Hi guys,

today we first talked about an audio document: the Queen's address to the nation for Christmas 2011. Here is what we said about her speech:

The Queen address to the nation

She speaks very clearly and with a perfect accent: the “Queen’s English”

For instance, Holly speaks the “Queen's English”

The Queen speaks about the Common Wealth, an economic organization including former British colonies.

Natural disasters:

·         Flood (water)

·         Earthquake (earth)

·         Cyclone/storm (wind)

·         Drought (no water + heat wave)

·         Tsunami (water + quake) = tidal wave

Natural disasters can have an impact on economy. Countries help each other in a crisis politically and financially.

a little bit more about our text and we explained how the main character and her family reacted to the future wedding. Here is what we said about their feelings and reactions: 

First meeting

The text isa first-person narrative where the main character is the narrator.

She is a thirteen-year-old girl who is getting married.

The reasons that proves she’s a girl are:

·         “she prefers to work than to be a wife”

·         A bride (a woman who is getting married)

·         Sari with gold lace (a type of clothes for women)

·         Jewelry borrowed from my sister in law

·         She is preparing herself to her ceremony

 Her family is shocked, outraged and angry with their daughter because she is against the wedding.

Her parents won’t talk to her because they are too angry

                                                                                            enraged

                                                                                            furious

                                                                                            revolted

She doesn’t want to get married. It’s not the aim of her life.

                                                                                  goal

She wants to work / she would rather work. However/ nevertheless she forces herself to respect her uncle.

The narrator considers herself a victim because she is compelled / forced to get married. For her, it’s a sexist custom.

She would like to work rather than to be a housewife at 13. She is a rebellious teenager who is against the system. She is not willing to accept her parent’s authority.  

Then we continued the class with Holly about the place of women in society. Here is what you said:

Sexism still a problem?

→ at work (salary difference = they don't have the same wages) / at home (housework + looking after the children) / in many countries = no free speech + no rights + women are considered as slaves

Stereotypes?

→ the image of women in the media (all women are slim, gorgeous, …) / physical appearance / girls like pink and boys like blue

Father = head of the household?

→ he is seen as the family protector traditionally and culturally, but is this right ? Aren't women capable of protecting their families ?

Glad to be a boy / girl?

→ men have more power (physically and socially) / men will never get pregnant or have PMS / men are given more rights / lots of women feel culturally forced to take care of their looks a lot (like doing their nails, wearing jewelry...) / men don't have to be perfect.
→ girls succeed better at school. They have better results (but are they more intelligent?)

HW:

- apprendre les détails sur le texte (vendredi)

- se préparer à son oral blanc (mardi)

- préparer une intervention orale sur votre thème selon les instructions laissées par Holly (presentation, opinion, solution to the problem, quiz, opinion poll).