TheCop and The Anthem

Story Information

The Cop and The Anthem is a short novel by O. Henry's, this novel shows thatthe police is the tolerance of criminalityand the punishment of the innocent behavior. And This story has only one character named soapy, a homeless man. As winter is coming, soapy faces the urgent necessity of finding a shelter to provide against the coming rigor. The ambitions of soapy were not of the highest. In them were no considerations of Meditterranean vacations or drifting in the Vesuvian Bay. All he wants was a warm prison in the island of Blackwell; he expects to be arrest so that he could live in the warm prison during the cold season. Therefore he does many efforts to commit an act that will get him in jail, only to find that is not as easy as it used to be.

Soapy did various evil things in order to enter the prison: he set foot inside a café for a free meal but he failed in water’s sharp eyes. The water has driven him away. He ever dashed a cobblestone into a glass but the policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue ; then Soapy successfully had a big meal in a restaurant which was of no great pretentions yet he was just beaten instead of being sent to a prison; he ever lured a women in order to be arrested by the policeman, but the woman was a prostitute and Soapy failed to be arrested by the policeman again; then Soapy began to yell drunken gibberish at the top of his harsh voice, however, the policeman disregarded him as a Yale student and forgave him; in a cigar store he took a man’s umbrella in public yet that man was not the true owner of it, too, Soapy failed again.

However, when Soapy stands on the street, with an anthem flies into his ears from the church, Soapy determined to start with a clean state and plans his future. In the end, a policeman arrested him for his being idleness. He succeeded in going on his

Reflection

Personally speaking, we should give some help to beggars, but they should be self-reliance. Nowadays, there much philanthropy to provide free services to beggars. However, there still beggars exist. Our parents arranged everything for us as if we needn’t to work hard. There might be many reasons contributed to it. The biggest one I think is that we take everything for granted. Even a homeless man like soapy knows that if not in coin you must pay in humiliation of spirit for every benefit received at the hands of philanthropy. How can we take everything for granted.So we should not take everything for granted, we should try our best to realizeself-value. As a saying goes, we can not be a man who enjoys the fruits of other people's labour, reap without sowing.

第二篇：6人左右的英文剧本 The cop and the anthem

The cop and the anthem( 警察与赞美诗)

P—policeman T—thief S—shop manager O—old man W—waiter

At the gate of a prison

(P: policeman 1 T: thief )

P: (pulling the thief out of the gate) Ah, Mr. Black! It’s time to say goodbye! T: But officer! I want to stay here in prison. It’s too cold, and I have no place to stay. Let me stay here in prison! (walking into the gate)

P: (pushing him away) Get out! You lazy thief! Go and look for a job! You’ll have some food and a room to live in.

T: But what can I do ? I can’t do anything.

P: That’s your problem. We can’t help you.

( The wind starts to blow hard and the thief trembles with cold.)

Outside a shop

T: Oh, here’s a shop. The shop window is large and bright. I know what to do. (He picks up a stone and throws it at the window. The window is broken.. Then he walks about with his hands in his pocket and whistles)

S: (Running to the window) Hey! What’s happening? Who broke the window? T: I did!

S: What? You? You broke the window?

T: Yes, of course, I broke the window a minute ago.

S: Go away! What do you think I am?

T: I think you are a shop manager and you should catch me! I am the one who broke the window.

S: If you had broken it, you wouldn’t be standing here now! Get out of my way! (pushing him away)

T: (running after him) But I did it ! I did it! (sighing) Oh, he is gone. It’s no use. I have to try again.

Near the chair in a park

(An old man is sleeping in a chair. The thief notices him, walks near him and takes away the bag from him.)

O: (jumping up) Hey! What are you doing? That’s my bag!

T; Yes, your bag . Now it’s in my hand. Go and tell the policeman!

O: (Getting back his bag and catching the thief) Come with me to the police station!

T: Thank you, sir. Thank you.

O: (surprised) What?

T: You know I have no food and no home. And it’s getting colder and colder. So I want to stay in prison. Please help me.

P: (Feeling pity for him) Oh, what a poor man! Let me help you. I have some bread and some money. Don’t be a thief anymore. Poor man, poor man! ( He gives the thief some bread and some money, then leaves)

T: ( worried ) But what should I do ? Where should I go this evening?

In a Restaurant

(W: waitress T: Thief)

W: Good morning, sir!

T: Good morning!

W: Sit down, please. Here’s the menu. What will you have?

T: At first, I’d like a bowl of vegetable soup.

W: (writing down) A bowl of vegetable soup.

T: Then I’ll have some steak and chicken. At last, I’ll have a cup of coffee and a cigar.

W: Steak, chicken, coffee and a cigar. Er, excuse me, but this is a very big meal. Do you have enough money?

T: What?! What did you say? Do you often ask such questions?

W: I’m sorry. I’ll bring your food right away.

(Later, the thief eats up all his food)

W: Was everything all right, sir?

T: The food was very nice. I like it very much.

W: Thank you, sir. Here’s your bill, sir. Twenty dollars, please.

T: Very well, but now, I want to tell you that I haven’t twenty dollars. I don’t even have forty cents.

W: I see, will you come with me, please?

T: (standing up and following the waitress) Of course. The policeman is waiting for me, isn’t he ?

(Two men appear suddenly and walk to the thief )

T: I… I… don’t understand , Who are they?

“ We are the people you are waiting for ! ”

(They give the thief a good beating.)

In front of a church

( The thief stands outside of the church and listens to the music of “Silent Night”)

T: What beautiful music! I often listened to it when I was a boy. Ah! How

different my life is! But look at me now! What am I? Who am I? Oh, I don’t want to be a thief! I want to be a good man now. I’m not old. I’m going to work. I can help the others.

( A blind man appears. The thief helps him walk across the street.) B: It’s very kind of you.

( A lady drops her purse. The thief picks it up and gives it back to her.) (later, a policeman comes)

P: Hey! You! What are you doing here?

T: Nothing, just listening to the music.

P: Listening to the music?

T: Yes, I’m just standing here and listening to the music.

P: Oh, no. Didn’t I see you this morning? Of course! You are the one who was standing near that broken window. I think you broke the window after all!

(The thief runs away quickly. Two other policemen run after him and catch him by the arm..

T: (shouting desperately) But officer! I’ not a thief now! I don’t want to be a thief any more! I’m a good man now ! I’m a good man!

(The music of “silent night” echoes on the stage.)