(since I can’t draw, I’ll have to write it out as a playscript)
FRAME ONE: “CONTENT”
(A mother and a child are in a park. The child has misbehaved. Perhaps he has thrown all of his orange juice onto the grass. The child has a history of throwing orange juice onto the grass, and the mother has told him many times not to do it again. The last time it happened, she said she would yell at him if it happened again. Now she has to follow through)
MOTHER: (in a calm voice) What did I say? Did I say I would yell at you if you did that again? Well I am yelling at you. I am yelling at you right now. Don’t ever do that again. Do you like it when I yell at you? I am yelling at you, and you deserve it.
FRAME TWO: “FORM AND CONTENT”
(same scenario as Frame One)
MOTHER: (shouting at the top of her lungs and pointing her finger at the child) WHAT DID I SAY? DID I SAY I WOULD YELL AT YOU IF YOU DID THAT AGAIN? WELL I AM YELLING AT YOU. I AM YELLING AT YOU RIGHT NOW. DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN. DO YOU LIKE IT WHEN I YELL AT YOU? I AM YELLING AT YOU, AND YOU DESERVE IT!
FRAME THREE: “FORM”
(same scenario as Frames One and Two)
MOTHER (shouting at the top of her lungs and pointing her finger at the child): AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE FACE THE DIFFICULTIES OF TODAY AND TOMORROW, I STILL HAVE A DREAM! IT IS A DREAM DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE AMERICAN DREAM. I HAVE A DREAM THAT ONE DAY THIS NATION WILL RISE UP AND LIVE OUT THE TRUE MEANING OF ITS CREED: "WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL!
Epilogue: The child in the second and third frames does not repeat the same transgression the following day. The child in the first frame, however, does.
A bonus question for the reader: If you replace “child” with “dog” in these three scenarios (and orange juice with feces, let’s say), in which frame(s) will the dog learn not to repeat the transgression? Why?
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