Unit

Watch and react

1. Identify the two characters
(doc. 1 and 2).
2. What are they famous for?
3. Are you a fan?
Why or why not?

Breaking the Model?

4. In what way would you say

they are trend-setters?

Read and react

1. What concept does O. Wilde
associate with fashion here
(doc. 3)?
2. Are fashion and ugliness
synonymous?

Analyse and conclude

1. How are fashion and music
related these days?
2.To what extent do pop singers
influence fashion?
3. What do clothes reveal about
a person?
4. Do boys and girls have
the same attitude towards
fashion? Explain.
5. How far would you go to look
like someone you admire?

Fashion is a form of ugliness so

intolerable that we have to alter
it every six months.

Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and dramatist (1854-1900)

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43

Unit 3: Breaking the Model?

Topic

Fighting your own battles

Overture
1. Describe the picture opposite.
2. What type of shoes is shown

The narrators father has found his wife begging for new shoes for
her children from a Charity. The father is furious and decides to fix
their shoes.

here?

3. Are these shoes to play sports

in or to show off in?

4. After seeing the title and this

picture, what do you expect
to hear?
5

Running with the pack

10

Marcuss mother finds it hard to make ends meet (joindre les deux bouts). Someone has decided to do something
about the boys looks.

Overview

a. Ill never be able to afford them!

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b. Thats what everyone wears.

Read the tasks before listening to the recording. Identify:

1. The two characters, their age.

2. Where the conversation takes place.
3. The main topic of the conversation.

d. You dont want to look different.

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e. Its got to be Adidas.

Fighting your own battles (p. 45)

Zooming in

Read the text carefully and answer the following questions.

Running with the pack

1. Choose the most suitable title for the extract:

1. True or false? Justify:

The young boy:
a. is a fashion victim;
b. thinks wearing trendy clothes shows one lacks in
originality;

Walking or cycling Rubber soles The shame of being

different.

2. Identify the narrator and the main characters.

3. Find the sentence which triggers off (dclencher) the action.
4. True or false? Justify:

c. likes the shoes he has just tried on.

a. The couple are having an argument.

The man:

b. The father decides to do something about his childrens

shoes.

a. wants the boy to look original;

b. thinks the shoes go well with the clothes the boy
is wearing;
c. intends to buy him more clothes.

2. Identify the sentence that illustrates the pressure that

people are exposed to by fashion trends.

3. Rearrange the following sentences in the order in which

they appear in the dialogue.

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c. Now the rest of me looks all wrong.

c. He repairs them so well they look brand new.

d. The children feel proud.
PHONOLOGY CORNER

He comes home the next day with an old bicycle tire. He sends
me to Mr Hannon next door for the loan of a last1 and a hammer.
He takes Mams sharp knife and he hacks2 at the tire till he has
pieces to fit on the soles and heels3 of our shoes. [] He makes
us put on the shoes and tells us our feet will be good and warm
but we dont want to wear them anymore because the tire pieces
are so lumpy we stumble4 when we walk []. He sends me back
to Mr Hannon with the last and hammer and Mrs Hannon says,
God above, whats up with your shoes? She laughs and Mr Hannon
shakes his head and I feel ashamed. I dont want to go to school
next day and I pretend to be sick but dad gets us up and gives us
our fried bread and tea and tells us we should be grateful5 we
have any shoes at all, that there are boys in Leamys National
School who go to school barefoot on bitter6 days. On our way to
school Leamys boys laugh at us because the tire pieces are so
thick they add a few inches to our height and the boys say, Hows
the air up there? There are six or seven barefoot boys in my class
and they dont say anything and I wonder if its better to have
shoes with rubber tires that make you trip and stumble or to go
barefoot. If you have no shoes at all youll have all the barefoot boys
on your side. If you have rubber tires on your shoes youre all
alone with your brother and you have to fight your own battles.
Frank McCourt, Angelas Ashes, 1996

Over to you
Running with the pack (p. 44)

1. Running with the pack: what is your interpretation of this title?

What do people do when they run with the pack?

2. Sum up the conversation.

3. Imagine what the mother will say to her son when he comes home.
Express regret, reproach, disagreement, interdiction.
Fighting your own battles

1. Why do the mother and the father disagree on what to do?

2. What are the fathers and the childrens definitions of pride and shame?
3. I wonder if its better to have shoes with rubber tires that make you
trip and stumble or to go barefoot. Explain in your own words how
the boy feels.

1. Intonation in question tags.

Both documents

2. Pronunciations of the letter <o>.

1. Why do some people try to be original at all costs?

2. How important is it for you to conform to the latest fashion?

BLUE PAGES pp. 202-205

1. last: forme (de cordonnier)

2. hack = cut roughly
3. soles and heels: semelles et talons
4. stumble: trbucher
5. grateful = thankful
6. bitter = very cold

HELP YOURSELF

Nouns
a fashion victim
hairstyle: coupe (de cheveux)
looks = physical appearance
ready-made clothes [klz] (GB), [kloz] (US):
prt--porter
tailor-made / custom-made: sur mesure
Adjectives
casual [kul] formal
fashionable, trendy, in: la mode
out of fashion, old-fashioned: dmod
gaudy, garish [eri]: criard
identical = similar
proud [prad] ashamed [eimd]
showy: voyant
Verbs
belong = be part of
conform (to)
look like = resemble (somebody)
look + adj.: avoir lair
show off: se montrer, frimer
sport: porter ostensiblement
strut: se pavaner

45

Unit 3: Breaking the Model?

Topic

Overture
1. Mention the name
of the brand, the
kind of product
and the name of
the designer.

2. Describe the picture.

3. Explain the
expression Are you
man enough
in the catchphrase.

A
M
O
K

Are you man enough

to experience a new
d i m e n s i o n i n m e n s
fashion?

by sandra kuratle
skirts for men

www.amok.ch

Andy Warhol, Green Coca-Cola Bottles, 1962,

Whitney Museum of American Art

The thousanduplets
Zooming in

I once took a drive to Manhattan Beach to survey the

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15

20

25

46

social situation I had heard about so much. As I

trudged1 across the sand toward one of the volleyball
nets, [], I became puzzled. It was like a weird2 dream,
as though I had landed on a faraway planet.
There, in Manhattan Beach, I saw them: the
Thousanduplets. It seemed there were a thousand
identical twins standing around with cans of Schlitz in
their right hands. Each of the Thousanduplets was tall,
with a flat, muscular stomach, a dark tan and, of course,
blond hair down to his shoulders. Cocked at just the
right angle at the front of their blond mops3, as youve
already guessed, were sunglasses the kind no one
ever wears over his eyes.
No, this wasnt a commercial. These guys4 werent
grabbing for all the gusto5 they could get. They were
concentrating on assuming cool poses and making
sure their sunglasses didnt fall off. And the girls sitting
around them were neither pretty nor smiling. I was
not only perplexed, but depressed. Even if I were able
to balance a pair of sunglasses at the top of my
forehead, there was no way I could fit in. My hair wasnt
blond, my stomach wasnt flat, I didnt like beer, and
I knew I couldnt get a tan. As I made my way back
across the beach to my car, I looked back over my
shoulder one last time, [] and thought to myself,
Amazing absolutely amazing.

30

What an anonymous life, that of a Thousanduplet.

Many unanswered questions still haunt me. Like what
kind of woman gave birth to a thousand boys? How do
they know theyre in the right apartment at night?
And if their sunglasses should fall off and break, are
they exiled to Redondo Beach? Oh, the price of
conformity.
Robert J. Ringer, Looking Out for Number One, 1977

1. You know what triplets are. Can you guess the meaning of
thousanduplets? Does the word really exist?

2. True or false? Justify.

a. A TV commercial is being shot on Manhattan Beach.
b. The narrator really sees a thousand look-alikes (sosies).
c. These people seem to be enjoying themselves.
d. The narrator feels at home (comfortable) among them.

Over to you
The thousanduplets (p. 46)
1. trudge = walk with heavy steps
2. weird [wird] = strange
3. mops = (here) hair (crinire, tignasse)
4. guys: gars
5. gusto = (here) fun

1. Why does the narrator call this a social situation?

2. Are the guys looking for anonymity? Explain.
3. Would you be willing to make the efforts suggested here to
be trendy?

4. What is the price of conformity?

Green Coca-Cola Bottles

Overview
1. Give the nature and the source of the text.
2. Where does the anecdote take place?
3. The thousanduplets: pick out information about their

1. Give a general description of the painting.

2. Choose one row of bottles and give a more detailed
description of it. What do you notice?

3. In what way can the painting be a metaphor

HELP YOURSELF

Nouns
appearances
conformity
fashion standards, fashion canons
frustration
identity
Adjectives
apart
derogatory: dsobligeant, pjoratif
frustrated
paradoxical
slight [slait]: lger, infime
unconventional
Verbs
condition = influence, brainwash
denounce, criticize [kritisaiz]
manipulate
notice [ntis]
recognize
spot (a difference): reprer

of a looks-obsessed society?

favourite drink, their size, their hair, their looks.

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UNIT

Magazine

Prime Time Magazine

Did you say Gothic?

The gothic revival
The Gothic revival was an architectural movement
of the Victorian Era, which sought to revive
medieval forms in distinction to the classical style
which was prevalent at the time and favoured
simple, regular forms in which the artist did not
attempt to express strong emotions.

The Gothic is also a literary genre, which

particularly inspired 19th century British novelists.
Gothic novels are characterized by mystery,
terror, the supernatural, doom (destin funeste),
decay (ruine), old buildings with ghosts in them,
madness, hereditary curses (maldictions), etc.

Emily gazed with melancholy awe upon the castle,

which she understood to be Montonis; for, though
it was now lighted up by the setting sun, the gothic
greatness of its features, and its mouldering walls
of dark grey stone, rendered it a gloomy and
sublime object. As she gazed, the light died away
on its walls, leaving a melancholy purple tint, which
spread deeper and deeper, as the thin vapour crept
up the mountain, while the battlements above were
still tipped with splendour. From those too, the
rays soon faded, and the whole edifice was invested
with the solemn duskiness of evening. Silent, lonely
and sublime, it seemed to stand the sovereign of the
scene, and to frown defiance on all who dared to
invade its solitary reign.

Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, 1931

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Taking a closer look

1. Pick out typical
gothic references /
elements
in the passage
from The Mysteries
of Udolpho.
2. What is the
impression
conveyed by
the pictures of
Frankensteins
Creature (opposite)
and of Marilyn
Manson (p. 49)?

I dont want to view myself as some sort of taste maker. This

isnt an act this is me! I think that much of what Ive done over
the last few years has been grossly misinterpreted by those who
cant get past the superficial aspects of the presentation. I want
to at least hope there are some people out there that understand
what this is all about. I push things to the limits and take so
many chances because I understand that each and every day
could be our last.
Marilyn Manson, American singer

True or false?
Justify your answers.
1. The Gothic and the Classical styles are much alike.
2. The Gothic revival concerns literature only.
3. It voices deep feelings in a forceful way.
4. In The Mysteries of Udolpho the heroine is frightened
by the castle.
5. Gothic literature is a minor movement of the 19th century.
6. Marilyn Manson considers himself as a trend-setter.
7. Never before had anyone expressed the malaise
of their generation like him.
8. His eerie make-up and dark clothes convey an
impression of gloom and mystery.

Gothic literature
and architecture

Ann Radcliffe, The Mysteries of Udolpho, 1794

Gothic or spooky?

Reasons why students get body art

Tintern Abbey, c. 1794, J. M. W. Turner, British Museum, London

Names to remember
Gothic novelists
Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823), The Mysteries of Udolpho
Mary Shelley (1797-1851), Frankenstein or the Modern
Prometheus
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49), The Fall of the House of Usher
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Gothic theorists and architects
Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860): Palace of Westminster
(1836-52)
Augustus Pugin (1812-52): Nottingham Cathedral (1842)
John Ruskin (1819-1900), The Stones of Venice

TATTOO
Self-expression
Just wanted one
To remember an event
To feel unique
Independence

53%
35%
21%
17%
11%

BODY PIERCING
Self-expression
Just wanted one
To be different
Beauty mark

48%
38%
21%
21%

Note: Total percentage is higher than 100 because multiple reasons could be selected by respondents.
J. Greif, W. Hewitt, Rutgers University Health Service; M. L. Armstrong, TexasTech University Health Center

Speak your mind!

1. Read the grid and say what is being
compared.
2. What reason is given by most of the
students to get body art? Comment
on the other reasons.

3. Using the information given in the grid

above, comment on this statement :
The burden of originality is one that most
people dont want to accept. (Marilyn
Manson)

Points to consider if you want to have piercings or tattoos done.

49

Unit 3: Breaking the Model?

Topic

Overture
1. Describe the visual opposite.
What does it show?

2. Do you find the results

artistic / aesthetic?

3. Read the title of the

document and say what kind
of story you expect to read.

Skin
The story takes place in Soutines studio where Drioli and his wife Josie have come visiting.

Then [Drioli] began wandering around the room, peeking slyly

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15

20

25

30

35

stacked against the walls.

Listen, he said at length. I have an idea. [] I have a tremendous2 idea. Are you
listening?
Im listening to Josie.
Listen to me, please. You are my friend and to me you are such an artist that
I would like to have a picture, a lovely picture
Have them all. Take all you can find, but do not interrupt me when I am talking with
your wife.
No, no. Now listen. I mean a picture that I can have with me always for ever
wherever I go whatever happens but always with me a picture by you. He
reached forward3 and shook the boys knee. Now listen to me, please.
Listen to him, the girl said.
It is this. I want you to paint a picture on my skin, on my back. Then I want you to
tattoo over what you have painted so that it will be there always.
You have crazy ideas.
I will teach you how to use the tattoo. It is easy. A child could do it.
Im not a child.
Please
You are quite mad. What is it you want? The painter looked into the slow, dark,
wine-bright eyes of the other man. What in heavens name is it you want?
You could do it easily! You could! You could!
You mean with the tattoo?
Yes, with the tattoo! I will teach you in two minutes!
Impossible.
Are you saying I do not know what I am talking about?
No, the boy could not possibly be saying that because if anyone knew about the
tattoo it was he Drioli. Had he not, only last month, covered a mans whole belly4
with the most wonderful and delicate design composed entirely of flowers? What
about the client who had had so much hair upon his chest that he had done him a
picture of a grizzly bear so designed that the hair on the chest became the furry coat
of the bear?... Could he not draw the likeness of a lady and position it with such
subtlety5 upon a mans arm that when the muscle of the arm was flexed the lady
came to life and performed some astonishing contortions?
All I am saying, the boy told him, is that you are drunk and this is a drunken idea.
Roald Dahl, Skin, 1954

50

Overview

at the canvases

1.
2.
3.
4.

6. Why do some people find it important to transform their

outer aspects?

Identify the nature of the text.

7. Written work: some 30 years later, the picture tattooed on

Who are the characters present?

Driolis back is found for sale in an art gallery in Buenos

Aires. As a reporter for The Glasgow Tribune, you tell the
readers how the picture ended up there and what happened
to Drioli.

How do the two men earn their living?

What other people are referred to?

HELP YOURSELF

Zooming in
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What does Drioli want his friend to do?

What does tremendous idea refer to?
What is Driolis purpose (but) in having the picture tattooed?
What does his friend think of that very idea? Why?
Choose the nouns that best characterise the mens opinions
on each others work:
scorn praise dislike admiration veneration
disrespect esteem respect.

6. Find funny details that show that Drioli was a very clever
tattooist indeed.

Over to you
1. Study the cartoon above: how many characters are there?
How are they related to each other?

2. Finish the girls sentences. Is she: making a suggestion /

asking a question / presenting the man with an ultimatum /
stating her conditions? Justify your answer.

Nouns
blackmail
greed: avidit
murder
Adjectives
disappointed
untidy, slovenly-looking: mal soign
weird = bizarre
well-groomed: soign scruffy, sloppy
Verbs
abduct, kidnap: enlever (qqn)
carve: dcouper
fall flat
feel bad about oneself: se sentir mal dans sa peau
give in, yield to
long for, hanker for
refuse to enter into an argument
talk sb into sth / out of sth: convaincre / dissuader quelquun

3. Does the mans reaction meet the girls expectations? Why?

Why not?
1. slyly: malicieusement
2. tremendous = fantastic
3. reach forward = try to
touch by extending the hand
4. belly: abdomen
5. subtlety [s tlti]: subtilit

4. Would you say that the two friends in Dahls text are trendsetters? Why? Why not?

5. What about the girl in the cartoon

above?

TRANSLATING
La mise en relief
Ex: Listen to me, please!.

GREEN PAGES pp. 206-215

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