act against someone
Sylvia do anything, to Mrs. Baniszewski?An American Crime · 2007 — 第 16 / 16 章 · 3'45" · B2
Jennie and Gertrude Take the Stand, Explained：take the stand
Jennie, Sylvia's younger sister, is questioned about what she saw — and admits she stayed silent because "I'd get the same treatment, than Sylvia was getting." Then Gertrude testifies: the state asks about the wounds, and she says she was too run down to know what happened.
あらすじ
At the trial, Jennie answers questions about what Sylvia did to Mrs. Baniszewski and the children. When asked why she never called the police while her sister was beaten, she says Gertie threatened her. Later, Gertrude herself takes the stand and tells the court she was physically run down, mentally upset, and barely able to stay up.
注目の表現
take the standthe same treatmentknew bettercarry on
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このシーンの表現
take the stand
testify in court
As the trial closes, Gertrude is the last witness called to the stand.
The doctor will take the stand after the police officer.
このシーンの他の表現
- the same treatment
be treated the same way
- knew better
was not fooled
- carry on
act up noisily
- run down
worn out and weak
- afford to
have enough money for
このシーンのメモ一覧
60 行のセリフに 31 件のメモ
see nothing at all
No. I didn't see anything.The t in didn't often drops and see anything runs together.
No. I didn't see anything.Did you can link into didja in rapid speech.
Did you ever see her do anything, to Paula?passive continuous: Being plus a past participle shows an action happening to someone right then.
Jennie, you saw your sister being hit...report to the police
Why did you not call the police?um, er — A hesitation filler in speech; keep it out of writing.
Well, huh... Gertie dreaded me, that if I told anybody...be treated the same way
Jennie explains her silence: she feared the same treatment Sylvia was getting.
I'd get the same treatment, than Sylvia was getting.all along a place here it means all along the street
You could have told anyone, up and down on the street.could have done: Could have plus a past participle blames someone for a past chance they missed.
You could have told anyone, up and down on the street.Could have often collapses to could've in fast speech.
You could have told anyone, up and down on the street.witness someone doing something
I've seen her cry before.relative clause: The reason that introduces the explanation for why something happened.
I imagine, the reason that she didn't cry, was...not have a sufficient amount
because she didn't have enough water.testify in court
As the trial closes, Gertrude is the last witness called to the stand.
Gertrude was the last one to take the stand.state of the body
What was your physical condition in July and August of last year?worn out and weak
Asked about her health, Gertrude says she was run down, too weak to notice anything.
Pretty run down, physically.fairly, quite — Spoken intensifier; too casual for formal writing.
Pretty run down, physically.act up noisily
Gertrude describes her noisy house, saying the children argued and carried on all the time.
arguing and carrying on...look after someone
I was trying to take care of myself...have enough money for
Gertrude explains she only took medicine because she could not afford to see a doctor.
because I could not afford to go to a doctor.the state of something
or in the condition of that house?any particular thing
You mean anything specific that might happened in September?children — Casual for children; use children in formal writing.
and so on a slip of so on and so forth, still meaning and so on
My children fighting with other children, so on and so fort.manage to remain standing here it means stay on her feet, not stay awake
I was barely able to stay up at all.be in the mood to do something
I did not even feel like getting up.be aware of something
Did you have any knowledge, of any mistreatment...do something degrading
Did you commit any indignity, making marks on that girls body?leave marks on something
Did you commit any indignity, making marks on that girls body?embedded clause: An embedded clause after tell states exactly what is being claimed.
You're telling the Jury, you don't know who did it?「Jennie and Gertrude Take the Stand」を読み解く
What's really going on
Jennie's testimony is the one moment the trial turns on a child's fear. The prosecutor presses her — "You could have told anyone, up and down on the street." — and her answer isn't a defense, it's an admission: "did what she told me to do. I wish, I hadn't." The cry question cuts deeper. People said Sylvia had no feelings; Jennie answers that she knew better, that she has seen her cry, and that the reason she stopped was simple and terrible: she didn't have enough water. Then Gertrude takes the stand and the register changes. Asked about her condition and the marks on Sylvia's body, she offers a run-down body and a crowded house, and says she doesn't know who did it. The contrast is the whole trial: one witness too scared to speak, and one defendant who talks only to explain herself away.
Theme
JusticeThe trial lets Sylvia's sister speak for her, then tests whether the courtroom can see through Gertrude's evasions.
DeceptionGertrude answers the wounds with illness and a crowded house, denying knowledge of abuse she was central to.
このチャプターで学べること
- A witness's silence can be fear, not indifference.
- Repetition can turn a denial into damning evidence.
- Courtroom English is short, formal and precise.
- Illness becomes an excuse when a defense needs one.
発音のポイント
- didn't see anything — The t in didn't often drops and see anything runs together.
- Did you ever — Did you can link into didja in rapid speech.
- could have told — Could have often collapses to could've in fast speech.
You could have told anyone, up and down on the street.The prosecutor's challenge to Jennie: help was everywhere, so her silence needs explaining. Could have told points at what she chose not to do.
I've seen her cry before.Jennie's quiet rebuttal to the claim that Sylvia felt nothing. It turns a rumor into evidence from someone who was actually there.
You're telling the Jury, you don't know who did it?A disbelieving question to Gertrude. By repeating it to the jury, the prosecutor frames her denial as impossible rather than as a real answer.
did what she told me to do. I wish, I hadn't.Jennie's admission that she obeyed Gertie out of fear. The regret is the point: she knows following orders did not make it right.
このシーンについての質問
Why didn't Jennie call the police?
She says Gertie threatened her. If she told anyone, she believed she would "get the same treatment" Sylvia was getting.
What does Jennie mean about Sylvia not crying?
People said Sylvia showed no feelings. Jennie says she knew better and had seen her cry before; she thinks Sylvia stopped because she was too dehydrated to produce tears.
Is Gertrude honest on the stand?
She avoids direct answers. She blames her health, her medicine, and a house full of fighting children, and claims she does not know who caused Sylvia's injuries.
Who was the last person to testify?
Gertrude. She takes the stand after Jennie, at the end of the 24-day trial, and denies knowing how the wounds got on Sylvia's body.
アメリカン・クライム · 全 16 章
すべて見る →
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
第 15 章faking itSylvia Dies While No One Acts
再生中 · 第 16 章take the standJennie and Gertrude Take the Standこの作品の 16 章はここまでです