CAPTAIN AMERICA
What is it ?
It’s the front page of a comic
What is a comic ?
It is a thin periodical which originated in 1933
And it gained popularity after the publication of
Action Comics which included the debut of
Superman
There was a boom of superheroes until the end of
WW2
The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due especially to
new censorship laws and the spread of television.
The 1960s saw a superhero revival, and
superheroes continue to be the dominant
character archetype into the 21st century today.
What were they printed on ?
They were printed on cheap wood pulp paper
that’s why they were referred to as ‘the pulps ’
What was their size ?
7 inches ( 17/18 cm ) wide by 10 inches ( 25/26 cm) high
Who was the cartoonist?
His name was John Romita
Who wrote the story?
His name was Stan Lee
1941 by
It was first published in ………
……………………..
by Jack Kirby
Marvel s Comics
and Stan Lee.
Steve Rogers
The hero ,whose name is ……………..
is a frail young man who became
very strong after drinking an
serum
experimental ……………
during
A shield which can
be a weapon too
World War II
…………………………….
and he helped
the American government
He was created at the beginning to
spread American propaganda
among the soldiers of WW2
The Historical Background
When was this issue ( n°78) published ? In 1954
What happened in the world at that time ?
This is the period of the --------------------------------which
Cold War
1947 to -------1991
opposed ----------------------& -------------------the USA
The USSR from -------
What happened in the USA ?
This is the time of ---------------------------( also known as the Red
Maccarthysm
Scare or the Witch Hunt from 1950 to 1956 ) A commission led by
senator Joseph Maccarthy accused 1000s of Americans of being
-----------------------and they
Communists or -----------------------sympathizers
Communist
became the subject of aggressive investigations.
Here is an example of U.S. anti-Communist literature of the 1950s,
specifically addressing the entertainment industry
Analysing details in the foreground
A commie is a
derogatory term
for Communist
The reader is invited to an
exciting Communist hunt
The Hammer and sickle ,
part of Communist symbolism
Nikita
Kroutchev
----------------
His face reminds us that of
who governed the USSR from 1953 to 1964
The ----------------------------,
Hammer and Sickle again
Electro his real
This is ---------------,
name is Ivan Kronov and he is
the results of Soviet
experiments. He is extremely
strong. He’s wearing a soldier’s
(boots and belt)uniform and his
mission is to kill CA
Bucky
His name is -------------------,
CA’s right
arm man ,he has no super powers but
he’s very clever.
You will notice the difference of colours: the ugly green vs the nice shade of blue
Green represents evil (USSR) whereas the colour blue symbolizes justice and America
A winged
helmet like
that of
Hermes
(messenger of the
Gods)
The letter
A stands
for
America
Stars and stripes
which are parts
of the American
Flag, called
-----------------------the Star
-----------------------Spangled Banner
His shield is
made of an
indestructible
alloy. It can be
linked to the
nuclear power
of the US
Analysing details in the background
The ugly and vicious faces of the communist hordes,
disorganized .
The message
a)In the lay out(disposition) & colours
There is a hierarchy in the lay out of
the characters
•The hero is in the foreground
together with his main enemy
•His right arm man and his other
enemy are in the middle ground
•The soldiers are in the background.
this hierarchy aims at helping
us decipher the scene
The use of bright colours aims at striking the attention like in an
advertisement.
to show he is evil
The cartoonist used an ugly green for Electro ------whereas he used a nice shade of blue for CA - -----to show he
represents justice and the US .
b) In the character of CA
Remember, CA used to be created --------------spread propaganda
So as to
--------------In order to
-------------to
CA is meant to be a model , an example for the American soldier
during WW2 and for the American population during the Cold War
CA is supposed to be the embodiment of America’s strength against
the evil force of Communism symbolized by the USSR.
His body is very muscular --------------------show the US power
So as to
--------------------In order to
-------------------to
so that
He has supernatural powers and is invincible ----------------------he
can defeat his enemies
Let’s think….
Qu’expriment SO AS TO, TO , IN ORDER TO et SO THAT ?
La notion de BUT
Par quoi sont-ils suivis ?
BV
TO / IN ORDER TO , SO AS TO + -------------Une proposition
SO THAT + --------------------Existe-t-il une autre expression du but dans ce qui vient
d’être vu ?
Le verbe aim at + BV +ING
En connaissez vous d’autres ?!!!!
For + Nom ou BVING !
Let’s practice !!
Quizzes :
• http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/printable.php?id=112
•http://www.anglaisfacile.com/exercices/exercice-anglais2/exercice-anglais-9440.php
Complete :
a) The use of colours aims ------------------------strik--------------------the reader’s
attention
b) The use of green was ----------------------showing the USSR was evil
c) Captain America was originally created -----------------------the soldiers could
identify with a model soldier.
d) The Mac Carthy commission led aggressive investigations ------------------------get rid of the Communists at all the levels of the American society
e) The American government published anti communist literature ---------------people to denounce Communists and -------------------------------drive them out
GOING FURTHER ….some links with the work
•It can also remind us of the film Iron Man which was released
in 2008 and where the American hero fights with other
enemies : the Talibans in Afghanistan.
• Wham, a painting by Roy Lichtenstein (1963) one of the
earliest pop art works of art
It shows a plane firing a rocket at a an enemy plane which explodes in
flames. The title is an onomatopoeia.
• Generally speaking , in time of crisis, the USA have always liked
to strengthen the feeling of national unity
Here is a March 1941 issue of Captain
America where we can see the hero ,
punching Hitler.
It aims of course at denouncing ----------Nazism
• When it was the war in Viet Nam, The Green Berets (1968)was
trying to counter the anti-war atmosphere of the time. It starts
with a 20 minute justification of that war…much anti-communism
as well in this film….
The trailer of The Winter Soldier