LC - WILL – Energy novels

First, students read and study a French novel by Honoré de Balzac written in 1831, "La Peau de chagrin", which illustrates the scientific theory that every man would have an amount of vital energy that he can squander in endless entertainment or focus on a lasting work. By listing and confronting the ambitions of the characters in the novel, they understand :

-that every man, by will, can concentrate his energy on a goal to be achieved which can enable them to build themselves and be happy

-but also that it is necessary to be able to channel one’s will because people motivated by too much energy that they use without measure can destroy themselves, their entourage or even society.

After that, each student chooses an "energy novel" in which one (of) the heroes is motivated by a desire. Everyone reads their novel and then has to make an audio in French that allows their to know it well : its author, the historical and literary context in which it was written, the plot and the characters. Then they choose an excerpt and a character that justify that their novel is an energy novel. Finally they wonder if their novel is still relevant.

Finally, they are asked to justify that their novel illustrates 10 of the 30 values of the RESPectOl project. After defining these 10 values, they have to select a quote from the book that illustrates each of them and justify their choice. 

Students create in the form of their choice a document in which they gather the 10 values they selected, the 10 quotes that illustrate them and the justifications of their choice. By comparing the different documents, they become aware of the variety of goals to achieve that each one can set, but also that the strength of the will that one puts in a project allows to develop many values that build the character and personality of each.