tlp_09_jstreff

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 * ===Jon Streff, Medford High School===

|| ===Matt Brophy, Medford High School===

== ||
 * Jon's Primary Source Page || Matt's Primary Source Page ||

Essential Question:
How did immigration affect American conceptions of "WE THE PEOPLE"?

Standard(s):
US I 28 b. The causes and impact of the waves of immigration from Northern Europe to America in the 1840s and 1850s. US I 32 c. The influence of the trends on the reaction of Protestants to the growth of Catholic immigration.

Guiding Question:
What are some of the legacies of the Irish Famine as displayed in music, art, and sculpture?

Title:
"And that's the cruel reason why I left old Skibberean": The Legacy of the Irish Famine as Displayed in Music, Art, and Sculpture.

Introduction:
It is late fall, 1847 and you are living in County Galway, Ireland. You are a poor cottier farmer who has been barely eeking out an existance among the rocky hills. The potato crop has failed three times, you can't pay your rent, and your landlord is making moves to evict you and your entire family from the only home who have ever known. Many of your countrymen have died or have left for America. Will you become an unwilling "exile" or will you stay in your native land? You have seen sights that have shocked you. How will you deal with the memories of this event? How will these memories shape your actions and identity in your new home? How will these events be remembered by your forbears?

In this lesson you will encounter songs, art, and sculpture that comemorrate the events of the Irish Famine. Your job will be to analyze these materials and come to your own conclusions about how this event has shaped Irish and and American history. You will present your findings to your classmates and we will hold a discussion regarding the long lasting legacies of this event.

Task:
In groups, you will analyze lyrics, artwork, and sculpture to assess the legacy of the Irish Famine and present your findings to your classmates. Your group will create a presentation that explains how your song, image, etc. conveys a legacy of the Irish Famine. In other words, how should or will this event be remembered and what will this have on Irish and Irish American identity? You will also touch upon how these images, songs, sculptures represent the formation of a new identity for "We the People." Lastly, you will consider what images and themes you would include if you were they to create a work of art, a song, or a sculpture. How should this event be placed in the larger context of American and Irish history?

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Lesson Process: Day 1:
Students will listen to a recording of "Skibberean" and write down lyrics and their perception of the message of the song. This will be followed by a brief discussion and then students will listen to the recording again this time lyrics will be provided and students will analyze the song using the LOC form. This will be followed by a discussion of the message of the song. Students will then be divided into groups and given song lyrics, artwork, or images of memorials to analyze.

> This group will also be responsible for the analyzing the lines of verse below the painting. > from www.nps.gov p. 16-17 > and examples of Famine era artwork
 * Group 1 will analyze "Lament of the Evicted Irish Peasent" and "A New Song Entitled the Kerry Evitction."
 * Group 2 will analyze "What's Ireland Come To?" and "Relief for Ireland"
 * Group 3 will analyze "The Oul' Bog Hole" and "Give Me Three Grains of Corn Mother"
 * Groups 1, 2, 3 will also examine "Fenian's Hope of Independence" and connect the themes in this piece with their own documents.
 * Group 4 will anlayze the print "Eviction" using the following handout:
 * []
 * What is the message of the text?
 * How does it connect with the image?
 * How does this image reflect some of the legacies of the Irish Famine?
 * Group 5 will examine The Irish Memorial of Philadelphia sculpture using the provided slideshow images (to be added) using the following handout:
 * Group 6 will examine the slideshow images of Boston Irish Famine Memorial using the
 * Group 7 will examine the slideshow images of the New York City Famine Memorial using the [[file:lp09-JStreff-sculpture-p16-17.pdf | Sculpture Analysis Worksheet]].
 * Groups 5, 6, 7 will also examine the Dublin Famine Memorial using the [[file:lp09-JStreff-sculpture-p16-17.pdf | Sculpture Analysis Worksheet]].
 * How are these memorials similar?
 * How are they different?
 * What conclusions can you come to regarding the memory of the Famine in Ireland and the United States?

All the groups should create presentations that follow the format of their respective handouts. They should explain how this song, image, etc. conveys a legacy of the Irish Famine. They should also touch upon how these images, songs, sculptures represent the formation of a new identity for "we the people." Students should also consider what images and themes they would include were they to create a work of art, a song, or a sculpture.

Day 2:
Students will continue to analyze their respective documents and start presentations at the half point of class. They will complete Ed O'Donnell's essay entitled "The Scattered Debris of the Irish Nation."[]

Day 3:
Finish presentations and watch clips from "Out of Ireland." According to the film and the reading how did this event transform Ireland? Conduct a discussion based on the following quote: 'Given the fact that so many of the legacies of the Famine in Ireland and America were tragic, the establishment and perpetuation of the principle of ethnic inclusion would be a fitting legacy for those who overcame suffering and death and arrived in New York hoping for for a second chance (O'Donnell, 58)" What does this quote mean and how does this reading connect with some the themes from your artwork, song, or sculpture?

Conclusion
"Did the old songs taunt or cheer you? And did they still make you cry? Did you count the months, the years Or did your tear drops quickly dry?

From "Thousands are Sailing" by The Pogues During the time period of the Irish Famine nearly 1.5 million Irish emigrated and nearly two million would die. This event physically transformed Ireland through massive depopulation due to death and emigration. The Irish that stayed behind grappled with the memories of their comrades recently departed and attempted to make sense of this new reality. Those that emgirated brought these memories with them to a new country that was unsure of what to make of these new comers. As the Irish struggled in America, they created a new identy for themselves that incorporated elements from the old country with the new concepts of liberty, democracy, and freedom contained in the phrase "We the People." While the Irish have impacted America in the areas of politics, religion, entertainment, and labor, there are still questions that remain to be considered regarding this event.

Why are there more memorials for the Irish Famine in the US than there are in Ireland? How was Irish American identity shaped by memories of the Famine? How do we choose to remember or forget traumatic events? How can these events harm, benefit, construct, and shape the future?

Resources
Fenian cartoon

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Song analysis
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**Songs**
Available at Boston Public Library
 * Book:** Irish Emigrant Ballads and Songs edited by Robert L. Wright





Photo/art analysis handout
[]

Famine artwork
http://www.haverford.edu/engl/faculty/Sherman/Irish/famine.htm

Online Eviction images: http://maggieblanck.com/Mayopages/LandIssues.html University College Cork, Ireland (UCC Cork) images: Private Responses to Famine

"The Eviction: A Scene from Life in Ireland" Artist: William Henry Powell, 1871 Publisher: Robinson and Mooney, 117 Nassau Street, New York
 * From the Boston Public Library (Print Room: Ireland and Irish History)**





Image of Dublin Famine Memorial
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== http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/2844679995/

NY famine commentary
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http://www.nps.gov/saga/forteachers/upload/Unit%203-%20Sculpture.pdf Pages 16-17 of this Sculpture Analysis Handout -

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