Cours sur l'immigration Américaine

Today is Thursday, September 20th

The Land of Hope and Dreams

“Hope” and “Dreams” are both positive words.

They convey positive ideas. The word “land” has many synonyms, and one of them is “country”.

This expression the “American Dream”, that-is-to-say the idea that you can move to the United States of America and change your life: create new opportunities for yourself and live a better life.

Today, Mexicans and other people are migrating to the United States, but is not a new phenomenon: at the origin of the country was the migration of British and Dutch. This sequence will be about the burning of migration in the US.

Document:

“The First Thanksgiving”, 1915

This is a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. It was made in 1915. Its title is a reference to “Thanksgiving”, the very famous American Holiday. Where people invite their friends and Family to (feast/ eat a lot). This celebration dates back to the first colonist who shared their food with Native Americans.

In the foreground, we can see the dinner. The Native Americans are kneeling down. They are wearing traditional clothes. They are half-naked, with feathers on their head. However, one women is standing

Monday, September 24th

Description: If we compare the colonists to the Native Americans, we can see that they are more numerous than them. Their clothes are more beautiful and  more elegant. The Native Americans are less dressed than the colonists. The colonists are standing and they are serving food whereas the Native Americans are sitting down and receiving food. All of this conveys a special interplay of power: the colonists are welcoming the Native Americans. They are dominating the painting because of their number and because of the house they built. They have food, weapons, fine clothes and knowledge: there are only two elements on the level of the Native Americans: a child and a dog. In other words, they all depend on the adults, on the colonists.

Grammar:

1.Relever toutes les façons, dans la leçon, de comparer différentes choses. Quelles structures retrouvez-vous ?

Today is Thursday, September 27th

Migrant in New York

This document is a black and white drawing the arrival of a boat in New York City. Because of the statue of Liberty, we can imagine the scenes takes place at the beginning of the 20 century.

If we look at the migrants, we can see they experience many different feelings: a young couple is full of hope whereas an old man may be sad to leave his home for ever. A child is afraid and his mother comforts him.

If we look closely at the center of the drawing, we can see an old man. He may be reflecting upon the past. He may think about the life and family he left behind. He might wonder what his new life will be. What does the mother and her child represent? The mother may symbolize America, the land of hope that will comfort the migrants. Maybe there is a link between this mother and the Statue of Liberty. Anyhow, all these illustrate the American Dream: No matter what, you can start again.

GRAMMAR: Exprimer l’hypoyhèse, la probabilité.

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