Be yourself

unit
9
Be yourself
Starting blocks p. 142-143
SOURCEo
Be yourself fait partie d’une série d’affiches intitulée Individuality posters.
Les élèves pourront les parcourir sur le site : www.allposters.com.
LEXIQUEo
En amont de l’étude du document, on distribuera la Toolbox suivante afin de
faciliter la prise de parole.
TO OLBOX
Nouns
• metal shutters: rideau de fer
• bracelet ['breslt]
• spiky ['spak] hair: cheveux en épis
• two-coloured hair
• streaks [stri:ks] of blond [blɒnd] hair /
blond highlights: mèches blondes
• blouse [blaυz]: chemisier
• culottes [kju:'lɒts]: jupe-culotte
• fashion = craze
• brand: marque
• taste: goût
• image ['mdZ]
• peer pressure ['pə "preʃə]: pression du groupe
Adjectives
• trendy = fashionable ≠ old-fashioned
• weird [wəd]: bizarre
• gaudy ['gɔ:d]: aux couleurs voyantes
• biased ['baəst]: partial
© Nathan 2005
DÉROULEMENT DE LA SÉQUENCEo
1 On montrera le transparent dès le début de la
séquence, après avoir distribué la Toolbox. On laissera
aux élèves le temps de la lire et, éventuellement, de
poser des questions concernant la prononciation ou le
sens de certains mots. Il sera sans doute difficile de
déterminer la nature du document d’entrée de jeu.
Cette affiche n’a pas de visée publicitaire et n’est donc
pas immédiatement lisible. Elle a pour objectif de faire
partager des idées ou de permettre à celui ou celle qui
l’affiche, dans sa chambre le plus souvent, d’affirmer
sa personnalité.
Ce type d’affiche recouvre donc une notion assez
vague qui diffère des messages publicitaires,
parfaitement ciblés. On abordera donc plutôt en fin de
parcours la nature réelle du document et on
commencera par montrer l’ensemble du document
pour en faire la description.
• understanding
• tolerant = open-minded ["əυpən 'mandd]
• intolerant = narrow-minded
• eccentric [ik'sentrik]
• baggy
• hip: branché
Verbs & expressions
• follow the crowd: faire comme les autres
• keep off the beaten track: rester hors des sentiers battus
• be obsessed [əb'sest] by / with
• identify with sb / sth
• pass judgement on
• conform to
• belong to: appartenir à
• be prejudiced ['predZυdst] against: avoir des préjugés contre
• reject [r'dZekt]
• tolerate
• categorize ['k{tgəraz]
Þ The document is a photo with a long quote from a
text by Paul McCartney in a box at the bottom… A girl
in her late teens or early twenties is sitting on the
ground, her knees drawn up under her chin with her
hands folded on them… She is leaning against the dark
green metal shutter of what is probably the window of
a shop which is still closed… The girl is wearing gaudy
clothes: green culottes (or maybe, baggy trousers), a
red blouse, blue boots decorated with a white star and
pink stockings or socks… Her hair is spiky and twocoloured with streaks of blond hair / blond highlights…
She has put a pink flower in her hair… She is also
wearing a colourful bracelet around her right wrist and
a watch around her left one… She is looking straight in
front of her at something slightly above her head… She
looks very romantic and a bit mysterious… We may
wonder, in fact, what she is doing sitting there alone…
She could be waiting for someone who has not shown
up yet, or she might just have decided to sit on the
pavement because she was tired…
Bridges 2e 41
unit
9
Be yourself
2 Analyse des phrases
a. Citation de Paul McCartney
En amont de l’analyse de cette citation, on demandera
bien sûr aux élèves de dire ce qu’ils savent sur Paul
McCartney et, de façon plus générale, sur les Beatles.
Cette citation peut poser des difficultés à certains
élèves. On pourra donc les aider et les guider en leur
demandant de la traduire, ainsi :
1. Quelle valeur donner à used to ici ? Choisir la
meilleure traduction pour garder cette valeur :
il y a longtemps – dans le passé – autrefois – l’année
dernière.
2. Now devra s’opposer à used to.
3. Call peut-il se traduire par « appeler » ?
Corrigé de la traduction
Autrefois je pensais que quelqu’un qui faisait
quelque chose de bizarre était (lui-même) bizarre.
Aujourd’hui je sais que ce sont les gens qui traitent
les autres de bizarres qui sont (eux-mêmes) bizarres.
On aidera ensuite les élèves à préciser la pensée de Paul
McCartney : Explain the phrase “doing something
weird”. What does Paul McCartney mean? Is he
criticizing anybody? In his opinion, who is actually
“weird”? Has his attitude changed? Why (not)?
Þ Doing something weird probably means not
conforming to traditional standards of behaviour…
For instance, some people would probably say that the
way the girl in the photo is dressed is too original and
is not based on a particular fashion style or brand…
Some people might say that she looks weird (though
most people today wouldn’t agree with that)…
McCartney means that if you believe this girl is weird,
it is because you are weird yourself… Paul McCartney
has changed… In the past he used to pass judgment on
people without getting to know them… Today, he
believes that he was wrong… He is more tolerant
now… He says that we should not form an opinion
based only on the way somebody looks…
b. “Be yourself”
42 Bridges 2e
Dans un second temps, on dégagera de façon positive
la personnalité de la jeune fille.
Þ She is herself… She is original / fresh / creative /
innovative… She must enjoy keeping off the beaten
track / path… She must have a strong personality…
c. “Embrace our differences”
Þ This sentence actually means: Do you like the way
the girl looks / dresses / does her hair / the clothes she
is wearing?… If you don’t, it is not a problem as long
as you embrace (accept a new idea, opinion) / accept
the differences… Because this girl does not seem to
conform to the tastes or habits of some people, they
would say / may think that she is eccentric / weird…
Maybe such people would not accept her because they
are prejudiced / biased / narrow-minded / intolerant…
3 On pourra alors poser des questions sur la finalité
de l’affiche : What is the aim of the poster? Who is the
target? Where could such a poster be seen? Would you
pin it up in your bedroom? How are people expected to
react to it?
Þ The aim of such a poster is to prompt us to be more
tolerant / open-minded / not to be prejudiced or narrowminded / not to categorize people / to allow people to be
different… This poster will certainly appeal to people
who do not follow the crowd / enjoy keeping off the
beaten track / have a strong personality / people who
won’t reject this girl / say she is weird / people who
believe that this girl is only trying to be herself and
should be accepted as she is…
4 On pourra terminer par un exercice de synthèse
permettant de dégager l’essentiel du message : Which
of the following words or expressions do you associate
with the poster? Justify your choice briefly. (Les mots
en gras s’imposent.)
Þ Tolerance – Down with brands – Be eccentric–
Friendship – Solidarity – Living together –
Take care of yourself – Don’t follow the crowd
© Nathan 2005
Dans un premier temps, on fera expliquer Be yourself
en incitant les élèves à dire ce que la jeune fille de
l’affiche n’est pas ou refuse d’être : What does “Be
yourself” mean? In what way does the girl seem to be
herself? How can one be oneself?
Þ She does not seem to be a fashion victim though she
certainly cares a lot about her image… She does not
follow any particular trend or fashion… She does not
seem to care about / is not obsessed with / does not
attach too much importance to brands… She does not
seem to be easily influenced… She is not the victim of
peer pressure… She does not follow the crowd…