INTRODUCTION TO FILM
FORREST GUMP
NAME PERIOD _____________
A special note on language usage: Since much of the movie is narrated by Forrest, you
should be careful to not internalize the ungrammatical aspects of his personal way of
speaking. Aside from the obvious use of "double-negatives," Forrest also tends to
conjugate the past tense of "to be" incorrectly, saying "we was" instead of "we were."
Southern Words and Expressions that You may not Know in relation to the
film, Forrest Gump.
Forrest Arrives in town to see Jenny, and soon tells he story of
his early life to anyone who happens to be on the bus stop bench...
DEFINE THE FOLLOWING UNDERLINED TERMS, PHRASES, SIMILES,
EXPRESSIONS, EVENTS, PERSON IDENTIFICATIONS OR
COLLOQUIALISMS BY USING IN A SENTENCE OR GIVING AN
EXAMPLE.
1. ”I'll bet you can walk all day in shoes like that and never feel anything”.
(DEFINE AND USE IN A SENTENCE)
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2. “His back is as crooked as a politician.” (WHAT DOES THIS SIMILE
MEAN)
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3. “They were in the Ku Klux Klan. They dressed up like a
bunch of ghosts or spooks or something.” (DEFINE)
A.
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B.
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4. “What are you all staring at?” (DEFINE)
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5. “He has braces on his legs. “(DEFINE)
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6. Green Bough, Alabama (what relation does it have to the film?)
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7. “Mama decided to let those rooms out.” (DEFINE)
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8. “Your boy is different: His IQ is 75.” (DEFINE)
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9. “He might be a bit on the slow side.” (INTERPRET)
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10. “Your Mama sure does care about your schooling.” (DEFINE)
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On the way to school, Forrest meets the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen, or ever would.
11. “It's funny what a young man recollects.” (DEFINE)
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12. “My legs are just fine and dandy.” (INTERPRET)
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13. "Stupid is as stupid does." (INTERPRET)
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14. “We was like peas and carrots.” (INTERPRET)
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15. “I showed her how to dangle.” (DEFINE)
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Forrest runs from the local bullies, and
soon learns he can run like the wind...
16. “Her mama had gone to heaven when I was five.” (INTERPRET)
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17. “Just a local idiot.” (INTERPRET)
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While in college, Forrest finds himself involved in a world going
through great social changes, as Jenny prepares to follow her dreams.
18. Federal troops [are] enforcing a court order from President Kennedy at the
University of Alabama. (IDENTIFY THIS INCIDENT, DATE, WHO
WAS INVOLVED, ETC.)
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19. Coons, Niggers. (DEFINE)
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20. The Commander of the National Guard and Governor Wallace.
(IDENTIFY)
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B.
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21. “The University of Alabama had been desegregated.” (DEFINE)
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22. “I want to be a singer like Joan Baez.” (IDENTIFY, be specific!)
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Forrest meets his first US. President, and then soon after,
finds himself in the US. Army with his new friend, Bubba.
23. “You're not even a scum-sucking maggot!”
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24. “It was my induction day and I was already getting yelled at.” (DEFINE)
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25. “Have you ever been on a shrimping boat?”
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26. “I was looking to buy a boat on my own and then I got drafted.”(DEFINE)
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27. “People call me Bubba, just like one of them redneck boys.”
(DEFINE)
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B.
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Jenny goes off to live her dream as a folk singer,
and Forrest goes off to the Vietnam War.
28. “Our very own beatnik beauty: (DEFINE)
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29. “Do not salute! There's god damn snipers all around who would love to
grease an officer.” (DEFINE)
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B.
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C.
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Forrest learns the horror of war: He loses one friend, but saves another.
30. “Two standing orders in this platoon.” (DEFINE)
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B.
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31. “Mayday! Pull back! Run, god damn it!” (DEFINE)
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32. “We got Charley all over this area.” (DEFINE in relation to the war)
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33. “They're going to nape the whole area!” (DEFINE in relation to the war)
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Forrest returns to America as a war hero, but
Lieutenant Dan is not even sure he wants to return.
34. “Never take your eyes off the ball.” (INTERPRET)
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35. Ping Pong made me look like a duck in water. (INTERPRET)
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36. You've been awarded the Medal of Honor. (IDENTIFY)
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Forrest Goes to Washington, and finds a
nation in turmoil. He also finds Jenny.
37. “That's right on, man. You said it all!” (DEFINE)
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38. “Were here to protect our black leaders from the racial onslaught of
the pigs.” (DEFINE )
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39. “He's the President of the Berkeley Chapter of SDS.”(IDENTIFY)
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40. “Sorry that we had a fight, Black Panther Party.” (IDENTIFY)
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41. “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
(WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS QUOTE AND ON WHAT OCCASION?)
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Lieutenant Dan begins to make Peace with his destiny, and with Forest.
42. When I got home, I was a national celebrity, more famous than Captain
Kangaroo. (IDENTIFY)
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43. “That's all these cripples down at the VA ever talk about.” (IDENTIFY)
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44. “You might want to send a maintenance man across the way at the
Watergate Hotel. The lights are out but they're using flashlights that are
keeping me awake.” (IDENTIFY AND WHAT HAPPENED THERE)
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Forrest leaves the army, buys a Shrimp Boat in order to keep his
promise to Bubba, and then gets very lucky with Lieutenant Dan.
45. “Your discharge papers. Your service is up.” (DEFINE)
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46. “I'll be your first mate. I am a man of my word.” (INTERPRET)
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47. “Bubba-Gump Shrimp: It's a household name.” (DEFINE AND GIVE
AND EXAMPLE)
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Forrest returns home to be with Mama.
48. “Death is part of life. Something we're all destined to do.” (DEFINE)
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Jenny returns to be with Forrest, only to leave again, and thus Forrest
begins his cross-country journey to discover the meaning of life.
49. “Have a nice day”. (WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THIS EXPRESSION?)
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Forrest and Jenny reunite for the last time. Forrest soon
suffers his greatest sadness, and receives his greatest gift...
50. “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to
get.” (INTERPRET THE QUOTE)
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