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The Awakening : la liberté d'une femme (1re)

Fiche à imprimer : le cours, les trois exercices et le corrigé (sur une page à part). Revenir au cours en ligne

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Edna is a wife and mother in New Orleans.Edna est épouse et mère à La Nouvelle-Orléans.
During a summer holiday, she "wakes up".Pendant des vacances d'été, elle « s'éveille ».
She learns to swim, which makes her feel free.Elle apprend à nager, ce qui la fait se sentir libre.
She refuses to follow social expectations.Elle refuse de se plier aux attentes de la société.
She wants to live for herself.Elle veut vivre pour elle-même.
The novel was harshly criticised in 1899.Le roman a été durement critiqué en 1899.

The Awakening (1899) de l'Américaine Kate Chopin raconte l'« éveil » d'Edna Pontellier, épouse d'un riche homme d'affaires de La Nouvelle-Orléans. Lors de vacances à Grand Isle, elle apprend à nager (learns to swim), une expérience qui lui donne un sentiment de liberté nouveau. De retour en ville, elle cesse de recevoir les visiteurs, se consacre à la peinture et veut vivre pour elle-même, refusant le rôle de « mère-épouse » dévouée qu'attend la société (social expectations). Le roman fut si durement critiqué (harshly criticised) que Chopin cessa presque d'écrire ; il est aujourd'hui considéré comme un classique féministe. Relatif which reprenant une proposition : She learns to swim, which makes her feel free.

Mise en situation : le cours de littérature

Teacher : Why is the novel called The Awakening?
Pourquoi le roman s'intitule-t-il The Awakening (L'Éveil) ?
Amelia : Because Edna slowly wakes up. She realises that she wants more than being a wife and a mother.
Parce qu'Edna s'éveille peu à peu. Elle se rend compte qu'elle veut plus qu'être épouse et mère.
Teacher : What's the symbolic moment?
Quel est le moment symbolique ?
Theo : When she learns to swim in the sea, which makes her feel strong and free for the first time.
Quand elle apprend à nager dans la mer, ce qui la fait se sentir forte et libre pour la première fois.
Amelia : Then she stops following social expectations. She paints, she moves to a little house of her own...
Ensuite, elle cesse de se plier aux attentes de la société. Elle peint, elle s'installe dans une petite maison à elle...
Teacher : How was the book received in 1899?
Comment le livre a-t-il été reçu en 1899 ?
Theo : It was harshly criticised. Readers were shocked that a woman could put her own freedom first. Today it's seen as a feminist classic.
Il a été durement critiqué. Les lecteurs étaient choqués qu'une femme puisse faire passer sa propre liberté en premier. Aujourd'hui, il est considéré comme un classique féministe.

À retenir

  • an awakening, a wife, a mother, social expectations, freedom, independence, a classic, a critic.
  • which makes her feel free (which = ce qui) ; was harshly criticised / is seen as (passif) ; She stops + V-ing ; more than being... ; a house of her own.

Exercice 1 : The Awakening : exercice 1 (QCM)

  1. « un éveil »
    1. an awakening
    2. a waking up of
    3. an awaken
  2. « les attentes de la société »
    1. society expects of
    2. social expectations
    3. social waitings
  3. « ce qui la fait se sentir libre »
    1. which makes her feel free
    2. what makes her feel free of
    3. which make her feeling free
  4. « Elle apprend à nager. »
    1. She learns to swim.
    2. She learn to swim.
    3. She learns swimming of.
  5. « Elle cesse de se plier aux attentes. »
    1. She stop follow expectations.
    2. She stops following expectations.
    3. She stops to following expectations.
  6. « durement critiqué »
    1. harshly criticised
    2. hardly criticised
    3. harsh criticised
  7. « une maison à elle »
    1. a house of herself
    2. an own house of her
    3. a house of her own
  8. « Il est considéré comme un classique. »
    1. It's seen like a classic of.
    2. It's seen as a classic.
    3. It sees as a classic.
  9. « pour la première fois »
    1. at the first time of
    2. for the first times
    3. for the first time
  10. L'autrice de The Awakening :
    1. Emily Brontë
    2. Louisa May Alcott
    3. Kate Chopin

Exercice 2 : The Awakening : exercice 2 (à compléter)

  1. Why is the novel .......................... The Awakening?
  2. Edna slowly wakes .......................... .
  3. She wants more than .......................... a wife and a mother. (be)
  4. She learns to swim, .......................... makes her feel free.
  5. She stops .......................... social expectations. (follow)
  6. She moves to a little house of her .......................... .
  7. How was the book .......................... in 1899?
  8. It was harshly .......................... .
  9. Today it's .......................... as a feminist classic.
  10. She wants to live for .......................... .

Exercice 3 : The Awakening : mise en situation

  1. Pourquoi le roman s'intitule-t-il ainsi ?
    1. Why is the novel call that?
    2. Why the novel is called that?
    3. Why is the novel called that?
  2. Elle veut plus qu'être épouse et mère.
    1. She wants more than be a wife and a mother.
    2. She wants more than being a wife and a mother.
    3. She want more that being a wife and mother.
  3. Quel est le moment symbolique ?
    1. What's the symbol moment?
    2. Which is the symbolic moment of?
    3. What's the symbolic moment?
  4. Ce qui la fait se sentir libre.
    1. Which makes her to feel free.
    2. What makes her feel free.
    3. Which makes her feel free.
  5. Elle cesse de se plier aux attentes de la société.
    1. She stop following social expectations.
    2. She stops to follow social expectations.
    3. She stops following social expectations.
  6. Comment le livre a-t-il été reçu ?
    1. How was the book received?
    2. How did the book received?
    3. How the book was received?
  7. Il a été durement critiqué.
    1. It was harshly criticised.
    2. It was hardly criticised.
    3. It harshly criticised.
  8. Les lecteurs étaient choqués.
    1. Readers were shocked.
    2. Readers was shocked.
    3. Readers were shocking.
  9. Aujourd'hui, il est considéré comme un classique féministe.
    1. Today it's saw as a feminist classic.
    2. Today it's seen as a feminist classic.
    3. Today it sees as a feminist classic.
  10. Elle veut vivre pour elle-même.
    1. She wants to live for herself.
    2. She wants live for herself.
    3. She wants to live for her.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. a) an awakening · 2. b) social expectations · 3. a) which makes her feel free · 4. a) She learns to swim. · 5. b) She stops following expectations. · 6. a) harshly criticised · 7. c) a house of her own · 8. b) It's seen as a classic. · 9. c) for the first time · 10. c) Kate Chopin

Exercice 2

1. called · 2. up · 3. being · 4. which · 5. following · 6. own · 7. received · 8. criticised · 9. seen · 10. herself

Exercice 3

1. c) Why is the novel called that? · 2. b) She wants more than being a wife and a mother. · 3. c) What's the symbolic moment? · 4. c) Which makes her feel free. · 5. c) She stops following social expectations. · 6. a) How was the book received? · 7. a) It was harshly criticised. · 8. a) Readers were shocked. · 9. b) Today it's seen as a feminist classic. · 10. a) She wants to live for herself.