French Literature Careers Gone Wrong

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It all started like this.

I have, at this point of my life, acquired a professional title. After studying a couple of years, I’m now an expert in the field of literature. However, I was very uncertain about the profession I wanted to practice, after I have been Graduate from the Montreal University in French Literature. In fact, we all know that there are several branches in this area. After several times, I have studied different cases that I could go and specialize in. I could be a college French teacher, an author, or also a translator for the Government.

Choice 1: I became a college French teacher
Choice 2: I became an author
Choice 3: I became a translator for the Government

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Scene 1.

1. I loved my life as a French teacher. Every morning, I was full of energy and motivation because I wanted to maximize all my concentration on my students. As the semester was getting to its end, on a very sunny and hot day, I had to give a class at eight o’clock in the morning. I took my breakfast, as usual, while reading the newspaper Le Devoir. After I have wake up my kids for their school, I jumped in my car in order not to be late. On my way to the college, I remembered that a new intern was supposed to come today to give class and learn the ropes. I haven’t even seen her yet. Suddenly, when I entered in the parking spot, I hit someone with my car. I just got sucked up in a very bad situation. Fortunately, the victim was not seriously injured. So I asked her if she's okay and she said so. My heart was pounding. When I was waiting for the elevator, I saw that very same person and she came to me and asked me where she can find the local C-4545. I looked her with big eyes and told her that I’m Dominique Hanna the French teacher with whom you will be in my class today as an intern. She laughed loudly. I was not comfortable with the situation, because I just hit her with my car. Later that day, after she gave the class, I apologize a last time for what happened the morning and she ran away from the class. I assume that she was scared... When I got out going to my car, a car behind me was accelerating toward me. I recognized the face of the trainee in the windshield. I tried to step aside, but she hit me and broke my leg. She looked me in the eyes and said : This is what you get !

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Scene 2.

2. Since I was a little boy, I always enjoyed reading novels. Now that I am an author myself, I can write whatever I want. So one day, I got this very brilliant idea to write a book that talk about car brand that is very bad because I had many problems with it, which is Toyota. I know that what I was doing was not allowed and against the law, but I was so angry about the car I’ve bought two months ago and now the engine is not good anymore. As my book was getting its final touches, I was now ready to publish it. Initially, the publisher refused to publish my book because it had hateful comments facing the Toyota Company. So I quickly settled his case by putting a gun to his head, and it went as I wanted and my book was finally on the market. After, few days, I was sleeping on the couch went someone was knocking on my door. I opened the door and saw two police officers pointing their gun at me. I didn’t know what to do so I lay down on my stomach. They explain me that my book was the cause of my arrest. I was quite glad they did not know about the publisher. When I was in prison, I was able to talk to other prisoners so I continued to talk bad about Toyota, so the officers put me in an individual cell.

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Scene 3.

3. I always loved to learn many languages. So I became an expert translator working with the President himself, Justin Trudeau. I had the mission to translate what the King of Saudi Arabia was telling to Justin Trudeau, from Arabic to French during a conference. This famous day finally arrived and I was very excited because it was my first time in this country. Once off the plane, the king himself showed up to salute Justin Trudeau. In other words my work started at this very moment. When we entered the room where the conference will take place, each seated on a couch and the king began with general questions. I forgot to mention it, but I was not too friendly with Justin Trudeau. Then, gradually, during the conference, I said phrases to the king who supposedly came from the mouth of Justin Trudeau, saying if you do not give me oil I'll send my troops to invade your territory. The king realized that Justin Trudeau becomes increasingly aggressive, when in fact it was not at all, so he called then he called the soldiers to come and get rid of Trudeau and put in a prison. The king had really enjoyed my work as a translator so he recruited me. This was really acceptable for me, because I would be very well paid.

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Professor

French Teacher

Once you're in college, teachers, in general, set up and control many aspects in our education. They participate to many activities, which contains organize laboratory experiments, supervise students research, conducting many lectures and of course, writing textbooks. Beside all the time that a teacher takes to give classes in school, most of the professors spend their time on research, preparing class material; have some meetings with the students that are willing to talk to them. The school teaching is the most adapted job for beginners. Furthermore, this kind of job rewards the ones who can identify and analyze many sorts of problems in their fields. In general, we all know that security job is very present in a teacher career and also, they have, like all students, about 2 months of vacation. Isn't that awesome ?! Once the teacher has some groups and begin to give classes, he can manage his free time. It can be talking with his colleagues, writing some new projects, preparing class material for next week... After all, we have to know that the first days of teaching are the most difficult for a professor, because it is at this moment that we have to build a kind of document where we put all the rules, every information that the student may need, better known as the course plan. However, everyone in this field is able to extract something good, but especially our brain is stimulated in a good way.

The way to become a legit college teacher is not that simple. I am even inclined to say that it is pretty laborious and tough because we can agree on the fact that a master is enough to teach, but it takes a doctoral degree in order to teach to 4 levels. For example, someone with a PhDs could give 101, 102, 103 and 104. And to have a doctoral degree, it takes about four to seven years and before this step, the master is about 2 years. In addition to that, you get a kind of advantage added, if you continue to study after your doctoral degree. Most of the French teachers will work in schools, which seems the most logical thing to do. There is, however, many different things to do once you possess your Ph.D. For example, you can join the government for translation of important document, you can also open your own class to immigrants or, nowadays, to refugees to help them blend better in society. As you can see, a day in a teacher can be very interesting and that's my goal in the coming years...

References:

http://www.princetonreview.com/careers/127/professor

Glossary

The French Literature Glossary

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Antithesis : the ​exact opposite, or ​opposition.

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Argumentative text : ​quick to ​disagree and ​argue in a text.

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Climax scene : the most ​important or ​exciting ​part in the ​development of a ​story or ​situation, which usually ​happens near the end.

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Comedy : a ​movie, ​play, or ​book that is ​intentionally ​amusing either in ​its ​characters or ​its ​action.

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Definition : a ​statement that ​explains the ​meaning of a word or phrase

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Figure of speech : An ​expression that uses words to ​mean something different from ​their ​ordinary ​meaning.

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Footnote : A note at the ​bottom of a ​page that gives ​extra ​information about something in the ​text on that ​page.

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Hyperbola : a way of ​speaking or writing that makes someone or something ​sound much ​bigger, ​better, ​smaller, ​worse, more ​unusual, etc., than they are.

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Metaphor : an ​expression that ​describes a ​person or ​object by referring to something that is ​considered to ​possess ​similar characteristics.

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Opinion text : the ​ideas that a ​person or a ​group of ​people have about something or someone, which are ​based ​mainly on ​their ​feelings and ​beliefs, or a ​single ​idea of this ​type.

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Poem : a ​piece of writing in which the words are ​carefully ​chosen for the ​images and ​ideas they ​suggest, and in which the ​sounds of the words when ​read ​aloud often ​follow a ​particular ​rhythmic ​pattern.

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Quote :  to ​repeat words that someone ​else has said or written.

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Rhyme : two or more words with the same ​final ​sound, or the use of such words, esp. at the ​ends of ​lines in a ​poem or ​song.

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Simile : An ​expression ​including the words "like" or "as" to ​compare one thing with another.

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Synonym : a word or phrase that has the same or ​nearly the same ​meaning as another word or phrase.

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Theater : the ​art or ​activity of writing and ​performing ​plays, or the ​public ​performance of ​plays.

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Thesis : A thesis is the ​main ​idea, ​opinion, or ​theory of a ​speaker or ​writer, who then ​attempts to ​prove it.

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Tragedy : In the ​theater, a tragedy is a ​serious ​play that ​endswith the ​death or ​suffering of the ​main ​character.

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Trigger : to ​cause something to ​start.

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Understatement : a ​statement that ​describes something in a way that makes it ​seem less ​important, ​serious, ​bad, etc. than it really is, or the ​act of making such ​statements.

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