Escape from the freakshow

Escape from the freakshow

Objective: learn about freak shows and how problematic they were. You are stuck at a freak show! If you want to get out alive you must go through each room and find the right clues which will give you the final code to escape. If you fail, you will be trapped! For this, you must work in groups of 3, have a pen and a pair of headphones.

Axe 7 diversity & inclusion

room 1

You see a stage on which there is a TV set. Watch the tape to get your first clue!

Enter the first clue. (in three words, no capital letters)

Enter the second clue. (in one word, no capital letter)

Enter the third clue (one word, no capital letter)

Enter the fourth clue. (A full name with capital letters)

Enter fifth clue (two words with capital letters)

Enter the code

Enter the final code (in one word, no capital letter)

Watch the trailer. Tick all the people you see (see worksheet 1) How are the people in the freak show treated?

Listen to the song and fill in the gaps in the lyrics (see worksheet 3)

The Elephant Man

BIOGRAPHY - Born in 1862, Joseph Merrick began growing disfiguring tumours before the age of 2 and his condition rapidly worsened, rendering one of his arms completely immobile. […] He also experienced physical and psychological pain. To avoid the stares1 and attention of others, he covered himself in a cape and veil whenever he ventured outside. Distressed by the reaction of others to his body, Merrick often quoted a poem by the hymn writer Isaac Watts: ‘Tis true, my form is something odd2, But blaming3 me is blaming God.’ 1 regards fixes • 2 étrange • 3 accuser www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

The extinction of freak shows

Today, freak shows in the style of the Victorian era are extinct in the developed world. […] Many people, namely Henry Mayhew, a British historian and journalist, never liked the idea of the side show, freak show, or other similar types of entertainment. Instead of seeing these kinds of shows as enlightening, exciting, or amusing, Mayhew and his colleagues began to argue as early as 1861 that freak shows were nothing more than an extreme show of human cruelty, moral debauchery, and cruel human degradation. About 40 years after the appearance of Mayhew's article against the freak show, the general public began to follow his way of thinking. […] As people fought for equal rights, the disabled were not entirely forgotten and freak shows became the symbol of exploitation. Additionally, travel became more common and the desire to view foreign objects or exotic people began to lose its appeal. […] Advances in medicine meant that many of the 'freaks' exhibited were actually diagnosed with scientific diseases, disorders, or conditions, meaning that they were no longer a mystery. In the modern day, there are still a few side shows throughout the world, one of the biggest being Coney Island's "Sideshows by the Seashore". These shows, however, are filled with performers rather than kidnapped people or freaks who were abandoned on the circus doorstep. These people work willingly in the side show and are subject to the same laws and work regulations as any other business. In short, they are entertainers much like Cinderella at Disney World. Ashlee Tremaine, www.hubpages.com, 2014

1 The popularity of Victorian freak shows The exhibition of freaks, monstrosities or marvels of nature were essential components of travelling exhibitions in Europe and America throughout the Victorian period. What was saleable as far as the freak was concerned was, of course, physical difference, in a form that was both marketable and palatable. The showman was an essential component and it was the relationship between the presenter and the exhibit that produced the freak show. The exhibit could not be seen before a show and therefore needed the showman to market their particular attractions to the curiosity seeking public. An essential part of the telling of the tale consisted of wonderfully and medically impossible reasons to explain to the audience the history of the person they were going to see. The most popular attractions were oddities with extraordinary talents, who could do supposedly normal things despite their disabilities. A famous example of this type of act and sort were Siamese twins, so called because of Chang and Eng, the original twins were born in Siam in 1811 and brought to America in 1829. Midgets were frequently advertised as being much older than they actually were. Hirsute or bearded attractions would range from Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy and the famous fake show Hairy Mary from Borneo, which was in reality a monkey. The National Fairground and Circus Archive, www.sheffield.ac.uk