Historical Story: Bulletproof

https://drive.google.com/a/happyrwe.com/file/d/0B-4uV4cW03_ETDBwQVAyWUdUeUU/view?usp=sharing

(Note: there is a change in the script in the action paragraphs.  "Washington" and "Revolutionary Soldier" should all read as "Washington.")

First, a comment on the process taken to create Bulletproof: The first step was deciding what direction we wanted to take with “British Washington hunter” during the Revolutionary War. After initial research and discussion, the story became entirely different than previously imagined. The story was to be narrated by an Indian Chief recounting to Washington his attempts at killing him during the French and Indian War. Countless sources all shared the story (perhaps false) of an unnamed Indian Chief prophesying that Washington would one day be revered by a great nation. It sounded excellent. One of us wrote an action script, and the other, narration. While interesting, the two individual processes did not produce a cohesive narrative. The action alone was exciting, while the narration approached absurdity. This was the copy taken to class for work-shopping. With additional notes on what worked in the script and what did not, an entirely new draft was composed. It instead takes on an entirely new context and drama surrounding the same unbeatable George Washington.

We’ll jump right into an analysis of Thomas, the protagonist, and his relation to the context of the story, ~1775 colonial America. With the Revolutionary War in full swing, political strife involving true Revolutionaries and Loyalists was taking place. (see http://www.ushistory.org/us/13c.asp). Angsty Thomas sides with the belief of his father, providing his brash and brazen attempts to stem the tide of the war in favor of the British. With passion that a teen can easily garner, Thomas drives our narrative’s message deeper (that Washington and the Revolutionaries were essentially destined to triumph). By having our vulnerable protagonist on the losing side, we feel that this message is greater emphasized and portrayed in a different light: what about the people who did not want to shuck British rule?

As an aside, some “creative liberties” were taken in the crafting of our script. The Battle of the Wilderness, for example, was not a battle that took place during the Revolutionary War, but rather the French and Indian. It provided a direct portrayal of Washington’s invulnerable nature in battle (see http://frenchandindianwar.info/Braddock.htm).

In reference to the reading, “The Veil”, there is an alternative approach, or point of view to the history being discussed. The story does not revolve around General Washington, or even a patriot, but rather, an obscure loyalist boy who would typically be painted as the enemy. This hopefully has many implications, including the youthful effects of parental politics and our sometimes overzealous political objectives.

This piece could also be compared to films like Forest Gump or the Work and the Glory novels, which place a fictional protagonist against the backdrop of historical events. The aforementioned film even uses archival footage as a literal backdrop for some events. This fictional telling of historical events operates in a way that can help the reader to delve deeper into real history, which was the effect that both mentioned works had on many. It could also be discussed the possibly negative implications that such a telling of history could bear, although it is not necessarily so. Hopefully those that read this piece do not find it mythical, but rather a channel through which history can be seen newly, and revisited thoughtfully; all of this in the context of a worthwhile story.