Fiche à imprimer : Please, sir, I want some more : Dickens et Oliver Twist (1re)

Anglais	Français
an orphan	un orphelin
the workhouse	l'hospice (maison de travail pour les pauvres)
poverty	la pauvreté
Please, sir, I want some more.	S'il vous plaît, monsieur, j'en veux encore.
Oliver asked for more food.	Oliver a demandé plus de nourriture.
Dickens criticised the treatment of the poor.	Dickens a critiqué le traitement des pauvres.

Dans Oliver Twist (1837-1839), Charles Dickens raconte l'histoire d'un orphelin né dans un workhouse, ces établissements où les pauvres travaillaient en échange d'une nourriture misérable. Affamé, Oliver ose demander une deuxième portion de gruau : Please, sir, I want some more. Scandale ! Plus tard, à Londres, il tombe entre les mains d'une bande de pickpockets. Dickens, qui a lui-même travaillé enfant dans une usine, dénonce l'injustice sociale de l'Angleterre victorienne. Discours indirect : He asked for more. The master refused. He begged them to let him go.

Mise en situation : le cours de littérature

Teacher : What happens in the famous workhouse scene?

Que se passe-t-il dans la célèbre scène de l'hospice ?

Sarah : The boys are starving, so they choose Oliver to ask for more gruel.

Les garçons meurent de faim, alors ils choisissent Oliver pour demander plus de gruau.

Teacher : And how does the master react?

Et comment réagit le directeur ?

Hugo : He's furious. He asks Oliver if he really wants more, and then he hits him with a ladle!

Il est furieux. Il demande à Oliver s'il en veut vraiment plus, puis il le frappe avec une louche !

Teacher : Why did Dickens write such a scene?

Pourquoi Dickens a-t-il écrit une telle scène ?

Sarah : To show readers how cruelly the poor were treated. He wanted society to change.

Pour montrer aux lecteurs avec quelle cruauté on traitait les pauvres. Il voulait que la société change.

À retenir

an orphan, a workhouse, gruel, the master, a pickpocket, a gang, poverty, the Poor Law, Victorian London.
Discours indirect : He asked if... / He asked for... / He begged them to... / He refused to... ; how cruelly (adverbe).

Exercice 1 : Dickens et Oliver Twist : exercice 1 (QCM)

« un orphelin »
1. an often
2. an organ
3. an orphan
« la pauvreté »
1. puberty
2. poverty
3. property
Oliver Twist a été publié en...
1. 1837-1839
2. 1737-1739
3. 1937-1939
« Il a demandé plus de nourriture. »
1. He asked for more food.
2. He demanded of more food.
3. He asked more for food.
« Il lui a demandé s'il en voulait plus. »
1. He asked him did he want more.
2. He asked him if he wanted more.
3. He asked him if he wants more yesterday.
« Il les a suppliés de le laisser partir. »
1. He begged them let him go.
2. He begged them to let him go.
3. He begged to them to let him go.
« une louche »
1. a label
2. a ladle
3. a ladder
Enfant, Dickens a travaillé dans...
1. une usine
2. un château
3. une banque
« mourir de faim »
1. to stare
2. to starve of
3. to starve
« avec quelle cruauté »
1. what cruelly
2. how cruel
3. how cruelly

Exercice 2 : Dickens et Oliver Twist : exercice 2 (à compléter)

Oliver asked .......................... more food.
The master asked him .......................... he really wanted more.
He .......................... them to let him go.
The boys are .......................... .
He hits him with a .......................... .
Please, sir, I want some .......................... .
Dickens .......................... the treatment of the poor.
He wanted society to .......................... .
to show how .......................... the poor were treated (cruel)
He was born in a .......................... .

Exercice 3 : Dickens et Oliver Twist : mise en situation

Que se passe-t-il dans la scène ?
1. What does happen in the famous workhouse scene?
2. What happen in the famous workhouse scene?
3. What happens in the famous workhouse scene?
Les garçons meurent de faim.
1. The boy are starving.
2. The boys are staring.
3. The boys are starving.
Ils choisissent Oliver pour demander plus.
1. They chose Oliver to ask more for gruel.
2. They choose Oliver to ask for more gruel.
3. They choose Oliver for ask more gruel.
Comment réagit le directeur ?
1. How the master reacts?
2. How does the master reacts?
3. How does the master react?
Il lui demande s'il en veut vraiment plus.
1. He asks Oliver if he really wants more.
2. He asks Oliver does he really want more.
3. He asks to Oliver if he really wants more.
Il le frappe avec une louche.
1. He hits him with a ladle.
2. He hit him with a ladle now.
3. He hits him with a ladder.
Pourquoi Dickens a-t-il écrit une telle scène ?
1. Why Dickens wrote such a scene?
2. Why did Dickens write such a scene?
3. Why did Dickens wrote such a scene?
Pour montrer avec quelle cruauté on traitait les pauvres.
1. To show how cruel the poor were treated.
2. To show how cruelly the poor were treated.
3. To show how cruelly the poors were treated.
Il voulait que la société change.
1. He wanted society changing.
2. He wanted that society changes.
3. He wanted society to change.
Oliver a refusé de voler.
1. Oliver refused stealing of.
2. Oliver refused to stole.
3. Oliver refused to steal.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. c) an orphan · 2. b) poverty · 3. a) 1837-1839 · 4. a) He asked for more food. · 5. b) He asked him if he wanted more. · 6. b) He begged them to let him go. · 7. b) a ladle · 8. a) une usine · 9. c) to starve · 10. c) how cruelly

Exercice 2

1. for · 2. if · 3. begged · 4. starving · 5. ladle · 6. more · 7. criticised · 8. change · 9. cruelly · 10. workhouse

Exercice 3

1. c) What happens in the famous workhouse scene? · 2. c) The boys are starving. · 3. b) They choose Oliver to ask for more gruel. · 4. c) How does the master react? · 5. a) He asks Oliver if he really wants more. · 6. a) He hits him with a ladle. · 7. b) Why did Dickens write such a scene? · 8. b) To show how cruelly the poor were treated. · 9. c) He wanted society to change. · 10. c) Oliver refused to steal.