s not just a story, but killing: so it’s a fantasy
?
Bruce’s movies exploit their sickness; it’s not only the criminals who create a culture of violence
?
if Bruce doesn’t take responsibility for his actions, why should they?
?
real men answer to their conscience, not to the law (though their conscience is not clear because of their crimes, like every king and president in history)

TANDEM ACTIVITY – Group B: The Bruce-Wayne-Scout Debate (Ben Elton, ‘Popcorn’)

Your task:

Read the excerpt from Ben Elton’s novel ‘Popcorn’ in which the protagonists discuss the question of responsibility. Focus on the arguments put forward by WAYNE & SCOUT and write them down in the table (leave out the grey boxes). As you can see, the counter-arguments are already given. So make sure that your arguments match up with them. Afterwards, find a partner with tandem sheet A. Check your solutions by reading them out and correcting each other, if needed.

Bruce / Wayne & Scout
makes films in which artists pretend to kill people whereas Wayne and Scout actually do kill innocents
?
refuses responsibility for inspiring their actions
?
doesn’t make killing cool, but going to the movies; neither he nor society made the two sick, but they’ve always been murderers; people got killed before there’ve been movies
?
just a story that is told
?
only a fantasy to sick people, for others it’s entertainment
?
violent people create a violent society; only the criminals commit crimes; as an artist he can’t think about the effect of his movies on people
?
his actions are peaceable and within the law
?