THREE TRUCKS - THREE LORRIES + commentaire

THREE BILLBOARDS, FROM FICTION TO REALITY

1. USA, FLORIDA, MIAMI

Activist group places 'three billboards outside Miami' to call out Rubio on gun control

02/16/18 – The Hill

An activist group is trolling Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with a “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"-style protest urging him to act on gun control.

Activist group Avaaz placed the billboards, which are on the sides of three trucks, outside Rubio’s headquarters in Miami in the days following Wednesday's shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead and at least 14 injured.

“Slaughtered in school, and still no gun control?” the billboards read. “How come, Marco Rubio?”

In the Oscar-nominated film "Three Billboards," a grieving mother rents out the title objects to call attention to local police's handling of her daughter’s rape and murder.

Rubio said on the Senate floor Thursday that gun control would not have prevented the shooting because potential shooters “will find a way to get the gun to do it.”

Avaaz President Emma Ruby-Sachs said in a statement that the billboards are in response to Rubio having “never attempted” to reform the state’s “notoriously lax gun laws.” The suspected shooter reportedly purchased the AR-15 used in Wednesday’s shooting legally a year ago.

“Today we take the streets asking ourselves: how come, Rubio?” she said. “The Senator has taken fire across the country for his toothless response to the shooting, calling it 'inexplicable'. We call that 'inexcusable.’”

Ruby-Sachs also noted that Rubio is “one of the highest recipients of [National Rifle Association] NRA contributions and has received an A+ rating from the NRA.”

Democratic lawmakers have upped their calls for gun control in response to the shooting.

COMMENTAIRE:

Tragic event : a school shooting took place in a high school in Florida last year. 17 students and staff memebers were killed by a 19-year-old student armed with an assault weapon

Strategies: an activist group decided to rent 3 trucks and drive the maround Miami.

They placed 3 billboards on the trucks: the first one said ‘slaightered in school’ – the second one said ‘and still no gun control’ and the third one said ‘how come Marco Rubio’. So they used the same strategy  as the victim’s mother in the film.

Marco Rubio is the Senator of Florida. So the activist use naming and shaming to hold him accountable

The activists accused the senator of doing nothing about the issue. They also  accused him of being paid by the NRA (the National Rifle Association) = a very powerful gun mlobby

Goal: the activists’ goal is to keep the  case in the public eye so that people don’t forget what happened

They want to put pressure on the Seantor.

They want the gun laws to be reformed. In other words, they want stricter  gun control laws.

POWER: the activists embody opposition to power – power is presented by the NRA and by the Senator – so ordinary citizens, activists, protest against the government’s lack of action and take the matter into their own hands. They use original, creative ways to express their protest.

2. UNITED KINGDOM, LONDON 

Grenfell activists use Three Billboards protest to highlight lack of progress

Justice 4 Grenfell group parades billboards around London to keep tower blaze, which killed 71 people, on national conscience - 15 Feb 2018  The Guardian
Campaigners have taken inspiration from the Oscar-nominated drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to highlight what they say has been “a lack of progress” in the Grenfell Tower fire investigation.
Members of the Justice 4 Grenfell group paraded billboards emblazoned with the words “71 dead”, “And still no arrests?”, “How Come?” around central London locations in an attempt to keep victims of last June’s tower block blaze “in the national conscience”.
The protest mirrors one carried out in the film, which stars Frances McDormand as a mother seeking to force local law enforcement into properly investigating the murder of her teenage daughter.
In a statement posted on the Justice 4 Grenfell website, the group accuses the government of similar inaction in their investigation into the blaze. “Eight months on from the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower, the issue is being ignored,” it reads. “71 people died in the Grenfell Tower. And still no arrests. And still 297 flammable towers. And still hundreds of survivors are homeless. And still they are not represented on the inquiry. And still there is no justice.”

The billboards, which were mounted on lorries, were spotted at venues including St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster.

Speaking to Vice at the gathering, the Justice 4 Grenfell campaigner Yvette Williams said that she hoped the billboards would help keep the incident in the public eye. “We were told that even as the public inquiry is ongoing, there was going to be an interim report by Easter,” she said. “Now that’s not happening. We want the truth. We want prosecutions. None of that is happening. We think they’re playing with time, hoping that the story will be downplayed.” 

 

LINK WORDS

LINK WORDS 1 

POUR COMMENCER

First, firstly, first of all, in the first place, first and foremost, to begin / start with

My first impression is…

POUR DEVELOPPER UN SUJET

Secondly, thirdly, then, next

at first sight (à première vue)

as a matter of fact, in fact (en fait)

at all events, in any case (en fait)

on second thoughts (à la réflexion)

actually (effectivement, vraiment / en fait)

anyway (de toutes façons)

in most cases (dans la plupart des cas)

in this respect (à cet égard)

to some extent (dans une certaine mesure)

as far as … is concerned (en ce qui concerne)

from a (adjectif) point of view (d'un point de vue + adj.)

POUR EXPRIMER LE BUT

To, in order to, so as to + BV

For + nom/ pronom + TO + BV

POUR EXPRIMER LA CONDITION

if (si)

in case (au cas où)

suppose/ supposing (à supposer que)

provided/providing (pourvu que)

on condition that (à condition que)

so long as / as long as (à condition que)

POUR EXPRIMER L'OPPOSITION

whereas / while (tandis que)

unlike (à la différence de)

contrary to (contrairement)

as against (en opposition à)

on the one hand…, on the other hand… (d'une part…, d'autre part)

conversely (inversement)

on the contrary (au contraire)

in contrast to (en contraste avec)

or else (ou alors)

otherwise (autrement)

POUR EXPRIMER LA RESTRICTION

although / though (bien que)

as though / as if (comme si)

even though / even if (même si)

no matter what (peu importe ce que)

whatever (quel que soit)

no matter how (peu importe comment)

however + adj. (si + adj. soit-il / elle)




LINK WORDS 2

POUR DONNER DES EXEMPLES

for instance, for example, such as, like

namely (c'est-à-dire)

above all (surtout)

POUR EXPRIMER LA CAUSE

as (étant donné que)

because (parce que)

for (car)

since (puisque)

This is the reason why (C'est la raison pour laquelle)

because of (à cause de)

owing to (en raison de)

thanks to (grâce à)

due to (du fait de)

out of + nom (par + nom) Ex.: out of pity

on account of (étant donné)

POUR EXPRIMER LA CONSEQUENCE

so that (de telle sorte que)

so…that (si…que)

so much so that (à tel point que)

that's why (c'est pourquoi)

as a result of (en conséquence de)

therefore (c'est pourquoi)

accordingly (en conséquence)

consequently (par conséquent)

so, thus (ainsi)

hence (d'où)

POUR EXPRIMER LE TEMPS

eventually (finalement)

till / until (jusqu'à ce que)

while (pendant que)

as long as (tant que)

whenever (chaque fois que)

since (depuis que)

once (une fois que)

meanwhile (pendant ce temps là)

in the meantime (entre temps)

at times (parfois)

POUR AJOUTER UN ELEMENT

in addition to (outre)

besides (d'ailleurs)

furthermore (en outre)

moreover, what is more, on top of that (de plus)

as well, also, too (aussi)

similarly (de même)

POUR CONCLURE

To conclude, in conclusion, as a conclusion, last but not least, to sum up...

HOW TO WRITE A DIALOGUE

Writing a Dialogue

HOW TO WRITE A DIALOGUE

1. Déterminez le niveau de langue demandé.

2. Vous pouvez, si vous le souhaitez, présenter brièvement le lieu, le moment de la scène, ainsi que les principaux personnages.

3. Dans ce cas, sautez une ligne entre l’introduction et le dialogue.

4. Respectez la ponctuation (guillemets, points d’exclamation, d’interrogation) et allez à la ligne pour chaque changement de locuteur. Pas de TIRETS !

5. Variez les verbes introducteurs (toujours au prétérit) et étoffez vos phrases avec des adverbes:

  NOTEZQU'IL N'Y A PAS D'INVERSION EN ANGLAIS: "...Dit-il" = ... HE SAID

Les verbes :

SPEAK	SPEAK IN A LOUD VOICE	SPEAK TO EXPRESS FEELINGS
He said – he added – he replied – he exclaimed – he retorted – he wondered – he declared – he asked – he answered – he repeated – he explained – he whispered (chuchoter)	He yelled – he screamed – he shouted	He laughed – he complained – he sighed (soupirer) – he sobbed (sangloter) – he insisted – he threatened (menacer)

body language

he frowned  (froncer les sourcils), he  nodded (faire un signe de tête, acquiescer), he smiled,  he stared at her(fixer qqn/qqch), he shrugged (hausser les épaules), he shook his head (secouer la tête)

Les adverbes

angrily, anxiously, bitterly (amèrement), cheerfully (joyeusement) curiously (avec curiosité), desperately, furiously, gratefully (avec gratitude), impatiently, kindly , calmly, (gentiment), loudly (d’une voix forte), proudly, quietly (calmement), sadly, scornfully (avec mépris), shyly (timidement), sincerely…

DIALOGUE

« Elliot ! Elliot ! You wouldn’t believe what just happened !” Dana said excitedly.

“What is it? Are you ok, Dana? You poor thing, you look terribly pale” her neighbour exclaimed, looking at her anxiously. 

“Yes, I’m ok. Well at least, I am now. The strangest thing just happened. I came back from the supermarket with two huge bags of groceries and also all my money for the rent. I had just managed get into the building when I heard this guy behind me say: “Give me all your money!”. Dana was still shaking as she told the story.

“Oh my gosh!” Elliot replied. He was almost speechless. 

“But then I started saying to myself, I can’t give this bloke all my money or I’ll have none left for the rent. So I said: “no, go away”, Dana added, more calmly now.

 “You didn’t. Oh dear, what happened next?”, Elliot couldn’t wait to hear the rest of the story.” 

I just kept saying “no, go away! I haven’t got any money. And then you know what happened?” Dana was now enjoying herself. She went on, “he just left, without another word”. 

Elliot stared at her. “Just like that?” He just couldn’t believe his ears.

 “Yes, just like that! Don’t you think that’s crazy? All I did was stay calm and controlled. I just couldn’t stop thinking: “I can’t give him my money, I need it.” And it worked.” Dana couldn’t help feeling rather proud of herself. 

“Wow, that’s really funny! Good for you for sticking up for yourself. He must’ve had a real shock. A vulnerable woman, faced with a knife, keeping it together,” Elliot looked at her admiringly. 

Dana blushed. “Now I’m going to pay my rent before someone else tries to steal it off me,” she said briskly.

 Her neighbour nodded. “Good thinking. And I’ll remember to call you anytime someone tries to rob me”! 

Dana burst out laughing. “ Any time! See you later Elliot”.

SPACES AND EXCHANGES: INTRODUCTION

ART TRANSCENDS BOUNDARIES - ART WITHOUT BORDERS - ART KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

KEY QUESTION: How does a street artist like Banksy use space to foster interaction with the public?

 to foster = favoriser

                                        OR 

How can public space be used to convey a messge?  

                                       
                                            OR

 To what extent does street art transform public spaces?

BANSKY TWIN TOWERS

The Twin Towers (the World Trade Center)

A graffiti located in Lower Manhattan: it represents the twin towers, it’s a very small piece done at the bottom of a wall covered with other graffiti. What makes the piece striking is the red flower that Banksy stuck the top of one of the buildings. It’s a real flower. It symbolises the explosion, the moment when the plane hit the tower. It is also a way to pay tribute to all the victims of 9/11. This piece attracted a lot of attention. People flocked to see it and take pictures. Others added comments, people put lighted candles and flowers on the sidewalk. So this artwork really triggered all kinds of reactions. There is even a man who came every day to put a fresh flower on the drawing. Later it was painted over, so now it is gone (it doesn’t exist anymore), like most street art, it is ephemeral, short-lived.

BANSKY JAPANESE LADIES ON A BRIDGE

Banksy : photo of an artwork by Banksy which can be seen in Brooklyn

This piece represents 2 Japanese women on a bridge wearing a kimono, carrying a fan), there is also a small bonsai  at the bottom. it’s a stencil. The graffiti was done on a wall in Brooklyn. This artwork triggered various reactions: we saw a picture of  a rival graffiti artist trying  to deface the work, he spray painted squiggles over the 2 feminine figures. He may have been jealous or maybe he hated Banksy’s work. Several other graffiti artists reacted negatively, because they considered that Banksy was trespassing and invading their turf, their territory. At the same time, there are 2 men who intervene and try to stop the artist from vandalising the piece.

After that, the owner of the building decided to protect/preserve Banksy’s work and he put some plexiglass over it and installed a metal shutter to protect it at night. There is also a man who is guarding the piece. Now people come and take pictures of it. Someone even offered the owner of the building a million dollars to take down the bricks in the wall but he refused (he turned down the offer). Banksy’s pieces are worth tens of thousands of dollars (at auction sales). On the pictures we studied, someone had written “value is arbitrary” next to the graffiti. This sort of thing would not be possible in a museum.

Street art promotes exchanges for better or for worse.

BANKSY: GHETTO 4 LIFE

Banksy : photo of an artwork by Banksy which can be seen in the Bronx

Space - street setting: a plain brick wall, a metal shutter, an old sofa

an underprivileged neighbourhood

on the wall: a stencil: a butler wearing white gloves, holding a tray with spay cans on it, waiting on a little boy (his master) from a wealthy/affluent family – the child has spray painted the words Ghetto4life on the wall,

Exchange: a man who presumably lives in the area is posing in front of the artwork which is valuable as it was done by a world-famous street artist: his presence adds to the irony of the piece. He is the one who will probably be in the ghetto for life. It is like a gift from the artist to a neighbourhood that could never afford his artwork (it fetches hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction sales). Thanks to the artist, the world of the privileged and the world of the underprivileged exist in the same space. In addition, the piece attracted many people to the neighbourhood, so they explored a place they would never have visited otherwise, In reality they are worlds apart. Artists like Banksy promote exchanges by investing public spaces (the street = a huge canvas, an open air museum.

But, given his fame, his work is sometimes treated differently  from other works by less famouns graffiti artists. Now, the piece in the Bornx is protected by plexiglass and by a roll down metal shutter. So the question is: is it still street art? 

 

Owner of the building: quotation

"This is a public artwork that Banksy has given us, like a present. We have never thought of selling it and we will do our best to preserve it".

BANKSY VIDEO

BANKSY VIDEO PRENTING HIS RESIDENCY IN NYC

Take a look at this video introducing BANKSY'S UNOFFICIAL RESIDENCE IN NYC IN 2013

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOvw0YA6eAY

BANKSY WEBSITE

BANKSY IN NY: MAP

Photos of all 31 Days of Banksy’s NYC Residency, “Better Out Than In” and Map of Locations

LINK:

https://untappedcities.com/2013/11/04/photos-all-31-days-banksy-nyc-residency-better-out-than-in-map-of-locations/

BANKSY - QUOTES

  QUOTATIONS BY BANKSY

I've learnt from experience that a painting isn't finished when you put down your brush, that's when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it" 


"Those who run our cities do not understand graffiti because they think nothing has the right to exixt unless it generates profit"