Anglais devoir 12 CNED

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The Lotus Eater by Somerset Maugham. The story takes place on the island of Capri and is about a man called Thomas Wilson who has ‘boldly taken the course of life into his own hands’. At the beginning, we don’t know in what way he has done this. The writer describes his first impressions of Wilson. Though his teeth were not very good his smile was attractive. It was gentle and kindly. He was dressed in a blue cotton shirt and a pair of grey trousers, much creased and none too clean, of a thin canvas, and on his feet he wore a pair of very old espadrilles. The get-up was picturesque, and very suitable to the place and the weather, but it did not go at all with his face. It was a lined, long face, deeply sunburned, thin-lipped, with small grey eyes rather close together and tight, neat features. The grey hair was carefully brushed. It was not a plain face, indeed in his youth, Wilson might have been good-looking. He wore the blue shirt, open at the neck, and the grey canvas trousers, not as though they belonged to him, but as though, shipwrecked in his pyjamas, he had been fitted out with odd garments by compassionate strangers. Notwithstanding this careless attire he looked like the manager of a branch office in an insurance company, who should by rights be wearing a black coat with pepper-and-salt trousers, a white collar and an unobjectionable tie. […] We climbed the mountain, admired the spacious view and got back to the inn as night was falling, hot, hungry and thirsty. We had ordered our dinner beforehand. The food was good, for Antonio was an excellent cook, and the wine came from his own vineyard. It was so light that you felt you could drink it like water and we finished the first bottle with our macaroni. By the time we had finished the second we felt that there was nothing much wrong with life. We sat in a little garden under a great vine laden with grapes. The air was exquisitely soft. The night was still and we were alone. The maid brought us Bel Paese cheese and a plate of figs. I ordered coffee and strega, which is the best liqueur they make in Italy. Wilson would not have a cigar, but lit his pipe. ‘We’ve got plenty of time before we need start,’ he said, ‘the moon won’t be over the hill for another hour.’ ‘Moon or no moon,’ I said briskly, ‘of course we’ve got plenty of time. That’s one of the delights of Capri, that there’s never any hurry.’

‘Leisure,’ he said. ‘If people only knew! It’s the most priceless thing a man can have and they’re such fools they don’t even know it’s something to aim at. Work? They work for work’s sake. They haven’t got the brains to realise that the only object of work is to obtain leisure.’ Wine has the effect on some people of making them indulge in general reflections. These remarks were true, but no one could have claimed that they were original. I did not say anything, but struck a match to light my cigar. ‘It was full moon the first time I came to Capri,’ he went on reflectively. ‘It might be the same moon as tonight.’ ‘It was, you know,’ I smiled. He grinned. The only light in the garden was what came from an oil lamp that hung over our heads. It had been scanty to eat by, but it was good now for confidences.
Adapted, The Lotus Eater (1945), Collected Short Stories by Somerset Maugham
Somerset Maugham (pronounced [mɔ:m] ) was an English writer famous for his plays and short stories. He travelled widely and much of his work is set in exotic locations. A recurring theme in his writing is the boredom of working life and some people’s attempts to escape from it.

Où j'en suis dans mon devoir

General comprehension                                                                                       Circle the right answer.

1) This text is an extract from:  a) a novel b) a play c) a short story d) a review 

2) Where does the story take place? a) In England b) In Italy c) In the States. (Justify with a quotation from the text)

3) Identify the characters. Indicate who are the main characters and who are simply mentioned. Indicate the characters’ job where appropriate.

main characters:                                                                                           characters mentioned: 

4) Pick out two elements in the text to show what period of time the scene covers.

Detailed comprehension  
Paragraph 1  Read the text down to line 14.

5) Which aspects of Wilson does the writer describe? a) his personality  b) his clothing  c) his physical appearance d) his job

6) Pick out two elements in the description of Wilson that the writer appreciates, and two elements that he doesn’t seem to appreciate:                                  

appreciates:                                                                                                           doesn’t seem to appreciate:

7) Lines .13-35 Complete the following table with information about the meal:    Reason Where the meal is taken:                                                                           What the food is like: a) bad  b) mediocre  c) good                                                 What the wine is like: a)  bad b) mediocre  c) good                                                 What the men’s mood is like: a) bad  b) mediocre  c) good                                 What the atmosphere is like: a) bad b) mediocre c) good

8) Why do they feel that ‘there was nothing much wrong with life’ (l.17)?          

9) a) What is Wilson’s attitude to work and life?                                                       b) Choose the most appropriate definition of ‘leisure’ (l.25), as Wilson considers it: a) the possibility to pursue your favourite activities and sports                                       b) the possibility to do nothing                                                                                     c) freedom from responsibilities

10) In the following list choose the two adjectives that correspond best to the image of Capri in this passage and justify (1 element from the text for each adjective). a) boring b) magical  c) isolated  d) expensive e) relaxing f) stressful

11) The only light in the garden was what came from an oil lamp that hung over our heads. It had been scanty to eat by, but it was good now for confidences.l.34-35. This means:                                                                            a) the lamp burns brightly and they can see very clearly with it.                                     b) the lamp wasn’t bright enough to see their food, but it’s quite appropriate for philosophical exchanges.                                                                                            c) the lamp was scary when they were eating, but now they feel more confident