Commentaire d'un texte en anglais

We can obviously read that the author has a dual perception of the world when he separates it in two different and very caracteristic sides : « the sunny side of the street » (line 2), where the richest people on this Planet live, and at the opposite, « the darker side of the hood » (line 8), where the other individuals die by millions. Furthermore, the author clearly cuts the world (here the neighborhood) when he says that « the world has to be polarized between the haves and the have-nots » (lines 15-16), what shows us his dual perception of the world.

2) Here are the elements of a neutral definition of Freeganism picked out in the text :

- « Freegans (a contraction of the words free and vegan) » lines 17-18

- « There are around 400 to 500 freegans in N.Y.C alone »

Lines 19-18

- « Growing communities » line 20

- « Individuals across the Western World who are living outside of and challenging the etablished social order »

Lines 21-22

Freegan : a Freegan person is someone who refuses the Western World order and the consumption mentality, by adhering to eponym communities and adopting a way of life that reduces waste and impact on Earth.

3) We can read a common view on Freegans in the text : they are defined by a reductive and pejorative way, even called « weirdos » and « nuts » (line 31). This movement of thought is called « superficial » (line 35), what shows us how much the author and the text do not treat them seriously and that they consider freegans as simple illuminated. We can also read a history reference at the line 36 : it is written that they are simple « hippy-dippy », the author and the text are here regrouping hippies and freegans by their fight against capitalism and modern world’s operation (lines 36-37). And finally the author and the text give us a final view on freegans by calling them « naive » (line 37) and emphasizing their « utopian view » of human potential in the same line, sentence that definitely prove us the common view on freegans of the text and the author.

4) In terms of their world view, the particular common thing is their idea of jobs today : Martin and Alf think that people work in jobs they do not like, that people spend their whole life in meaningless businesses and that they lose their happiness and energy in trying to make more and more money instead of enjoy their life.

5) Alf Montagu is clearly the most committed to the Freegan cause : he stopped his job (while he had a quite well one and diploma, line 42), he also gave up his properties, his goods, his home (line 46). But he did not stop there, he also changed his entire life : he decided to cross the country in his camper van (what reminds us the hippie movement, with their Volkswagen Combi…) to spread his thought through England, because he’s convinced that he is not living just for work and money

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