Topic recap sheet n°3 : Changing habits, mentalities, and legislation (aka “Sex, Drugs, and Rock’n’roll”)
Content/ Documents : Pictures : pills in pot states / ”we want beer” / “lips and liquor” Text: I made my son cannabis cookies Translation : How condoms conquered America Videos: Medical Marijuana now legal in majority of US states (Voice of America) The US prison system is broken Civilization / culture : Prohibition in the US / How Bruce Springsteen cracked the Berlin wall
Picture(s) (description & meaning) Description : It’s a black and white picture showing a group of women with a placard saying “Lips that touch liquor shall not touch ours.” This picture was taken at the beginning of the 20th century. Meaning : They are protesting against the men drinking alcohol. So they want alcohol to be banned. It led to Prohibition, which was introduced in 1919 and banned the selling and consumption of liquors.
Description : On this photograph, women are demonstrating with placards : ‘We want beer 1933’ during Prohibition. Meaning : Women want the repeal of the 18th amendment. They are the ones demonstrating because they were at the origin of the ban of alcohol. They want alcohol to be legal because during Prohibition, the black market hugely developed and criminality was on the rise. And people never stopped drinking…
Description : Overall, except for glaucoma, there are fewer pills prescriptions, especially painkillers, in states where the medical use of marijuana is legal than in states where it’s not. Meaning : Marijuana is used against some symptoms of illnesses, especially to fight against chronic pains. It tends to replace classical pills.
Vocabulary English
French
English
To pass a law To give the go-ahead
Adopter une loi Donner le feu vert
To shut down prisons Over-crowded facilities
To loosen
Assouplir, desserrer, relâcher, détendre
An advocate To be willing to To apply for a job
Un défenseur, un militant Avoir la volonté de, être volontaire pour Postuler pour un poste
To walk free = to get out of prison = to be released from prison : A conviction To show mercy = clemency
To go into effect
Entrer en vigueur
Seldom = rarely
Peu souvent, rarement
To enforce the law
Faire respecter la loi / appliquer la loi Faire de la contrebande, faire du trafic Le soulagement (sentiment) / l’aide (sociale, humanitaire) Des délinquants non violents
Substance abusers Low-income housing
Des toxicomanes Des logements sociaux
A culprit Means of contraception
Overwhelming
Ecrasant, accablant, large
A whistleblower
To smuggle Relief
Non-violent offenders
A (reduced, commuted) sentence To wipe away legal liabilities = a criminal record To leak (information)
French Fermer des prisons Des établissements surpeuplés Sortir de prison, recouvrer la liberté Une condamnation Faire preuve de clémence Une peine de prison (réduite, commuée) Effacer un casier judiciaire
A disclosure
Divulguer, faire “fuiter” (souvent utilisé, mais incorrect) Une révélation
To surrender
Se rendre
A law-abiding life / citizen
Une vie / citoyen respectueux(se) de la loi, honnête Les renseignements / services secrets (CIA = Central Intelligence Agency) Un coupable (nm) Les moyens de contraception Un lanceur d’alerte
Intelligence
Recent events, historical & cultural references mentioned in the documents, questions raised by the topic, debates: (+ anything you think is necessary to add, personal knowledge and /or comments for example)
-Prohibition :
“We want beer” demonstration, alcohol was prohibited until 1930 and nowadays, debates are focused on cannabis legalization. Why is alcohol authorized and cannabis prohibited?
- Arkansas cannabis legalization: medical marijuana is only authorized in some states, for ill people. Nowadays there is a debate around cannabis legalization because it has economic and medical benefits, but on the other hand it is an ethical problem. -Cannabis cookies : a mother made cannabis cookies for her son as a form of medication. It was the only substance that had a positive effect on his health and allowed him to lead a normal life. It raises questions on the medication you can give to a child. And the fact that ethical and moral reluctances can make a family’s life a nightmare….
-Springsteen’s concert: he played a concert in east Berlin and might have led to the wall crumbling down. It was an awakening for the East Berliners, It made them thirsty for freedom. It raises the question of the impact of artists on political issues
-Prison system in America is broken : there are mostly non-violent offenders and minorities in the US prison (many of them because of substance abuse = many of them are drug users). This system is being copied by the British, with over-crowded, and privatized facilities. The rehabilitation of the inmates can be hard, and raises the question of why nobody cares about what is happening in prisons…
Key expressions (grammar, syntax, translation difficulties) - Ni… ni… : Neither… nor… Ex : But neither the manufacturers nor the users were put off / discouraged /deterred -“DE”:
Povenance : from Ex : Il diminue de 4 à 1 : It decreases form 4 to 1 Genre/Type/Def : nom composé Ex : Le taux de fécondité : the fertility rate Apport d’information : of Ex : Un sentiment de honte : a feeling of shame Appartenance + non humain : of Ex : Le titre du livre : The title of the book Appartenance + humain : ‘s Ex : Les enfants du couple : this couple’s children
Document prepared with great care by : Lucas, Manon C, Anne-Sophie, Antonin, Jérémy, Nicolas, Lucie
