Oral Terminale

[Lebe-dein-leben]

Bonsoir c'est encore moi,

voici le sixième et dernier oral en anglais que j'ai à préparer pour le bac. Je suis soulagée d'avoir enfin terminé tout ça!

Pourriez-vous y jeter un coup d'oeil? Merci d'avance!

MYTHS & HEROS: THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

We studied the USA this year. One of the important myths in American culture is the myth of the west. It's linked to the immigration of the Europeans who emigrated to the USA to find a better life. Lots of books, films & songs refer to this mythical west.

So, I'd like to ask the question: Where does the myth of the American west come from?

To answer this question, I've got 3 documents: first a song written by Bobby Troup in 1946 called 'Route 66'. Then I've got a speech given by John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1960 called 'the New Frontier'. Finally a passage from On the Road, a book by Jack Kerouac.

So the first document is the song 'Route 66' sung by Chuck Berry in 1961. The song is a list of the places which this mythical highway goes through. The road goes from Chicago to L.A, it moves west like the pioneers who discovered the far west.

'Get your kicks' means to have fun. However the road was first associated with the period of the Dust-bowl, a series of dust storms. Because of intensive farming in the 1930's the farmers who lost their land moved west to California.

Chuck Berry is still alive. He's black & is seen as the father of Rock & Roll in the 1950's. He inspired white groups like the Rolling Stones who still go on tour, they still go on the road.

Now the second document is a speech, given on the 15^th of July 1960 by Kennedy, candidate of the Democratic party at the Presidential elections of the USA.

It's a famous speech where he gives his vision of the future of the USA. According to him, it should stimulate the economy, provide international aid, national defense , NASA & fight against segregation of black people.

He reminds people of the history of the USA. The pioneers were the first American settlers who moved west. He talks about their sacrifices: they took risks, sometimes they gave their lives to build the USA (the West).

With this speech, he wanted to keep America moving forward, in the spirit of the pioneers who moved west. He clearly used the myth of the American west to appeal to the American voters in 1961 & he won the election!

At last, let's have a look at the passage from On the road. The narrator, Sal Paradise, is on the road, hitchhiking around the USA. We can see references to the myth of the American west, of the pioneers who moved west searching for the promised land. Sal is on a quest to find this promised land, a different meaning to life.

Sal is aware of the myth of the west but he meets hobos, truck drivers, ordinary Americans. There is an interest in the America of losers, of the darker side of the American dream.

If we look at the map, Sal is in the middle of the USA. The road, the journey, is a metaphor for life. Sal is at a turning point in his life. For American culture the east is the past & the west is the future. By keeping moving you're staying alive. To avoid death, to avoid stopping, you've got to keep moving. This was the meaning which Kerouac's generation found in life. Keep moving, live life.

So the question was 'Where does the myth of the American west come from?'

The study of these documents shows us that the idea of the west as a better place is part of the American dream.

For Bobby Troup, 'Route 66' is the road which leads from Chicago to L.A. Moving west on the road is fun, you get your kicks on route 66. For Kennedy, in 'the New Frontier', the west is a symbol of political progress which he uses to appeal to the American voters. For Jack Kerouac the myth of the west is less optimistic. His hero, Sal Paradise, sets off west but comes back to where he started from. However Kerouac needs the myth of the west to explain why Sal Paradise seeks adventure on the road.

So, as a conclusion, we can see that the myth of the west is deeply rooted in American culture & you need to understand it to understand the Americans & their popular culture.

[Jean B]

Bonjour,

Depuis que je lis (et corrige) ces sujets, je commence à saturer mais tu n'y es pour rien.

Bonsoir c'est encore moi,

voici le sixième et dernier oral en anglais que j'ai à préparer pour le bac. Je suis soulagée d'avoir enfin terminé tout ça!

Pourriez-vous y jeter un coup d'oeil? Merci d'avance!

MYTHS & HEROS: THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN WEST.

We have studied the USA this year. <L'année, même académique, n'est pas encore terminée = present perfect. One of the important myths in the American culture is the myth of the west. It's linked to the immigration of the Europeans who emigrated to the USA to find a better life. Lots of books, films & songs refer to this mythical west.

So, I'd like to ask the question: Where does the myth of the American west come from?

To answer this question, I've got 3 documents: first a song written by Bobby Troup in 1946 called 'Route 66'. Then I've got a speech given made / delivered by John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1960 called 'the New Frontier'. Finally a passage from On the Road, a book by Jack Kerouac.

So the first document is the song 'Route 66' sung by Chuck Berry in 1961. The song is a list of the places which this mythical highway goes through. The road goes from Chicago to L.A, it moves west like the pioneers who discovered the far west.

'Get your kicks' means to have fun. However the road was first associated with the period of the Dust-bowl, a series of dust storms. Because of intensive farming in the 1930's the farmers who lost their land moved west to California.

Chuck Berry is still alive. He's black & is seen as the father of Rock & Roll in the 1950's. He inspired white groups like the Rolling Stones who still go on tour, they still go on the road.

Now the second document is a speech, given delivered / made on the 15^th of July 1960 by Kennedy, candidate of the Democratic party at for the Presidential elections of the USA.

It's a famous speech where he gave his vision of the future of the USA. According to him, it <??? <Quel nom précédemment employé ce pronom est-il censé remplacer ? Je n'en vois aucun. should stimulate the economy, provide international aid, national defense , the NASA & fight against segregation of black people.

He reminded people of the history of the USA. The pioneers were the first American settlers who moved west. He talked about their sacrifices: they took risks, sometimes they gave their lives to build the USA (the West).

With this speech, he wanted to keep America moving forward in the spirit of the pioneers who moved west. He clearly used the myth of the American west to appeal to the American voters in 1961 & he won the election! Attention à conserver le preterit du récit. En effet, comme aurait dit Georges Brassens, il y a belle lurette que J.F.K. n'a plus mal aux dents !

At last, let's have a look at the passage from On the road. The narrator, Sal Paradise, is on the road, hitchhiking around the USA. We can see references to the myth of the American west, of the pioneers who moved west searching for the promised land. Sal is on a quest to find this promised land, a different meaning to life.

Sal is aware of the myth of the west but he meets hobos, truck drivers, ordinary Americans. There is an interest in the America of losers, of the darker side of the American dream.

If we look at the map, Sal is in the middle of the USA. The road, the journey, is a metaphor for life. Sal is at a turning point in his life. For American culture the east is the past & the west is the future. By keeping moving you're staying alive. To avoid death, to avoid stopping, you've got to keep moving. This was the meaning which Kerouac's generation found in life. Keep moving, live life.

So the question was 'Where does the myth of the American west come from?'

The Making a study of / Studying these documents shows us that the idea of the west as a better place is part of the American dream.

For To Bobby Troup, 'Route 66' is the road which leads from Chicago to L.A. Moving west on the road is fun, you get your kicks on route 66. For To Kennedy, in 'the New Frontier', the west is a symbol of political progress which he uses to appeal to the American voters. For To Jack Kerouac the myth of the west is less optimistic. His hero, Sal Paradise, sets off west but comes back to where he started from. However Kerouac needs the myth of the west to explain why Sal Paradise seeks adventure on the road.

So, as a conclusion, we can see that the myth of the west is deeply rooted in American culture & you need to understand it to understand the Americans & their popular culture.

[Lebe-dein-leben]

En effet j'imagine que ça ne doit pas être évident, à la longue...

En tout cas merci d'avoir, à chaque fois, pris le temps de corriger mes travaux!

[Jean B]

Ce fut un vrai plaisir.