AXE 6 LES PAYS DU COMMONWEALTH
ANTICIPATION
Watch the video and answer the questions :
1. Describe what you have just seen.
2. What does it represent ?
3. What is the role of the music ? (Can you identify it ?)
LISTENING The expert’s view
You are going to listen to Monia O'BRIEN CASTRO*. She gave this talk in 2023.
* Maître de Conférences, Langues, Littératures et Civilisations Anglo-Saxonnes (Civilisation Britannique
et Irlandaise, Traduction en LLCER)
1. Fill in the grid :
COUNTRIES
NATIONALITIES
(ADJECTIVES)
DATES
2. Give an oral account of the document.
3. Read the script, then answer the questions.
FIGURES
SPORTS
KEY-WORDS
(20)
SCRIPT
The expert’s view
Did you know the British colonial empire, the biggest the world has ever seen , spanned the globe to
the extent that the sun never set on it? It actually peaked around 1900, as Victorian Britain ruled about
a quarter of the world, in both land and population. In 1931, those colonies which had acquired selfgovernment, namely dependent states populated by a significant number of Europeans used to
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parliamentary rule, were acknowledged by the Statute of Westminster. It was for instance the case of
Canada and Australia. They were then referred to as the British Commonwealth of Nations. The
increase in nationalism in several parts of the Empire after World War One led to the independence of
a series of countries, starting with India in 1947, and also to members opting out of the organisation,
like Ireland in 1949. Hence the concept required a new definition, and the adjective British was
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dropped. Today (
2023), the Commonwealth, or Commonwealth of Nations, is a voluntary association
gathering 54 independent and equal countries across the world, that is 2.4 billion people. Among the
members, advanced economies and developing countries, most of which are connected with the
British Empire. The United Kingdom and many of its former dependencies belong to the organisation,
just as Mozambique, which joined in 1995, in spite of never having been part of the Empire. Members
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are held together by traditions, institutions, experiences and economic self-interest, and therefore
maintain ties of friendship and collaboration. But what type of collaboration am I referring to here?
Well, for instance, the Commonwealth Games are held every four years. This competition of amateurs
qualified by birth or residence in some member country or a dependency of a member country,
embraces gymnastics, bowls, swimming and athletics for men and women, and rowing, cycling, boxing,
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weight-lifting and wrestling for men only. Unlike other international bodies, the organisation has no
constitution, but members are to recognise the British monarch as the symbolic head, promote peace,
human rights and democracy, fight racism, oppose colonial domination, and reduce inequalities in
wealth. British society reflects British colonial history as from World War Two onwards, mass
immigration to the Mother Country began. The most famous arrival was of people from the Caribbean
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on the ship Empire Windrush, in 1948. Immigrants worked mainly in areas of great labour shortage,
such as on buses and in hospitals, and settled in areas of cheaper housing in cities such as London
and Birmingham. As the economy picked up and then boomed in the late 1950s and 1960s, migrants
from India for instance came to work in the textile factories of the North of England and the
engineering factories of the Midlands. As a result, Britain’s cities became increasingly multicultural.
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Over the years, immigrants and their descendants have integrated into communities across the land
and thus enriched British culture and helped to shape the identity of Britain, so much so that the
concept of “Britishness” has evolved.
A. Translate the words in bold.
B. Explain what the underlined words refer to (in English).
C. Find the expression that applied to the British Empire of the 18th and 19th centuries and
that refers to the fact that, on maps of the empire showing British colonies in red, whatever
the time of day it is, it is daytime somewhere red.
This idea is illustrated on the map, shown in the video :
D. Analyse the parts that have been circled .
LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET
Answer the following questions :
1. What is represented below ?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Define the term “Commonwealth of Nations”. 30 words.
When was the Commonwealth born and how did it evolve ?
Who is Head of the Commonwealth ?
What is the role of Head of the Commonwealth ?
Here are the countries that are part of the Commonwealth :
Choose a country that is part of the Commonwealth,
click on
https://thecommonwealth.org/member-countries
and pick out some information :
a. Country ……………………………………………………………………………………….
b. Capital ……………………………………………………………………………………….
c. Flag ……………………………………………………………………………………………
d. Population ………………………………………………………………………………….
e. Date it joined the Commonwealth / date of independence …………………………………………………
7. Focus on the poster below and answer the questions :
a. What historical period is depicted ?
b. What is suggested in the document ?
English poster by unidentified artist, Great Britain, 1942
8. Focus on the tweet below and answer the questions :
a. Compare the way the different people are dressed in the photos.
b. Explain who stands out and why.
c. Explain what is shown here about the Commonwealth.
READING
1.
2.
Read the article and answer the questions :
Pick out the countries mentioned in the first two paragraphs and describe the difficulties they have faced because of the Empire /
Commonwealth.
Explain what the Caribbean countries want now, and the consequences for the Commonwealth.
METHODOLOGY : HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE ?
TIPS
• Bien maîtriser le chapitre et disposer d’un bagage culturel solide.
• Trouver des exemples concrets.
• Utiliser un tableau pour assurer un équilibre entre les différentes idées.
• Connaitre le lexique de la séquence.
METHODOLOGY
• Use a title that is relevant to the topic of the article.
• Introduce the topic in the first paragraph and use a rhetorical question to engage the reader.
• Express contrasting viewpoints, making it clear where there is support for one view or another.
• Vary sentence structure and vocabulary.
• Use linking words.
• Write a conclusion, justifying your own opinion.
• Check for spelling, errors and punctuation.
Here is an example :
FINAL TASK (ENGLISH TEST in class)
Write an opinion article giving your views on the Commonwealth.