Places and shapes of power, cours.

...

- An Excerpt of “Being There”, a 1971 American novel by Jerzy Kosinski

“Being There” tells the story of a man called Chance, who is simple-minded. He has been a gardener all his life, the only thing he knows about is gardening. Chance accidentally met a very influential man called Mr. Rand, who introduced him to the President of the USA. Neither Mr. Rand, who is very ill, nor the US President, who has only spoken with him very briefly, have realized that Chance is simple-minded. At the beginning of the passage, Chance has been invited to appear on a talk-show.

Mr. Chauncey Gardiner stands for the fact that the host has not properly understood what Chance has said, because when the host asked him his name, he answered: Chance, gardener.

The scene takes place in a TV studio. Chance must have been invited because he has met both Mr. Rand and the US President. The host wrongly assumes that he's a very important person and an economist, he has not even grasped his real name properly. Indeed, he calls him Mr. Chauncey Gardiner because he introduced himself as “Chance, gardener”.

The ratings of the show are very impressive, it is supposed to be watched by more than forty million Americans. The host pauses to make everybody understand how important and topical the question is. But Chance cannot answer any question about the US economy because he is mentally defective and the only thing he knows about is gardening.

The host might think that Chance does not know what he is talking about or he might understand that Chance is playing for time or that he wants to dodge the question. Thus, he might assume that, like a seasoned politician, he does not want to commit himself. Then, the host has made a comparison between the US economy and a garden, Chance is an expert at gardening. Instead a misunderstanding took place; Chance is speaking about his own real garden whereas the host believes that he is speaking metaphorically about the US economy.

Some people applaud and others booed because some agreed with what they believed that Chance was saying while others disagreed with the appearance of what he was saying. Therefore, the former clapped while the latter booed. Nonetheless/Nevertheless the two groups were deceived as Chance was just talking about the garden that he had looked after all his life. The host was take in as well, he did not react differently from the audience. He too thought that Chance was speaking metaphorically and optimistically about the future of the US economy. On a metaphorical place, the audience must have understood that Chance had been a business man for a long time. He also stated that the US economy was basically sound from the small companies (flowers) and big ones (trees). And finally, that he was in favor of state intervention and that boosting the economy was sometimes necessary.

Chance's eloquence unknowingly/unwittingly convinced many people who disagreed with the appearance of what he said first. The host agreed with the audience, he was as enthusiastic as them, indeed he got up and hugged Chance.

It is comical that so many people should applaud of somebody who is mentally defective. This satirical passage aims to criticize the power of the media and some people's gullibility/credulousness because they tend to take at face value everything that the media presents to them. Indeed, in this passage, a mentally defective gardener is turned by the power of the media into a successful economist.

WORDS TO REMEMBER:

host : présentateur / grateful to somebody : reconnaissant envers quelqu'un / to fill in at such short notice → to replace somebody so quickly / view → opinion / knowingly : d'un air entendu / to set forth → to put froward : avancer / address → speech / among : parmi / adviser : conseiller / a misunderstanding : un malentendu, une méprise / to labor under a delusion : être la victime d'une illusion / to glance : jeter un coup d'oeil / growth : la croissance / health : la santé / healthy → in good health / shurb : arbrisseau / to trim a tree : tailler un arbre / care : soin / explanations : explications / to applaud : applaudir / to boo : huer / a booster → something that cheers you up / to wallow in something : se complaire à quelque chose / complaint : plainte / to delight in something : prendre plaisir à quelque chose / gloomy : lugubre / downtrend : tendance à la baisse / the stock market : la Bourse / an increase : une augmentation / unemployment : le chômage / to wither : se faner, se flétir / to put forth → to produce / thick : épais / saplings → young trees / to flourish : fleurir, s'épanouir / a band : un orchestre / a boo : une huée / to motion somebody to do something : faire signe à quelqu'un de faire quelque chose / to embrace somebody → to hug somebody / applause : applaudissement / uproar : tumulte / to subside : se calmer / to usher : annoncer, inaugurer quelque chose / a statesman : un homme d'Etat / the rear : l'arrière / to wave to somebody : faire un signe de la main à quelqu'un / a seasoned politician : un homme politique chevronné / dodge : esquiver / deceive : tromper / state : déclarer /

- Sunset Boulevard (an 1950 movie by the famous director Billy Wilder):

Norma Desmond, a former star of the era of silent films, wants to make her come-back. She has hired Joe Gillis, a poor journalist and script writer, to rewrite the script of the film (Salome) with which she intends to become a star again. She has fallen in love with him. Max is Norma's butler.

Norma Desmond sounds hysterical, she screams too much, she's overreacting, she looks desperate, she does not want Joe Gillis to leave her but he doesn't seem to care about her feelings. She wants to make her cinema/screen come-back. The scene is about the power of the media on an actress, a former star of the silent era. The scene is set in a huge luxurious bedroom in Norma's palazzo on Sunset Boulevard. Joe Gillis is packing up so as to leave her. He looks determined, resolute, indifferent and unemotional. Whereas she looks emotional, devastated, distraught. Her eyes ale bulging. She almost looks insane/mad. She's begging/imploring/beseeching Joe to stay, she's bleeding with him not to leave. Being wealthy, she has showered him with precious gifts: luxury clothes, and jewels such as gold cigarettes, watches... She does not want her presents back because she still dotes on him. He argues that those objects would not suit a man “sitting behind a copy-desk in Dayton, Ohio”, that they were too dressy for such a life. She is ready