...Who’s Irish? 1. Discuss the following questions a. Where does the narrator live? She is a sixty-eight-years old Chinese immigrant, who lives in the US. b. What is the narrator’s view of the Irish/the Shea family in general? The narrator is indignant of the Shea family; her son-in-law and the three other brothers are all unemployed, even though they were born white in the USA. But it sounds a bit like the narrator feels sorry for the mother, Bess but on the same time also admire her - Bess have taken care of the four boys all her life, and had a complicated job as a secretary before she got sick. c. What is her view of her son-in-law? She doesn’t understand John - her son-in-law. He can’t take care of Sophie, and he doesn’t have a job. She thinks he is so plain, and it’s clear they don’t have a good relationship. d. What does the narrator say about the mother-daughter relationship in China and in the US? In China the daughter usually take care of her mother, but in the US it’s the opposite; the mother should take care of her daughter. The mother asks if there’s anything else she can do? Otherwise the daughter will complain about the mother not being supportive. e. What is the son-in-law’s attitude to the narrator Not very good, and there are some indications that John wants to send the narrator back to China. f. Characterize the relationship between the narrator and Bess. They are both older and they can laugh together...
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...In 1840 he became Assistant Secretary to the Treasury in London and held that office until 1859. This position put him in charge of the administration of Government relief to the victims of the Irish Famine in the 1840s. In the middle of that crisis Trevelyan published his views on the matter. He saw the Famine as a ‘mechanism for reducing surplus population’. But it was more: ‘The judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson, that calamity must not be too much mitigated. …The real evil with which we have to contend is not the physical evil of the Famine, but the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people’. Such racist and sectarian views of the Irish were common enough within the English governing classes and were more crudely expressed by others. For the most part, Trevelyan’s views reflected the prevailing Whig economic and social opinion and that of the Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, who held office from 1846 until 1852. Trevelyan was stiff and unbending. He firmly believed in laissez faire (essentially, the importing of food should be left to the food merchants), he thought that the Government should not intervene, and warned of the danger that people might get into the habit of depending on the state. From March 1846 he controlled the public works through the disbursement of public funds. Under Trevelyan, relief by public works in 1846–7 was too little too late but also it was slow, inefficient and sometimes corrupt...
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...American, Irish American, and English. The one I’ve decided to discuss for this paper would be Irish American. I am very proud of my Irish heritage. Millions of Irish people have immigrated to America since the 1800s. When Irish immigrants came over to America, a majority of them had little to nothing. They looked for work to start new lives in a new country. Irish immigrants were very hard laborers. Irish American’s were segregated immediately upon arrival to America. They were unwanted and clearly unwelcome. They were sent to “poor” area’s to reside in and were forced to live in area’s the size of a small bedroom with their entire families. They were ill a lot of the time due to sewage and poor ventilation to where they were residing. Many also had mental illnesses caused from alcohol problems. Irish Catholic’s was also a big issue to Irish immigration. American’s were worried that Irish Catholic immigrants would not be loyal to the Church of Rome. Irish Catholic’s were very stereo typed. People thought that all Irish Catholics were violent alcoholics and were all in Irish gangs. Although it didn’t help them much, many Irish American’s did turn to violence when being faced with severe discrimination. Like anything else being stereo typed, few people took the time to actually get to know Irish Catholics and assumed that they were all the same. Due to discrimination and prejudice, it was extremely hard for Irish American’s to start new lives and or continue forward. Irish American’s...
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...A Youthful Introduction Millions of Americans watched. January 20,1961 was an almost unbearably wintry day, yet John F. Kennedy's inaugural address heated up the hearts and passions of many Americans. A young and controversial candidate, Kennedy presented his speech to Americans graciously, proclaiming the greatness of the country. He tactfully targeted and praised each and every member of the audience, from Massachusetts to Moscow. A synthesis of artful diction and promoting patriotism, John F Kennedy's speech conveys a sense of faith to the audience while subtly promoting the president in a new light that is relatable to all Americans. Listening to the speech, one may feel in awe of the powerful words Kennedy calmly utters. Upon further inspection of the speech, each word is utilized not only to persuasively describe America, but to describe himself. John F Kennedy uses words that are related to "new" and "young", a parallel to his own identity. As he declares to a "new generation of Americans" that this is a "beginning", "renewal", and "change", he excites the audience by sharing his contemporary hopes to correspond his contemporary self. Indeed, the young new president represented change and was willing to share this with America. John F Kennedy knew his viewers. In his inaugural address, Kennedy was conscious of the broad and diverse public listening to him speak. In order to be accepted by the masses, he focused in on the varying groups in different sections...
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...entire concept, resulting in me having to watch it for a second time. The movie’s main characters are Leonardo DiCaprio as Amsterdam Vallon, the central character, Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill “The Butcher” Cutting, and Cameron Diaz as Jenny Everdeane. The lack of immediate assimilation into society by the Irish immigrants was one integral reason as to why separate factions were formed. As seen in The Gangs of New York five distinct "gangs" were formed as a result of Irish integration into society. The Nativist's, led by Bill the Butcher, are not fond of the Irish immigrants presence in America. They feel that the incoming Irish will have eternal devotion to the Old Country and will be a negative addition to society. However, the Nativist's perception of their Irish immigrant counterparts may have had some rationale behind it. The American Irish tended to isolate themselves into small ghettos, socialize only with each other, and attend isolated Catholic weekly masses. Although all these different characteristics of the Irish immigrants angered the Nativists, what may have angered them the most was the Irish American control over political policies. Nativists were convinced that the Irish American support for the Democratic Party was not a result of actual agreement with the policies,...
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...how the brand is differentiated. 3 competitors to Banner Bog Oak * Celtic Bogoaks * Ronnie Graham: Irish Bog Wood Sculpture * Brian O Loughlin: Irish Bog Oak Sculpture Brand Positioning: "The act of designing the company's image and value so that the segment's customers understand what the company stands for in relation to its competitors" Kotler (1988) Aim: a positioning which holds maximum appeal for its target audience e.g. Guinness Functional Emotional * Celtic Bogoaks They have been working with bogwoods for many years, creating beautiful gifts for the retail trade. They supply most of the top Irish craft retailers in Ireland including The Kilkenny shops in Dublin, Kilkenny, Galway and Killarney, Seodin in Limerick and Ennis, The Cat & The Moon in Sligo, Judy Greene in Galway, Waterville Craft Centre, The Kilkenny Design Centre, Marble and Lemon in Cork, to name but a few. They also exhibit at Showcase Ireland at the R.D.S. Exhibition Centre in Dublin every year. Celtic Bog oaks are a member of the Craft Council of Ireland. Positioning: Celtic Bog oaks are positioned well all over Ireland and showcasing in the RDS in Dublin yearly is making everybody aware of their products and what they have to offer. Brand Identity: Celtic bog oaks main brand identity is that "We bring an ancient Irish language and an ancient Irish timber together again." This has an emotional value to a lot of people who are trying to get in touch with their...
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...I have chosen Dublin, Ireland as my destination choice. I chose this place because I’m part Irish and I’ve always wanted to visit. I think there would be many cool things to do and see in and around Dublin. “Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600 and 150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1949, Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland is gradually being implemented despite some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.” Ireland is located in Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain. “Ireland has a mild, temperate climate with a mean annual temperature of around 50°F. Rain showers can occur at any...
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...The Irish Language INTRODUCTION What I am going to talk about in this essay is how the Irish Language played a huge part in the development of Ireland throughout the 20th century.I picked this topic because I think that the Irish Language was a key element of Irish nationalism. The Irish Language was part of Irelands separate identity, and we the Irish back in the day felt that its revival was vital if the country were to successfully pursue sovereignty. That’s why I picked this topic because I think this is very interesting and would like to learn more about the Irish language. MAIN BODY In 1893, The Gaelic League was founded with the aim of reviving the Irish language. Successful Irish Governments sought to re-establish the Irish Language as the native tongue. In 1924, the Department of Education began its work to co-ordinate a comprehensive primary and secondary school system. The most important aim was to increase participation in education and to make sure that the people of Ireland gained the basic skills of reading and writing. Gaelic became a badge of identity which distinguished the Irish from the British. The Cumann na nGeadheal Government sought to bring the language back into everyday life. One means of doing this was to translate Irish place names back into Gaelic. From 1922 onwards, signposts, addresses and maps were changed. By 1925, the civil service, Garda, armed forces and courts had all introduced Irish into their day to day affairs. In 1926 2RN and Radio...
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...as there once was, the workers are now complacent and less caring about their jobs. It is now a matter of getting the quantity to make numbers rather than the pride and quality of the work. The problem is not the mill or the new equipment, it is the behavioral attitudes the employees now have towards their work. It is not money or KITA that used to drive the workers it was pride; now the workers are de-motivated. The Welsh are no longer in shanties were they liked to work. Now they are forced to work in the mill, the place that they looked down upon, were the un-skilled Irishmen worked. Not only are the Welsh in a place that they are not content, they are now working side by side with the Irishmen. This was generally recognized that the Irish and Welsh did not get along. Why would this be a highly productive and happy place to work now? The Welsh have nothing to pride themselves on and they have a very bad place to work with the dust and noise. While the dust and noise is not as bad as most mills, the Welsh never had to deal with it in the first...
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...The majority of the Irish were potato farmers. In October of 1845 a serious rotting issue began killing off the potato farms (Spartacus). Typhus broke out and killed many Irish families. The main item in the Irish people’s diet was the potatoes. Due to the agricultural disaster people died from famine if Typhus did not get them first. By 1846 an estimated 350,000 people died (Spartacus). In search of a better life nearly two million Irishman emigrated to the U.S. When the first group of approximately 6, ooo Irishman arrived in the U.S. they suffered from discrimination. According to the Irish American Historical Society (IAHS) there were two major ports of entry; New York and Boston. A majority of the immigrants were poverty stricken which caused them to remain in the port they arrived. The influx in immigrants strained the society’s economy and created hatred. The Irishman was credited for all the economic problems they were now facing. The Irish Americans started being viewed as dirty, lazy and stupid. Competition for housing and jobs grew rapidly. The competition and hatred developed in to discrimination towards the Irish. The new Irish arrivals started being victims of employment discrimination. The employment ads placed in the newspapers always ended with, “No Irish need apply” (IAHS). Restaurants and hotels started posting signs advising people that Irish were not permitted at their establishment. Since the Irish could not find work they were...
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...Ireland as, whilst being large in terms of scale and duration, Irish rebellions failed to garner national support due to strict English control. The stabilising effect of the Earl of Kildare’s role as the crown’s deputy lieutenants meant that there were no Irish rebellions during the first fifty years of this period. However, political issues became far more prominent from 1534 to 1603, as it was the main cause for five major rebellions during this period. Religious issues were also a factor as, following the break with Rome, the Irish resisted becoming a protestant country. English rebellions were more successful than those in Ireland as Irish rebellions never presented a serious challenge to English rule and did not result in any substantial change. By contrast, whilst not overwhelmingly successful, some English rebellions did bring about government policy changes. For example, as a result of the Yorkshire rebellion Henry VII agreed not to impose a fine on the rebels and decided not to collect the tax. Further success was achieved by the Amicable Grant rebellion, as no tax was enforced and benevolence (an occasional gift which helped the government deal with financial crisis) was not received. This resulted in permanent change as when Henry VII collected benevolences in the 1540s, he targeted the wealthier groups rather than the poor – a direct response to lessons learned via the Amicable Grant’s rebels. By contrast, Irish rebellions failed to achieve positive change, as the aftermath...
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...in a negative light. Every single media product stereotypes them as dirty, tramps and thieves. We see this everywhere, in magazines, films, TV programmes and Documentaries. A good example is the article titled ‘Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves?’ it varies in different words that are linked with negativity throughout the whole article. While including examples from Snatch, the article says ‘Messages of gypsies in Snatch are deeply negative, putting us, the audience in a superior position’. This clearly shows the negativity of them in the media. Only 300,000 gypsies and travellers live in Britain. Only small part of them are in TV programmes and other forms of media therefore the representation is disproportionate to their population. Not all Irish Travellers are dirty or thieves. My Big Fat Gypsy Weddings is clearly produced purely for entertainment reasons. It started off as more of a documentary however after the dominant readers started to demand more, the facts and choices of what scenes to put in the weekly shows have started to vary. This started giving off negative and stereotypical facts about gypsies in the programme. Its decides to shows us the way they live (mostly caravans), the way the girls drop out of school at a...
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...The Departed and the Irish Mob While not as talked about as the Italian mafia, the Irish Mob is just as violent and proficient in their ways. Taking place in South Boston, the departed depicts a fictitious, but only just, account of the struggle between the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish Mob. Leonardo Dicaprio’s character Billy Costigan is a new member of the MSP and is chosen to become an undercover officer because of his background. Costigan’s father was from South Boston, and Costigan spent time there as a child. He infiltrates the Irish Mob, headed by Jack Nicholson’s character Frank Costello. Frank is the violent head of the Irish Mob that seems to never really be convicted of his crimes. We later come to find out that is in part because of his status as an FBI informant. Costello has an informant in the MSP by way of Matt Damon’s character Colin Sullivan. Sullivan grew up in Costello’s neighborhood and Costello was almost a father figure to him. With his loyalty to Costello, Sullivan was convinced to join the MSP and feed information to Costello. As the movie progresses, both Sullivan and Costigan find out about each other as “rats”, but not necessarily each other’s identities until towards the end. Sullivan upon finding out who Costigan is, erases his file after the death of Captain Queenan at the hands of the Irish Mob and the dismissal of Sargent Dignam. In the end Barrigan, another one if Costello’s men on the inside, shoots Costigan and Sullivan’s partner...
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...* * Beginnings of Home Rule * Gladstone's Irish policy during his First Ministry = little acknowledged success He was the first British politician to show any interest/understanding of the Irish problems Tackled the problems of lack of equal/fair treatment in religion and land Reforms were directed at suppressing Fenian demands for the repeal of the Union Gladstone was not interested in Home Rule at this point. * Dissatisfaction grew with the failure of Gladstone's land reforms still poor and oppressed by their Protestant Masters Easy prey for violent extremists who tried to whip up anti-English feeling. * Disgruntled Irish Protestants lent their support to the Home Government Association (HGA) Launched in Dublin by Isaac Butt = Start of the Home Rule for Ireland Movement. * 1873 = HGA became the Home Rule League. * The Strong Home Rule representation in Parliament was a great achievement for Butt However, the Home Rulers lacked discipline and cohesiveness to ring pressure to Westminster They lacked a strong leader Butt did not possess the dynamism to keep Home Rule at the top of the political agenda Believed that the Home Rule case would succeed if they were patient After Butt's death, Parnell took over the leadership of the Irish Party in the House of Commons more charismatic and more in favour of action. The Question of Home Rule The Influence of Isaac Butt * Home Rule Movement stemmed from the ideas of Isaac Butt Set up the Home Government...
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...THIS is a brave and artful novel disguised to appear safe and conventional. One can read on for some time as if it were simply a ''terror stalks the high seas'' thriller, but one would be an uncommon fool to do so for very long. Joseph O'Connor, an Irish critic and playwright who is also the author of several previous novels, lures us into an easy read that, before we know it, becomes a chilling indictment not of a murderer but of us. As a London publisher says midway through the book, advising a writer unsuccessfully peddling his fiction, this is ''a good old thumping yarn,'' the sort of thing a reader can ''sink his tusks into.'' But ''Star of the Sea'' is also an agonizing inquiry into the nature of abandonment and the difficulty of finding anyone who will truly care about the fate of others. How large does suffering have to loom before we take notice? O'Connor suggests that we can tolerate mountains of misery, sipping our coffee and reading our newspapers as the corpses pile up beneath the headlines. The Star of the Sea is a leaky old tub sailing from Ireland to New York in the terrible winter of 1847, carrying in its staterooms a reluctantly intertwined collection of characters. The most noteworthy is an Irish aristocrat, David Merridith, Lord Kingscourt, whose Oxford training has shown him ''how to put on like a cheerful idiot'' while he's got his ''hands sliding around your neck.'' Merridith and his family are being stalked by a man named Pius Mulvey, who has been...
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