Unit 2 The Crown at a crossroads

The British Monarchy, an unshakable institution?

God Save My Son

The document under study is a video from BBC news, published in 2023. It is about the polls that were conducted on the British population before the coronation of King Charles III. We have learned that the majority of the British population wants the monarchy to continue. However, throughout the years the public opinion has changed a lot and now less than a third of the young people are supporting the monarchy.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Finish the lesson for next time.

Fill in the document you receive in class on the Royal Family.

Native Americans’ Ancient Traditions before the Pilgrims

The document under study is an article entitled “Native American Harvest Feasts before  Thanksgiving”, published in 2018. It deals with traditions Native Americans used to do before the arrival of the Pilgrims.

In fact, Native Americans had celebrated Harvest Feast Day before the arrival of the colonists. After surviving the winter, they wanted to thank what they called “The Great Spirit” for their survival and their bountiful/abundant crops. They still celebrate this festival nowadays. They organize Pow Wows where they gather together to celebrate. They perform traditional dances and songs, and share a meal together. It usually takes place after the first full moon of September.

What is striking is that, actually, the Pilgrims were inspired by the Native Americans’ traditions to create their Thanksgiving. On top of that, it is interesting to note that the very first Native Americans came from East Asia. They brought their traditions from there in America.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

As a result, in 1863, during the Civil War, president Abraham Lincoln was the one who made Thanksgiving official and that it should be celebrated every last Thursday of November. Then, in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be celebrated every 4^th Thursday of November.

Finally, in 1989 President George W.H. Bush created a presidential tradition: the Turkey Pardon. Indeed, every year one or two turkeys would be sent to a farm rather than cooked for a Thanksgiving meal. Several presidents had followed the tradition since then: Clinton, Obama, Bush Junior…   

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The First Story of Thanksgiving

The document under study is a video published on History YouTube Channel in 2012. It is about the story of the first Thanksgiving and the evolution of the festival. We have learned that in 1621, the first Thanksgiving took place between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. It was a three-day festival. The Pilgrims organized this festival to celebrate their first successful harvest and invited the Native Americans who had helped them in the process. They ate venison, raw cranberries… They hunted and did other entertainments. Nevertheless, they did not have pumpkin pie, neither turkey nor potatoes, elements that belong to the modern Thanksgiving menu nowadays. The festival was not repeated after this event.

Only in 1789, President George Washington announced the first national Thanksgiving celebration on November 26^th. Afterwards, in the 19^th century, an author named Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned for 30 years to make Thanksgiving an official national holiday. To do so, she created recipes to help people organize and prepare their own Thanksgiving dinner and rally her cause.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Story of Thanksgiving

The document under study is a video published in 2012 on History YouTube Channel. It is about the true story about the famous festival Thanksgiving.

We have learned that in 1621 it was the first Thanksgiving celebration between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. Indeed, the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate their first successful harvest and thank the Native Americans who helped them in the process. The festival lasted three days. They hunted and organized other entertainments. They ate venison, raw cranberries. They did not have pumpkin pie, neither turkey nor even potatoes, elements that belong to the current Thanksgiving menu.

Nevertheless, they did not repeat the celebration until 1789 when President George Washington decided to make it a national celebration. Then, in the 19^th century, a writer, Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned to make Thanksgiving a national holiday. To do so, she created specific menus and recipes to make it possible and encourage people to follow her.

(We will continue the study og the rest of the video tomorrow. be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Deadly Selfies

A recording from NPR, an American radio.

People die taking pictures of themselves with dangerous animals or falling off cliffs because they did not pay attention to the edge.

These selfies can be lucrative because for the people who post these pictures on their social media profiles they can attract many followers and sponsorships.

Moreover, the benefits for the social networking sites are that their users spend more time on them. These selfies are used as advertising to attract more and more users.

200 selfie-related deaths have been reported so far all over the world. In the last month, 5 were reported in the USA.

The reactions are a bit severe: people say that those victims were stupid and narcissistic. Hence/so people are judgmental with a lack of empathy.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Task on Thursday November 13th

Be ready for the oral comprehension evaluation on Tuesday, November 18th on the theme of the chapter.

Deadly Selfies

A recording from NPR, an American radio.

People die taking pictures of themselves by trying to take the most impressive picture of themselves but they do not realize how close they are to the edge and they fall off to their deaths.

These selfies can be lucrative because on social media platforms, these selfies  can attract followers and sponsors. Moreover, they can generate likes and lots of views, and add more users to these social network platforms. Eventually, these selfies can be used as advertising for the different social media platforms to attract more users.

There were more than 200 selfie-reported deaths. 5 of them in the US.

Some reactions are vicious and lack of empathy because some people are convinced that it was the victims’ fault, and they should not have been so careless. They are judged as being stupid and narcissistic.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Task on Thursday November 13th

Be ready for the oral comprehension evaluation on Tuesday, November 18th on the theme of the chapter.