Freak show part 3

II) Freaks’ point of view recap Both Jospeh Merrick and Jimmy in the AHS series are considered as freaks since Jimmy is nicknamed the lobster-handed man (l’homme homar) and J. Merrick is advertised the Elephant Man due to his physical deformity. The latter (= ce dernier) had to enter the workhouse because of his inability to secure work due to his medical condition. He had no other alternative at the time but to be a freak to earn a living. As for Jimmy, he wants a "normal life" because he feels secluded in this freak show (”I'm tired of leaving through back doors”) and desires his emancipation. On the other side, his mother, the Bearded Lady, believes “there is no normal life for « us »”. As well as Merrick, she thinks that’s the only solution to earn money (”Times are tough.”). Freak shows are also a family affair (”These are our people”) , there is a solidarity among those freaks (”We’ve got to stick together.” = être soudés), but some may feel apart from society. Dans la recap ci-dessus, quelle expression est utilisée en anglais pour dire "n'a pas d'autre choix que de..." ? II) P.T. BarnumA) His biography At the beginning of his career, P.T. Barnum opened his American Museum for family entertainment, enlightenment and instructive amusement. Many oddities were displayed such as conjoined twins, a bearded lady or the dwarf “General Tom Thumb,”under the eyes of curious visitors.His success may come from hoaxes (mensongeries) such as claiming a former (ancienne) slave was 160 years.After his museum burnt in 1865, he associated with the ringmaster (monsieur loyal) James Bailey to form the Barnum Bailey’s Circus.The main attraction (attraction phare) were disabled people whose talent only consisted in displaying (exhiber) their physical deformity.Again, incredible stories were invented to arouse attention by making up crazy stories, or fake medical explanations like the mythical creature Feejee (The Feejee mermaid = la femme poisson), or the “what is it?” freak, which is a sign of dehumanisation.Despite his lack of ethic (=immoral behaviour) with a fortune based on a human being exploitation, he seems to have gained the reputation of an ingenious and visionary man at the origin of publicity. B) The Greatest Showman trailer (2017) RecapThe film “The Greatest showman” released in 2017 shares some common points with Barnum’s true story, such as a visionary personality when he promises a dream life to his family, or the success of his museum and his shows. However, the film shows a sweetened version of this controversial man through a distorted reality. The not-so-looking freaks seem to be grateful towards him, while Barnum’s dark sides and immoral behaviour are rather hidden. Though the dance scenes respect the circus atmosphere, with effort on costumes and staging, the soundtrack sounds typically like American pop style music, and seems to attract a targeted audience.So, should we consider this film as an unrealistic biography or just an American entertaining musical ?Complète le tableau : trouve le synonyme qui se trouve dans la recap Thankful décors, mise en scène Adoucie, atténuée Diformed Ambiguous Grateful Staging sweetened Distorted Controversial React to the last sentence in the recap : What is your opinion about the film if you have watched it ? IV) Modern Freak shows recap Freak shows started to disappear in the 1950s due to the invention of television and a changing in the mentalities, a fight for equal rights.An example of a modern freak show is “The sideshow by the Seashore” in Coney Island (USA). There are performers like a blockhead, a fire-eater, a wolf-man tightrope (funambule), a sword-swallower, and a snake-charmer, and colourful banners on the frontage (=façade) which remind us of Barnum’s freaks.However, this revival (une reprise) of the Barnum’s circus is accepted by our modern society, since these “freaks” rather consider themselves as artists and not people kidnapped to be scrutinised by the passers-by (les passants).For instance, one artist explains that we shouldn’t judge people who are different without getting to know them. So today, they affirm their differences and want to entertain through a mix of shocking and funny acts and skills (=performances)The founder of this sideshow explains that they want to make freak shows popular again, and they try and will continue to get in touch with our inner child (âme d’enfant). Just for fun ! 5 mots à trouver (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, à l'envers..., la totale !) (il faut cliquer sur la 1ère et la dernière lettre du mot) ILLUSIONIST RINGMASTER TRAPEZE BIGTOP CLOWN