BOOK :chapter 9

AXIS 5: FICTIONS AND REALITIES

GEOGRAPHICAL AREA/ THE USA
Cultural area: “the Frontier” through literature and visual arts.
QUESTION : HOW DOES THE FRONTIER REPRESENT NEW HOPES AND OPPORTUNITIES?
Part 1: THE Frontier: myth and reality

Picture 1:

Emigrants Crossing the Plains , 1869 by Albert Bierstadt (he was a german-American painter)

1. This painting shows a natural landscape; it is framed (* encadré)by trees on the left-hand side and
mountains on the right-hand side. The huge mountains and the trees can be seen as protective or
threatening(=menacing)
2. In the middle of the picture, we can see a line of people, wagons, a wagon convoy, cows and horses
moving towards the sunset .In the foreground there are bones.
3. The nature represented here is romanticized, impressive = daunting. The fact that the travellers are
moving towards the sun gives a hopeful/ positive tone to the painting : they are poor and humble
people, farmers, cowboys, probably European immigrants who left their homes , marching towards
a bright (= luminous) future .

To conclude, this picture represents the pioneers of America, who moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, in
search of new opportunities and a better life.

Bierstadt depicts an idealized vision of the conquest of the west!

This picture evokes a famous TV series, the Little House on the Prairie, which talked about the life of pioneers in the American
West.

Phrasal verbs with the verb “to head” Partir

To head out = to leave, start a journey = partir Se diriger

*To head towards/toward/to = to go in direction of = se diriger intituler

to head up = to lead/be the manager of= diriger diriger

to head something = to put as a title = intituler

Brainstorming question: the concept of the Frontier (A FAIRE MERCREDI)

*The American Frontier is a concept in American history: also called the Old West and most popular “the wild west”;
it refers to all the geography, history, folklore and culture associated to the westward movement and American
territorial expansion (new lands; new territories, new states) and from the 17th(1st colonies) to the 19th century.

In French it corresponds to “le far West “ or “la conquête de l’Ouest”

1) reasons for leaving 4) a diverse group of pioneers

2) the journey 5) dangers

3) qualities required (qualités requises) or…………………..

❖ ANTICIPATING THE DOCUMENTARY:

Look at the maps, react.
 USA 1750

USA 1803-1860

USA 2020 Physical map

What were the natural obstacles/impediments of travelling westward?

hot and dry climate + the Rocky mountains+ the snow

❖ Doc2 video (”Fireworks, ebook, chapter 9)

VIDEO:

When? 1840-1860 (peak) How long? 5 months

Where? From Missouri to Northern California (the Oregon territory) Name of this trek? the Oregon trail

Obstacles? Accidental gunshots + the weather; the mountains, the snow + diseases(cholera, typhoid)+ the Indians

Why a myth? We mustn’t forget that it was a very perilous journey: thousands of people died during
the trail

RECAP:

This video/documentary talks about the pioneers who travelled from East to West. The group of pioneers included
some gunmen (* bandits armés )and some outlaws or fugitives Their travel was extremely tough: it was long (5 months)
and perilous, risky. Many people got killed, some by Native Americans(= The Indians), but mostly by diseases
(dysentery and tiphoid) in the camps, due to(= dues à) poor sanitation (ex : no clean water).

The pioneers had to be (top 3 qualities) - - -

ARRIVAL: NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: a promised LAND? (une Terre Promise?)

➢ CALIFORNIA: FACTS about the gold rush.

The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when
gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold
brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.

video to be watched at home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDkqvqqjMAA

. Homework: travail à faire à la maison

 ➢ CALIFORNIA LAND OF DREAMS - THE CALIFORNIAN FLAG VIDEO
N°2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysC4tQuDOi8

Where California’s motto, “Eureka,” originates? - Brief History of California’s flag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmBmpfAvNKQ
1/ (0.00 - 0. 35)

California state motto is « Eureka » which is a _______ word. It means : ___________________

When was that motto invented? To which historical event does it correspond? (what did Californians
‘find’?)

2/ 0.35 - 1.18

Where was the flag painted?

What does the bear symbolize?

What does the star symbolize? Why?

3/ 1.18 - 1.40

What happened to the original flag ?

When did it become the official state flag?

Who was the man who painted the original flag? What were his family ties?