Rapping for Shelly
Transcription
Rapping for Shelly
ENGLISH READERS A2 B1 PALIER 2 Paul Davenport Rapping for Shelly Before Reading 1. Look at the characters on the cover and describe them. What could “Minna’s” be? Where do you suppose they are? 2. Look at the title. Who do you think Shelly is? 3. What do you think this story is about? PISTE 1 1 5 The Dream I’m proud 1 to be Latino, my father from Mexico, my mother from Puerto Rico, born in San Francisco, I want the world to know where my rap is coming from, where it’s gonna go 2. 1. I’m proud je suis fier | 2. it’s gonna (going to) go (abréviation argotique de going to), ça va aller 5 6 The Dream 5 10 15 Sal paused and let his words echo in his ear1. He loved the way the words ‘rolled’2, as he liked to say. He loved the sounds of words. He enjoyed putting them together and watching them interact, like they did in the sentences he had just spoken. The way the words ‘Latino’, ‘Mexico’, ‘Puerto Rico’, ‘San Francisco’, ‘know’ and ‘go’ all echoed each other. It was like he’d made a necklace3 with words, linking the words together, like pearls4. Sal D’Angelo, or Sal D, as he called himself, had a dream. It was a crazy dream. He wanted – no, he yearned5 – to become a famous rapper, a rap superstar. He had the talent – a lot of people said that – and he was willing to work hard6 to develop it. But, he realized, there were huge obstacles in his way. The main one, of course, was being a Latino. To most people, the world of rap music was a black world. They didn’t expect to see a Latino there. Some didn’t want to see a Latino there. If a guy like Sal tried to get in7, they would try to keep him out8. 1. (he) let his words echo in his ear il a laissé ses paroles résonner dans ses oreilles | 2. (they) rolled elles tourbillonaient | 3. a necklace un collier | 4. pearls des perles | 5. he yearned il désirait | 6. he was willing to work hard il était prêt à travailler dur | 7. to get in entrer | 8. to keep him out l’empêcher d’entrer PISTE 2 2 7 Middle-Class Rap? Sal also needed to choose his subject. Mainstream1 rap was about life in the ghetto, a world Sal didn’t know first hand2. His world was strictly middle-class: large, comfortable homes complete with two-car garages, in clean and tidy3 neighborhoods, with little or no crime. He lived near the top of Albany Hill, in the little town of Albany, ten miles from San Francisco, on the opposite side of the bay. On clear days – smog-free days4 – he could look out his bedroom window and see San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge5! On very clear days, he could see much more, a beautiful panorama including Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alcatraz Island and a bridge even bigger than the Golden Gate Bridge: Oakland Bay Bridge. How can you rap about a place with a million-dollar view6? And how can you rap about a place you know little or nothing about? Sal was facing a difficult choice7. If he rapped about the ghetto he didn’t know about, people would turn away8. If he rapped about his middle-class world, people would also turn away. Or would they? He thought about it carefully. And the longer and harder he thought about it, the more he realized that what he really wanted to rap about – what he had to rap about – was his life, not someone else’s life. He wanted his rap to be real, not fake9. That’s why he 1. mainstream le courant dominant | 2. first hand de première main | 3. tidy soigné, propre | 4. smog-free days les jours sans brouillard | 5. Golden Gate Bridge célèbre pont suspendu de San Francisco | 6. view vue | 7. Sal was facing a difficult choice Sal était confronté à un choix difficile | 8. people would turn away les gens se détourneraient | 9. not fake non artificiel 5 10 15 20 8 Middle-Class Rap? 5 10 15 wouldn’t rap about the ‘Welcome-to-Awesome1-Albany’ for tourists. His rap would be about the dark side of Albany, the side tourists didn’t see. Where there was just as much struggle2 as there was in the ghetto, only different. At first glance3, it seemed that kids like him from Albany had a wonderful life. Their parents took good care of them4. They lived in nice houses, went to good schools, wore5 the latest styles. But – and it was a huge but – there was a price for all these privileges. And the price was high – high pressure. Albany was a high-pressure zone. Kids from Albany were under pressure to be achievers6. Sure, their parents did a lot for them, paying for the fitness center, weight loss camps7, private tutoring8, tennis lessons, riding lessons9, and all the rest, but they expected a lot in return. They wanted them to be good, or preferably, excellent. To shine – like a star, get high marks10 in school, go on to the best colleges, and in the end, find a high-paying job11. No wonder12 a lot of the kids from Albany had alcohol and drug problems. 1. awesome super | 2. struggle la lutte | 3. at first glance a priori | 4. their parents took good care of them ses parents prenaient bien soin d’eux | 5. (they) wore ils portaient | 6. achievers des personnes performantes | 7. weight loss camps camps de vacances pour perdre du poids (remise en forme) | 8. private tutoring cours particuliers | 9. riding lessons leçons d’équitation | 10. high marks bonnes notes | 11. high-paying job des emplois bien payés | 12. no wonder pas étonnant 66 Activities Chapter 1: The Dream 1. Read and find out about the main character in this story: 1. his first name 2. his family name 3. his stage name 4. his birthplace 5. his father’s native country 6. his mother’s native country 7. the type of music he likes 2. Look at your notes and recap orally about this character. 3. Read the chapter again and pick out: 1. the reasons why he loves rap 2. the main obstacle to his success 4. Make a list of the American rap singers you know. Rapping for Shelly Chapter 2: Middle-Class Rap? 1. Listen to track 2 and tell the class: 1. what rap music is usually about 2. what Sal’s rap is about 2. Highlight the places mentioned in the chapter: Ellis Island Los Angeles Bay Treasure Island Golden Gate Bridge Oakland Bay Bridge Alcatraz Island Angel Island Albany Hill 3. Now look for a map of San Francisco and spot the places you have ticked. 4. Let’s work in groups. Group 1 Take notes about the advantages of kids living in Albany City. Pick out as much information as you can about: –– the houses –– the clothes –– the schools –– the parents –– the hobbies 67 68 Activities Group 2 Take notes about the drawbacks (les inconvénients) of living in Albany City. Pick out as much information as you can on: –– parents’ pressure –– school pressure –– colleges –– jobs –– alcohol and drugs 5. Now the two groups discuss the advantages and the drawbacks of living in a place like Albany City. 6. Why is Albany City called “a place with a million-dollar view”? 7. What other cities do you know in the state of California? Make a list. Chapter 3: A Rough Scene 1. Listen and tick the correct informations. 1. Sal has never taken part in a rap battle. 2. Rap battles are often dangerous. 3. Sal doesn’t like violence. 4. Sal’s mother encourages him to take part in rap battles. 5. Sal is not sure judges are always fair in rap battles.