What are the Brits like ? #stereotypes vus par les 3eC et Euros !

4 Avr 2023 | Anglais, Disciplines, Informations ponctuelles, Parcours Citoyen, Royaume Uni, Voyages pédagogiques

Dans quelques semaines les élèves de 3e Chablis et 3e Davenport Euros de M. Pappalardo partiront découvrir le Royaume Uni pour leur séjour linguistique « TRIP4FREAKS » ! Ils ont été amenés à travailler sur les stéréotypes au sujet des britanniques, nos voisins insulaires de l’autre côté de la Manche. Voici ce qu’ils avaient à en dire… Leur avis changera à notre retour, I PROMISE
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Mais ce n’est pas tout ! Sur place, à l’image de cette vidéo tournée en 1989, en Angleterre, les élèves vont devoir interviewer des passants anonymes pour réaliser un voxpop (micro trottoir) filmé en posant deux questions simples : What are the French like ? et what are the British like ? 
Cela promet ! La suite à notre retour ! 😉

Well, the document I will talk about is obviously a drawing entitled « the how to be British collection ». I may be wrong but I suppose this drawing looks like a post card, and is probably an example of a collection of satirical and humorous cartoons about stereotypes. Martin Ford and Peter Legon must be the cartoonists and writers of this collection. 

This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself. 

First of all, the drawing is divided into two parts and must be read like a comic strip, left to right. On both drawings I can see an old-looking bridge in the background, probably made of red bricks. There is a lot of traffic on the road and the cars are basically bumper-to-bumper. On the left drawing there is a huge lorry with « TEA » written on it, and on the right, there is a typical double-decker bus : my guess is the scene takes place in the United Kingdom as the Brits are said to drink tea everyday and are famous for taking double-decker buses to commute. These are the first stereotypes I could identify as soon as I saw this picture. 

In the foreground now, a typical-looking British man is walking his dog by the river : he has got a black bowler hat, a long blue trench coat over a pink shirt, a colorful tie and green trousers. How odd ! On top of that he is sporting a very old-fashioned mustache. His dog looks like an English Bull-dog. Both characters are walking with their head held high. They look quite full-of-themselves and arrogant. I have to say, I suppose this drawing depicts a Brit as they are supposed to wear weird colors and to be old-fashioned. Plus, they both look unbothered and snobbish and the Brits are famous for being very stuck-up and standoffish. 

While these two characters are walking, a man is clearly in distress in the river. He seems to be drowning and looks both terrified and chocked. Indeed, there is a lifebelt by the river and the man in the bowler hat is not even considering helping him, though he is screaming for help. 

On the second cartoon however, the cartoonist tries to show the British are a very polite people : indeed the scene is quite surreal. The passer-by only seems to hear the victim’s cry for help when he recites an overly-polite request ! I find this stereotype quite hilarious ! All three characters now look rather pleased. I believe this shows the Brits are popular for being very civilized yet quite proud and snobbish. 

Though I find this document pretty funny, I have to say a stereotype is not necessarily true. It is usually a preconceived idea or a cliché about a group of people, and is generally quite derogatory. Obviously, no man in his right mind would let someone drown unless they would ask for help politely. 

3e Chablis

Let me present one of the stereotype from The HOW TO BE BRITISH Collection. Before Ibegin with the stereotype Iwill talk about is what stands out as ironic and funny. This being said, let’s move on the cartoon itself.

In the background of the first drawing I can see an old-looking bridge where many cars are bumper-to-bumper. I’m assuming that there is a first stereotype in the background of this picture given that there is a tea truck. It’s the stereotype stating the British people is said to drink a lot of tea.

In the foreground Ican see a man in water, obviously screaming for help. I’m not sure but Iguess that the man is freezing cold because of the water temperature (the temperature in the UK is quite often below 14 degrees Celsius). I can also see a standoffish-looking man walking his dog by the river. The man has grey hair and a grey mustache, a black bowler hat, a red suit and a blue trench coat. He looks rather unbothered and not interested in saving the man’s life. And he looks very arrogant (like his bull-dog;)). There lies two stereotypes stating the Brits are said to be old-fashioned and quite standoffish.

On the second drawing, Iguess an other stereotype is portrayed. Indeed, when the victim in the first drawing was screaming for help the gentleman was not paying any attention. Yet, when the victim in the second drawing says a long and respectful plea, he accepts his apologies and runs to his rescue. In that stereotype the British are said to be over polite and they’re assuming that foreigners know about it.

I guess we’ll see all about that in the UK in a few weeks, won’t we ?!

Emile

Let me present this document. This document is a drawing which represents a stereotype about the perfect British. This stereotype is « The British are famous for living in the past ».

Indeed, on the drawing we can see a forign-looking tourist asking to a British gentleman « Excuse me, is there anything new to see around here ? » and the British man seems both frightened and offended about the question of the tourist. On top of that, all the people around them run away as if he is weird and contageous.

Plus, in the bottom right hand corner, I am not sure but I suppose we can see a man with old army clothes, and over his head there is a sign showing different directions and all the directions are quite old. For example one direction is « Historic ruins » or « Medieval tower ». In the top right hand corner we can see a huge castle, that looks medieval. In the left we can see an Antiques shop with an old arcchitecture. In the middle of the picture we can see three shops, one selling traditional cream teas, the second selling farmers clothes and between these two stores there is an avenue named « Times gone by ».

To conclude I guess the author wanted to portray how the British are fond of old things and how their History is rich and how they are stuck in the past. (LOL)

Hugo

First of all, let me present you this document. Indeed as we can see, this document is a drawing. This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself.

In the foreground we can see lots of people split in two different sides. On the left, there are the English people, who are wearing very classy yet weird-looking clothes. Then, on the right, there are tourists, a couple actually, who are wearing average summer clothes I may be wrong but in England, it’s freezing most of the time, so they clearly stand out). They are asking a question to local man who clearly looks surprised to see people from an other country with a very different clothing style. On top of that they seem quite offended that a foreigner would wash such a disrespectful question.

Now moving to the background; we can see many medievals buildings and also a castle that we can see at the top right hand corner. Imay be wrong but Isuppose that the scene takes place in England, maybe in Windsor.

Indeed this drawing represents several stereotypes about the Brits. England is said to be a Medieval country because it’s a Monarchy. Also we can see a traditional cream tea shop, that’s an other stereotype of the English people. They are famous for drinking tea all the time. On top of that, the English on the drawing are dressed like people from the 18th century.

Of course, this is a satirical cartoon, and these preconceived ideas can’t be true. Can they?

Pedro

Let me present this document
Well, the document I will talk about is a cartoon about British stéréotypes.

This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself. This cartoon is showing how the Brits love to be extremely polite. On the right picture I can see a desperate-looking character who is drowning and screaming « help » ! I reckon the scene takes place by the Thames given that I can see a double-decker bus in the background.However the man its asking for « help« , the other man – or I should I say I’m not sure but I suppose he must be a gentleman – doesn’t pay any attention at all to the poor man drowning.

I am assuming that is probably the exact moment when the man remembers what his English teacher told him when he was in 3ème (ie the British are said to be very polite) and he says « excuse me Sir. I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you would mind helping me a moment, as long as it’s no trouble, of course ». The British stereotype represented in this cartoon is the stereotype that says « the British are said to be very polite ».

Now, I believe it is time to move on the cartoon description :
On the picture on the left I can see a gentleman who is wearing a blue coat, green pants and a bowler hat. At the bottom right hand corner, I can see a dog (probably a British bulldog), on the left I can see a wood sigh with a buoy for help. The street is cobbled, like in the old days. In the background I can see a bridge with some cars on and of course a red-double decker bus. On the right I can see a river and a man who is screaming for « help ».

On the right picture, the scene is quite identical except the gentleman is giving the buoy to the victim in the river who is saying « excuse me Sir. I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I wonder if you would mind helping me a moment, as long as it’s no trouble, of course » now.

I guess we’ll see in the UK if these stereotypes are true or pure fantasies !

Yowann

Let me present this document. Well, the document I will talk about is a drawing named “How to be British collection”.

This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself. I may be wrong but I suppose the scene takes place in England. Indeed, in the background, I can see a medieval castle. I can also see many shops : an antiques shop, a souvenir shop and so on.
In the foreground, in the middle, I guess there is a couple of tourists. They are quite fashionable : the man is wearing a blue sweater and grey jeans ; the woman is wearing a yellow tank top and green pants. I guess they are looking for something new but they do not find anything because everything is medieval-looking in this town.
Unlike the tourists, the British represented are rather old-fashioned. Indeed, everyone is wearing clothes from the Middle Ages or is sporting weird colors. They are all chocked.

The British are thought to be stuck in the Middle Ages like in this cartoon.

Erick

Well, the document I will talk about is a drawing who deals with a British stereotype. First I’m going to describe you the drawing – to the best of my abilities- and finally Iam going to present you the stereotype itself.

This being said, let’s start with the cartoon description.

First, in the foreground, we can see two foreign-looking people. I’m assuming, they are tourists because of the backpack they have on and the tourguide that they hold in their hands. These two foreigners are asking to a group of local people if there is anything new to see around. This group of locals is composed of two kids and their parents, an old man and a teen. They are all dressed with a colorful suitcoat and some of them are wearing a tie or a bow tie: it makse them look very British, if you ask me. The British seem quite shocked and flabbergasted about the question of the tourists. Indeed we can even see the dad is covering his child’s ears, as if the tourist said something dreadful and highly rude!

Moreover, we can also see on the right, an man who’s dressed like someone from the Middle Ages. Indeed, he also wears a typical Middle Ages bonnet and is sporting the hairstyle of those years. Both, the group of people and him seem quite shocked. I find their reaction rather hysterical.

Behind the tourist, on the right, we can see a road sign. All the directions of the sign, lead to visit something either old, medieval or historical. In the background we can see old-styled houses, and in the top right hand corner we can see a Medieval castle. I believe it is Windsor Fortress actually.

To finish, I suppose that the British stereotype that the authors of this drawing wanted to pinpoint is that the British are thought to live in an old lifestyle compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, the houses, the people and how they are dressed, it all looks old in this cartoon.

Tilda

Well let me present a stereotype about the British drawn by Martyn Ford and Peter Legon ! First of all, let me tell you I have chosen this cartoon because it’s for me the most real and a little funny.

Next, I suppose the scene takes place in the U.K given that in the foreground we can see a very chic-looking man with a bowler hat. I am not sure but I imagine the gentleman is in London because there is a lot of trafic in the background. On top of that, I can see a red double-decker bus on the old-looking bridge.

After, on the left I can see a life-belt to save the life of people in case of an accident. The gentleman is walking his dog on the cobbled pavement. 

In the background, there is a river. I may be wrong but I suppose he is next to the Thames as I reckon the scene takes place in London. 

I have to say there is something quite weird about this picture because the old man doesn’t want to help the man who he is drowning but in the second cartoon though, he doesn’t seem to hesitate to help the man at all. 

But why ? 

Well, I guess that is because, this time around, the poor man in the river is asking very politely if the old man can help him with the life-belt. 

He is extremely polite this time around. We can assume being polite is a good thing… but is it really ? Indeed, if the poor man doesn’t say this polite sentence nobody comes to help him ! 

So I suppose the authors wanted to expose the British being overly polite. Indeed, the Brits are said to be really polite and stuck-up. But it’s just a stereotype so it’s maybe wrong !

Luthess

Well, the document I will talk about is obviously a drawing entitled the « How to be British collection » drawn by Martyn Ford and Peter Legon.

First, the scene takes place next to a bridge by the water. I reckon it’s about a stereotype. I may be wrong but I suppose it’s something along the lines of « the British are said to be standoffish given that one needs to be polite to them even to ask for help  ! »

This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself. On the left on the first part of the drawing in the foreground I can see the names of the artists of this drawing and a gentleman walking a dog. The man is wearing a blue coat and large green pants. The man raises his hand with a carefree look, totally unbothered. I can also see on the right a dark-haired man with a red t-shirt. I reckon he  needs help because he is drowning in the river. I guess the man with the dog will not save him… but he should save him though !! Indeed, next to the man with a bowler hat I can see a life belt he probably won’t use. 

In the background I can see a bridge with cars, a red double-decker bus bumper-to-bumper. It’s a traffic jam. 

Moving on the second part of the drawing on the right. First, in the foreground I can see this same gentle still dressed with a blue coat and green pants but this time around, I may be wrong but I suppose he is going to save the dark-haired man with the red t-shirt since he asks for help politely. The life belt is no longer on the shore but I can see it in the hands of the man with a mustache, who this time around, is looking kind. Even his dog wants to help him.

This goes to show how polite one must be to the Brits !

Melissa

Let  me present this document. It’s a drawing.

I think this document represents the city of London because on the picture, on the left, in the background, I can see a train with «TEA» written on it. Indeed, the English are famous for drinking tea.

On the left, there is a man who is the perfect stereotype of an English man. Indeed, he is wearing a black bowler hat, an elegant long navy coat, blue trousers and elegant shoes. He is walking his dog and we all know the English love dogs ! He has a mustache like most of the English. 

On the right I can see a man who is crying for «HELP» : he is drowning. On the right drawing he is asking for help very very – extremely – politely, to the English man while he is drowning. This is surreal. So I think the man in red is also English because there is quite a very famous stereotype that says the English are always very polite. Mind you, I don’t think it’s always true. But maybe everything I just said is wrong and it’s just a coincidence.

Mehdi

Well, let me present this document.

The document I will talk about is obviously a drawing. The scene takes place in an English cobbled street, in what looks like quite an old-looking twon. On the left and on the right, there are two similar drawings. They both depict, in the background, a bridge and in the foreground a man with a blue trench coat and a bowler hat walking his smart-looking dog while someone is drowning in the nearby river.

Now, let’s move on to the left drawing. The man in the water is asking for help just by saying « help! » but the other man doesn’t even, pay attention as the request seems too blunt – whereas there is a lifebelt just next to him. How weird…

On the right drawing, the man in the water is also asking for help but this timle around, he puts in a very long and polite request. Thus, the the gentleman with his dog eventually decide to rescue him and throws the lifebelt.

I do believe there are two stereotypes depicted in this document: the first is obvious but the second is quite hidden and subtle. The first is that the English are supposed to be gentlemen only if a polite request is put in. That’s why the man is helping the other man in the right drawing. Yet, the second is that the English are popular for always drinking tea. You can see a truck full of tea bags on the left top hand corner.

Soon, I’ll be able to verify these!

Livio

Hi guys, in euro class we have to describe one of these two pictures. So here we go !

Let me present this picture, it is a little comic strip by Martyn Ford and Peter Legon in The HOW TO BE BRITISH collection. This being said, let’s move on to the cartoon itself. This document represents one stereotype, I suppose it is the British are said to be nice only if we are polite with them.

Well, now let me describe this picture more precisely.
First, both cartoons take place in a dock. In the background I can see a bridge with lots of cars: it’s a traffic jam. In the foreground I can see two men including one with his dog, walking by a life-belt. This man is extremely handsome and elegant: he looks well-off and is wearing very smart clothes topped with a bowler hat so I believe the man is English. Plus, I can see that the man keeps a dog on a leash. The dog looks dangerous with is spade collar. The second man is wearing red clothes and looks panicked, he is in a river.

In the first cartoon, I guess the second man is drowning in the river, so, panicking, he asks for ‘help’ but the English man with his dog totally ignores the man in distress because he just says ‘help’. The English man keeps walking unbothered.
In the second cartooon though, the man in distress doesn’t only scream help but says ‘excuse me, Sir. I’m terribly sorry to brother you, but I wonder if you would mind helpin me a moment, as long as it’s no trouble, of course’ so the English man actually rushes to help him.

So I can conclude the English gentleman actually saves the other man’s life just because he was very polite to him. Indeed, as the famous stereotype goes, the Brits are said to be overly polite !

Clémence

The British are famous for living in the old age.

Let me present this document,

Well, this document is a cartoon of a famous stereotype on the British. The scene takes place in an old-looking city. In the foreground, I can see two tourists who ask to the British who are wearing only old clothes: « Excuse me, is there any thing new to see around here » and who are all chocked ! I may be wrong but I guess New is an insult for the British. In the background I can see a castle, some old houses and an antiques shop with an old architecture. In front of these buildings there is a poster that tells about the old days.

Gabriel

HI EVERYONE !
I will talk about the second cartoon proposed by Paps ! This document is obviously a drawing. On this drawing, there is an old street which I can guess is London because at the top right hand corner, we can see the Tower of London. In the background, I can see both houses and shops (like antiques …). In the middle, there is a sign where old places are written. In the foreground there are a lot of people with a couple of foreign tourists asking to an English man : « Excuse me, is there anything new to see around here ? »

THIS IS A STEREOTYPE !

England is a country with a huge History. BUT, a lot of people think the Brits are said to live in the past. They are wearing old clothes and they live in old houses ! Well… It’s yet again a stereotype… Howevere I know for a fact a stereotype that was actually verified by Fabien GALTHIE : the Brits are lame at rugby ! This truth IS NOT a stereotype, though…

To conclude, I have a last setence to describe this drawing : this drawing isn’t real life and my main word is «old and exciting History

Thomas

On the first image I can see two men and a dog. One looks like the typical English man : he has a long blue coat like it’s going to rain, a black tie and a red pinky shirt – quite old fashionned if you ask me. He has a moustache, leather shoes, a bowler hat, smart-looking pants and white gloves. The accessories are a symbol of richness because the British are supposed to be wealthy, polite and elegant. The British man is walking a dog that looks like a English bull-dog with a black collar. He sports the same behaviour as his master : he is elegant and looks quite stuck-up.

In the background I can see a bridge where many cars and a bus are bumper-to-bumper : it’s a traffic jam. And on the left, I can read « LIFEBELT » written on a board next to the river with a life-belt on it. It seems like there is a man actually drowning in the river (I am not sure but I guess it is the Thames in London). The man is the total opposite of the British because he has no moustache, he is wearing a red-ish t-shirt, and is wearing no hat but black hair that I can see. I guess they are flat because of the water. The man looks quite affraid, with his arms in the air begging for the help of the gentleman passing by. This gentleman has a life belt next to him but is waving his hand in the air. I am not sure but I suppose that this is a polite way to say « no thanks » to someone.

On the second cartoon, I can see quite the same scene. This time though, the British gentleman is actually helping the man who is drowning. I guess it is the stereotype because the only thing that has changed is the way the man in the water is asking for help. On the first cartoon he was panicked whereas on the second he asks politly. The man is saying  « excuse me, Sir. I’m terribly sorry to bother you but I wonder if you would mind helping me a moment as long as it’s not trouble, of course » compared to the first one where he is only saying « HELP ! » the British gentleman doesn’t care at all. On the second cartoon, the British gentleman is helping with a smile and his dog is showing hapiness with his tail wagging in the air pointing to the sky.

As a conclusion, I guess this cartoon points that if you are not asking politely something to a British man he won’t help you no matter what your situation is. But if you do, he will help you.

Romane