The Aboriginals and the Canadian Government

The document under study is an extract from a newspaper article from the Guardian published in 2019. It tackles how the Canadian government does not respect Indigenous people’s lands. Indeed, the Canadian government chose to use their lands to build energy projects without the Indigenous peoples’ consent. This engendered violence and conflicts between the government and the Aboriginals. The latter want to protect their lands and defend their rights.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Enjoy Your Vacation! 😊

 The Aboriginals and the Canadian government

The document under study is an extract from a newspaper article from the Guardian, published in 2019. It deals with how the Canadian government does not respect the lands of Indigenous people. In fact, a petrol company would like to build a pipeline that is crossing Indigenous’ lands. On top of that, they would like to build them without their consent. As a result, the Aboriginal people protested to block the construction of the pipeline.

This reveals that the relationship between the Canadian government and the Indigenous people is complicated because even if the government gives a warm welcome to every immigrant coming to Canada, they do not respect the peoples from the First Nations of their country. Therefore, the latter feel left out and abandoned by the Canadian government.

Besides, the Canadian government took decisions and signed documents against the Aboriginals’ will to take advantage of them and their lands.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Enjoy Your Vacation! 😊

 A Very Attractive Country

The document under study is a video from Citizenship and immigration Canada, published in 2015.

We have learned the reasons why people move to Canada, it is to start a new life, to escape war or political conflicts from their country of origin, to feel safe and have a prosperous life in Canada.

The immigration process to become a citizen takes 3 years to complete. In fact, the newcomers must learn the languages, the geography and the history of the country, the rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen.

On top of that, they have to undergo health and security checks. At the end of the process, they are invited to take part in a citizenship ceremony in which people in charge of the organization (citizenship judges) are very involved and committed in the integration and welcoming the newly citizens. At the end of the ceremony, the newly citizens take the oath of citizenship and they all sing the national anthem entitled “Ô Canada”.

To conclude, the video conveys an image of Canada as an open-minded and multicultural country. Moreover, it is portrayed as a heartwarming and welcoming country in which every citizen is part of a brotherhood. There is a willingness to create a genuine bond with one another. They strongly believe that everyone can be beneficial for the well-being of the country.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the Following of what we did last time) 

The solution to stop the spread of deep fakes would be to hold social media organizations responsible for the spread of deep fakes. However, these social media companies have a general legal immunity to content posted on their platforms. Nevertheless, this may change in the future.

Even though people should be more cautious and educated on the matter, there is another problem to be able to identify deep fakes properly: the liar’s dividend. In fact, the purpose of the liar’s dividend is to mislead/deceive people into making them believe that a real/genuine/authentic video with someone doing something illegal is fake. At first AI was only available for sophisticated machine learning experts. If deep fakes is not properly controlled, it can affect national security and our politics.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for an Oral Comprehension Evaluation on the theme of the chapter on Tuesday, January 7th 2025.

Enjoy Your Vacation! 😊

 Fighting Disinformation

The document under study is an extract from a website called Brookings.edu, published in December 2017. It deals with how journalists wish to fight disinformation.

Nowadays, what is paradoxical with today’s journalism is that information is more accessible online through social media platforms, however, with all the fake news that can be found on these same platforms, it degrades the image of authentic media.

According to the article, governments, businesses, consumers, technology companies and educational institutions could solve this problem by teaching people about news literacy and help them how to spot fake news.

The news media landscape has changed throughout the past decade thanks to the digital sources, the reach of journalism, social media and public engagement. On top of that, people now get their news mostly online. Besides, the readers are mainly young adults.

To finish with, in order to receive specific information one would like to read, one can customize their preferences on their devices. Eventually, this can also help to select what is real information from misinformation.

Legislating on Deep Fakes?

 The document under study is a recording from a radio program, NPR, an American radio. It was published in 2019. It deals with the complexity of legislating deep fakes.

A deep fake is a technology involving the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to manipulate videos or audios to make them appear real and convincing. Deep fakes have a real impact on our society regarding the rise of fake news.

Moreover, deep fakes are becoming a national security concern because they can make people do or say things they never did or said before.

Furthermore, deep fakes can create disastrous situation and critical scenarios with for example a military official giving orders to mass troops at a border when it never really happened in the real world.

The USA cannot sue (to judge in a trial) the person at the origin of a deep fake because it is complicated to track them. On top of that, if they are from another country, they don’t have the right to prosecute a foreign person.

Homework: Learn the lessons.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Furthermore, Canada is one of the most tolerant countries not only in terms of race but also in sexual identity. In fact, they are one of the first country to legalize gay marriage.

To conclude, the author seems to have an ironic tone because he thinks that Canadians would not be as open-minded as if they were living in Europe. Therefore, his point of view is not objective as he uses the pronoun “we”, we understand that he himself is Canadian. On top of that, he also uses a serious tone when he enumerates the number of immigrants coming to the country. Objectively, the Canadians’ tolerance/open-mindedness is due to their history and geographic situation.         

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Canada is seen as a tolerant country because the figures indicate that it has been the only country that has so many immigrants coming in and no other country is capable of competing with Canada’s figures. Furthermore, even all the political parties are pro-immigration. On top of that, it is not only being tolerant regarding ethnicity issues, it is also very accepting of sexual identity with the country being one of the first one to legalize gay marriage.

To conclude, we can observe that the author is Canadian as he uses the pronoun “we”.  Therefore, he is not really objective in his analysis: he has an ironic tone, as he wants to point out that Canadian should not be proud of their tolerance because if they were in a European country they may not have had the same opinion on immigration. Indeed, actually, their tolerance is due to their geography and history.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

Who are the Black Native Americans?

The document under study is an article written by Brittany L. Cerny published in 2022. It deals with the underrepresented community of the Black Native Americans.

We have learned that this people is ethnically related to Africans who were brought during the slave trade to America and to the Native Americans.

The Black Native American community is not a well-documented group as they are a minority of a minority.

At the time, the Native Americans and the Africans were persecuted and oppressed by the white Europeans, therefore they got together, became friends for some of them and had children together. On top of that, some wealthy Native Americans also bought African slaves for their own homes and some also had children with them as well.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

The goal of this video is to promote the multiculturalism of the country and its traditions. It is to emphasize that it is a welcoming country. As the video is played during the citizenship ceremony it is a way to show new citizens what community they are about to join.

An Open-Minded Country…

The document under study is an excerpt from an article written by John Ibbitson in 2014. It deals with how Canada celebrates its culture of accommodation.

We have learned that every year an equivalent of 1% of the Canadian population is added to the inhabitants of the country. In fact, for example, in 2012 the number of new immigrants was of 258,000. Hence, over the last 20 years until 2014, there have been more than 5 million immigrants arriving in Canada.

Moreover, there are three main political parties and each one of them claims to be pro-immigration. Indeed, unlike European countries in which many illegal immigrants can travel easily from countries to countries, Canada is surrounded by three oceans. They serve as natural borders. Hence, it is easier to be tolerant when there is no big threats of illegal immigration in your country. The only physical border they have is with the USA.

Moreover, Canada has a high number of immigrants because of its openness to people regardless their race/origins, religion and sexual orientation.

Multiculturalism is a direct heritage of Canada’s history as its Constitution was drafted by the French and the British in 1867 who had been working together in the construction of the country. In addition, since multiculturalism is written in its Constitution, it means that it is a very important notion for both the government and the citizens.

(We will continue the study of the text on Friday. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Fake News: A Case Study

The document under study is an extract from an online article published on the website History.com in 2009. It deals with a man called Orson Welles who created a radio play on October 30^th 1938 about aliens invading the USA. American cities were quoted such as Grovers Mills, Chicago or Saint Louis…

A radio play is like an audio theater, it is entirely fiction, which aims at entertaining people.

The story was made realistic thanks to the sound effects, the good performance of the actors, the details given made it believable.

As a consequence, the radio listeners thought that the story that was airing/broadcasting was true. Therefore, they started to panic and were terrified. They tried to flee and run away from their houses, some went to church to pray. Some other went to the police to ask for gas masks. Some even believed that they were all going to die.

Upon hearing these facts, to calm everyone down, Welles went on air to remind the audience that the story was merely fiction. Because of this event, Welles was afraid that this radio play could ruin his career. However, it turned in a good way for him as he had a contract with Hollywood studio and produced one for the greatest American films ever made.

This story was the first biggest fake news event in the American history, as the citizens really believed that aliens were actually invading the country thanks to the very nice performance of the actors from the radio play.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Behind Fake News

The document under study is a video from the Ellen Show published in October 2017. We can see Ellen who is explaining facts and fake news with fruit.

She uses an apple, a banana, two oranges and a pineapple.

The apple represents the facts as she was inspired by CNN last commercial on their ability and will to always share real facts with their use of an apple to illustrate their message. Then, one of the oranges represents the things that Donald Trump, president at the time, said. The pineapple represents Anderson Cooper, a famous anchorman for CNN. The banana represents fake news, as it is not a real one, it is indeed a fake one made out of plastic. Finally, the second orange represents a magic trick with a card inside of it.

The reason why Ellen uses fruits to speak about fake news is that fruits are well-known and relatable/relevant to everyone. On top of that, the fact that she uses a plastic piece of fruit reinforces/stresses the dichotomy/duality between what is fake and what is real.

____________________________

Homework: Learn the lessons.

Pocahontas, Movie Trailer

The document under study is the trailer for the Disney movie Pocahontas, released in June 23^rd 1995 in theaters. This movie can be considered as a faulty representation of Native Americans. Firstly, this Disney adaptation is tailored towards a young audience, which can be an explicit factor towards the shaping of a generation view on Native American culture whether it be positive or negative. On top of that, this movie is also a heavily romanticized version of the myth, which simultaneously sparks public interest all while propagating an inaccurate facet of history.

Moreover, contrasting with the white people, the Native Americans are partially naked, it stresses the image of an uncivilized people in the point of view of the colonists.

Often, media can only take one part of the real story and forces people to think in a certain way, which creates stereotypes and a separation between the peoples. They never really mention the common traits in order to create a form of unity.

However, as time passes by, the Hollywood industry is getting better at representing Native Americans in movies such as “Dances With Wolves” or “the Last of Mohicans”… by celebrating and respecting their culture.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 3 : The Canadian Tale

To what extent can Canada be seen as a land of freedom and tolerance?

Axe 1: Identities and Exchanges

Welcome to Canada

The document under study is a video from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada organization.

Canada is shown as a peaceful and tolerant country. The landscapes are awe-inspiring, pristine and breathtaking home of a large eco-system with a wide range of wild animals.  Canada is also depicted as a welcoming and multicultural country. In fact, the inhabitants are, for a part, from numerous countries.

There are also a lot activities to do either in the summer or in the winter with sports such as canoe, horse-riding, ice-skating, hockey, hiking…

In Canada, urbanized parts of the country are depicted as dynamic cities. The video also conveys the sustainable aspects of the country with the use of solar panels. On top of that, we understand that agriculture plays an important part on the economy of the country. 

(We will continue the study of the video. Do not hesitate to watch it again so that you will be ready to talk about it in class next week!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The News We Read

The first document under study is a cartoon by K. Hafeez published in 2018. We can, see two characters in a coffee shop talking about fake news. This cartoon denounces the prevalence of misinformation and the casual almost dismissive attitude many people have towards critically evaluating online information.

It is not a funny cartoon, it is more serious and worrying to make people aware of the dangers of the spread of fake news. People should check the news they read before sharing them.

The second document under study is a cartoon by R. Rogers published in 2016. We can see a stereotypical modern American man who is hypnotized by/absorbed in his smartphone and who is about to step into a hole as he is not even paying attention to what is going on around him. The man represents the American citizens who are accustomed to read their news on social media and believe in it. They are naïve/gullible. The Fake News hole can represent the amount/avalanche of news that circulate online due to its width/largeness. Moreover, it represents a sort of trap in which people fall easily, therefore it stresses the idea that fake news is dangerous.

This cartoon is not funny as the fake news hole is a metaphor to say that fake news are dangerous. This cartoon is not only aimed at American people its targeting everyone who has access to social media.

To conclude, both of these cartoons are denounces the risk and consequences of fake news. The two people from the first cartoon could easily fall into the fake news hole. Eventually, the news we read on social media should always be double-checked.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Real Story of Pocahontas

We have learned that Pocahontas, a famous Native American, was born in 1595 in the region of Virginia. It is interesting to note that her original name was Matoaka. Her father was a powerful chief of several tribes of the area named Powhatan. Besides, her father was also the highest authority the British colonists faced when they arrived there in 1607.

We have learned about the legendary story of the first meeting of Pocahontas and John Smith. In 1607, Smith was kidnapped and tortured by some Native Americans. During a ritual ceremony led by Chief Powhatan in which he was about to kill Smith, Pocahontas came to save him, she was about 12 years old at the time. Thanks to this event, Pocahontas and Smith became friends. Powhatan even adopted Smith as his son. However, tensions appeared between the Indians and the British settlers. There were conflicts in the different trading. Smith’s life was once more in danger, therefore he had to go back to England in 1609. Pocahontas did not have the real information as some settlers told her Smith was dead.

Firstly, Pocahontas may have married an Indian man called Kocoum. However, in 1613, Pocahontas was kidnapped by the British settlers. During her captivity, she met a tobacco planter named John Rolfe. On top of that, Pocahontas decided to change her name to be called Rebecca (meaning “Mother of two peoples”) and to marry John Rolfe pacify the relationship between the two communities. They married in April 1614, then, they had a son in 1615 called Thomas, born in Virginia.

In 1616, Pocahontas went to England for the first time and met King James I and the Royal family. She was considered as a Princess and an Ambassador from the New Land, Virginia. Unfortunately, during her stay in England she got deathly sick and died in 1617 at 22 years old.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

Native American Timeline:

-40,000 to 11,000 years ago: The First Native Americans immigrated to the North of America.

-8,000 years ago: They started to cultivate vegetables and plants.

-In 300: They created the bow and the arrow to hunt.

-In 1492: Christopher Columbus traveled from Spain and discovered the Americas.

-In the 1600’: Exploration and settlements by the Mississippi River of French settlers. Besides, it was the beginning of conflicts between the two groups.

-1607: Jamestown was founded by the first British colony in Virginia. Captain John Smith was captured and saved by the Chief’s Daughter.

-1700 to 1800: For a 100 years Europeans colonists killed the NA through wars and sicknesses they brought with them. On top of that, governments took away NA’s rights and lands.

-in 1709: NA were sold as slaves in NYC.

-in 1848: Because of the Gold Rush a huge slaughter of NA happened in California.

-In 1870: Bison were nearly extinct: crisis for the Native Americans.

-In 1871: The Indian Appropriation Act by the government to take sway over the NA’s lands.

In 1872: The number of NA decreased from 300,000 to 30,000 in California.

-In 1924: NA got the right to vote in the USA. Then in 1962 they had full voting rights in all the states.

-From 1930s to 1990s: NA won the right to govern themselves in large section of lands.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

(At the follwing of what we did last time)

Text C

This text is an extract from a speech made/pronounced by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper in December 2014. This speech is an apology to the Native American descendants for the Sand Creek massacre that happened in 1864. We have learned that the Cheyenne and the Arapahoe Indians were slaughtered at Sand Creek, Colorado. Therefore, the Colorado Governor acknowledged the facts and made amends to the inhabitant of Colorado whose ancestors had been persecuted by the American government.  

The speech was pronounced in 2014, 150 years after the tragic event. Therefore, it is a way to commemorate the victims of this massacre. 

To conclude, in the three documents we saw that many people from the American government apologized for the misdeeds done in the past to the Native Americans. To shed light on what really happened the Native Americans organize a National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving Day to commemorate their ancestors and to raise awareness about the real story of Thanksgiving. Their commemoration is a sad one contrary to Thanksgiving as they pay tribute to the dead. 

Homework: Learn the lesson.

For Friday, November 29th: Native American Timeline : read the text given in class and complete the timeline with facts and figures from the text.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Text C

This text is an extract from a speech pronounced / made by Colorado Governer John Hickenlooper in December 2014. In his speech, he apologized to the Native Americans for what happened during the Sand Creek massacre.

In fact, in 1864 the Cheyenne and the Arapahoe Indians in Colorado were slaughtered and persecuted by the American government.

The speech was made in 2014, meaning 150 years after the massacre. Therefore, the speech demonstrates how long the US took to assume their great responsibility in the genocide of the Native American community. Hence, it is a way to commemorate the dead in front of the descendants.

To conclude, nowadays the Native Americans observe a National Mourning Day on Thanksgiving because their ancestors were persecuted and mistreated for a long time. Now, they feel free to acknowledge their freedom, their rights and shed light on the real story.  Besides, it is also a way to show that they are still united despite what they ancestors went through.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

For Friday, November 29th: Native American Timeline : read the text given in class and complete the timeline with facts and figures from the text.

Political Icons

The document under study is an extract from SpeakeasyNews, published on October 22^nd , 2024.

We have learned that there are main symbols for both political parties in the USA. The symbol of the donkey associated to the Democratic Party appeared during the 1828 presidential campaign of Andrew Jackson. It was first used to mock his populist ideas. In fact, his opponents used to call him a “jackass” also because of his stubbornness. Nevertheless, he decided to use this insult as a way to promote his determination to be elected. Eventually, the Democrats decided to use this symbol to show that they could not be manipulated by anyone.

The symbol of the elephant connected to the Republican Party appeared during the Civil War in the 1860s. At the time, an elephant was drawn in a newspaper to illustrate the victory of the Union. On top of that, for soldiers the elephant is a symbol of strength and victory in wars.

Thomas Nast was the political cartoonist who made those symbols popular: it was thanks to him that the elephant was linked to the Republican Party and the Donkey to the Democratic one, in 1874 he made a drawing to represent both of the parties through these symbols.

To conclude, these symbols still matter today because they are connected to the American history and illustrate the ideologies of both political parties.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 3: The Rapid Spread of Fake News

To what extent can we belive the news we get?

Theme 2: Representations

Topic 2: Breaking the news and Getting Informed

How to Spot Fake News

The document under study is a video about how to spot fake news. We have learned that a piece of news is suspicious when it had not been reported anywhere else (on the radio; or the TV or in the newspaper…). Moreover, when a post has too many shares, likes and comments it can also be a hoax. Besides, to check if a website is credible/trustworthy/reliable, the Url must finish with “.com”, “.co”, “.fr”, “.uk” or .”us”.

In this video, one example was used to illustrate the notion of fake news: Trump was accused of saying bad things on the Republican Party. Actually, it was fake news. However, it was widely spread, it went viral.

The strategies to spot fake news are first, trust our feelings, if we feel the content is weird or dodgy, it might be misinformation. The web address should be checked, the source and the organization as well. It is important to double check to see if the news was reported on other media. Finally, we should not hesitate to zoom in and analyze a suspicious picture that might be modified or Photoshopped.

To conclude, the goal of this video is to warn us about dangers of misinformation. On top of that, it is also a way to teach us how to spot fake news in our daily lives.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Political Icons

The document under study is an article from Speakeasy News published in October 22^nd, 2024. We have learned that in 1828, during Andrew Jackson’s presidential campaign, his opponents used to call him a “Jackass” (=donkey). It was to highlight the fact that he was a stubborn and determined person. On top of that, he strongly supported the population. As a result, through this symbol, the Democrats were seen as being determined as well.

In the 1860’s, during the Civil War, the symbol of the elephant was connected to the Republican Party because an elephant was drawn in a newspaper to celebrate and illustrate the victory of the Union at the time. Moreover, the elephant used to symbolize victory and strength in wars for the soldiers.

Thomas Nast was the political cartoonist who made the elephant and the donkey popular. In fact, in the 1870s he draw a cartoon with them to represent the two political parties and their ideologies. That was how they started to be used by each political party.

To conclude, these symbols still matter today because they remind us the impact of one of the most important wars of the history of the USA. Besides, these symbols are very important nowadays because they represent the identity and the ideologies of each party.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Celebrity Endorsments

The document under study is a video published in September 2024, it was released just after the debate between the two candidates. It is about celebrities who supported the candidates during the 2024 presidential elections.

We have learned that Harris had the biggest celebrity endorsements yet: the most popular one was Taylor Swift, indeed, she thought Harris was very gifted and she saw her as a warrior. Moreover, she is against the vision of JD Vance about women’s rights. George Clooney supported Harris because of her approach on human’s rights and her justice reform. Dwayne The Rock Johnson who liked her leadership and her people first stand. Furthermore, Leonardo DiCaprio endorsed her because he liked her climate change initiative. Ariana Grande also supported her because Harris was concerned about mental health issues and social rights.

There were also strong supporters (Heavy hitters) such as the Obamas, Oprah, Charli XCX and John Legend.

On the other hand, Kid Rock had always been a strong Trumpist. There was also Ted Nudge who liked his vision of gun rights and individual rights. On top of that, Kanye West endorsed Trump because he liked the way he challenged the status quo. John Voit liked his conservative values and Hulk Hogan saw Trump as a hero.

Other celebrities not mentioned in this video had endorsed the candidates at the time: For Harris there were Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Eminem… For trump, there were Logan Paul, Elon Musk, Adin Ross…

To conclude, celebrity endorsements can bring new voters to support a party. Besides, it can help to convince undecided voters. Finally, it can reinforce the existing loyalty to a party.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Task: Friday November 29th.

 Making Amends

Text A

This text is a speech by Kevin  Gover, a representative of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and who is himself Native American, member of the Pawnee nation of Oklahoma. It is an extract from “An Apology for the Treatment of Indians”, in 2000, in which Mr. Gover expresses his sorrow for the treatment that occurred to the Native Americans in the past. In fact, he recognized all the misdeeds done by the American government to the Native American tribes in the past. The Bureau of Indian Affairs was created to defend the Native Americans’ rights in America and to denounce the consequences Native Americans had to undergo.

They took so long before apologizing/making amends to the Native Americans because they wanted to hide the truth, eventually they could not anymore because of the new generation of Native Americans who are now fighting for the truth to be heard. On top of that, as Thanksgiving has been an engraved tradition therefore they could not admit that it had a dark side.

Text B

This is an official document extracted from the Defense Appropriation Act of 2010. In this document President Obama wants to say sorry about what happened in the past to the Native Americans. In fact, he recognizes the violence, the mistreatment and the neglect committed against the Natives. Obama expresses regrets about what happened. He wants to build better relationships with the Natives to pacify them and reconcile the two groups.

It took a long time for the American government to apologize because they may have been ashamed of their unfair acts at the time. On top of that, we can say that Obama easily made amends to the Native Americans because he himself is part of a minority, which group, was also victims of discrimination. He understood clearly their situation then.

Vocabulary:

To make amends

To apologize

To ask for forgiveness

To make peace

To pacify the relationships

To cancel conflicts

To reconcile

To say sorry

Sorry

(We will continue the study of the thrif text on Tuesday. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Celebrity endorsments

The document under study is a video published in September 2024. It is about celebrities who supported the candidates for the 2024 presidential elections. We have learned that Harris had the biggest celebrity endorsement yet: Taylor Swift supported Harris through her Instagram by calling her gifted and a warrior. On top of that, she is also against JD Vance position about women’s rights. George Clooney also endorsed Harris because he liked her approach for human’s rights and justice reform. In addition, she also had DiCaprio’s support because of their common thoughts about climate change. Ariana Grande also appreciated her commitment for mental health issues. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson endorsed Harris because of her leadership skills and her people first approach. Harris also had very strong supporters/heavy hitters such as the Obamas, John Legend and Oprah and Charli XCX who even called her a “brat” to show how she is bold and not ashamed of her opinions, furthermore, it was also the name of her new album which was very famous in the summer.

On the other hand, Trump had support from Kid Rock, a long-term supporter. Kanye West also endorsed Trump because he appreciated the way Trump challenged the status quo. Moreover, Hulk Hogan gave his support to Trump because he believes that Trump is hero. John Voit and Ted Nudge also supported Trump for his conservative values and his will to reinforce gun rights.

Celebrities who have a huge fan base can influence their fans to vote for the same party.

Recently, Elon Musk and Buzz Aldrin supported Trump. Billie Eillish, Robert Downey Jr., JLo and Bad Bunny; many people from the pop culture endorsed Harris.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Task: Friday November 29th.

 (At the follwing of what we did last time)

The second document under study is an extract from a book entitled “America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations”, published in 1994. We have learned that the Pilgrims transformed Thanksgiving as a religious holiday to thank God for their lives, for their abundant harvest and for having protected them against the Native Americans whom/who they considered as savages. In fact, we can see that The Pilgrims and the Natives had a very bad relationship, indeed, they hated each other. Eventually, for the Pilgrims, Thanksgiving is a religious feast not to thank the Native Americans but to thank God. In addition, collecting an abundant crop was the way for them to prove that they received God’s providence. This event happened the third year after the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth Rock.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the follwing of what we did last time)

The second document is an extract from “America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations”, published in 1994. We have here the point of view of the Pilgrims as we can read the signature at the end of the text with the mention of the “colony”.

We have learned that Thanksgiving was transformed into a religious holiday by the Pilgrims. In fact, they are invited to pray on that day to thank their Lord of the Lords for being “civilized”, to have flourishing lands and abundant crops. They were called to gather together with their families. They also thanked God for having protected them from the Native Americans whom they saw as savages. On top of that, the fact that this order was given by a governor reflects the intention to create a united national holiday that promotes the Pilgrims values at the time.

On the other hand, to qualify the Native Americans as savages, Thanksgiving loses its meaning of being a symbol of friendship between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Trump Assassination Attempt

The document under study is an extract of an article from Le Monde written by Corine Lesnes published on July 14, 2024. It deals with the attempt assassination of Donald Trump that happened the day before on July 13 during a rally in  Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear. Lots of videos of this incident went viral online. Trump survived however, one of his supporters who was behind him received the fatal bullet.

After this event, Trump took this event as an opportunity to gain more popularity  and some of his supporters saw a sign of divine intervention in his protection for him to become the next president.

Through this article, we understand that Trump uses this event to promote his campaign by depicting himself as a hero, a martyr. Moreover, he would also be seen as someone that was chosen by God to accomplish great things for America according to his supporters.

To conclude, this event was beneficial for his campaign it might have helped some people who were hesitating to make a decision to see him as a person who will never stop fighting.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Reconsidering Myth (Part 2)

The first document under study is an extract from an article entitled “Native American Harvest Feasts Before Thanksgiving”,  published in 2018. We have learned that Native Americans had been celebrating their own Thanksgiving thousands years ago before the arrival of the European colonists. They were thankful for their lives, the abundant crops that nature gave them, they were organizing their ceremonies after the first full moon of September.

Eventually, the Pilgrims did not invent the concept of Thanksgiving, they were inspired by the one of the Native Americans.

(We will continue the study of the document next time. Be ready!)

Reconsidering the Myth (Part 1)

The document under study is a video about the evolution of how people have celebrated Thanksgiving, published by History Channel in November 2012. We have learned that the first Thanksgiving was in 1621 when the Pilgrims invited the Native Americans to share a meal together to celebrate their first abundant harvest. At that time, they killed 5 deer and ate their meat called venison, raw cranberries. It is interesting to note that at the time, they did not have turkey, mashed potatoes or even pumpkin pie. We heard that this event was not repeated every year. However, on November 26^th, 1789 President George Washington organized the first official Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, it was not repeated every year as well. Then, in the 19^th century, Sarah Josepha Hale protested for 30 years for Thanksgiving to become a national holiday. In fact, she was inspired by reading Pilgrims’ diaries. Her goal was to recreate and nurture this tradition. Moreover, she created recipes to reinforce the tradition. It was only in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving official to be celebrated on the last Thursday of November. However, President Franklin D. Roosevelt fixed it on the fourth Thursday of November in the 1940s.

One last funny tradition was put in place by President George H.W. Bush organized an official pardon ceremony for a turkey in 1989 which would not be eaten but sent into a farm for the rest of its life. This tradition was pursued by every president after him in the White House.

To conclude, the goal of this video is to maintain the myth of the festival, to teach people about the story of thanksgiving and to show the misconceptions people had about this festival.

Homework: Learn the lesson.