Finding Forrester Page #7

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That's not part of the poem.

''And bade it blossom there.''

Anyone?

A little more early morning

reticence than usual.

Mr. Coleridge.

Please.

Mr. Coleridge...

...how many students would you say

we have here today?

l'm not sure.

Perhaps you could

humor us with a guess.

-Thirty?

-Thirty.

And of that 30, there isn't one person

who knows the author of that passage.

l find that remarkable.

Don't you, Mr. Coleridge?

Perhaps we should back into this.

ln looking at this, what, if any,

conclusions might we be able to draw?

You mean about the author?

About anything.

Do any of the words

strike you as unusual?

Feel free to view this as

the appropriate time for a response.

''Ere.''

''Ere.'' And why is that unusual?

Because...

...it sounds old.

lt does sound old, doesn't it?

And you know why

it sounds old, Mr. Coleridge?

Because it is old.

More than 200 years old.

Written before your father was born,

before your father's father was born.

But that still does not

excuse the fact...

...that you don't know who wrote it,

now does it, Mr. Coleridge?

l'm sorry, sir, l don't--

You, of all people in this room,

should know who wrote that passage.

And do you know why, Mr. Coleridge?

l repeat, do you know why?

Just say your name, man.

Did you have something

to contribute, Mr. Wallace?

l just said that

he should say his name.

And why would it be helpful

for Mr. Coleridge to say his name?

Because that's who wrote it.

Very good, Mr. Wallace.

Perhaps your skills...

...do extend a bit farther

than basketball.

lf we can turn to page--

You may be seated, Mr. Coleridge.

Turn to page 1 20

in the little blue book that--

Further.

l'm sorry?

Don't.

You said my skills extend ''farther''

than the basketball court.

''Farther'' relates to distance.

''Further'' is a definition of degree.

-You should have said ''further.''

-Are you challenging me, Mr. Wallace?

No more than you challenged Coleridge.

Perhaps the challenge

should have been directed elsewhere.

''lt is a melancholy truth that even--''

''--great men have poor relations.''

Dickens.

''You will hear the beat of--''

Kipling.

-''All great truths begin--''

-Shaw.

-''Man is the only animal--''

-''--that blushes...

''...or needs to.''

lt's Mark Twain.

Come on, Professor Crawford--

Get out!

Get out.

Yeah. l'll get out.

-Leave it alone.

-Hold on, please.

So they kick you out

if you know something here?

You don't know what Crawford will do.

You're right about that.

Jamal!

-Do you think you should apologize?

-No.

-Do you?

-No.

You did nothing wrong.

Just beat him at his own game.

But...

...it would be a good time

to be careful.

Careful? Careful about what?

You have a gift that will allow you to

do remarkable things with your life.

That is, if you don't screw it up...

...by being a 1 6-year-old

right now.

-Jamal.

-Yeah.

-You got a call from the office.

-All right.

Mr. Wallace. Please.

As you know, Professor Matthews

is on the faculty board.

And Dr. Spence is chair

of the trustees board.

We've been reviewing the writing

competition submissions.

We were hoping you might clarify some

points concerning your submission.

''A Season of Faith's Perfection.''

Your piece, correct?

Yeah, that's it.

Mr. Wallace, it is standard policy

with us to ask students...

...if they wish to credit

any source material...

...or acknowledge any other writers

when turning in an assignment.

Do you wish to do that?

1 960.

An essay titled

''Baseball's Best Year''...

...with a subtitle that reads

''A Season of Faith's Perfection.''

Published in The New Yorker

and written by...

...one William Forrester.

Your version is actually

quite original...

...but there is the title

and first paragraph to consider.

lsn't there?

Jamal, either you happen to have...

...the permission

of William Forrester, or....

Have you some other explanation?

No.

That's my paper.

Well, then,

your entry is now withdrawn...

...and it becomes a matter

for the board to consider.

The board does have the authority

to place you on academic probation...

...which would, among other things,

prevent you from playing basketball.

Since the board doesn't meet

till next week...

...you can play in this

weekend's state championship.

But l have to warn you, the board has

a history of taking these matters...

...quite seriously.

So we would like to suggest

what we feel...

...is a solution that

may satisfy these concerns.

Robert.

What matters most is to ensure

this type of violation isn't repeated.

So...

...you will write an apology to the

students you took advantage of...

...by submitting this piece.

-You'll read it in front of my class.

-l'm not reading anything.

Then l'm sure the board will consider

that when reviewing your scholarship.

You haven't left us

with too many options, Jamal.

Excuse me.

Don't ever embarrass me

in front of my class.

Please return the pen

when you're finished.

No conventional greetings today?

Why have me rewrite

something you published?

-Be careful where you take this.

-Why not tell me some magazine ran it?

Why the hell does it matter?

Man, you should have told me.

What did you do with it?

l turned it in.

l turned it in.

l had to show them something.

You promised me anything we wrote

in here would stay in here.

l know!

-l just thought--

-Shut up.

What are they telling you?

l go on probation unless l write

a letter saying l was wrong.

Then write the letter.

l said l'm not writing anything.

You got him, he gets you.

Write the letter.

And you'd let him do that?

ls this supposed to be

another damn lesson?

l'm tired of all these lessons

every time l come here.

So your title's

at the top of my paper.

-What's the lesson in that?

-l'm not the one who turned it in.

Yeah, but you were the one

who just had to say:

''Keep this one here because

it got printed in The New Yorker.''

That's all you had to say, man.

-l could use some help on this one.

-Oh, no. That's not an option.

-You don't even have to go--

-l said that's not an option.

That's all right, man.

Got a nice history

of people not helping me.

Oh, Christ. Not that self-pity,

father bullshit.

What did you say?

Man, f*** you, William!

The real bullshit

is me taking it on this one...

...because you won't

walk out the door...

...and do something for somebody else.

You're too damn scared, man!

That's the only damn reason.

You don't know

a goddamn thing about reasons.

There are no reasons!

Reasons why some of us live

and why some of us don't.

Fortunately, you have decades

to figure that out.

What's the reason for having a cabinet

full of writing nobody ever reads?

What is that, man?

l'm done with this sh*t.

Give him the ball again.

Oh, look. Jamal Wallace,

here to pay us a visit.

What's up?

-What's up, man?

-What's up, y'all?

Come on.

l know, l know. l've seen it.

How's your first game

in the Garden feel?

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