has stopped breathing
A child finds Sylvia still and breathless and cries out to the adults.
She's not breathing, mama.An American Crime · 2007 — 第 15 / 16 章 · 2'19" · B1
Sylvia Dies While No One Acts, Explained：faking it
On the surface it's a medical emergency: a girl has stopped breathing and the room argues about what to do. Underneath, it's the last act of a group that has already decided not to help. Gertrude keeps the whole room in place with "She'll be okay, she's just faking it."
あらすじ
Sylvia stops breathing in the Baniszewski basement. The children panic: one begs somebody to do something, another fetches water, and a third insists she is only faking. Gertrude tells them she will be fine and refuses to let anyone call the police. By the time help is summoned, Sylvia is dead.
注目の表現
not breathingfaking itgottashut up
00:00 / 02:19Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
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このシーンの表現
faking it
pretending on purpose
Gertrude tells the children Sylvia is pretending, brushing off their alarm.
She was not really sick, just faking it to skip school.
このシーンの他の表現
- not breathing
has stopped breathing
- gotta
have got to
- shut up
be quiet, rudely
- know what to do
know the right action
- she's not dying
denying the obvious
このシーンのメモ一覧
46 行のセリフに 23 件のメモ
Not runs into breathing and the t softens.
She's not breathing, mama.come back to consciousness
She'll wake up, okay? Don't worry, son.Link wake and up so they sound like one word.
Wake up, please!pretending on purpose
Gertrude tells the children Sylvia is pretending, brushing off their alarm.
- She's not breathing! - She's faking it.say untrue things
She came to my house, and just told lies.what is the matter
Stephanie, what's wrong?take action
Mama, we gotta do something!sweetheart — An affectionate address; too familiar with strangers.
Sweetie, mama, she's...be all right
Shirley, she'll be okay, she'll be okay.In American speech the t's in gotta flap, almost like godda.
Somebody's gotta do something! She's not breathing!have got to — Spoken shorthand; too casual for writing.
Somebody's gotta do something! She's not breathing!lying — Common in casual speech; write lying in formal text.
Shut up, Stephanie! She's lyin'!lie still in place
She just lays there.watch out
Look out!go and fetch
you go get Andy, baby, he'll know what to do, okay?go get: Go get means go and get; the two verbs join without and.
you go get Andy, baby, he'll know what to do, okay?wh-infinitive: What to do is a wh-infinitive meaning what he should do.
you go get Andy, baby, he'll know what to do, okay?phone the police
Somebody better call the police!on this occasion
I'll go get more water, colder this time!move to this place
Babies', come here...there be: There be means something exists; the correct form here would be there may be.
Yeah, there maybe a death girl in a house.what is the trouble
What's the problem?「Sylvia Dies While No One Acts」を読み解く
What's really going on
The room is loud with activity — water, shouting, a rush to find Andy — and almost none of it is help. Gertrude controls the story with denial: "She'll be okay, she's just faking it," she says, and when the possibility of a death becomes impossible to ignore, the instruction is "Don't call the police." Her earlier line, "She came to my house, and just told lies," shows how she has already framed Sylvia as the liar whose suffering can be dismissed. The children follow her lead, arguing over whether to act instead of acting. The horror of the scene is that everyone is present and no one moves.
Theme
BetrayalChildren and adults who could have saved Sylvia stand by or stall until it is far too late.
Death & griefA life ends in a room full of people, and the moment is met with denial instead of care.
このチャプターで学べること
- A cry for help can be argued away by denial.
- Faking it is the line that keeps everyone still.
- Police, water and errands stand in for real care.
発音のポイント
- not breathing — Not runs into breathing and the t softens.
- Wake up — Link wake and up so they sound like one word.
- gotta do — In American speech the t's in gotta flap, almost like godda.
Somebody's gotta do something! She's not breathing!A child's plea that sums up the scene: the help Sylvia needs is obvious, and everyone keeps waiting for someone else to move. 'Gotta' makes it urgent and spoken, not formal.
I'll go get more water, colder this time!A boy treats a dying girl as a problem to fix with a colder bucket of water. The line shows how the group substitutes busy gestures for real help.
She'll be okay, she's just faking it.Gertrude's denial in one sentence. She reassures the room and dismisses Sylvia at once, and the claim is repeated until it is impossible to keep believing.
She came to my house, and just told lies.Gertrude's explanation for everything, offered while Sylvia is dying. By casting her as a liar, Gertrude makes concern for her seem like being fooled.
このシーンについての質問
Why does no one call for help sooner?
Gertrude forbids it. When someone says the police should be called, she answers, 'Don't call the police,' and keeps insisting Sylvia is faking. The children take their cue from her, so the room stays busy but does nothing.
Why does Gertrude insist Sylvia is faking?
Admitting Sylvia is dying would mean admitting what the household has done to her. Calling her a liar keeps the story intact, which is why Gertrude repeats it even when Sylvia is cold.
Who finally calls the police?
The call comes late, after Sylvia has already stopped breathing and someone can no longer be talked out of it. The operator is told there may be a dead girl in a house, and by the time responders arrive, she is gone.
How do the other children respond to Sylvia's collapse?
They split between panic and denial: some shout that she is not breathing and beg for action, others fetch water or repeat that she is fine. Almost all of them wait for an adult to decide what to do.
アメリカン・クライム · 全 16 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 16 章take the standJennie and Gertrude Take the Stand
第 1 章have a chance toSylvia Meets Friends at Church
第 2 章for a livingPaula Brags About Her Married Boyfriend
第 3 章make a differenceGertrude Takes In the Likens Girls
第 4 章take them inSylvia and Jennie Move In
第 5 章none of your businessPaula Reveals Her Pregnancy
第 6 章knows bestBradley Shows His True Face
第 7 章narrow gatePaula Accuses Sylvia of Spreading Lies
第 8 章long-distance callSylvia and Jennie's Long-Distance Call
第 9 章nothing but troubleGertrude Catches Sylvia's Call
第 10 章come betweenGertrude Lays Down the Rules
第 11 章learns her lessonGertrude Says Sylvia Went to Juvenile
第 12 章tie someone upThe Children Testify Against Gertrude
第 13 章know what it's likeGertrude's Basement Confession
第 14 章get to the bottom of somethingReverend Collier Visits Gertrude
再生中 · 第 15 章faking itSylvia Dies While No One Acts
第 16 章take the standJennie and Gertrude Take the Stand第 15 / 16 章 · 残り約 4 分