Unit 3
Spotlight
Wicker Park: from bohemian to hipster
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ang1-unit3-spotlight.mp3
The gym was housed in the same building where, many years ago, there had been a coffee shop, the Urbus Orbis, which was the beating heart of Wicker Park when Jack first moved here, a place where people would sit all night nursing an infinitely refillable dollar coffee and commune. […]
It was where Jack and Elizabeth had their first date, this building. The memory of it was still so near, that night so momentous - he always thought they deserved their own plaque on the wall: It all started here. The place was, for Jack, just a bog of nostalgia. But few others still remembered it as the Orbis building. After the Orbis went bankrupt (which was blamed mostly on its refills policy, which encouraged customers to take up tables for several hours while spending only one dollar), the building was transformed into an elaborate condo and used as the main set during the eleventh season of MTV's The Real World, which drove everyone in the neighborhood batty. And not only because of the squadron of cameras following the seven roommates all over the place, but also because the locals knew their bohemian neighborhood was going to become way less bohemian once it was colonized by something as corporate as Viacom. They were incensed about it. They protested it. Jack remembered one night when a small crowd had gathered at the Real World condo's front door and everyone was chanting "We're real! You're not! We're real! You're not!" […]
Now, years later, just about every quaint storefront in the neighborhood had been replaced with some chain. Like that fantastic vegetarian café, Earwax, which had lasted a few years longer than Jack's own vegetarianism, that place was now a Doc Martens. And his favorite art gallery was now an Urban Outfitters. And the Swank Frank hot-dog stand where he and Elizabeth would get a fried Twinkie after all the bars had closed, that was now a Bank of America.
Their bohemian neighborhood had turned into a yuppie neighborhood with a bohemian theme.
It was where Jack and Elizabeth had their first date, this building. The memory of it was still so near, that night so momentous - he always thought they deserved their own plaque on the wall: It all started here. The place was, for Jack, just a bog of nostalgia. But few others still remembered it as the Orbis building. After the Orbis went bankrupt (which was blamed mostly on its refills policy, which encouraged customers to take up tables for several hours while spending only one dollar), the building was transformed into an elaborate condo and used as the main set during the eleventh season of MTV's The Real World, which drove everyone in the neighborhood batty. And not only because of the squadron of cameras following the seven roommates all over the place, but also because the locals knew their bohemian neighborhood was going to become way less bohemian once it was colonized by something as corporate as Viacom. They were incensed about it. They protested it. Jack remembered one night when a small crowd had gathered at the Real World condo's front door and everyone was chanting "We're real! You're not! We're real! You're not!" […]
Now, years later, just about every quaint storefront in the neighborhood had been replaced with some chain. Like that fantastic vegetarian café, Earwax, which had lasted a few years longer than Jack's own vegetarianism, that place was now a Doc Martens. And his favorite art gallery was now an Urban Outfitters. And the Swank Frank hot-dog stand where he and Elizabeth would get a fried Twinkie after all the bars had closed, that was now a Bank of America.
Their bohemian neighborhood had turned into a yuppie neighborhood with a bohemian theme.
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PATH A
B1
1-A
Read the excerpt. Pick out three places that
have changed in Wicker Park. What did they
use to be, and what are they now?
2-A
How does the main character, Jack, feel about
the changes? Justify your answer with a quote.
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PATH B
B1+
1-B
How did the Orbis building and the
neighborhood change over time, and what
were Jack's and the locals' reactions?
2-B
How would you describe the tone of the
passage? Justify your answer with a quote.
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Let's talk this out!
3
How do the changes in the neighborhood reflect Jack's life and memories?
4
In your opinion, is it better for a neighborhood to stay bohemian/independent or to become more corporate/
modern? Why?
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Wicker Park through new eyes
Imagine the story told from someone else in the neighborhood: a newcomer, a business owner, or a protesting neighbor. How would their view of the streets, buildings, and people be different from Jack's? Write a paragraph showing their perspective, feelings, and what details they notice.Une erreur sur la page ? Une idée à proposer ?
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j'ai une idée !
Oups, une coquille
