What is the Tragedy Project?
The Tragedy Project is an assignment in Sara Price’s 9th grade Humanities class. For this project we were tasked with writing a modern day tragedy about a current social issue, then create a visual component, such as a graphic novel, live play, or a video of the play. At the onset of the project we learned about the characteristics of Greek tragedies. We read two Greek tragedies, Medea and Oedipus Rex, to provide examples of traditional tragedies. After we spent a couple of weeks learning about tragedies, we started researching our chosen social issues and then began writing our works and creating the visual components. The project culminated with in class presentations of the visual works of the students.
Graphic Novel
Play Script
Nicole Wiley
Help or Harm
Scene One
(Out story begins with Max (a 17-year-old girl whose only family is Will and her uncle), Willy (9-years-old), and their Uncle Sherman (their last relative who is an indolent leach), sitting at a table eating dinner on Sherman’s run-down ranch. Max and Willy are playing with a plate, and Sherman is reading the newspaper.)
Sherman: (gruff angry voice) Knock it off you little weasels! And clear the table!
(Max and Willy quickly stop and clear the table.)
Sherman: (getting ready to go into town) All right you little headaches, I’m going, and you better not cause me any more trouble. Do your chores, and then go to your room.
Max: (muttering) You mean the storage room.
Sherman: (smacking Max in the back of the head) You should be more grateful to me, you little nuisance. I took you two in when no one wanted you.
(Sherman leaves, slamming the door.)
Max: C’mon, Willy lets do our chores.
Willy: Can’t we play a game first? Uncle Sherman won’t be home for while. Please, please, please, please, please!
Max: (with a smile) Ok, Willy, but just stop yelling.
(Willy runs to the storage room and comes back with his favorite game, checkers; Max and Willy set up the game.)
Willy: (frowning) Aw, we don’t have all the pieces.
Max: I bet we could find something to use instead.
(Max goes into the kitchen to see if there are any bottle caps and notices the newspaper with Jerry’s picture and the caption “Escaped Convict: Jerry Mathews.)
Chorus:
(As a group of horses)
Left at home
Darkness creeps
So do crooks
Deserted without protection
With guns no more because of laws
To the mercy of the night
And the felons who lurk
Who will win
Scene Two
(As Max reads the article she flashbacks to when she was 15-years-old chasing Jerry Mathews through the trash-filled alleys of El Paso, Texas. Back when she had her deceased father’s 9mm at her belt. The faint sounds of sirens grow louder as Max corners Jerry at a dead-end ally. Max draws her gun and aims it at him.)
Max: (in a steely tone) Drop the bag.
Jerry: (slowly places the backpack on the ground) Calm down, kid.
(Sirens echoing from outside the dark alley)
Police Officer: Come out slowly with you hands up!
(Jerry leads the way followed by Max still pointing the gun. Once they exit the alley, Jerry is handcuffed, and Max is thanked for her help.)
Jerry: (as he is being forced into the police car) I will get you for this, Max!
(Police car drives away, Max gives the backpack back to the kid, and the police officer turns to Max.)
Officer: Max, you did a great service to the town. However, I regret to inform you that due to the new regulations, I have to confiscate your firearm.
Max: But-
Officer: (as he take Max’s gun) It’s the law.
Chorus:
(As an assembly of town’s people that witnessed the incident)
Saved one thing,
But lost another
Endangered her own blood
For a stranger
Protected another
Lost her own defense
A hero unarmed
Trying to protect all
Scene Three
(Max was reading the paper and remembering what Jerry had said. Max hears a loud crash and rushes into the living room. She sees Willy’s hands tied-up and a crook ransacking the house.)
Jerry: (turning around with a cruel sneer on his face and a gun pointed at Max) What are you going to do this time, Max? I have the gun.
Max: (trying to distract Jerry) Jerry. How did you get that gun with the new laws?
Jerry: If you haven’t noticed, I’m a criminal. Criminals don’t follow laws.
(Max starts to charge at Jerry. Jerry gets startled and fires his gun. The bullet grazes Max’s arm. Jerry smacks Max out of the way and fires his gun at Willy.)
Max: Willy!
(Jerry runs out of the house, lights it on fire, and escapes. Because the house was made out of wood, it is quickly set ablaze. The ceiling starts falling, and Max and Willy get trapped. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars start to arrive. Firefighters get to work and carry Willy out of the fire; Max follows. A couple of EMTs load Willy onto a stretcher and load him into an ambulance.)
Sherman: (grabbing Max by the shoulders) What did you do to my house you no good delinquent?!
(Sherman shoves Max to the ground. Then he goes and talks to the investigating officer.)
Sherman: (talking to the police officer) I am not going to be held responsible for these kids any more!
(Max climbs into the ambulance with Willy and rides to the hospital. Max is forced to stay in the waiting room while Willy is examined and treated in the ER.)
Doctor: (to Max) The bullet punctured one of your brother’s lungs. We still aren’t sure if he’ll make it.
Chorus:
(As collection of individuals in the waiting room)
Laws designed to protect
Cause harm
Imperfect regulations
Trying to safeguard
Willy is harmed ‘cause
Max couldn’t defend
A hero failed because
Laws prevented protection
Help or Harm
Scene One
(Out story begins with Max (a 17-year-old girl whose only family is Will and her uncle), Willy (9-years-old), and their Uncle Sherman (their last relative who is an indolent leach), sitting at a table eating dinner on Sherman’s run-down ranch. Max and Willy are playing with a plate, and Sherman is reading the newspaper.)
Sherman: (gruff angry voice) Knock it off you little weasels! And clear the table!
(Max and Willy quickly stop and clear the table.)
Sherman: (getting ready to go into town) All right you little headaches, I’m going, and you better not cause me any more trouble. Do your chores, and then go to your room.
Max: (muttering) You mean the storage room.
Sherman: (smacking Max in the back of the head) You should be more grateful to me, you little nuisance. I took you two in when no one wanted you.
(Sherman leaves, slamming the door.)
Max: C’mon, Willy lets do our chores.
Willy: Can’t we play a game first? Uncle Sherman won’t be home for while. Please, please, please, please, please!
Max: (with a smile) Ok, Willy, but just stop yelling.
(Willy runs to the storage room and comes back with his favorite game, checkers; Max and Willy set up the game.)
Willy: (frowning) Aw, we don’t have all the pieces.
Max: I bet we could find something to use instead.
(Max goes into the kitchen to see if there are any bottle caps and notices the newspaper with Jerry’s picture and the caption “Escaped Convict: Jerry Mathews.)
Chorus:
(As a group of horses)
Left at home
Darkness creeps
So do crooks
Deserted without protection
With guns no more because of laws
To the mercy of the night
And the felons who lurk
Who will win
Scene Two
(As Max reads the article she flashbacks to when she was 15-years-old chasing Jerry Mathews through the trash-filled alleys of El Paso, Texas. Back when she had her deceased father’s 9mm at her belt. The faint sounds of sirens grow louder as Max corners Jerry at a dead-end ally. Max draws her gun and aims it at him.)
Max: (in a steely tone) Drop the bag.
Jerry: (slowly places the backpack on the ground) Calm down, kid.
(Sirens echoing from outside the dark alley)
Police Officer: Come out slowly with you hands up!
(Jerry leads the way followed by Max still pointing the gun. Once they exit the alley, Jerry is handcuffed, and Max is thanked for her help.)
Jerry: (as he is being forced into the police car) I will get you for this, Max!
(Police car drives away, Max gives the backpack back to the kid, and the police officer turns to Max.)
Officer: Max, you did a great service to the town. However, I regret to inform you that due to the new regulations, I have to confiscate your firearm.
Max: But-
Officer: (as he take Max’s gun) It’s the law.
Chorus:
(As an assembly of town’s people that witnessed the incident)
Saved one thing,
But lost another
Endangered her own blood
For a stranger
Protected another
Lost her own defense
A hero unarmed
Trying to protect all
Scene Three
(Max was reading the paper and remembering what Jerry had said. Max hears a loud crash and rushes into the living room. She sees Willy’s hands tied-up and a crook ransacking the house.)
Jerry: (turning around with a cruel sneer on his face and a gun pointed at Max) What are you going to do this time, Max? I have the gun.
Max: (trying to distract Jerry) Jerry. How did you get that gun with the new laws?
Jerry: If you haven’t noticed, I’m a criminal. Criminals don’t follow laws.
(Max starts to charge at Jerry. Jerry gets startled and fires his gun. The bullet grazes Max’s arm. Jerry smacks Max out of the way and fires his gun at Willy.)
Max: Willy!
(Jerry runs out of the house, lights it on fire, and escapes. Because the house was made out of wood, it is quickly set ablaze. The ceiling starts falling, and Max and Willy get trapped. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars start to arrive. Firefighters get to work and carry Willy out of the fire; Max follows. A couple of EMTs load Willy onto a stretcher and load him into an ambulance.)
Sherman: (grabbing Max by the shoulders) What did you do to my house you no good delinquent?!
(Sherman shoves Max to the ground. Then he goes and talks to the investigating officer.)
Sherman: (talking to the police officer) I am not going to be held responsible for these kids any more!
(Max climbs into the ambulance with Willy and rides to the hospital. Max is forced to stay in the waiting room while Willy is examined and treated in the ER.)
Doctor: (to Max) The bullet punctured one of your brother’s lungs. We still aren’t sure if he’ll make it.
Chorus:
(As collection of individuals in the waiting room)
Laws designed to protect
Cause harm
Imperfect regulations
Trying to safeguard
Willy is harmed ‘cause
Max couldn’t defend
A hero failed because
Laws prevented protection
Project Reflection
Out of the entire project, I am most proud of the cover page for the graphic novel. At first, I struggled with ideas for the cover page; then I had a vague idea of what I wanted to show. The more I thought about my concept, the clearer it became. I looked for a long time to find the perfect images and fonts. I decided that I wanted to make the cover connect well with the title; I chose a picture of a soldier marching up a hill and put that image next to the word “help” and a picture of a shady looking person in a black hoodie holding a gun and placed that person near the word “harm”. After I found the pictures, I searched dafont.com for fonts. Then, I put it all together to make the title page I wanted. Although I could have started on the title page earlier and not have had to do last minute changes to it, I was very satisfied with the way the final product looked and how the concept came together.
I would tell future student not to make the script overly complicated, because you need to be able to follow the script exactly, whether it’s with a graphic novel, live play, or a recorded play. The process of making the visual component can be challenging when you are trying to recreate your play with the Legos® you have. If I had had more time, I would have been more careful setting up my scenes. I noticed that the tape that I used to position my Lego® figures is visible. The graphic novel would have looked more refined, if I had redone those photos. I would also advise students to get to work right away without wasting time on unimportant things; always move with a mission. I got caught up in researching events and information that I didn’t need; I became distracted reading accounts of people protecting themselves with firearms and I didn’t use any of that information, so I wasted an hour looking at articles I didn’t need. Although I got started on the project right away, I still felt pressed for time.
The most challenging task for me personally was recreating the play as a graphic novel with Legos®. Because I chose to do the project by myself, I needed to find all the supplies for the graphic novel. It took me a while to find backgrounds that worked. I couldn’t find ones that were exactly what I wanted, so I chose what mostly worked. I couldn’t find Legos® that fit with the characters I designed, so I decided abandon my character sketches and make new characters with my Legos®. I also struggled setting up the scenes. If I would have had someone helping me, I probably would have had more time to work on putting the visual component together in the graphic novel and working on the cover page.
I would tell future student not to make the script overly complicated, because you need to be able to follow the script exactly, whether it’s with a graphic novel, live play, or a recorded play. The process of making the visual component can be challenging when you are trying to recreate your play with the Legos® you have. If I had had more time, I would have been more careful setting up my scenes. I noticed that the tape that I used to position my Lego® figures is visible. The graphic novel would have looked more refined, if I had redone those photos. I would also advise students to get to work right away without wasting time on unimportant things; always move with a mission. I got caught up in researching events and information that I didn’t need; I became distracted reading accounts of people protecting themselves with firearms and I didn’t use any of that information, so I wasted an hour looking at articles I didn’t need. Although I got started on the project right away, I still felt pressed for time.
The most challenging task for me personally was recreating the play as a graphic novel with Legos®. Because I chose to do the project by myself, I needed to find all the supplies for the graphic novel. It took me a while to find backgrounds that worked. I couldn’t find ones that were exactly what I wanted, so I chose what mostly worked. I couldn’t find Legos® that fit with the characters I designed, so I decided abandon my character sketches and make new characters with my Legos®. I also struggled setting up the scenes. If I would have had someone helping me, I probably would have had more time to work on putting the visual component together in the graphic novel and working on the cover page.