M2U2 Extended reading
Read the introduction to the film Forrest Gump and the excerpt from its script:
Forrest Gump is a 1994 film starring Tom Hanks. It tells the story of Forrest Gump, a simple man with a warm personality. Despite an IQ of 75, he lives a truly amazing life. He sees, and sometimes influences, some of the major events of the second half of the 20th century in the United States. The scene below describes Forrest getting on the bus on his first day of school.
Forrest Gump
Mrs Gump and Forrest wait for the school bus. The bus pulls up as Mrs Gump prepares Forrest for his first day of school.
Mrs Gump: You do your very best now, Forrest.
Forrest: I sure will, Momma.
Forrest (voice-over ①): I remember the bus ride on the first day of school very well.
The bus driver opens the door and looks down. Forrest walks to the steps of the bus and looks at the bus driver.
Bus driver: Are you coming along?
Forrest: Momma said not to be taking rides from strangers.
Bus driver: This is the bus to school.
Forrest: I'm Forrest Gump.
Bus driver: I'm Dorothy Harris.
Forrest: Well, now we aren't strangers anymore.
The bus driver smiles as Forrest steps up into the bus.
Mrs Gump waves to Forrest as the bus drives away. Forrest begins to walk down the bus.
TWO YOUNG BOYS look up from the seat.
Boy 1: This seat's taken.
Boy 2: It's taken.
Forrest looks around. A larger girl moves over so Forrest can't sit next to her. She shakes her head. Forrest looks to the other side where a boy sits alone on a larger seat. The boy looks angrily at Forrest.
Boy 3: You can't sit here.
Forrest (Voice-over): You know, it's funny what a young man recollects. Because I don't remember being born. I, I ... don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first picnic. But, I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wild world.
Girl: You can sit here if you want.
Forrest looks back at JENNY CURRAN, a young girl about Forrest's age.
Forrest (Voice-over): I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life. She was like an angel.
Jenny: Well, are you going to sit down, or aren't you?
Forrest sits down next to Jenny.
Jenny: What's wrong with your legs?
Forrest: Um. Nothing at all, thank you. My legs are just fine and dandy.
Forrest (Voice-over): I just sat next to her on that bus and had a conversation all the way to school.
Jenny: Then why do you have those shoes on?
Forrest: My momma said my back's crooked like a question mark. These are going to make me as straight as an arrow. They are my magic shoes.
Forrest (Voice-over): And next to Momma, no one ever talked to me or asked me questions.
Jenny: Are you stupid or something?
Forrest: Momma says stupid is as stupid does.
Jenny puts her hand out toward Forrest. Forrest reaches over and shakes her hand.
Jenny: I'm Jenny.
Forrest: I'm Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump.
Forrest (Voice-over): From that day on, we was always together. Jenny and me was like peas and carrots.
①Voice-over “Voice-over” means you can hear someone's voice without seeing the speaker. In this scene the grown-up Forrest is remembering a scene from his childhood.