Sujet zéro

Sujet 1, Partie 1, synthèse.

The file shows three ways in which mankind breaks away from bonds to explore new, unchartered  grounds, but there are many differences that reflect the different aspects of that impulse.

All three documents depict people who left their former way of life for a more adventurous venture. However, the reasons for their undertaking are not the same and, the consequences are the same, and the stakes also differ greatly. In the case of Robinson Crusoe in document B, the fact that he is the third son and “not born to any trade” leaves him idle and he decides to go seafaring (the greatest adventure of the time) because no alternative seems to be placed before him, and his parents try to discourage him. His parents would advocated a much more stay-at-home career, which reminds the reader that most people are not adventurers and are more at ease with a routine life. However, this very desire not to explore may have triggered and kindled Robinson’s call for the wild.

The settlers in document C, on the other hand, travel with their family. They are seeking better land and a free life in a land of opportunity, at a time when going West to the Frontier was attractive to most families who did not have any prospects in an already settled world. The American Dream is based on the idea that you can start from scratch and draw your own path. So in a way, the adventure they are undertaking is a means to an end, which is to actually settle and have a routine life. Adventure is but a stage through which they have to go before they can have their dream.

As for Mike Horn in document A, He was called to adventure out of a personal yearning for the extreme, not out of necessity. His father never tried to curb his enthusiasm, but taught him how to ensure a level of safety with always making sure rescue was possible. From a very young age (8) he undertook dangerous expeditions and faced death on several occasions. But he keeps returning to his expeditions because that is the lifestyle he craves: always to be on the edge and face danger.

The nature of the documents matches these differences: Robinson Crusoe is a novel, a work of fiction where adventure is seen under the angle of fantasy. His adventures match the imagination of the time, and correspond in many ways to what adventurers of the time looked forward to, but the specifics are the work of Defoe’s imagination. Document C is a photograph, representing the reality of its time. The Great Migration was a mass movement, deeply rooted in the experience of many. Even though most migrations were actually made in caravans, the scenery behind the chariot, with wide open plains, shows the endeavor was dangerous but full of promises. Document A is a report on Mike Horn’s life, also rooted in reality, but the mind is free to picture whatever part of the story best suits its fancy.

507 words

Sujet 1, Partie 1, commentary.

The three documents depict the impulse of mankind to break away from bonds and explore new territories, but there are many differences that reflect the different aspects of that impulse.

The reasons for undertaking an adventure greatly differ from one document to the other, both because of what is said and because of the nature of the document. Document B is a work of fiction, based on what was considered as the great adventure in the 18^th century: seafaring. Although based on a true story (that of Alexander Selkirk), the novel explores the topics fashionable at the time. Robinson is the third son, with no trade at hand, and his father is a rather stay-at-home and unimaginative man. His call for the unexplored is at the same time a form of rebellion against routine, and a sin which will cause his doom. There is a moral undertone and the story is supposed to deter such impulses for fear of the consequences.

Document C, on the other hand, is a photograph. It depicts a real family moving West during the Great Migration. Father and son go hand in hand, but here the aim is not adventure for its own sake. The end purpose is to settle and have a much more stay-at-home life. So adventure here is a means to an end, while in Robinson Crusoe it is the end itself. The Frontier was appealing not so much because of its wilderness, but because of its opportunities for a quiet, routine life. The motivations of the characters are much more rooted in necessity. The impulse is not to break away from bonds, but to be able to forge new bonds of their choice.

As for document B, which is a report on explorer and adventurer Mike Horn, it illustrates that impulse much more tellingly. Indeed, from the age of 8 he showed an interest for daring and dangerous adventure, when no necessity was pressing on him. His father showed support but made him realize that when you undertake such ventures, you should always have a rescue plan at hand. Mike Horn has no other reason to explore new territories than the sake of exploring. In many ways, this way of life is a luxury only the contemporary world can offer. When your basic needs are met, you can afford to take risks and explore. Failure in that case has no consequence, contrary to what would befall the settlers in document C or what did befall Robinson in document B. Recently, Mike Horn had to be rescued from an expedition in the South Pole, and recovered from a close escape from death.

The issue at stake can be the impulse to break away from bonds. We can see that the motivations greatly depend on the conditions we have in “normal” life and what prospects lay before us. It seems that the more settled and secure one’s life is, the more he wants to explore. On the other hand, the more he needs to explore, the more he yearns for a settled life.

510 words

Sujet 1, Partie 2.

By the end of the trip Mike realised he wanted to be a professional explorer, and since then he has been on a series of increasingly grueling adventures that have pushed him to the limit.

They include the first solo circumnavigation of the world around the equator with no engine-driven support in 1999, and becoming joint-first to trek the North Pole in skis in 2006. He’s also built a successful career as a TV host and motivational speaker.

By the end of the trip: Littéralement, vers la fin du voyage. Mais cela peut aussi vouloir dire grâce à la fin du voyage. Je vais changer l’ordre de la phrase pour inclure le segment suivant :

Mike realised he wanted to be a professional explorer: le seul problem de la phrase, c’est realised (ici en anglais britannique, avec un s, alors que je l’ai utilisé en anglais américain, avec un z, dans le commentaire).

C’est en terminant son voyage que Mike comprit qu’il voulait devenir explorateur professionnel.

, and since then he has been on a series of increasingly grueling adventures that have pushed him to the limit: since then peut se traduire depuis, mais il me semble plus clair d’ajouter lors. Has been: a été n’est pas très heureux. Il faut expliciter. A series of : une série voudarit dire que les aventures sont liées les unes aux autres. Je préfère un certain nombre de.

Et depuis lors, il a participé à un certain nombre d’aventures éreintantes qui l’ont poussé à bout.

They include the first solo circumnavigation of the world around the equator with no engine-driven support in 1999: elles incluent est lourd et artificial. Je choisis “parmi celles-ci”. Engine-driven support est un peu délicat. Sans moteur ou sans engin motorisé.

Parmi celles-ci, le premier tour du monde en solo le long de l’équateur sans engin motorisé en 1999.

and becoming joint-first to trek the North Pole in skis in 2006: becoming est substantivé: le fait de devenir. Je reformule avec joint-first.

Et une place de premier ex-æquo dans une expédition au Pole Nord à skis en 2006.

He’s also built a successful career as a TV host and motivational speaker. La difficulté, c’est motivational speaker. On le traduit en français avec un joli mot anglais.

Il s’est également construit une belle carrière de présentateur télé et de coach mental.

Sujet 2, Partie 1, synthèse.

The three documents are about the modern movement for the civil rights, i.e. the equality of African-Americans and white people. They insist on unity in different ways.

Document A is a poem about the participation of a Black American in WWII and what it means for the place of African-Americans in the country. He describes his daily routine inside a tank and stipulates that he has fought both in Europe against the Germans and in Asia against the Japanese. He is depicting himself as a valiant soldier, and adds that he saw his friend die. That friend was a Black man who died for the freedom in his country. So, the narrator hopes their sacrifice will help overturn Jim Crow laws (a term repeated three times), thereby ensuring equality. He calls on the empathy of his readers and on gratitude towards those who fell. However, the title comparing V (Victory) Day with “Me” day might sound a trifle selfish. He seems to talk in his name only, while he should be talking in the name of all Americans.

Document B is a speech by Barak Obama, and it takes up more or less where document A stopped: after WWII and during the Movement for Civil Rights led, most notoriously, by Martin Luther King. The man who would be president lists many of the symbols of the Movement: Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Freedom Riders, Dr King, and the slogan “we shall overcome”, through the use of the verb on line 25.  He calls for equality and unity, mainly quoting King, and states that there is still a moral deficit to be bridged. In a speech delivered by a Black candidate for president, the message has a distinctive tone. Obama continues King’s message that all Americans should be equal, regardless of their race.

The last document is a photograph taken at ground level of the painting of the words “Black Lives Matter” and the Stars and Stripes on the street 16^th Street in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of its renaming Black Lives Matter Street. This movement was initiated at the end of Obama’s presidency as a reaction to ongoing police violence towards Black Americans. It brings attention to the fact that equality is still more an ideal than a reality and calls for unity. However, it has been criticized and answered to by the slogan “all lives matter”, a response by the White community, because most gun-related violence in America is perpetuated by Black assailants on White victims. The fact that this street is in Washington, a very friendly city towards Blacks, emphasizes the gap between the capital and rural America.

The nature of the documents pinpoint the vivacity of the issue: a poem and a speech are meant to be read aloud, and the photograph is also a living testimony. The urgency of the problem is conveyed by the media: oral and visual language rather than written analyses. It makes us aware that the issue is very much alive, including us in the unity they call for.

510 words

Sujet 2, Partie 1, commentary.

The three documents in the file are about the “unfinished journey”, i.e. the struggle for unity and equality between Black and White people in America. They show the steps through which the Civil Rights have progressed, but may also hint at some strategic flaws in that struggle.

We can draw a timeline through the documents, starting with the participation of African-Americans in WWII mentioned in the poem (document A). Indeed, as the narrator hoped, the death of a number of them to defend freedom and their country, both in Europe and in Asia, contributed to raising some kind of empathy towards them. The recurrent allusions to Jim Crow laws also hints that these laws, whose purpose was to limit the scope of the 13^th and 14^th amendments to the Constitution, were unfair and unconstitutional (as Brown vs Topeka would show). Then, in his speech (document B), Barak Obama mentioned the best known episodes of the Civil Rights Movement: Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the leadership of Martin Luther King. And finally, the photograph showing the painting of the words “Black Lives Matter” and the Stars and Stripes on the street 16^th Street in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of its renaming Black Lives Matter Street, is evidence that Obama’s presidency did not close the file and that the wounds are still open.

A closer scrutiny may diminish the weight of the message by showing that personal interest may come in the way of equality. The narrator in the poem can be construed as vouching for himself, as the “me” in “Me-Day” indicates. This is a confiscation of Victory day, the day when unity of all Americans triumphed, for the benefit of one man, however unfairly he was treated. Then, Obama’s use of King and his implicit claim to a heritage (through the use of the word “overcome” on line 25, for example) in an electoral speech might raise suspicion. Obama’s father was a Kenyan (and his mother a white Texan), so even if his skin color is Brown he is not a descendant of slaves and segregated men. His blackness was doubted, and retrospectively, the fact that the speech was delivered in Ebenezer Church sounds phony when we know that Obama’s pastor, Rvd Wright, cursed the USA. This was obviously no fault of Obama’s, but the very fact that the movement Black Lives Matter developed at the end of his presidency calls attention to the fact that president Obama never fully embraced the struggle, possibly because he did not share the cultural heritage he claims in the speech.

As for the picture, there are two sides to the impression it gives. Black and White people can be seen painting, which is a symbol of unity, but then the words are painting on the ground. They are going to be –literally- tread on. The message can only fully be seen from the sky, by taking a wider view, but at ground level, it is meaningless. There is a discrepancy between the noble intention and the actual realization.

512 words

Sujet 2, Partie 2.

But maybe if a few more decided to walk, those foundations might start to shake. If just a few women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had been willing to do, maybe the cracks in those walls would start to show. If teenagers took rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks marched because they’d come to understand that their freedom was wrapped up in the freedom of others, that they too had a stake in the impending battle, the walls would begin to sway.

But maybe if a few more decided to walk: la seule difficulté est le mot walk. Il s’agit bien évidemment de participer aux grandes manifestations, appelées marches, pas juste de mettre un pied devant l’autre.

Mais peut-être que si quelques autres personnes décidaient de participer à ces marches,

those foundations might start to shake: le mot those est pejorative. Il faut essayer de le faire sentir sans surtraduire . Ces fichues fondations pourraient se mettre à trembler.

If just a few women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had been willing to do: il faut évidemment reprendre la formule be willing to do. Si ne serait-ce que quelques femmes de plus avaient eu la volonté de faire ce que Rosa Parks avait eu la volonté de faire,

maybe the cracks in those walls would start to show. The Wall, c’est le mur, mais je pense qu’en français on dirait plutôt les murs (de la prison mentale qu’est la ségrégation). Peut-être que les fissures dans ces fichus murs auraient commencé à apparaître.

If teenagers took rides from North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Rides, c’est bien évidemment en bus et pas à cheval. Ce sont les Freedom Riders. Si des adolescents faisaient des tours en bus pour aller du nord au sud, peut-être que quelques briques se descelleraient.

Maybe if white folks marched because they’d come to understand that their freedom was wrapped up in the freedom of others: meme Remarque sur march. Wrapped up: enroulé n’est pas très heureux. Je préfère remanier la phrase. Peut-être que si des blancs participaient aux marches parce qu’ils en étaient venus à comprendre que le cocon de leur liberté était la liberté des autres,

that they too had a stake in the impending battle, the walls would begin to sway: le that reprend le understand that. Là encore, il me semble plus clair de modifier l’ordre des mots. que l’enjeu de la bataille à venir était important pour eux aussi, ces murs se mettraient à vaciller.