Bloque A - Text 1 · Inglés PAU Andalucía Reserva X (Acceso) 2020

TEXT 1: THE JOKER: A SYMBOL OF PROTESTS EVERYWHERE

1 In cities around the world, and among the sea of protesters who have taken the streets, one image stands out: the white face

2 and terrifying red smile of the Joker. Why are some demonstrators taking inspiration from a psychopath from a controversial film?

3 In the film Joker, Gotham City is full of crime, social services are being cut back, residents feel powerless, and wealthy elites

4 respond with indifference. In the middle of this complex situation, Arthur Fleck, the protagonist, is slowly driven towards madness,

5 and by the film's end, he is transformed into the Joker —an unintentional symbol of the oppressed. Similarly, in real life, that power

6 fight between ordinary people and elites is what's making people protest everywhere. Thus, artists in Lebanon and Iraq used the

7 character on posters or edited him into images on social media. In Chile, someone spray-painted "we are all clowns" onto a statue,

8 and in Hong Kong, protesters looking like the Joker disobeyed a government ban on wearing face masks in public places.

9 One of the reasons why protesters might use the Joker's mask is to send a signal to the people in power. "What you're

10 communicating to the government is, basically, 'I'm here at the bottom right now, but be careful with what you're doing next'", says

11 Andreas Beer, a researcher specialized in the use of masks in protests.

12 Last but not least, making references to this popular film can also attract attention and generate support on a global scale. Not

13 to mention everybody loves a good villain. "He's an ambiguous mixture between something funny and something evil", Beer says.

14 "He's a horror clown and he's cool, too".

CHOOSE AND WRITE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C or D). (0.5 points each)

1.

Arthur Fleck is described as someone who...

2.

According to the text, after the film some protesters...

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)

3.

The use of the Joker's image during demonstrations went unnoticed.

4.

In the film, people's living conditions were getting worse.

5.

Wearing Joker clothes has been forbidden in some places.

6.

The use of the image of the Joker may favour the protests.

7. FIND IN THE TEXT: (0.5 points)

7.1.

7.2.

8. FIND IN THE TEXT: (0.5 points)

8.1.

8.2.