Vacation Plantation

The document under study is a trailer for a documentary entitled “Vacation Plantation”, released in 2024. This documentary denounces that in some plantation museums, guides do not always share about the real story of slavery and choose to “whitewash” and “sugarcoat” the truth by focusing on the comfortable lives of the white landowners. In fact, their speech is more turned towards a white audience that want to hear some fairy tales about the Antebellum South. Therefore, there are some controversial thoughts about the meaning of these places because these people think that if they tell the truth about the suffering underwent by the enslaved at the time, it would depressed the visitors and make them uncomfortable.

 As a consequence, people from the black community are shocked by these choices, because, in their point of view, this type of visit should not be seen or experienced as a pleasant vacation day, but they are places to honor and to learn about what enslaved went through.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Vacation Plantation

The document under study is a trailer for a documentary entitled “Vacation Plantation”, released in 2024. It denounces the fact that when plantation museums are presented to the public they hide the sufferings that the slaves were  submitted to and instead show off the beauty of the Big House. Indeed, the black community feels like the story of their ancestors is being “sugar coated” and “whitewashed” to make the white visitors happy instead of denouncing the horrors of slavery.

Homework: Learn the lesson

 Language in Progress

The Modal Expressions

1. Choose the option that best fits from the two choices.

a) I must stop speaking before I say something I'll regret. (a personal decision)

b) You ought to brush your teeth more than once a day! (a collective opinion)

c) She should read that book. (a word of advice)

d) They don’t have to finish that piece of cake. (a lack of obligation)

2. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate modal verb.

a) You should/must wash your hands before dinner.

b) You must not experiment on people!

c) You don’t have to come if you're tired.

d) You should/ought to change your eating habits.

Relative Pronouns

1. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate relative pronoun.

a) Do you know the lady whose daughter won the prize?

b) Look at the cute cat which is playing with string!

c) Roy is the name of the android which/whom I talked to you about.

d) This is the house where it happened.

e) Let me show you the place where the magic happens.

f) October 6th was the day   she had her first exhibition.

Vocabulary in Progress

1. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate idiom.

a) My grandmother is still active and healthy; she is truly in the prime of life. 

b) He almost drowned, but luckily he cheated death.

c) That old car finally kicked the bucket after years of use.

d) She had a serious accident, but she managed to live to tell the tale.

e) After eating that super spicy chili, I got so sick, thought I might bite the dust.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 1: Look at me Now

How do your appearance and self-image mirror your personality?

Axis 4: Representation of Self and Relationships with Others.

The document under study is a short movie entitled “Aspirational”. The main character is Kirsten Dunst, a famous American movie star who played in several movies, such as Jumanji, Spiderman, Marie-Antoinette… We see her getting outside from her house, waiting for a Uber to meet some friends.

Then, suddenly, a car stops in front of her, 2 young girls who recognize her get off of the car to take pictures of her with her. Unfortunately, the two girls are not really polite as they do not even ask for Dunst’s permission to take pictures with her. Moreover, they do not even interact with her even if Dunst tries to start a conversation with them.

Dunst was shocked, sad and confused because of the selfish/narcissistic behavior of these girls.

Indeed, the girls seem not to care about who is Dunst in real life, they only wanted to post their pictures on their social media to have more followers and impressed their friends on social media. Besides, they also wanted to use Dunst’s fame for their own benefits.

To conclude, the goal/message of this video is to denounce the excess of the use of social media, how people focus more on their image in the virtual world rather than living their lives in the real world.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 2: Plantation Tourism

Axis 2: Territory and Memory

How can we properly pay tribute to the legacy of slavery through plantation tourism?

Oak Alley Plantation

The document under study is a vlog about Oak Alley Plantation, located Vacherie, Louisiana, nearby the Mississippi River. We can hear a historian telling about the history of the planation. Oak Alley was the biggest and the best sugar plantation in the South. It even had a nickname, which was the “Jewel in the Crown” of the Sugar Bowl. Besides, the landowner was also nicknamed the “King of Sugar”. The plantation was called this way because of the two rows of oak trees in front of the main building. The latter was called the Big House by the slaves in comparison to their small cabins the slave quarters. There were located further away from the Big House. Moreover, the kitchen was separated from the Big House, it was where the slaves would cook for the family of the owner. On top of that, the kitchen was outside the house in case of fire spreading the Big House would be spared. Sugar was an intense crop to cultivate, indeed it would take couple months to grow, then when they would harvest it, they would crush it immediately. Then they would boil it several times to get the sugar.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Unit 2: Plantation Tourism

Axis 2: Territory and Memory

How can we properly pay tribute to the legacy of slavery through plantation tourism?

Oak Alley Plantation

The document under study is a vlog about Oak Alley Plantation, located in Vacherie, Louisiana, nearby the Mississippi River. We can hear a historian who is introducing the place. Oak alley plantation was a sugar one. It was known as being the best sugar plantation in Louisiana, and was even nicknamed the “Jewel in the Crown” of the Sugar Bowl. Besides, the landowner was even called “King of Sugar”. To cultivate sugar was very intensive for the slaves: they had to harvest the crop then crush it immediately to turn it into juice. Then it would be boiled several times to get the sugar.

The slave master would live in the Big House with his family. The kitchen was not even in the house in case it would be caught in fire so that the house would be spared. The slaves were the ones who would cook for the family of the owner. There were the slaves quarters, further away from the Big House. There were places where the slaves would live. Usually, their cabins would be smaller than the Big House.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 2: Plantation Tourism

Axis 2: Territory and Memory

How can we properly pay tribute to the legacy of slavery through plantation tourism?

Oak Alley Plantation

The document under study is vlog made by a historian. It is about Oak Alley Plantation, located in Vacherie, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. The historian is introducing its history. The name of the plantation comes from the two rows of oak trees in front of the building. The crop that was cultivated there was sugar. The plantation was known as being the best sugar plantation in Louisiana and was nicknamed the “Jewel in the crown” of the Sugar Bowl. On top of that, the landowner was called the “king of Sugar”. Sugar was a very intense labor for slaves as it takes couple months to grow. Besides, the sugar had to be crushed and boiled several times.

On the estate, there is the Big House where the slave owner used to live with his family. The kitchen was out of the house in case it would be caught in fire so that the house would be spared. And further away, there are the slave quarters. There were six of them, behind the kitchen far away from the Big House. Slaves would live in small cabins there made of wood.

Homework: Learn the lesson.