Journal des élèves d`anglais approfondi - January 2013

L y c é e d e C o r n o u a i l l e - J o u r n a l d e s é l è v e s d ’ a n g l a i s a p p r o f o n d i - J a n u a r y 2 0 13 - N u m b e r 1
« Gorillaz » is the first album by Gorillaz! This name is ironic, don’t you
think? It was released in 2001 and
it was a hit; it was the beginning of
a successful career for Gorillaz. It is
composed of different styles of music:
alternative rock, electronic, punk and
hip hop … Gorillaz also used Latin influences: Buena Vista Social Club (Latin famous band) worked with them. This album is really interesting because you never get bored. There are
a lot of musical surprises and their
tracks can suit everyone’s taste. Their
music is imbued by many cultures and nuanced by original inspirations. «Clint Eastwood, «Feel Good Inc.,»
and «DARE» are just three of the songs that made it big
in the United States.
About Gorillaz, psychology plays
a key role in shaping the characters
that make up this «cartoon band ».
They draw their cartoon on their
own. Their eccentricity is their trade
mark; each of them is an integral
part of what makes the Gorillaz the
odd band they are today.
To my mind, Gorillaz is one of the
groups that are renewing classical
styles of music which are less listened
to today. They bring a really good
mix of those styles and they increase
their personal touch. The result is just
an explosive device! I love this band: they are original
and their characters astonish me. I can only recommend
it to you !
•OANELL TUTARD
Our English Ar t’titude, Lycée de Cornouaille 8 avenue des Oiseaux, 29000 - Quimper
Directeur de la publication : Jean Pierre Josse - Responsable des rubriques : Kristell Lebret
Rédaction : Mor gane Lefevre, Oanell Tutar d. Mentions légales en cour s de dépôt.
The book that I chose is entitled
« Matched » . Ally Condie wrote
this book , which is a dystopia, in
2010 ; she’s American, and a former English teacher who lived outside
Salt Lake City (Utah). « Matched»
was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011
Teens’ Top Ten. This is a trilogy,
the two other books are entitled
« Crossed » and « Reached ».
Cassia, who’s 17, lived in « the Society » , where everything is completely controlled : feelings, food,
job, relationships, sleep , death …
Citizens’ clothes are all the same,
they read the same things, they have
the same hobbies. The activities are
restricted : society games, cinema,
songs and poems which are chosen
by the Society. Pleasures are prohibited ; « You go where they tell you
to go », A.Condie says.
Cassia is matched with someone
whom she’ll live her life and have
children with, like the other young
girls who decided to marry. When
she is 17, she goes to « the Banquet » where she’s going to discover her future husband. She arrives
with her parents and her best friend,
Xander, who’s going to discover her
future wife too. But when her turn
arrives, nothing happens. There is
a big screen where the face of her
future husband should come up, but
the screen remains blank. It’s only
later that Cassia and Xander know
that they are matched together.
They receive a card that they must
put on a screen, to discover everything about each other. But when
she did it, it’s not Xander’s face that
appeared, but Ky’s face, a friend
of Cassia’s. The latter tells herself
« who does the Society want me to
be with ? » She will disclose Society’s
lies and become a troublemaker...
I enjoyed this book because I’m a
fan of all genders of dystopia in cinema, literature or visual arts. The
story of Cassia is catchy for young
girls, with the topic of life’s choices,
marriage and teenager’s love, with
social barriers. It also deals with society, which is very brainwashing
indeed. As you most probably understood, the strict authority dehumanizes its citizens. First, Cassia follows the rules, but she realizes all
the lies and mistakes in her city and
then she decides to rebel . I like her
personality, and I think that every
girl can recognize herself in this
character.
Quotes :
“It is strange how we hold on to the pieces of the
past while we wait for our futures.”
“Once you want something, everything changes.”
“Every minute you spend with someone gives them
a part of your life and takes part of theirs.”
Ally Condie
FURTHER READINGS :
I suggest you other works of art which tell about
dystopian visions. La Planète des Singes (Pierre
Boulle),
1984 (George Orwell),
the Handmaid’s tale (M.Atwood),
the Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins),
V for Vendetta (Alan Moore’s graphic novel),

MATCHED, by Allie Condie
Make room ! Make room ! Harry Harisson (adapted
ALL MEN ARE
CALLED ROBERT
on the screen as “Soylentgreen”), Minority Report
Philipp K. Dick .
•OANELL TUTARD
THE LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE
« The liberty Leading the people »
is a painting by Eugène Delacroix
made in 1830, inspired by the Revolution of the Three Glorious Days.
Since 1874, it was exhibitioned in
the Louvre museum in Paris,
where it was one
of the most visited works of the
museum even if
the lyricism and
the violence in
the canvas initially surprised
the public. Today, the work is
exhibited in the
Louvre museum
in Lens, Pas-deCalais. Thanks to its allegorical and political aspect, it
was chosen to represent the French
republic and to epitonize democracy.
This painting is extremely large
(325cm X 260cm) which is breathtaking indeed. We can note the
towers of the cathedral of « Notre-
Dame » in the background, clearly
setting the scene in Paris. A crowd
of demonstraters are going through
a barricade. In the foreground,
there are corpses of soldiers which
seem twisted and disarticulated. A
worker or a peasant who was wounded, with a scarf on his head, emerges from the rubble, the body and
the glance turned towards a woman
standing in her phrygian cap. This
woman is represented full-length
and she is the focus : she stands out
from the crowd. She is holding a tricolor flag up in the air which takes
the median axis of the canvas. The Louvre museum in Lens named
“Louvre II”, was
inaugurated
on December 4, 2012
and proposed a
free day from 6pm
to noon: it was
"open house". The
official opening to
the public was on
Wednesday, December 12, 2012.
I think that to
move the painting
to another place
has allowed to rediscover it, which
is a positive point
because it was
one of the most
recognized works
of the century.
Taking major works of art out of
Paris is also something interesting,
isn’t it? We would enjoy reading
your opinion on this.
•MORGANE LEFEVRE
«All men are called Robert» is a
short film by Marc-Henri-Boulier
made in 2010, denouncing the violence of hunting by staging a real
manhunt...
During the first seconds of this short
film which lasts 5.51minutes, we can
see a naked man with a dirty skin
who is running in the woods when
suddenly, a mysterious woman calls
him for help. Some seconds after,
another mysterious man is trying to
shoot him dead.
Although there is no dialogue, the
film had a great succes around the
world. Moreover, the quality of the
images is very clear and there is a
careful staging with many camera
movements. The music creates a
strange atmosphere, in which the
spectator is totally taken. The film
maker brings a testimony of the
cruelty of hunting thanks to a final
twist. He uses a paradox with subtlety, in which he plays with a kind of
misunderstanding.
What is funny about this film shooting –you will appreciate the pun- is
that real hunters who had nothing
to do with it, nearly shot the “film
set”... but they finally left the scene
because the team gave them a bottle of whiskey!
Seeing this short film made me think
of the science-fiction films of the 70s
as for example “Rise of the Planet
of the Apes” by Franklin J. Schaffner. “All men are called Robert” is
also a engaged film where you can
see a scathing critique of the world
of hunting.
I had the opportunity to discover
this work two years ago during a
festival in Brest with my lycee (I
was following the cinema option).
I found it very interesting indeed. I
enjoyed the amazing ending, even
if it is a little expected. The plot is
short and effective, which helps
building up the suspense of the plot. I hope you will enjoy it too!!
•MORGANE LEFEVRE