UGAMUNC XXV. The Great Gatsby

Transcription

1 UGAMUNC XXV The Great Gatsby

2 Dear Delegates, It s my pleasure to welcome you all the to the twenty-fifth annual UGA Model United Nations Conference, UGAMUNC XXV. We hope that your experience at this conference will teach you a little bit more about the time period of this committee, different tactics of negotiation, or even just a little more about yourselves! As in the Great Gatsby Crisis Committee at UGAMUNC, you ll be experiencing things a bit differently than your fellow high school delegates. But before we explain further, I would like to introduce myself, as well as my chair and co-chair. My name is Meredith Van De Velde (meredithvandevelde@uga.edu), and I am a second-year Computer Science and International Affairs double major at UGA. I ve been involved in Model UN for five years, both in high school and in college. I m the Head delegate of the UGA Model United Nations team, helping to train the team for collegiate competitions. Although I keep a busy schedule, in my free time, I like to run and bake (and eat!) desserts. Your chair for the weekend will be Alexandria Johnson. Alex is a senior from Augusta, Ga with a pursuing a major in international affairs and a minor in Arabic. This is her fourth year on the Model UN team. She is currently the Programming Director for the National Council of Negro Women and a project assistant at the Center for Family Research. Following her graduation Alexandria plans to pursue a graduate degree and career in public policy. When not tucked away

3 in the international law library or class you can find her running on trails by the IM Fields, reading biographies, watching Netflix or cheering on the Dawgs. Your co-chair for the weekend will be Ian Allen. Ian is a second year International Affairs and Journalism double major. This year is is very first Model UN experience. He has I tentions of going into the field of international law, so he pursued Model UN in order to better prepare himself for the field. In his free time, Ian enjoys exercising, landscape photography, and working on the YA novel he has hopes of one day publishing. Positions papers will be required for this committee in order to receive an award. The due date for position papers is February 1st.Your position paper should explain what approach your character will take including both personal actions or how you plan to interact with other delegates. Qualifying position papers for this committee will be one page and single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, as well as a standard and consistent citation format of your choosing (i.e. MLA, Chicago, etc.). We know that you ll all do a fantastic job bringing your role to life in conference. If you have any questions please don t hesitate to contact us. From now until UGAMUNC, start delving deeper into your character and building your crisis arc. We can t wait to see you all in action. Once again, welcome to UGAMUNC XXV! Sincerely, Meredith Van De Velde Crisis Director, The Great Gatsby

4 Starting Scenario: January 1, 1922, New York City: Each member of this committee has just left a fabulous New Year s Eve party held at the home of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy aristocrat known in the city for throwing the grandest parties. But Gatsby isn t the only young man trying to gain popular favor. Wall Street stock brokers, oil tycoons, political elites, and even young women are all fighting for the same praise and success as Gatsby currently holds, and they ll do anything to get there. But the path isn t as simple as it looks. The rise of bootlegging in the time has created a dangerous environment of gangs in the city, and these gangs hold more power than one might expect. Even those who once had no chance of climbing the social ladder can improve their economic standing in new ways, particularly through illicit, sneaky, or conniving activities. Simply put, it doesn t matter how you get your money. The only thing anyone cares about is that you have it and that you spend it to host the wildest parties of the decade. Your goal in this committee is to increase your overall social standing to become the wealthiest, most talked-about, or most influential member of the New York aristocracy, by whatever means necessary. Because who you know is everything, this may involve working with other committee delegates to take down those higher in the social ladder. You ll also have to take into account other societal problems of the decade, from the foreshadowing of a global economic crisis to protests over civil rights. Taking all these factors into account, it s up to you to come out on top. Questions to consider while preparing for the committee: What was my role during this time and in relativity to this group? Are there any other characters in this committee to whom my character might be close? o How should I go about working with these individuals? What types of issues will members of this body most likely encounter? o Consider issues of the times and any issues by which your character might be directly impacted. What kind of influence do we want to have as a body on the history of the time? Is there anything we want to change about the way history played out? What is my goal in this committee? How do I plan to accomplish it? What kind of decisions will I make along the way to achieve this goal? These questions are a good place to start when beginning to craft your plan for this weekend. They will help you to have a good idea about the goals of your character and the committee. The format of this committee may lead you to believe that the most important aspect is your behindthe-scenes work as a character through crisis. However, the best delegates in a crisis committee find the balance between work writing directives and policy in response to crisis updates presented to the committee and work involving crisis notes that further your character s short and long-term goals in committee.

5 Background of Committee: The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in the year Fitzgerald published several other books before Gatsby, but as demonstrated from its continued fame today, it was by far his biggest success as a writer. The Great Gatsby was hailed as a critique of classism and frivolousness of the 1920 s in the United States. Fitzgerald crafted a character in Jay Gatsby that would be hailed for decades as one of the greatest tragic heroes in American literature, and he gave readers across decades the experience of stepping foot into the magical life of the Jazz Age. 2 In The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway, the novel s narrator, moves to New York in 1922 and is thrust into the social circles of New York elite. He maintains some obvious judgement and disdain for every character he meets, including title character Jay Gatsby, a newly wealthy war veteran known for his lavish parties who is desperately in love with a married woman, named Daisy Buchanan. Daisy and Tom Buchanan are also enigmas to Nick, as they stay married but both seem interested in other people. Other notable characters in the book include Jordan Baker and Meyer Wolfsheim, among others. Many speculate that Fitzgerald wrote himself into a bit of both Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, but there is no actual proof behind either of those statements. Fitzgerald and narrator character Nick both were from Minnesota and highly educated, but felt rather excluded from the inner circles of society. In contrast, Fitzgerald s personal love life very closely resembles Gatsby s. Fitzgerald joined the army and met a young woman in Alabama with whom he fell in love, just as Jay Gatsby did in the novel. However, in the end, Fitzgerald did marry that woman, whereas Gatsby chased her for the rest of his life. 3 Despite the fact that these connections between Fitzgerald and his novel are purely speculative, one thing we are sure that F. Scott Fitzgerald pulled from his personal life was his experience with 1920 s New York City and modern America in general. U.S. History of the 1920 s The American 1920 s were characterized by dramatic change. For the first time in the country s history, more people live in cities than rural areas. Rapid economic growth escorted in an age of consumerism. This urbanization and consumerism combined to create a common culture of the time, during which a person on one end of the country could buy the same thing as another, thanks to the invention of the department store. 4 And even though most of the change in the nation brought about conflict, for young adults like those in The Great Gatsby, cities brought a world of adventure. 1 SparkNotes. Accessed October 16, Study.com. Accessed October 16, Ibid. 4 "The Roaring Twenties History." History.com. Accessed October 16,

6 Flappers are one of the trademark idols of the Roaring Twenties, representing the newest wave of feminism. Flappers wore short skirts and short haircuts, a stark contrast from decades past. They were known to say unladylike things and do unladylike things like drinking, gambling, and smoking. But outside of the popular view of feminism, women in 1920 s America gained more rights in that decade than they ever had before. 1922, the year in which The Great Gatsby was set, was only two years after women received the right to vote. 5 In addition, more women were in the workforce in the 1920s than ever before, able to make their own living independent of a man. 6 Another major milestone of 1920 s America was prohibition, or the act of outlawing the sale of liquor under the 18th amendment to the constitution. This amendment was closely followed by the Volstead Act, which shut down every bar, club, and tavern. 7 These laws were intended to control the presumed unruly immigrants coming from Europe to the United States, but instead, these laws only funded underground smuggling rings worth millions. This was characterized as bootlegging, the illicit smuggling and sale of alcohol, which created and funded mom bosses such as the popular Al Capone. 8 Before long, illegal production and sale of liquor was almost the new norm. Underground speakeasies were the new bars, and these places only funded the gun-toting gangs that began to gain power in cities like Chicago and New York. 9 Gangs were only a natural extension of prohibition. With the outside world turning toward an economic depression, many individuals turned toward organized crime to stay afloat. These gangs were so successful that some of the most popular ones were valued in their communities for their contributions to local charities. 10 Most groups, however, we appreciated by the bartenders and ordinary folks who purchased their illegally smuggled liquor and lived like Gatsby. Economic Downturn On Black Friday of 1929, the infamous stock market crash plummeted the American economy into the Great Depression, where it would remain for the following ten years. 11 However, there were almost no warning signs of the crisis before 1928, when the glimpses of a tight monetary policy by the Federal Reserve were having an effect. Currency markets simply could not uphold the gold-standard on the American dollar, and when banks began to fail, the Golden Age that once was the Roaring 20s officially came to an end. 5 Mackrell, Judith. "The 1920s: 'Young Women Took the Struggle for Freedom into Their Personal Lives'." The Guardian. February 05, Accessed October 16, "The Roaring Twenties History." History.com. Accessed October 16, Ibid. 8 "Bootlegging." National Museum of American History. January 10, Accessed October 16, Ibid

7

8 Rules and Procedure: While other delegates at UGAMUNC may be placed in traditional General Assembly-style Model United Nations committees, the Great Gatsby committee at UGAMUNC is formatted as a crisis committee. While you should still familiarize yourself with the UGAMUNC Rules and Procedure to brush up on parliamentary procedure, this committee will vary from the typical format. Please familiarize yourself with the following rules specific to this committee, and once again, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to meredithvandevelde@uga.edu. 1. This committee is only loosely based on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is considered a historical crisis committee rather than a purely fictional crisis committee. As a result, while some of the characters present in the body will be characters from The Great Gatsby, others will be made-up characters created as if they existed in Gatsby s universe, but weren t mentioned in the book. There simply aren t enough major characters in the novel to create a committee of a reasonable size, but regardless of whether your character exists in the book, every member of this body has been given equal voting rights. 2. While this is a historical committee, you have the freedom to alter history. This committee is to be set in New York City and the surrounding suburbs in the year 1922, just as The Great Gatsby was set. While members of this body should consider any events that took place prior to New Year s Day 1922 as historical facts in this committee, any events that occurred after that date will not automatically occur. Characters in this body have a chance to rewrite fate in the manner they choose. 3. Utilize crisis notes to accomplish your goals in committee and craft your crisis arc. While the main method of negotiation in a typical General Assembly-style committee stems from typical speaking time work in committee, in a crisis committee, much of the work you do will be on your own through crisis notes. These are letters that your character will write to crisis, a body outside of the committee room, to accomplish something without the committee s knowledge. A good crisis note not only explains, in detail, what to do, but it also explains very specifically how to do it. These notes will be addressed to a fictional person that has some relation to your character. Crisis will answer these notes as if they were this fictional person, responding as that person would under the circumstances from the context you set out. Only address a note to crisis if you have a question about the way committee is going. There are many fantastic resources that better explain crisis notes in detail, but a starting point can be found here: 4. Because this is a crisis-style committee, write directives, not resolutions. Although they are very similar, directives are the typical formal paper written in a crisis committee, not resolutions. Directives are less formal, normally titled, and generally more straightforward. They are intended to utilize the powers present in the committee quickly address the crisis at hand or any related issues.

9 5. Represent your understanding of your character. Because these characters never lived, it is up to you as a delegate to take your character description and create a full personality. Each character is unique, and therefore has unique goals and relationships among members of the committee. That being said, be sure to represent your character s beliefs and not simply your own. While you may not be prepared for the updates which crisis will present to you, you can at least understand the character you have been assigned and react to crisis in the way they would. 6. Attempt to be historically accurate. Because this is a historical committee, it is expected that all delegates will act in a manner that suits the time period. We d like you to understand the location and time period in which the committee is set, and this might require doing prior research. This also means that some convenient technologies may not have been invented yet, and are therefore not available in committee. For example, texting a friend via a crisis note would be impossible, but calling them on the telephone is fine. 7. Read the book (or at least watch one of the movies) before coming to committee. This is just as much for your benefit as it is for everyone else in the committee. Although not every committee member will be based on a character from The Great Gatsby, it is expected that you are familiar with all character in the novel, as well as the full plot.

10 Members of Committee: A note to delegates: Many of the committee members listed here were not characters in the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. However, this committee is only loosely based on the original The Great Gatsby. All characters listed here were intended to exist in the Gatsby universe, were written to be realistic and tackle some of the social issues of the time, and will be given equal voting rights in the committee. Nick Carraway Nick Carraway grew up in a middle-class home in the northwest. After graduating from Yale, he moved into the house next to Jay Gatsby. Cousin of Daisy Buchanan, Nick is a bond salesman on Wall Street. He is quickly befriended by Gatsby, whom Nick doesn t seem to trust because of his obvious interest in his cousin. While Nick considers himself an honest person, he might just be the newest cutthroat social climber that New York needs. Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, born James Gatz, grew up on his parents farm in the midwest. After attending college in Minnesota, he joins the army. While stationed in Alabama, he meets Daisy Buchanan and becomes completely enthralled. Dedicated and determined, after his time in the army, he works to impress Daisy and build his social standing by means of drug-smuggling and bootlegging, eventually becoming one of the richest men in New York. While his love for Daisy never truly seems to fade, his money and shine is beginning to with the appearance of several new rivals on the scene. Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan, originally Daisy Fay, comes from a wealthy family living in Louisville, Kentucky. Known for her charm, she was courted by several young men before meeting Gatsby in Alabama. She promised to wait for him after the war, but influenced by pressure from her family, she married old-money Tom Buchanan and had a child. Growing slowly sick of her husband, who she suspects is having an affair, and the dramatic pursuit of Gatsby, Daisy might just decide to leave the drama of men behind and make a name for herself on her own. Tom Buchanan Tom Buchanan is an old friend of Nick s from Yale, where he was once a star football player. Powerful, wealthy, and husband of Daisy, he s everything Gatsby wants to be in life, and he comes by it all naturally. However, much like Gatsby, he seems to be living in the past, longing for the days on the field. Still strong, he often can be too rough, and has been known to break a bone or two to get his way. He isn t a kind husband to Daisy, cheating on her with other women mostly so he can exert his dominance.

11 Meyer Wolfsheim A close friend of Gatsby s, Meyer Wolfsheim is one of several links between Gatsby and criminal business in the city. Wolfsheim is a bootlegger, mobster, and racketeer who may have helped men like Gatsby acquire some of their new-money fortunes. Always careful, and at times a little selfish, Wolfsheim is beginning to lose trust in these up-and-comers of the city. He knows he has the connections to make some serious cash in his underground businesses, but it s up to him to translate this wealth into an increased social ranking without an obvious tie to illegal actions that could get him thrown into prison. Jordan Baker A childhood friend of Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker is a professional golfer who criticizes upper-class society. She and Nick begin a relationship soon after he moves to New York. A gossip, Jordan always has dirt on everyone, and isn t afraid to tell it like it is, sometimes even in a cruel manner. She likes to stay in control over her emotions and surroundings, and despite her frequent critiques of those trying to improve their social standing, she, too, wants to be on top. Roxie Roberts Roxie Roberts, born Rosemary Roberts, grew up on Long Island in a rather conservative household, but that didn t stop her from following her dreams to move to the city. Her love for jazz and nightlife called her, but in the daytime, her job as a secretary for a major New York law firm seems much less glamorous. In her free time, though, Roxie is the leader of the city s women s coalition, utilizing her bright and charming personality to make lasting social change and to propel her, as well as other women, into the spotlight. Jane Vincent Jane Vincent hails from small-town Idaho, but came to the city looking for a better job. She works as a telephone operator by day, able to pass long hours by listening in on phone calls for good gossip, but enjoys her fair share of nightlife after work hours. Jane was the first friend Roxie Roberts made when she moved to the city, and soon after they met, Roxie recruited Jane as the Communications Director for the city s women s coalition. She s been known to float in wealthier social circles than one might expect, and has been seen on the arm of the mayor for several social events, even though no one really knew who he was with... Harvey Dixon A recently elected mayor, Harvey Dixon has lived in the city for his entire life. He was raised in a family of businessmen, and used many of his connections from Harvard Business School as endorsements for the election. While campaigning, he promised to reform the city s policies to be harder on crime, but in his few months in office, he s realized just how deeply rooted the issue is, running back even to many of the businessmen who endorsed him.

12 Frances Underwood Frances Underwood hails from a working class family from Brooklyn. Working as the mayor s secretary, Frances sets up all of Mayor Dixon s appointments, organizes his schedule, and takes care of city paperwork. Through her work, Frances has picked up a thing or two about political negotiations, and she s made several of her own contacts. A social climber, Frances is determined to rise through the ranks in city hall and enact some of her own initiatives, and maybe even make enough money to get an upper east side apartment. Wade Wallace Wade Wallace grew up in a well-to-do family from the upper west side, aiming to become an accountant for a major business in the city. When he couldn t make the cut in his classes, he decided to utilize his school connections while he could and become somewhat of a drug smuggler for Columbia students. Even after graduation, New York businessmen came to him looking to turn an extra profit, and he began to form a small circle. Backed by wealthy connections, his group would later become the Daybreak Boys, one of the most notorious gangs in the city, fighting other groups, such as their main rival, the Hudson Dusters. Rosco Dixon Rosco Dixon is the younger brother of recently elected Mayor Harvey Dixon. Despite growing up in the same family as Harvey, Rosco could never keep up with his older brother s success. After dropping out of school, he fell in with some of the original bootleggers in New York, and began to form a bit of a group with them. Rosco aims to become the unofficial leader of the Daybreak Boys, eager to ruin his brother s reputation and build his gang into the greatest group the city has ever seen. Drake Franklin After returning from the Great War, Drake Franklin expected to find a job, settle down, and get back to normal life, but what he got was nothing like that. With the flood of men returning from war, many vacant positions around the city were filled by the time Drake arrived. Instead of a plush life, he ended up on the streets, until he ran into Wade Wallace. With his help, he found a job as a cashier at a department store. In return, Wallace asked for his help with some of his more covert work. Namely, Drake was to be the muscle for the Daybreak Boys on the side, which would provide him with even more money to get on his feet. Armed with his military training and fueled by his desire for normalcy, Drake agreed, hoping to eventually break away and make his own life.

13 Vincent Valentine Vincent Valentine was born in New York City, grew up in foster care, and has struggled to make a living after being passed from family to family. He ended up spending a good portion of his childhood on the streets, and fell in with a group of ruffians that called themselves the Hudson Dusters. Vincent has been fighting for territory and rights ever since he could throw a half-decent punch. After spending so much of his life with the Dusters, he rose through the ranks to become the de facto leader, aiming to stomp out the last of the Daybreak Boys. Sidney Sid Kegley Sid Kegley was one of the first bootleggers on the scene in New York, smuggling illegal liquor to speakeasies and the homes of wealthy clients, able to make a good chunk of change as well as some well-to-do contacts. Sid knows that the laws on bootlegging illegal liquor are about to get even stricter, but if anyone has learned over the years how to hide from the law, it s Sid. He makes a good chunk of money for the Hudson Dusters and reinforces their credibility, but rumor has it he s interested in leaving them to join the Daybreak Boys. Ernest Heywood Although he grew up in a moderately wealthy family, Ernest Heywood fell into substance abuse from a young age. He ran with Vincent Valentine and his crew ever since some of the Hudson Dusters found him getting beaten up on the streets and pulled him out of the fight. Vincent personally took him under his wing, and as Vincent rose in power in the gang, so did Ernest, eventually ending up as Vincent s right hand man. His upper-class connections and decent access to money has backed many of the gang s actions, but now Ernest is starting to wonder if he should try to assert more power among the Dusters, despite his loyalty to Vincent. Clyde Cassidy Clyde Cassidy was one of the most powerful men in Wall Street at one point, until the day his brother died. Clyde and Taylor were always close growing up, and when Taylor got into a sudden automobile accident, it pushed Clyde entirely over the edge. He became an alcoholic, lost his job, and has just received the final notice on the rent for his apartment. Now it s up to Clyde should he pick himself up by his bootstraps and fight to get back to where he once was in life, or should he accept his fate and look for a group to join, maybe the Hudson Dusters, or even the Daybreak Boys?

14 Josephine Joey Bernard Joey always knew she wanted to be a writer when she grew up, but the small-town Massachusetts native never dreamed of getting a writing job at the New York times. From her first piece, she knew she was in the right place. But keeping up with the rumors of 1922 New York is incredibly difficult. She s also learned that she s more powerful than she thinks, after publishing a story on the rumor that the new mayor s family might not be as reputable as they seemed. She s since been offered monetary rewards to keep certain people s names out of the paper, but it s up to her whether it s more important to publish true, hard-hitting stories and be shunned, or avoid the drama to live the lavish city lifestyle of which she once dreamed. Roland Hastings As Editor in Chief for the New York Times, Roland Hastings is one of the most powerful men in New York, not because of his access to money, but because of his power to spin a story. His most recent hire, however, is giving him trouble. Ever since Joey published the piece on Mayor Dixon and the rumors about his family, he s been receiving angry calls left and right from various moguls around town. He was confident about his hiring Josephine earlier, a woman with such good looks and charisma, but now he wonders if any woman should be writing the news and have the ability to spread such nasty gossip in the first place. Roy Acworth Police Chief Roy Ackworth has been working with NYPD for over 15 years now, and is known for his thorough investigations and somewhat rough methods for dealing with criminals. After the recent election of Mayor Harvey Dixon, who campaigned on the promise to me tough on crime in the city, Chief Ackworth has been determined to stop any illegal use or sale of liquor all around the city. He s also been busy training his new deputy, Russell Phillips. Russell Phillips Deputy Police Chief Russell Phillips just moved up in the ranks of NYPD, and he couldn t be more eager. He s just starting to train under Chief Roy Ackworth, who has been his idol in the squad for as long as he can remember. Although he s a bit of a loose cannon, he aims to please and do his best to follow orders. Outside of work hours though, he s looking to find a woman to bring out on the town and maybe with whom to settle down. For now though, he s focused on fighting the gangs, bootlegging, and drug smuggling that seems to be running rampant in the city.

15 Hugh Huey Posh After investing heavily in oil in the 1890s, Huey Posh became one of the youngest, richest men of the time. With more money than he knew how to spend, he and his high school sweetheart packed up their things and moved from suburban St. Louis, Missouri to New York City. Thoughtful and kind, Huey aims to give Elsie the life she deserves, but the city s influence has made him wonder if that s enough. He s begun throwing some more wild parties, perhaps to compete with Jay Gatsby. Elsie Posh Elsie Posh is the wife of Huey, and at ten years his junior, many have judged their marriage. However, Elsie truly loves Huey, and in fact, the two grew up on the same street in small-town Missouri. Huey gave Elsie a chance to move to the big city and live life to the fullest, embracing newfangled fashions, jazz music, and clubs. However, since moving to the city, Elsie has noticed that Huey is spending so much of his time socializing with the New York elite that he almost never sees her. She s met several men at outings and clubs, and is wondering if it might be time to look around for other options... Dean Irving Dean Irving is better known as the son of the late Lance Irving, wealthy railroad mogul. After his father s death, Dean, already wealthy, inherited more money than he could dream of, and is ready to make even more trading stocks in New York. Ever the risk-taker, he is diving headfirst into the wild culture of the city, exploring with bootlegging and frequently attending the Green Light, a speakeasy that s become well-known to many in high society. New in town, Dean hasn t made that many friends, but he hopes to cement his place in the aristocracy. Florence Irving Florence Irving was raised in an upper-class family and married Dean at a by the time she was 18. As someone who s always been around high society, Florence feels most at ease in a party or gala than anywhere else. Florence s friends consider her to be serious and cautious, a stark contrast to her impulsive husband. However, Florence understands that in order to get anywhere, you have to know the right people, and Dean has passively supported all of her needs, providing fine clothing with his inheritance money. However, she s beginning to be concerned with his reckless actions. She hopes to propel herself firmly into New York high society so that regardless of Dean s actions, she ll remain safely where she belongs.

16 Milton Ballinger Milton Ballinger is one of the most popular people in New York City, not because of his wealth or fame and fortune, but because of his liquor. Milton owns the Green Light, a popular underground speakeasy in midtown New York. Milton keeps the liquor flowing as he sits back and listens to the gossip. However, he knows that the new mayor has vowed to be tough on bootlegging, so while he wants his bar to grow in popularity and make even more money, he hopes to maintain its secrecy and his own personal safety. Raymond O Neill Raymond grew up in Michigan and came to New York looking for a job and chasing a dream. Working in marketing by day and bartending at the Green Light by night, Raymond has learned many of the ins and outs of gaining favor in the eyes of the elite. Better yet, he s heard almost all of the gossip possible about the richest of the rich around the city, all from behind the counter. Raymond has always hoped to run in those social circles, and armed with his knowledge, he could have a severe impact on many lives around the city. Claude Van Damme Claude Van Damme is a French immigrant, looking for work during the day but temporarily getting by as a piano player at the Green Light. He s become quite popular for his newfangled jazzy style, and he enjoys the nightlife, and the ladies that come with it, just as much as anyone else in the club. He dreams of one day making it onto a major stage, not just playing in an underground speakeasy, but for now at least, he has the company of singer Clarence Ackworth, one of his closest friends. Clarence Acworth Clarence Acworth has a great life. Every night the Green Light is open, he gets to do what he loves most: sing jazz with his best friend, Claude, accompanying him. He never even knew he loved singing until owner Milton heard him singing as he walked down the street one day before the Green Light was even really open. Ever since then, he dreamt of making it onto a major stage, singing jazz for the whole world to hear. Boris Salvator Boris Salvator has always been a big guy. He was even picked on in elementary school for being a head taller and 50 pounds heavier than all of his other classmates. But after a while, Boris realized he could use his physical strength to his advantage, eventually becoming the bouncer for the Green Light speakeasy. A gruff man of few words, Boris always hoped for something better with his life, a bit more refined. He is very good at getting his way though, and he hopes to nail down a more solid, and less illegal, job soon to make a better life for himself.

17 Wilfred Thomas Wilfred Thomas has a big secret. Despite all of his work in the church, all of his years as a pastor, Wilfred is an alcoholic. He never lets it affect his work, but it does mean that Wilfred is a frequent visitor of Milton s Green Light club, sometimes even showing up past close. Despite this, most people who know him from his time at the Green Light think he trades stocks with other Wall Street Brokers. He s come to know quite a few powerful men and women, he just hopes they don t truly know him.