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THE PATRIOT

Date: Dec 14 2000

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Plot: The Patriot is a fictional story set during the American Revolution. It stars Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin who reluctantly becomes the leader of a militia that uses guerilla-style tactics to resist a very powerful British army. When a very the very brutal Colonel William Tavington (Isaacs) kills one of his sons Martin and his oldest son, Gabriel (Ledger), seek revenge against the redcoats.
Clip: In this scene Martin and his family have traveled from their rural home in South Carolina to Charleston, where an an assembly has gathered to discuss whether South Carolina should declare war on Great Britain and join the other colonies in the revolutionary war. Colonel Burwell (Cooper) has come to persuade South Carolina to join the war. But, many people in the meeting, including Martin, want to stay out of it.

Dialog

1. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Martin

Burwell

Crowd

Mr. Howard: We are citizens of an American nation and our rights are being threatened by a tyrant 3,000 miles away.

Martin: Would you tell me, please Mr. Howard, why should I trade one tyrant 3,000 miles away for 3,000 tyrants one mile away? (Laughter in the crowd) An elected legislature can trample a man’s rights as easily as a king can.

Burwell: Captain Martin. I understood you to be a patriot.

Martin: If you mean by “patriot” am I angry about taxation without representation, well, yes I am. Should the American Colonies govern themselves? I believe they can and they should. But, if you are asking me if I am willing to go to war with England, well then the answer is most definitely “no.”

Mr. Middleton (A legislator): This from the same Captain Martin whose fury was so famous during the wilderness campaign?

Martin: I was intemperant in my youth.

Mr. Middleton: Temperance can be a disguise for fear.

Burwell: Mr. Middleton, I fought with Captain Martin, under Washington in the French-Indian war. There is not a man in this room or anywhere, for that matter, to whom I would more willingly trust my life.

Crowd: Here here!

Martin: There are alternatives to war. We take our case before the king and plead with him.

Burwell: Yes, we tried that.

Martin: Well, then try again and again if necessary to avoid a war.

Burwell: I was at Bunker Hill. The British advanced three times and we killed over 700 hundred of them at point-blank range and still they took the ground. That is the measure of their resolve. If your principles dictate independence, then war is the only way. It has come to that.

Crowd: Here here!

Martin: I have seven children. My wife is dead. Now, who’s to care for them if I go to war.

Burwell: Wars are not fought only by childless men.

Martin: Granted, but mark my words: this war will not be fought on the frontier or on some distant battlefield, but amongst us, among our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes and the innocent will die with the rest of us. I will not fight. And because I will not fight I will not cast a vote that will send others to fight in my stead.

Burwell: And your principles?

Martin: I’m a parent. I haven’t got the luxury of principles.

DISCUSSION
Martin and Burwell have some history together. They respect each other, but disagree about going to war with England. When Burwell says, “If your principles dictate independence, then war is the only way,” he is saying “if you beleive in independance, war is the only alternative.” He says that England is very determined to prevent America from breaking away from it. His experience in battles before convinced him of that. Benjamin Martin understands, but he says that fighting this kind of war will mean that many innocent people will die. Later in the movie he gets thrust into the war beyond his control.
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Discussion

I usually dislike fictional movies based on historical events. This movie was originally intended to be based on Francis Marion. But, Marion’s real-life character was to complex for this kind of movie. He fought like Gibson’s character, but he was also well-known for his cruel treatment of slaves. It seems they wanted the story to be simple, with good guys and bad guys. It’s pretty common for Americans to portray themselves as good and the British, or other foreign people as bad. It comes off as jingoistic. I think that telling the true story is always more interesting than fiction. (U-571 is another example of a movie this year that totally changes history.) Regarding Mel’s performance, there are many movies of his that I like, but I think he too often plays the same kind oif character. In almost every movie his wife or family member is killed. He gets revenge against the bad guys. Road Warrior, Randsom, Braveheart, Lethal Weapon and the Patriot all use this this same plot. Maybe his sex appeal for women is showing himself as a strong, stoic man who has suffered a great loss. I give it a 3 out of 10 Do you think American movies like this are propaganda because they portray America as good and the ret of the world as bad? Or do you see it as entertainment only? I want to hear your views. Share them at the “Movie Madness” message board. From the front row, Senior Movie Snob

Comments

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