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You Can't Take It with You · 1938 — 第 8 / 27 章 · 4'53" · B2

The IRS Visits Grandpa, Explained：for the sake of argument

An income-tax agent comes to the Sycamore house to tell Grandpa he has never paid tax in his life. Grandpa refuses on principle, and when pressed he turns it into an argument about what the government actually gives him: "What do I get for my money?"

あらすじ

An agent from the Internal Revenue Department arrives to ask Grandpa why he has never filed an income tax return. Grandpa says he simply does not believe in it, and turns the visit into a debate about what the government gives him in return. Meanwhile Tony arrives as a guest.

InterrogationsArgumentsConfrontingExplainingStrangersB2mediumamericanClean
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

for heaven's sakesettle downknows his own mindindicted

00:00 / 04:53
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  75. ❝ 独白Grandpa's tax argument5 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

for the sake of argument

as a hypothetical

Grandpa denies he will pay, then argues inside the hypothetical anyway, pressing the collector to answer.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that he is right.

このシーンの他の表現

  • for heaven's sake

    good gracious

  • settle down

    start a steady life

  • knows his own mind

    knows what he wants

  • indicted

    formally charged

  • cops

    the police

このシーンのメモ一覧

91 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ

表現 · A2mind if I do something

may I

Mind if I sit down?
表現 · B2a little matter of something

a small matter of

Mr. Vanderhof, the government wants to talk to you about a little matter of income tax.
表現 · A2be expecting someone

have been waiting for you

We've been expecting you.
発音Do y'all

Do y'all runs together as one sound.

- Do y'all play football? - A little, yeah.
スラング · B1y'all

you all — Southern American speech; keep it out of formal writing.

- Do y'all play football? - A little, yeah.
表現 · B1awful + adjective

very, extremely

Gosh, you're... You're awful young to be a vice president.
スラング · A2Gosh

gee — A mild exclamation used instead of swearing.

Gosh, you're... You're awful young to be a vice president.
表現 · B2have one's name on the door

a title on the office door

All I have is just an office with my name on the door.
表現 · B2more than someone is worth

more than one deserves

A little. More than I'm worth, I'm afraid.
表現 · B2be bound to do something

certain to

All I meant was, he's bound to get married, and suppose the wrong girl gets him.
文法 · B2he's bound to get married

be bound to: Be bound to means something is certain to happen by the logic of the situation.

All I meant was, he's bound to get married, and suppose the wrong girl gets him.
表現 · B1have got to be going

must be on my way

Mr. Vanderhof, I've got to be going.
発音got to be going

Got to often reduces to gotta in fast speech.

Mr. Vanderhof, I've got to be going.
表現 · B2records show that ...

the records indicate

Mr. Vanderhof, our records show that you've never paid any income tax.
文法 · B1that you've never paid any income tax

object clause: The that-clause is the object of show and states what the records reveal.

Mr. Vanderhof, our records show that you've never paid any income tax.
表現 · B1believe in something

support the idea of

I don't believe in it.
表現 · C1testify before a body

give testimony to

No, he just testified before the Securities Commission.
表現 · B1owe someone money

be in debt to

Whether you believe it or not, you owe the government 22 years back income taxes.
文法 · B2Whether you believe it or not

concessive clause: The whether clause concedes the other person's doubt while the main claim stands.

Whether you believe it or not, you owe the government 22 years back income taxes.
発音wait a minute

Wait a links into one phrase and minute is weak.

Hey, wait a minute, mister. That's too far back. That's outlawed, ain't it?
スラング · A2ain't

isn't — Nonstandard speech; avoid it in writing.

Hey, wait a minute, mister. That's too far back. That's outlawed, ain't it?
表現 · B2file an income tax return

submit a tax form

The collector asks whether Grandpa ever filed a return, and the flat no, sir gets right to the point.

Now, Mr. Vanderhof, that's a very serious thing, not filing an income tax return.
文法 · C1not filing an income tax return

gerund appositive: The gerund phrase restates what the serious thing actually is.

Now, Mr. Vanderhof, that's a very serious thing, not filing an income tax return.
表現 · B2get something out of something

gain from

Last time we used battleships was in the Spanish-American War and what did we get out of that?
文法 · C1Last time we used battleships was

predicative clause: The whole clause acts as the subject, and was links it to the time.

Last time we used battleships was in the Spanish-American War and what did we get out of that?
表現 · B1something sensible

something worthwhile

Why, I wouldn't mind paying for something sensible.
表現 · B1not with my money

not at my expense

Not with my money, no, sir.

「The IRS Visits Grandpa」を読み解く

What's really going on

The chapter is the film's philosophy put on trial, and Grandpa wins by refusing to play the game. The tax agent expects a legal discussion and gets a moral one instead, because Grandpa treats the government as a shop: "What do I get for my money?" He is not greedy; he is asking what he is buying. The scene's comedy comes from the mismatch between official language and Grandpa's plain questions, and its seriousness comes from the fact that he cannot be answered. When he says "Not with my money," it is not a stunt but a whole view of what a person owes and what he does not.

Theme

PhilosophyGrandpa treats taxation as a bargain and refuses to pay for anything he cannot see.
PowerA government agent meets a citizen who simply does not accept the government's authority to decide for him.

このチャプターで学べること

  • Grandpa treats taxes as a purchase he can refuse.
  • The argument is really about what government owes the citizen.
  • Legal words like indict and file carry the scene's comedy.
  • Henderson loses because he never answers the question.

発音のポイント

  • Do y'all — Do y'all runs together as one sound.
  • got to be going — Got to often reduces to gotta in fast speech.
  • wait a minute — Wait a links into one phrase and minute is weak.
All I have is just an office with my name on the door.

Tony's modest description of being a vice president, which is also a joke about inherited privilege.

Whether you believe it or not, you owe the government 22 years back income taxes.

The agent's blunt statement of the debt, offered as a fact that settles the matter.

Mind you, I don't say that I'm going to, but just for the sake of argument, what's the government going to do with it?

Grandpa separating the hypothetical from the real, then asking the question the agent cannot answer.

Why, I wouldn't mind paying for something sensible.

His actual position: not against taxes, but against paying for what he considers nonsense.

このシーンについての質問

Why has Grandpa never paid income tax?

He says he does not believe in it. He has never filed a return, and when asked for his income he guesses around eighty-five dollars.

How much does Grandpa supposedly owe?

Twenty-two years of back income taxes. The agent says the amount is serious, but Grandpa argues that such an old claim should be barred.

What is Grandpa's argument about taxes?

He says that when he buys something in a store he can see what he got. With taxes he cannot see what he is paying for, so he asks what the government gives him.

Who else shows up during the visit?

Tony Kirby arrives as a guest, and the family welcomes him warmly, introducing him to Alice's father, grandfather, sister and brother-in-law.

我が家の楽園 · 全 27 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 9 章got another thing comingTony Meets Alice's Family
第 1 章cash in onKirby Plans the Munitions Monopoly第 2 章when my ship comes inPoppins Becomes a Lily of the Field第 3 章like hotcakesA Day in the Sycamore House第 4 章the daylights out ofPoppins Meets the Sycamores第 5 章would you be so kind as toTony Flirts on the Office Phone第 6 章putty in the handsThe Kirbys Disapprove of Alice第 7 章keel overGrandpa Tells Alice About Grandma再生中 · 第 8 章for the sake of argumentThe IRS Visits Grandpa第 9 章got another thing comingTony Meets Alice's Family第 10 章as he pleasesAlice Explains Her Family第 11 章castles in the airTony and Alice Talk About Courage第 12 章went out with the buffaloTony Introduces Alice to His Parents第 13 章the wrong impressionThe Sycamores Prepare for the Kirbys第 14 章get mixed upThe Kirbys Come on the Wrong Night第 15 章look on the dark sideThe Kirbys Arrive on the Wrong Night第 16 章put on an actTony Brings His Parents a Night Early第 17 章If you don't mindKolenkhov Wrestles Kirby第 18 章keep your shirt onG-Men Arrest the Sycamores第 19 章you can't take it with youGrandpa Lectures Kirby in Jail第 20 章good riddanceGrandpa Calls Kirby a Failure第 21 章take the trouble toThe Sycamores Pay the Fine第 22 章go slummingAlice Tells Off the Kirbys第 23 章get over itGrandpa Sells the House第 24 章crack underRamsey Warns Kirby第 25 章hang on toTony Quits the Family Business第 26 章parting shotTony Asks Grandpa Where Alice Is第 27 章act humanKirby Admits He Failed
第 8 / 27 章 · 残り約 61 分