Les Joutes Oratoires
When Mme Danis proposed the idea of competing in ‘Les Joutes Oratoires’ French debating competition at St. Paul’s Girls’, we were sceptical. Having only completed one term of A-Level French, we doubted our ability to debate some of the top schools in the country on some very complex topics… all in French. With Mme Danis’ persuasion, we were brought around and paired up in teams.
writes Jos W
What followed were numerous lessons practicing and researching arguments for the three motions, including subjects like AI, urban sprawl, and Asterix and whether a Roman alliance would be a good idea.
These lessons entailed stuttering, freezing, laughing, and the odd French insult, but when the day of the competition arrived, we felt prepared(ish).
Upon arrival, we were briefed as we watched students from some of the country’s top schools (Eton, Westminster and St. Paul’s, to name a few) leaf through their pages upon pages of extensive research. Nerves increased as we sat there with a comparably feeble stack of flash cards in our blazer pockets, being repeatedly reassured by Mme Danis, and French speaking assistant Claire that we were on their level and had more than sufficient linguistic ability.
After a slightly prolonged loo break, George, and I (one team, led by Mme Danis) hurriedly rushed around trying to find the room where we’d have our first debate. Waiting for us were two Westminster students, one of whom was a French native, sitting ready to start. Having been assigned the proposition side for a debate about AI, I made the opening statement, trying to incorporate the complex structures and vocabulary Mme Danis had been drilling into us. After some good points made from both sides (and some slightly overzealous banging on the table by one of our passionate opponents) Westminster were deemed the winners.
We won our second debate (against King’s College School) against a duo which included another fluent French speaker, proving that pages of statistics and notes don’t mean anything when it comes to debate.
After a close third round, having discussed culture, economics, and oppression, St. Pauls’ Girls’ were deemed the winners, despite our best efforts. The other team enjoyed similar success, winning a pleasing 1/3 debates, proving our trip successful.
Casting my mind back to September, the idea of debating some of the top schools on niche and complex subjects in French seemed unreachable, however, our success proved that our French ability is equal to that of the other schools. Whether we won all three with flying colours or lost all three debates, it would’ve been an valuable experience nonetheless, building our confidence and linguistic skills.
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