Ces exercices analyse de caricature vous font passer de la description précise à l’interprétation nuancée. Les premiers travaillent le vocabulaire et les positions, les derniers vous demandent de commenter un dessin entier comme à l’épreuve.
Les exercices
Dix exercices analyse de caricature progressifs
Exercice 1 : Le vocabulaire de l’imageAssociez chaque mot anglais à sa traduction (a à h).
- a caption
- a speech bubble
- the foreground
- a cartoonist
- a label
- a close-up
- a low-angle shot
- to depict
a. un gros plan – b. une étiquette – c. représenter – d. une légende – e. une contre-plongée – f. le premier plan – g. un dessinateur de presse – h. une bulle
Complétez avec : in the foreground, in the background, on the left, on the right, in the top right-hand corner, in the centre.
- The sun, which is very small, appears ___ of the picture, just above the frame’s edge on the right.
- Far away, ___, we can see factories and chimneys.
- Close to the viewer, ___, a child is sitting on the ground.
- ___, right in the middle, stands a huge statue.
- A crowd is gathering ___, opposite the speaker who is on the left.
- The speaker is standing ___, facing the crowd.
Mettez les verbes entre parenthèses à la forme qui convient (présent simple ou be + -ing).
- In the foreground, a politician (hold) ___ a broken umbrella.
- The scene (take) ___ place in a flooded street.
- Two children (point) ___ at the rising water.
- The caption (read) ___ “Everything is under control”.
- The man on the right (wear) ___ a top hat and a striped waistcoat.
- The cartoon (belong) ___ to a series about climate change.
- A dog (swim) ___ behind the politician.
Associez chaque symbole à ce qu’il représente.
- a dove with an olive branch
- Uncle Sam
- an elephant
- scales
- an hourglass running out
- John Bull or a bulldog
a. the United Kingdom – b. justice – c. peace – d. the Republican Party – e. the US government – f. urgency, time running out
Chaque phrase contient une erreur fréquente chez les francophones. Réécrivez-la correctement.
- In the first plan, there is a car.
- At the left, a woman is crying.
- This caricature was published in a newspaper last week.
- The picture represents a man who walks on a beach.
- In the background we can see a mountains.
- The cartoonist wants to denounce about pollution.
Lisez la description de ce dessin de presse, puis répondez en anglais aux questions.
This cartoon was published in a British daily in 2021, during an international climate summit. In the centre, world leaders in dark suits are sitting around a table on a small island. They are smiling and toasting with champagne. The island is surrounded by water which is rising fast; it already reaches their ankles. In the bottom right-hand corner, a polar bear is clinging to a melting piece of ice. A banner above the table reads “Climate summit: great progress!”. Nobody is looking at the water.
- When and where was the cartoon published?
- What event does it refer to?
- Describe what the leaders are doing.
- What is happening to the water?
- What does the polar bear symbolise?
- Why is the banner ironic?
- What is the cartoonist’s message, in one sentence?
Reformulez chaque affirmation trop catégorique avec l’expression entre parenthèses.
- The empty chair is the absence of the president. (may)
- The cartoonist criticises the media. (seems to)
- The giant hand is the power of big companies. (could stand for)
- The leaders don’t care about the victims. (it looks as if)
- The message is that democracy is in danger. (the cartoonist implies)
- The photographer wanted to shock readers. (must have)
Choisissez le terme correct.
- The photo was taken from below, so it is a (low-angle / high-angle) shot.
- We only see the woman’s face: it is a (wide shot / close-up).
- The text under the photo is the (caption / headline).
- The light comes from behind the man, so he appears as a (silhouette / portrait).
- The picture is in black and white, which gives it a (timeless / colourful) quality.
- A view from above makes people look (small and vulnerable / tall and powerful).
Traduisez en anglais.
- Ce dessin a été publié en 1805, en pleine guerre contre Napoléon.
- Au premier plan, deux hommes se partagent le globe.
- L’aigle symbolise la puissance des États-Unis.
- La légende contredit l’image, ce qui crée un effet ironique.
- Le dessinateur semble dénoncer l’indifférence des dirigeants.
- À mon avis, ce dessin est toujours d’actualité.
Rédigez en anglais un commentaire de 150 à 180 mots du dessin de l’exercice 6, en suivant ces étapes.
- Présentez le document (nature, date, source, événement).
- Décrivez la scène du premier plan à l’arrière-plan.
- Expliquez deux symboles et la légende.
- Dégagez le message implicite et le ton.
- Donnez votre avis en une ou deux phrases.


