Writers on Strike

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Screenwriters Take to Picket Lines as Strike Begins." The article states, "About 75 members of Writers Guild East set up a picket line at Rockefeller Center, just above the fabled ice rink. Picketers chanted: 'No money? No downloads. No downloads? No peace.'" "More than 12,000 movie and television writers represented by the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East walked out today, after three months of acrimonious negotiations proved fruitless. It is the first industrywide strike by writers since 1988; that strike lasted five months and cost the entertainment industry an estimated $500 million."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children

• Have your students ever written a letter, either in traditional or electronic form, to somebody? To whom did they write? What did they write? Do students think it is important to be able to write? Why/why not?
  
• Consider inviting students to write a letter to one of their family members that they can give to them after school.
  
• Ask students to identify their favorite movies and/or television shows? Do students think it would be fun to tell the actors/actresses what to say? Why/why not? If students could tell any television character what to say who would they tell? What would they tell this individual?
  
• Students could create lines for a skit of their own.
  
• Have students ever given somebody the silent treatment? Why did they give somebody the silent treatment? Have they ever been given the silent treatment by somebody else? How did it feel to be given the silent treatment?
  
• Ask students if they can think of any better ways to let somebody else know how they feel other than by giving them the silent treatment. The class might develop a list of options for communicating feelings.
  
• Ask students if they think it's possible to let somebody know something by drawing pictures instead of writing words. Can students think of any pictures that tell stories?
  
• Consider challenging students to draw pictures that have messages.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Avert; Guild; Acrimonious; and, Unison.
  
• Ask students if they think think it's appropriate for well paid writers to strike in the hopes of earning even greater income. What questions do students think should be answered before offering an intelligent response to this question.
  
• Students might research the questions that they consider important and develop answers to the questions posed here in small groups.
  
• In what ways do students think that professional writers contribute to the culture of the country in which they live? Do students think that writing is important for cultural development? Why/why not?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.
  
• Ask students to imagine a conversation between the head of the writers guild and their employers, who obviously want the strike to end. What might be said in this discussion?
  
• Students could write scripts for such a discussion.