Gangsta+Group

Scene 1 Setting: Center City, Philadelphia. Art Museum Steps.

Caesar: yo, da fiteenth of march is here. Soothsayer(hipee)- ah, but they are not gone yet little dude. Caesar: Hold on man...I'm getting a call. Its Art-D. He knows my minutes ain't free yet. (pushes ignore) Cassius: Yo B. Pop trippin man. I think he knows about the jawn. Brutus: Why you say that? Cassius: He was talkin bout how he hope everything go good. Brutus: Look how he all up on Caesar. Cassius: imma smoke myself if Caesar finds out. Brutus: Look, Pop isn't snitchin...they still baggin up. (Caesar comes back into view) Caesar: Yo wats good? We ready yet? Metellus: (suck up) Of course C. My bad for keepin you waitin. Caesar:Ya 'my bad' might work for these other cats out here but my ice shines brighter than any other goon out here. THe difference between me and them is I don't make mistakes, I fix them. Metellus: I'm girlin myself out right now and you can't listen? Caesar: If I was mad girlin like you I would be slapped around. I'm as wanted as a dirty ole half eaten cheeseburger is to a homeless man, as a crack rock is to a crackhead, or as a a benjamin is to a hustler. No one ain't never gonna try to move me. (They all pull out there guns quickly and began to shoot him) Antony: Ay yo son! (kneels down to body)Man, you ain't deserve this dawg. I wouldn't be trippin if I was capped with the same bullets. Def not if it was by the same goons who did this to you man. Ain't one thing better than to been taked off with you. Brutus: Yo man. Don't be saying stuff like dat. Caesar was a tough hustler but he needed to die, his 24's was bigger than everybodies and for da hood he had to go. Antony: Yeah Yeah I hear what you sayin. Yo lets knock bones. (he pounds everybody) Yo so um...what should I say at his funeral man. I wanna talk bout ma boy cause he deserves more than these other homies out here. He was one of the best dudes out here man. Brutus: Man I don't know but um...we gonna go first ard. And make sure you got dat thing for da funeral. Can't be getting blood all over my fresh new adidas yamean? Antony: Oh ard..Peace....(they leave) Those cats think they slick...those ain't no fresh adidas on his ashy lookin ankles. My cousin sister baby momma half nephews daddy brother had those sneakers since last month. They just tryna cover this case they got. If the po-po find out then they gonna get life. But I ain't no snitch. Imma get my boys over at the funeral to see what they done done. Those cats gonna be wishing that they were 6 feet under. One Love Caesar (Pours out a drink of his)

Scene 2 [Enter Brutus, Cassius, and lots of other men] Citizens- Yo Tell us why you guys killed our boy! Brutus- Listen to me guys listen to me. You all know that I ain't know backstabber and that Caesar's always been my boy. I would never have hurt him if I didnt know that his greediness was eventually going to get us all in trouble. Yo, you all know that Caesar was gettin to cocky making you guys buy him stuff and doing stuff for him like he didnt have two hands to do it himself. Eventually all of you would have been like his dogs instead of his bro's and i wasnt going to let that happen. Unless any of you wanted to be C dog's for life then you got to know that what I did was the best for all of us. For real I was only thinkin of us when I did what I did. All- Yo man you right, I was noticing that too. Brutus- o.k then im not hiding anything you know we killed him and now you know why. [ Enter Antony with Caesar's body] Right now Antony is here. You all know he was C best friend so he wants to talk to you guys. 1st citizen- no bro we going with you, we part of your crew now. Brutus- Yo boys thats fine but listen to Antony. I got to go back to my crib. [Brutus leaves] 1st Citizen- fine hurry up A we dont got much time Antony: Yo ya'll listen. I just want to put my dawg 6 feet in, not to say some stuff about him. My fresh man Brutus already told you he was hype, and since he already told ya'll what was up with Caesar I don't got much left to say. When ya'll people girled because ya'll didn't have swagger, Caesar was right der wich ya'll. Hypeness don't be like that. But since Brutus said he is hype and Brutus is fresh, he wouldn't lie. Ya'll know ya'll remember when ya'll was tryna give him a jar of blistex for like 3 times but he ain't want it. Was that bein hype? But Brutus said he was all hype and Brutus is one fresh cat. I ain't tryna say that Brutus shady, but I'm just tryna keep it real. First Citizen: True Dat. Antony: Ya'll best believe that I ain't tryna say nothing wrong against Brutus or Cassius and all those fresh cats. But I just this jawn in a text from Caesar girl. I think its his will. Fourth Citizen: Yo whats a will? Second Citizen: I think my brother friend cousin momma nephew caught that from his girlfriend. First Citizen: No its not fool. Its what he givin to his homies. All: Yo Free Stuff! Read It! Antony: Yo man. Calm down. I'm not gonna be all nosey and look in it. It ain't my business to know how much love my homie had for ya'll. And I don't want ti make ya'll mad and what not. Fourth Citizen: Come on man! My bills overdue and I need dat money! Antony: Calm down. I don't want to make those fresh dudes mad, with they AK's which shot my man Caesar, I'm punkin down. Fourth Citizen: Those dudes are rats

Fourth citizens- hatas. Second citizen- we'll get 'em back. All- revenge; don't let any of them hatas live anotha day, Antony- don't do anything stupid yet. First citizen- yo, chill. listen to my boy Antony. Antony- yo, for real, just listen. All this stuff that went down today for for a good reason. Everyone involved did this for their own reason, even though i don't really know what those reasons are, they still had reasons to. I'm not like Brutus, im not a good speaker, cause imma chill kinda person. But if i was Brutus and Brutus was me, then Antony would have trouble bout to pop off. All- we ain't gonna take this. First citizen- Yo, lets mess up Brutus' crib. Third citizen- aiight, we'll get all them people who killed C. Atony- Hold up, let me talk. All- chill, Antony be tryin to talk. Antony- Yo, whateva you about to do don't forget about how tight you all were with Caesar. You ain't rememberin the thing I told you. All- Let's chill and listen. Atnony- Caesar left money for all yous, don't forget that. Second citizen- Yo, we won't forget that. We're gonna get them back for real now. Antony- Listen up again. All- Quiet! Antony- All of this was left in Caesars note, in case anything ever happened to him. He also said any land he had was for everyone to have now. When we ever gonna have another person like him. First citizen- We ain't never gonna have another person as good as him. We'll put him to rest and put the hatas to rest too. (Members leave with Caesar's body) Antony- Yo, they trippin', but its all good. Whatever happens, happens (kid enters) Kid- Big O's in Philly. Antony- Where he be? Kid- Him and Lepidus are at Caesar's crib. Antony- Imma hit 'em up, and get there quick, I hoped he was gonna be here, now fate's gonna be on my side. Kid- I heard 'em say Brutus and Cassius bounced, they ain't in Philly anymore. Antony- Porbably cause all them people after them now. Get me to Octavius.

Scene 3 Cinna- yo, I was snoozin and I seen this dream in my head that my gang was snappin and I got this feeling that something bad was happenin. 1st Citizen- Who you be? 2nd citizen- Where you goin? 3rd Citizen- Where's your crib? You married? 2nd Citizen- yo you better answer quickly and dont you go lying. Cinna- man if you want me to tell you the truth fine. Im not married 2nd Citizen- man dont't start talking trash be careful you never know what could happen. Cinna- I'm going to Caesar's funeral. 1st Citizen- He your boy or your enemy? Cinna- he my boy 2nd Citizen- Whats your name? Cinna- cinna 1st citizen- What?! Yo kill him! he was one of the guys who killed C. Cinna- What? No No, I'm a rapper I'm a rapper! I didnt do nothin 2 citizen- Stop lying to us, your are Cinna one of the guys who Killed C. Cinna- No man we both have the same name but were different people! 3rd citizen- I dont care what your name is. Just shoot him. [ They attack Cinna] 3rd Citizen- Boys lets go find all the men who killed C and tear them to pieces!


 * keep the multiple choice the numbers and letters in the same order because i mixed them up so they would work.

**Love In The Driest Season Test/ Answer Key 3/24/09**
Matching:

1. Washington DC

2. Harare

3. Erica

4. Constance

5. Margaret Tsiga

6. Neely Tucker

7. Mississippi

8. Heather, Steve

9. Chinyaradzo . 10. Vita

A. The first Zimbabwean child the Tuckers fostered. B. Taddled on the Tuckers for bribery allegations. Very close with the Tuckers. C. Vita and Chipo go to stay with Neely's parents here. This is where Neely grew up. D. Mr Tucker was offered a job at a post here and now lives there with his family. E. Neely met this person in Detroit after he posted a note on the employee board saying there was an empty apartment F. The capitol of the country where the Tuckers had lived during Chipo's adoption. G. This is where Mr. Tucker first met Chipo. H. Found Chipo in the field first. I. The adoption officer that was told that the tuckers bribed her for Chipo. Also won Chipo's case J. "It's a steady erosion that diminishes your heart, drop by drop, bit by bit."

Short Answer:

1. "You think little black Zimbabwe needs big white American men like you." Based on your knowledge of Tuckers background and history, prove or disprove this statement. Use supporting details from the text and specific situations to support your reasoning.

Essential Question:

1. How would Tuckers attitude of, " something that goes beyond bloodlines and shared last names" have an affect on adoption?

Multiple Choice Answer Key:

1. D 2. F 3. A 4. H 5. I 6. J 7. C 8. B 9. G 10. E

Short Answer Key:

1. The answer should include specific details to Neely Tucker lived in a poor predominately black American state. It should also include that some of Tuckers best friends like Theron (who is black and worked in the store with him) were his best friends. Tucker also said he connected with Vita more than anyone and shared a sense of culture with her. He had deep roots in the South with "old school southern courtesies" Which implies that he has respect and manners as he pulls on Vita's jacket for blacks. It could also include Neely's values mentioned throughout the book on race.

Essential Question Answer Key:

In the book, __Love in the Driest Season__, Neely Tucker states that family is, "something that goes beyond bloodlines and shared last names." This means that you don't have to be genetically connected to each other to be family. It's love and connections that make a family. Early on in the book Tucker talks about how his father was abandon by his blood father Clayton Tucker. Neely had been told that Pete Gasaway was his grandfather but he was anything but that. He was not his fathers blood father but the way he loved and treated his family made him kin. It talks about how Tucker admires his grandfather Pete because he helped his father fix his collar on their wedding day and he spent every Thanksgiving together. (Just a few examples of kindness and love). This attitude that family can be anyone who you create a loving connection with, they are there for support and to care for you can be very important in an adoption. The kid wont have your last name or your hair color or eye color necessarily but if you love them and care for them then they will become family. You have to have this sense of mind when adopting a child because they won't be naturally apart of your family you don't "have to love them" you choose to. Like Tucker who realized a sense of family when he was walking Chipo in the stroller and people were asking him if that was someone else's kid and he replied no its my daughter and realized she was family because he loved her and would do anyting for her.