Skills Showcased

This piece is showcasing my creativity and critical thinking skills. It shows this by using places and/or objects to reflect on myself. The piece also showcases my knowledge of famous authors. 

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November 29 of 1898, a notable writer was born. This boy’s name will become Clive Staples Lewis, best known as C.S Lewis. He was born in Belfast, Ireland (Northern Ireland now), but his career will be best known as British. He would be a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, broadcaster, lecturer, Christian apologist, and Lay theologian. He would become friends with another important author named J.R.R. Tolkien; known for The Hobbit. He would go on write The Chronicles of Narnia series; a series of seven fantasy novels for children which is now considered a classic among children’s literature. The books written between the year of 1949 and 1954. The books contain Christian ideas, British and Irish mythology, and borrows characters from Greek and Roman Mythology. The books were adapted into radio programs, television shows, plays, and even put it into theaters. The best known adaption was Disney’s adaption of the second book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Thus, the success of these books gave C.S Lewis the credit of renowned author for children’s literature. Thus, his city of Belfast chose to immortalize him with this mural. Above all the pictures in the mural, there is a quote that quotes one of C.S Lewis most famous sayings; “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream,” that reminds people that you are never too old to reach for the stars. C.S Lewis is the man on the right and around him are pictures of dreams. Beside him is picture of a mother and her children. Beside them is a ballerina dancing, reflecting the promotion of the arts. It is also showing how the arts is helping bring peace to Northern Ireland. With a girl to the left of the ballerina, helping a dove fly away symbolizing the dream of peace. This is also showing that the younger generation is the pathway to peace. This is better emphasize with the kids above the little girl sitting around talking with each other peacefully. This showing no discrimination to their class or religion. Above all those pictures are pictures of two buildings. On the left is a picture of Queens University of Belfast; named after Queen Victoria, the university is a public research university located in Belfast. The university promotes the education for the future. The building on the right to City Hall of Belfast; is a civic building where the Belfast City Council meets, which they helps create laws for the future. With all these pictures combined in one mural it represents that peace is made through creativity and education. This mural really speaks to me because when I was in Belfast I had brought whole The Chronicles of Narnia collection and it reminds me of how much I used to read the books as a child. As a child, I found vast enjoyment in reading that other kids did not understand. I would spend my money faster on books than toys. I remember in the 4th grade when The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was required reading. All the other kids groan, but I was willing to give it a chance. The next day, my teacher started to read the book out loud and I was entranced. When she stopped reading the first chapter, I was upset and I thought, “How could she stop there?” After I got home from school, I started to read the book for hours. I found enjoyment and peace in reading it. I only stopped when my mom called me for dinner, but after I finish eating I went back to reading. I finished the book and thought “I want more.” Afterwards, I checked the whole series from my library. From reading C.S Lewis work, I had awakened a spirit of creativity in me that want to make something imaginative of my own that will help others feel the same way as I did years ago. Not only is the mural helping me reflect on my feels, but also the feels and process of people that were in The Troubles; a conflict about religious discrimination. It is showing them that through the arts and looking back at the beauty of the past; reminds people that no matter how young or how old you are it can come true.

Skills Showcased

This piece is showcasing my reaseach and critical thinking skills. It shows this by showing my intergation of sources in a way to a new light on a part of history. The piece also shows how I can wtite about a theme. 

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Language is one way that people communicate. Language can be written and spoken. There are a million different languages around the world. Some regions around the world have multiple different languages; meaning that one person can be in one city with one language while in a another city it is another language. This language difference can create a problem such as what can be seen in Northern Ireland. (Mainly the Irish language, so when “language” is referred to then it will be about the Irish language.) This problem comes from a complex history of colonialism and imperialism, politics, and religion. However, to talk about this problem the language has to be looked at as a whole such as its history, power, and usage.
Communication is hard. This something that early humans understood. It was hard to tell someone to do something for them when they didn’t understand what they were saying. This something that the people of Ireland fixed with the creation of the Irish language. (When talking about the history of the Irish language talking about Ireland as a whole is nevable; Ireland and Northern Ireland were whole at one point, so when calling Ireland Ireland it means both Ireland and Northern Ireland for right now.) From the 18th century on, the language lost ground in the east of the country. The reasons behind this shift were complex but came down to a number of factors; discouragement of Irish language use by the British, the Catholic church supporting the use of English over Irish, and a language shift; process where a people start speaking another language. The British had banned the Irish language in every form of media. The language shift occur because the English perceived as of a higher status and the Irish was perceived as lower status. “According to Hindley, landowners changed their religion and accepted the advantages of the English language in order to save their estates and lead a peaceful life. However, while Irish remained strong among the native people, it was in areas where it was economically advantageous to Catholics that English was embraced, and the country became bilingual.” Although that bilingualism would decline because as the new generations would not learn Irish because their grand parents did teach it to them and/ or they did not see the importance of the language especially since schools and the church use English. Thus, making English apart of higher status because of the Catholic Church. “At the end of the nineteenth century, the Catholic Church, having been a major agent of the linguistic anglicisation of Ireland for two centuries,… While continuing to ensure that its flock had a command of the English language, elements within the church suddenly proceeded to back the nationalist project of reviving the almost moribund Irish Gaelic language as the common tongue of the new Ireland that was imagined as emerging in the twentieth century. Many clerics denounced the British for what was described as the terrible crime of eradicating the Irish language through the school system,… In reality, the Church had itself clearly been a major anglicising influence in the country and had commonly ensured that the language of political and social power was transmitted to the younger generation, usually at the expense of eradicating the older language…” (Garvin, 2005, pp. 160-161).Thus, the English become the a powerful and useful language of use;however, this takeover of the English would become the drive point for the Irish language to becoming a political subject.

Ireland has always had a conflict of unionism and nationalism. The unionism wanting to stay in its roots with the British while the nationalism side has always want to leave and take back its Irish heritage.After the Irish Independence, Irish I became a part of the Constitution of Ireland as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland, but English is also the official language language of Ireland. Despite this, almost all government debates and business are conducted in English. However, the northern part of Ireland called Northern Ireland was still owned by Britain and so it did not have rule. (This is the point where Northern Ireland are separate entities.) Before the independence of Ireland (the Southern half) in 1921, Irish was recognised as a school subject and taught in some institutions. However, all changed when The Trouble in Northern Ireland started Stormont Parliament, the Ulster Unionist Party(UUP); the dominating political party at the time, was hostile to the language. This was because of the Irish language background with the Catholic community.

The language received a degree of formal recognition in Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom, under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. “All participants recognise the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities, all of which are part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland.” (Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland, 1998) However, the Irish Language is often used as a bargaining chip during government formation in Northern Ireland. “…the biggest Irish-nationalist party, has made entrenching the language one of its terms for entering a new power-sharing deal. Its central demand, the passage of an Irish Language Act, has been opposed by its erstwhile partners… (The Economist)”

Both sides right now are using the Irish language has a way to work together, so that power and rule doesn’t go back to Britain. The nationalist side is offering the Irish language has a way to a deal while the unionism is annoyed by the deal, but don’t want to go back to home rule. Thus, they are talking and showing interest in it. “Mrs Foster said: “We do want to respect and indeed better understand the language and culture which we are not a part of and, to that end, over the next short period of time, I do intend to listen and to engage with those from the Gaelic/Irish background, those without party political baggage or indeed demands, people who genuinely love the Irish language and don’t want to use it as a political weapon (Unknown).” This is still up for debate. Furthermore, Britain is not helping.

In 2003, the British government’s pass a law for the respect of the Irish language of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The British government has promised to create laws for the encouragement of the language; which was a part of the St Andrews Agreement, but they have not done so. Britain has no interest in Irish and is only doing this for show. To show that they care to the international world, but don’t really care deep down. The administration of the United Kingdom has shown that. Even though the Irish language is neglected by the Northern Irish government and the British government, it still lives on strong.

Since 1973, Irish has been a part of the European Union. In the United States, there was a An Gaodhal, which was the first newspaper anywhere that was written in Irish. This newspaper went on into the 20th century and its successor the An Gael, took its place. Also, newspapers write in English language in the 19th and 20th century added Irish columns. In a 2005 Census of the United States, it reported 18,815 speak Irish. In Newfoundland, Irish was spoken until the early 20th century. “Though some of this group spoke Irish Gaelic and little if any English on arrival, there are few actual accounts of Irish being spoken in Newfoundland, or of Irish being passed on within families. Irish Gaelic disappeared from the island early in the 20th century, but has left a number of traces in Newfoundland English (Sandra Clarke, Harold Paddock and Marguerite MacKenzie).” Duolingo: a language app; has 2.5 millions learners learning the language. Linda Ervine; a Protestant woman, who runs an Irish-language program in a Protestant part in the Belfast. She is one out of thousands of people who are helping the Irish. Seamus Heaney writes encompass a balance of the Irish and English language. “The reality of a breac-Ghaeltacht is the clash of languages, with the majority language usually placing the minority language under considerable strain, but in ‘Sruth’ Heaney presents English and Irish as existing in complementary balance. The human and the natural worlds too exist in balance… (Wheatley, David).” Irish language is both an enriching tale and a war of destruction.

Work Cited

Editorial Cartoons: Language Diversity. Editorial Cartoons: Language Diversity | Teaching Tolerance – Diversity, Equity and Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2017.

Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland. The Agreement: Agreement Reached in the Multi-party Negotiations. London: Northern Ireland Office, 1999. Web.

Hancock, Landon E. Narratives of Identity in the Northern Irish Troubles. Peace & Change, vol. 39, no. 4, Oct. 2014, pp. 443-467.

McMonagle, Sarah and Philip McDermott. Transitional Politics and Language Rights in a Multi-Ethnic Northern Ireland: Towards a True Linguistic Pluralism?. Ethnopolitics, vol. 13, no. 3, June 2014, pp. 245-266. EBSCOhost.

Wheatley, David. The Bilingual Race / and Truth of That Water’: Seamus Heaney and the Irish Language. Journal of European Studies, vol. 46, no. 1, Mar. 2016, p. 10. EBSCOhost

Zenker, Olaf. “Linguistic Relativity and Dialectical Idiomatization: Language Ideologies and Second Language Acquisition in the Irish Language Revival of Northern Ireland.” Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, vol. 24, no. 1, May 2014, p. 63. EBSCOhost

The Role of the Irish Language in Northern Ireland’s Deadlock. The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 12 Apr. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Unknown. Arlene Foster: We Want to Respect and Better Understand the Irish Language. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Belfasttelegraph, 12 Apr. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.