Sara, Plain and Tall - Movie

[Sophie Tseng]

As to the difference between the movie and the novelette, in my opinion, it seems that the movie focuses more on humanity, such as stepmother-stepdaughter relationship and Jacob¡¦s deepest sorrow over his beloved wife¡¦s death. Based upon the arrangement, the movie seems more dramatic with those ups and downs, conflicts, and turning points happening among Jacob, Anna, and Sarah. Take the character Anna as an example; we can see her hostility toward Sarah in the beginning. As Sarah tries her best to improve their relationship, Anna finally gives way and accepts Sarah.

When speaking of how helpful could the movie be in teaching language and culture, it reminds me of a saying, ¡§a good movie shows; it does not tell.¡¨ As teachers, we could only tell and teach students what cultures are and how they are formed and influenced by humans; we just could not show by ourselves. But the best way, as far as I am concerned, to know and learn a culture is to undergo through stories. Therefore, the movie gives us a complete structure of story, vivid characters, and also, authentic things to learn.

[debrayang]

I think this famous saying, "One picture is worth a thousand words," can best illustrate the use of movies in teaching American language and culture. The story was set in early 1900s, almost 100 years ago, in midwest America, a place totally beyond students' imagination. Through the movie, students can learn more about the different lifestyle. For example, it would be hard for students to imagine a life without electricity or automobiles or TV or computers. What does Caleb, a boy of my students' age, do every day? What does he do for fun? Does he go to school? How does he go to school? What does a prairie or a barn or a wagon look like? All these questions can easily be answered through the movie.

When I watched the movie last week, I had found that Anna to be much younger than I expected. In the movie, she is probably two or three years older than Caleb and that means she was only about three years old when their mother died. It's hard to see a little girl being able to recall things that happened when she was only three years old. I was also surprised to see her completely different attitude toward Sarah. Maybe it was purposely done like this by the script writers, because almost every character, except Caleb, in the movie is quite different from the one written in the book. For older students, it may be fun to have them talk about the differences in characters, to compare the ones in the book and the ones in the movie.

[changkaifu]

The film contrasts greatly with Anna¡¦s attitudes towards to Sarah. It may be due to that there are no such apparent round characters in the novelette. Comparatively calm in the novel, Sarah is sometimes too sentimental to some extent in this film for example when Seal hides away during the squall. Jacob is also changed in the movie because he cannot forget and forgive himself about Catherine¡¦s death. Through the conflicts among Anna, Sarah and Jacob, the movie draws more people attention because of these differences do not take place in the novel.
In my opinion, the movie can help teachers in several ways:
It can help most Taiwanese people know the table manners in American family, since some of us are not Christians, we do not pray in the beginning of meals. Coffee is an important element in breakfast too, although we are quite familiar with this.
The scene in the graveyard is not so spooky as traditional Chinese ones. Maybe we can teach students the issues about people¡¦s death.
As for language teaching part, this movie is shown without subtitle. I think it can serve quite well to those who are good at English. They can focus on the lines in the movie with more concentration. However, as for the low achievers, teachers should provide them with necessary translation. If not, it may be hard for them to understand some too difficult items in the movie, thus they may refuse to learn.

[edward]

Some conflicts are added in the movie. At first, Anna couldn¡¦t accept Sarah as a new member of her family. She rejected Sarah¡¦s present, kept distance with Sarah, and didn¡¦t get familiar with Sarah until she had nightmare and received Sarah¡¦s consideration. The other conflict happened between Sarah and Jacob. They had different point of views to deal with things, like children or some trivial things in life. Jacob a bit showed his male chauvinism, but Sarah was not that weak, either. Thus, she didn¡¦t think they matched each other. Later on, after getting used to the new family and new environment, Sarah still accepted Jacob¡¦s love, and got married with him.
These two conflicts are too common to convince audiences. They are quite similar to those appearing in soap operas in Taiwan. They made audiences no expectation for the latter plot and the ending. I know conflict can make the plot more exciting, but the same old story, like conflict between stepmothers and daughters or between newly couples makes the movie not so interesting. Hence, I prefer the arrangement in the novelette. Readers can really appreciate the life in the countryside because it is more peaceful and more harmonious. By the way, Sarah in the movie is tall but not so plain as I thought.
As for using the movie in teaching, I think it might be good for students to develop their listening as well as reading comprehension. I would use English subtitles for students to learn more about the plot because of their poor vocabulary size. Also, after the movie, I would tell something about Kansas because it is quite different from Taiwan and make students a clear sense of the United States.

[sophia]

The movie helps readers identify with the characters and the background better than the novelette itself. Because of cultural differences, it's hard or almost impossible for one to use his imagination if he has never had that kind of experiences. Even with vivid description or the pictures of the prairie in the novelette, we still have no idea what it looks like when one actually lives there. Through the movie, we can understand how strongly the wind blows in the prairie, how uncomfortable it looks to the passengers when the farm wagon bumps along the road and not to speak of how horrifying when a squall devastates a house. The movie does help readers understand more about the cutlrue in a way that the novelette can't acheieve.

[Peter Luo]

The movie gives the audience more detailed plots beyond the lines in the novelette. Readers of Sarah, Plain and Tall can thus have a more complete picture for each character's emotions and thoughts. For example, Jacob's suppresses the love toward his wife and Anna resists Sarah's coming.

The movie can be applied in the teaching unit as follows:
1. After reading the novelette, the students can share if they like the story by reading the novelette or watching the movie.

2. The teacher can have students discuss in groups what plots in the movie is missing in the novelette. Have them list the plots and compare with each other. List especially the additional plots they love and tell why.

3. Have students think creatively if they were the directors, what additional plots in the movie they would make. Give presentations in the forms of role plays.

[cherrie]

6. Would it be a good idea to use English or Chinese subtitles?
I don¡¦t think it would be a good idea to use Chinese subtitles while teaching English, because that will let students just depend on the Chinese subtitles and skip English. On the contrary, I agree to give students English subtitles to give them more hints to understand the episode and students¡¦ listening and reading skill can be improved, too.


7. How helpful could the movie be in your teaching of American language and culture?
Using movies can be helpful in the teaching of language and culture. Firstly, teachers can elicit students¡¦ motivation and arouse their interests by a movie. Besides, all of the vocabulary taught would be shown from the conversation among every character. For example, through the movie, students can understand what a ¡§pitchfork¡¨ is how Sarah uses it. Also, watching movies is also a good way to train students¡¦ listening skills.

[sfanglo]

As many of the classmates have mentioned above, there are many different elements inserted in the movies. From my viewpoint, I preger those different elements and versions of the stories, although I did not have a chance to view the whole movie. First of all, the movie displays the musical and scenic effects easily, so teachers can use part of the video clips to conduct further discussion. Besides, by comparing the differences in the novellete and the movie, students can enrich their emagination and understand neccesary elements of a movie so that they will have better understanding while they see new novels and movies. However, reading the authentic novels is still necessary. Besides the benefit of vocabulary recognition, students can learn to read between the lines and better figure out the under-surface cultural meanings. In the movie, the director uses different characterization techniques, describing the personal traits through their words, actions and behaviors. Jacob is much more dominant in the movie and Anna's stubberness is clearly observed. All these is worth discussing in class.

[julia]

The episode that Sarah went picnicking with the Wittings is especially good for students to know the socail interaction at that time. In the book, we only see the Wittings interact with Mathew and Maggie, their neighbors on the praire. Besides, from this scene, students will know that dancing is a common activity for socail gathering in western society.

When a teacher wants his/her students to watch this movie, he/she can decide to use the subtitles according to students' levels. If the students are more advanced, the teacher can hide the subtitles. This will help to promote their listening ability. If the students are intermediate, the teacher can choose English subtitles to give them more chances to listen to and read in English. However, if the students are beginners, they won't understand the movie without Chinese subtitles. Therefore, the teacher should choose the types of subtitles according to students' levels.

When the students watch this movie, they will know what a real prairie looks like. It is not easy for people in Taiwan to imagine life without close neighbors near by. Students can also have a clear picture about life on the prairie. They can compare the differences between life on the prairie and that in Taiwan.

[jenny]

After seeing the movie and reading the novelette, I got to say I prefer the movie version. I also find some differences between them:
1. The movie is more detailed while the novelette leaves more space for imagination. Some events and symbols are added in the movie such as Sarah¡¦s train ticket, Anna¡¦s unfriendly attitude toward Sarah, Anna¡¦s nightmare, Jacob¡¦s recalling of his wife¡¦s death, the conflicts between Jacob and Sarah, and Maggie¡¦s suffering for giving birth.
2. The movie is more realistic while the novelette seems to be ideal. It is not easy for anyone to accept a stranger as a stepmother. I think Anna¡¦s attitude toward Sarah in the movie is more reasonable. Anna¡¦s transition from hostility to acceptance also rises the climax. Besides, it takes time for one to adjust oneself in different cultures. It is impossible for Sarah and Jacob, who are from different culture, to match so well. The conflicts between Sarah and Jacob mentioned in the movie rises another climax.
How can teachers apply the movie to their teaching?
First, the movie helps to reinforce students¡¦ listening comprehension.
Second, the movie helps students build up their story map in a clear way.
Third, the movie can be used to teach students the similarities and differences between different cultures. At the same time, students also learn to accept and respect others¡¦ culture and points of view.

[jenny]

After seeing the movie and reading the novelette, I got to say I prefer the movie version. I also find some differences between them:
1. The movie is more detailed while the novelette leaves more
space for imagination. Some events and symbols are added in
the movie such as Sarah's train ticket, Anna's unfriendly
attitude toward Sarah, Anna's nightmare, Jacob's recalling
of his wife's death, the conflicts between Jacob and Sarah,
and Maggie's suffering for giving birth.
2. The movie is more realistic while the novelette seems to be
ideal. It is not easy for anyone to accept a stranger as a
stepmother. I think Anna's attitude toward Sarah in the movie
is more reasonable. Anna's transition from hostility to
acceptance also rises the climax. Besides, it takes time for one
to adjust oneself in different cultures. It is impossible for Sarah
and Jacob, who are from different culture, to match so well.
The conflicts between Sarah and Jacob mentioned in the movie
rises another climax.

How can teachers apply the movie to their teaching?
First, the movie helps to reinforce students¡¦ listening
comprehension.
Second, the movie helps students build up their story map in a
clear way.
Third, the movie can be used to teach students the similarities
and differences between different cultures. At the same
time, students also learn to accept and respect others¡¦
culture and points of view.

[jenny]

After seeing the movie and reading the novelette, I got to say I prefer the movie version. I also find some differences between them:
1.The movie is more detailed while the novelette leaves more space for imagination. Some events and symbols are added in the movie such as Sarah¡¦s train ticket, Anna¡¦s unfriendly attitude toward Sarah, Anna¡¦s nightmare, Jacob¡¦s recalling of his wife¡¦s death, the conflicts between Jacob and Sarah, and Maggie¡¦s suffering for giving birth.
2.The movie is more realistic while the novelette seems to be ideal. It is not easy for anyone to accept a stranger as a stepmother. I think Anna¡¦s attitude toward Sarah in the movie is more reasonable. Anna¡¦s transition from hostility to acceptance also rises the climax. Besides, it takes time for one to adjust oneself in different cultures. It is impossible for Sarah and Jacob, who are from different culture, to match so well. The conflicts between Sarah and Jacob mentioned in the movie rises another climax.

How can teachers apply the movie to their teaching?
First, the movie helps to reinforce students¡¦ listening comprehension.
Second, the movie helps students build up their story map in a clear way.
Third, the movie can be used to teach students the similarities and differences between different cultures. At the same time, students also learn to accept and respect others's culture and points of view.

[jenny]

After seeing the movie and reading the novelette, I got to say I prefer the movie version. I also find some differences between them:
1.The movie is more detailed while the novelette leaves more space for imagination. Some events and symbols are added in the movie such as Sarah¡¦s train ticket, Anna¡¦s unfriendly attitude toward Sarah, Anna¡¦s nightmare, Jacob¡¦s recalling of his wife¡¦s death, the conflicts between Jacob and Sarah, and Maggie¡¦s suffering for giving birth.
2.The movie is more realistic while the novelette seems to be ideal. It is not easy for anyone to accept a stranger as a stepmother. I think Anna¡¦s attitude toward Sarah in the movie is more reasonable. Anna¡¦s transition from hostility to acceptance also rises the climax. Besides, it takes time for one to adjust oneself in different cultures. It is impossible for Sarah and Jacob, who are from different culture, to match so well. The conflicts between Sarah and Jacob mentioned in the movie rises another climax.

How can teachers apply the movie to their teaching?
First, the movie helps to reinforce students¡¦ listening comprehension.
Second, the movie helps students build up their story map in a clear way.
Third, the movie can be used to teach students the similarities and differences between different cultures. At the same time, students also learn to accept and respect others¡¦ culture and points of view.

[Peter]

The movie could be quite helpful especially in teaching of American culture. Through the movie, students can easily get the clear pictures of something that is not easy for teachers to explain in words. For example, students can know quickly and clearly what prairie looks like. Other examples include wagon, horse stall, barn, windmill, bonnet, and so on.
Whether the subtitles are used or not depends on students¡¦ proficiency. If they are beginners, I would recommend the use of Chinese subtitles first. After having main idea of the plot, English subtitles can be provided. And later the subtitles can be dropped out for listening practice.
As for the differences of the characters between the movie and the novelette, Anna¡¦s reluctant attitude toward the new mother, Sarah, at the beginning is the obvious one. It changes the tone of the novelette, though the attitude seems reasonable. In the novelette Sarah is welcome and cherished. All of the family members care about Sarah¡¦s feelings, and so does Sarah. The family atmosphere is warm, pleasant, and touching. However, in the movie Sarah faces a circumstance in which not every family member is wholehearted to her, so that she has to deal with Anna¡¦s hostility and Jacob¡¦s past memory of his wife. The revised version for the movie adds the plot with drama.

[priscilla]

I think watching the video, Sarah, Plain and Tall gives the audience more vivid picture of what the characters are doing and how the scene is taking place. However, if we read the book, sometimes we can not directly gain the sense of real situation occuring in the story, all we need is that we have to use our imagination to picture all the settings. In other words, watching the video helps get the audience really into the story easier.