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CW Homer A dividing acts and scenes?


noashmam
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I am having a hard time distinguishing between Scenes and Acts. We are on Lesson 17 of Homer A and took the summer off which may be part of the problem:tongue_smilie:. We are at the part where we divide the narrative into Acts and Scenes. I've read and re-read the Core but I'm having a hard time distinguishing between the two. Part of the problem I think is that up to this point we have been dividing the narrative into scenes only. I wish there was an example of a narrative which had only been divided into Scenes in a previous lesson and is now further divided into Acts and Scenes. I think this would help me. Are the scenes just the sentences in a paragraph and the Acts the paragraph (one topic)? Could someone who is familiar with CW have pity on me and walk me through the difference between a Scene and an Act? have a feeling I'm overthinking it. Thank you.

 

Kim

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A scene (from Lesson 3 of Day 1, Skill Level 1 p. 28 of core) are events which occur in a specific setting.

 

Acts (from Lesson 2 of Day 1, Skill Level 5 p. 44 of core) consist of several scenes which are related by a common topic or progression of a common event in the story. Essentially there is one larger theme, evnt, issue, or character.

 

For the Tale of Circe, if I listed the scenes, I would have something like...

I. Introduction (Odysseus and his men arrive on Circe's island)

II. Main Body

A. Scene 1 - While on the beach, they sight smoke and send men to investigate

B. Scene 2 - They travel and find the house of Circe and are invited inside

C. Scene 3 - Eurylocus watches Circe turn the men to swine and returns to Odysseus

D. Scene 4 - Odysseus travels to Circe's home and is invited inside

E. Scene 5 - Odysseus confronts Circe

F. Scene 6 - Circe frees the men

III. Conclusion - They remain on the island for a year in friendship before journeying on

 

Listing acts and scenes isn't about dividing the story into smaller chunks, but grouping chunks together. So an outline might look something like...

I. Introduction (Odysseus and his men arrive on Circe's island)

II. Main Body

A. Act 1 - Odysseus' men are enchanted by Circe

1. Scene 1 - While on the beach, they sight smoke and send men to investigate

2. Scene 2 - They travel and find the house of Circe and are invited inside

3. Scene 3 - Eurylocus watches Circe turn the men to swine and returns to Odysseus

B. Act 2 - Odysseus rescues his men

1. Scene 1 - Odysseus travels to Circe's home and is invited inside

2. Scene 2 - Odysseus confronts Circe

3. Scene 3 - Circe frees the men

III. Conclusion - They remain on the island for a year in friendship before journeying on

Edited by Narrow Gate Academy
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A scene (from Lesson 3 of Day 1, Skill Level 1 p. 28 of core) are events which occur in a specific setting.

 

Acts (from Lesson 2 of Day 1, Skill Level 5 p. 44 of core) consist of several scenes which are related by a common topic or progression of a common event in the story. Essentially there is one larger theme, evnt, issue, or character.

 

For the Tale of Circe, if I listed the scenes, I would have something like...

I. Introduction (Odysseus and his men arrive on Circe's island)

II. Main Body

A. Scene 1 - While on the beach, they sight smoke and send men to investigate

B. Scene 2 - They travel and find the house of Circe and are invited inside

C. Scene 3 - Eurylocus watches Circe turn the men to swine and returns to Odysseus

D. Scene 4 - Odysseus travels to Circe's home and is invited inside

E. Scene 5 - Odysseus confronts Circe

F. Scene 6 - Circe frees the men

III. Conclusion - They remain on the island for a year in friendship before journeying on

 

Listing acts and scenes isn't about dividing the story into smaller chunks, but grouping chunks together. So an outline might look something like...

I. Introduction (Odysseus and his men arrive on Circe's island)

II. Main Body

A. Act 1 - Odysseus' men are enchanted by Circe

1. Scene 1 - While on the beach, they sight smoke and send men to investigate

2. Scene 2 - They travel and find the house of Circe and are invited inside

3. Scene 3 - Eurylocus watches Circe turn the men to swine and returns to Odysseus

B. Act 2 - Odysseus rescues his men

1. Scene 1 - Odysseus travels to Circe's home and is invited inside

2. Scene 2 - Odysseus confronts Circe

3. Scene 3 - Circe frees the men

III. Conclusion - They remain on the island for a year in friendship before journeying on

 

This is very helpful. Thank you so much! So it seems to me that we should outline the Scenes first as we have been doing up to this point. Then look at the scenes and group them into acts. Am I thinking right?

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That is what we did at first. Eventually it becomes easier, and you can do both as you go through the model.

 

Narrow Gate, I just want to say thank you for typing out this outline of Circe. I showed it to my ds yesterday and it helped him (and me) so much to see how you set it up. The process seems so much simpler now. Again, just wanted to say thank you!!

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