Version élève → Anglais · Lycée général · Tle · Terminale

Séquence 10 · Lend me your ears: the power of persuasion

How can words manipulate a crowd, and how can we resist?

Bonjour !

Dans cette séquence de anglais, tu vas chercher à répondre à la grande question écrite en haut de la page. Elle se fait en 3 séances. Pour chaque séance : lis la consigne, étudie les documents, réponds aux questions sur ta feuille ou sur l'ENT, puis recopie l'essentiel dans ton cahier. Tu peux imprimer cette page avec le bouton « Imprimer ».

À la fin, je serai capable de :

Les mots importants

ethos, pathos, logosirony and repetitioninversion for emphasispersuasive speech

Ressources de la séquence

Les notions, les repères et les pistes pour aller plus loin, utiles pour toutes les séances.

Les notions à maîtriser

Ethos, pathos, logos
Aristotle's three means of persuasion: credibility of the speaker, emotions of the audience, logic of the argument.
Verbal irony
Saying the opposite of what one means: « Brutus is an honourable man ».
Inversion
Never have I seen…; Not only did he…: emphasis after a negative adverbial.

Repères

DateÉvénement
44 BCEAssassination of Julius Caesar (15 March).
c. 1599First performance of Julius Caesar, probably at the Globe.
1623The play is printed in the First Folio.

Pour aller plus loin

Sources et bibliographie

Mon parcours : je choisis mon rythme

Séance 1 · Ethos, pathos, logos

75 min

Séance approfondie : cours développé, documents sourcés, activités exigeantes avec coups de pouce.

La question du jour

How do speakers convince us?

Mon plan de travail

Le cours à lire · Inversion for emphasis

Persuasion relies on ethos (trust in the speaker), pathos (emotion), logos (logic, facts). For emphasis, use inversion after negative adverbials: Never have we faced such a challenge. Not only does it save money, but it also saves lives.

Document 1 · Three adverts

Texts written by the teacher.

A. « As a doctor with twenty years' experience, I recommend Breathe Easy. »

B. « Imagine your grandmother alone this winter. One call can change her life. »

C. « Our bus line cuts journey times by 40 % and costs half the price of a taxi. »

Source : teacher's texts.

Activité 1 · Understand

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Documents

Consigne :

Read and match each advert with ethos, pathos or logos.

  1. Advert A
  2. Advert B
  3. Advert C

Ce qui est attendu (5 pts) : Reading

Activité 2 · Practise

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Lesson

Consigne :

Rewrite with inversion.

  1. I have never heard such a speech.
  2. It saves time and it also saves money.
  3. They little knew the truth.
  4. We rarely see such courage.

Ce qui est attendu (7 pts) : Language

Activité 3 · Produce (spoken)

25 min
Travail à rendre

Supports : Lesson, documents

Consigne :

Record 1 minute 30: present a product or a cause using ethos, pathos and logos. Sentence starters: As a…, I… / Imagine… / Not only… but also….

Ce qui est attendu (8 pts) : Production

Trace écrite · document à compléter (papier ou ENT)

Complète la trace écrite avec les mots de la banque, puis recopie-la dans ton cahier.

ethoslogos

Persuasion uses ______, pathos and ______.

Séance 2 · « Friends, Romans, countrymen »

75 min

Séance approfondie : cours développé, documents sourcés, activités exigeantes avec coups de pouce.

La question du jour

How does Antony turn the crowd against Brutus?

Mon plan de travail

Le cours à lire · Irony through repetition

Antony says he will not praise Caesar, then praises him (paralipsis). He repeats Brutus is an honourable man until the phrase sounds ironic. He gives facts (I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse) that contradict Brutus's accusation.

Document 1 · William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act III, scene 2 (extract)

Play, c. 1599 (public domain).

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones; So let it be with Cæsar. The noble Brutus Hath told you Cæsar was ambitious; If it were so, it was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Cæsar answer'd it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,— For Brutus is an honourable man; So are they all, all honourable men,— Come I to speak in Cæsar's funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to me: But Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man. […] You all did see that on the Lupercal I thrice presented him a kingly crown, Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And, sure, he is an honourable man.

Source : William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act III, scene 2 (text on Wikisource).

Pour bien lire ce document :

lend me your ears: listen to me; interred: buried; grievous: serious; hath: has; under leave of: with the permission of; the Lupercal: a Roman festival; thrice: three times.

Activité 1 · Understand

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Documents

Consigne :

Read and answer.

  1. What does Antony say he has come to do?
  2. What did Brutus accuse Caesar of?
  3. Which fact contradicts the accusation?

Ce qui est attendu (5 pts) : Reading

Activité 2 · Practise

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Lesson

Consigne :

Analyse the devices.

  1. « I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him »
  2. « Brutus is an honourable man » (repeated)
  3. « was this ambition? »
  4. « He was my friend, faithful and just to me »

Ce qui est attendu (7 pts) : Language

Activité 3 · Produce (written)

25 min
Travail à rendre

Supports : Lesson, documents

Consigne :

Write 200 words: explain how Antony manipulates the crowd while claiming to respect Brutus. Sentence starters: Antony pretends to… / The repetition of… becomes ironic because… / Not only does he…, but he also….

Ce qui est attendu (8 pts) : Production

Trace écrite · document à compléter (papier ou ENT)

Complète la trace écrite avec les mots de la banque, puis recopie-la dans ton cahier.

ironicpathos

Antony repeats « Brutus is an honourable man » until it becomes ______; he uses facts and ______.

Séance 3 · Your turn: persuade and decode

75 min

Séance approfondie : cours développé, documents sourcés, activités exigeantes avec coups de pouce.

La question du jour

Can I persuade without manipulating?

Mon plan de travail

Le cours à lire · Structure of a persuasive speech

Structure: address (Friends, classmates), problem, two or three arguments (logos), an emotional example (pathos), your credibility (ethos), call to action. To decode a speech, ask: What is the speaker's goal? Which appeals are used? Are the facts checked?

Document 1 · Model speech: a school garden

Model text written by the teacher.

Classmates, as members of the eco-committee, we have studied this project for months. Our courtyard is grey and hot in June. A garden would lower the temperature, give us fresh vegetables for the canteen and a quiet place to read. Imagine the first tomatoes, grown by you. Not only would it change our school, it would change us. Vote yes on Friday!

Source : teacher's model text.

Activité 1 · Understand

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Documents

Consigne :

Read the model and decode it.

  1. ethos
  2. logos
  3. pathos and call to action

Ce qui est attendu (5 pts) : Reading

Activité 2 · Practise

15 min
Essentiel

Supports : Lesson

Consigne :

Write one sentence for each part of your own speech.

  1. address
  2. argument (logos)
  3. emotion (pathos)
  4. call to action

Ce qui est attendu (7 pts) : Language

Activité 3 · Produce (spoken)

25 min
Travail à rendre

Supports : Lesson, documents

Consigne :

Record a 2-minute persuasive speech on a school issue, then list the techniques you used. Sentence starters: Friends, classmates,… / Not only… but also… / I ask you today to….

Ce qui est attendu (8 pts) : Production

Trace écrite · document à compléter (papier ou ENT)

Complète la trace écrite avec les mots de la banque, puis recopie-la dans ton cahier.

actionfacts

A persuasive speech ends with a call to ______; to decode it, I check the ______.

Fiche à trous · je complète

Complète le texte avec les mots de la banque (sur papier ou dans le document de l'ENT).

1599emotionshonourablepraise

Mark Antony repeats « Brutus is an __________ man » ironically.

Pathos appeals to the audience's ________.

*Julius Caesar* was first performed around ______.

Antony says he comes to bury Caesar, not to ______ him, but he does the opposite.

Ce que j'ai appris

Les 3 idées que je retiens :
Une phrase en anglais que je veux retenir :
Ce qui reste difficile pour moi / ma question pour le professeur :