New York City, "Empire State of Mind".
Axe 3 : Migration & exile
GO!
Index
Ellis Island
the factual and the emotive
the gap
the promise and the experience
Intro
Contextualize your topic , build vocabulary
Symbols
emblematic items and symbols
Narratives of New York
Symbols
Symbols of migration and exile are often tied to the physical and emotional aspects of displacement. Here are a few items and symbols that have become emblematic of migration and exile across different contexts
Explore symbols through Samsia Hassani's work
Samsia Hassani Afghan artist living in the USA.
Intro
Contextualize and build vocabulary and notions
Migration/exile
- What comes to mind ? Write down as many words as possible.
- Can you think of novels, movies, songs you know of ( English artists only). Make a list.
- Check the genial.ly made with former students on the theme on the right. What's missing, what would you add ?
- Check the links to "When Home won't let you stay". What is it ? Can you briefly summarize the artworks presented and what you get from them . Be ready to talk about it.
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was one of the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth century. Born into a German-Jewish family, she was forced to leave Germany in 1933 and lived in Paris for the next eight years, working for a number of Jewish refugee organizations. In 1941 she immigrated to the United States and soon became part of a lively intellectual circle in New York.
The last step of the journey
ELLIS ISLAND
ELLIS ISLAND CONTRASTING NARRATIVES
The realities of Ellis Island Emigration Station
Attached are the links to two videos. One is a mini doc powered by History, an American flagship channel ( partly owned by the Disney company). The second one is a short movie created by the French artist JR (who has been living in New York for some time) in partnership with Robert de Niro, a famous and influential American actor and film producer with a complex European ancestry. 1) The first document will provide facts, write them down. 2) What are your feelings after watching the short movie ( 2nd document)? What sort of thought does it provoke in you ? What was JR's goal according to you. Which techniques has he used ? To go further : read or rather watch the stunning graphic novel by Shaun TAN, Australian illsutrator with Chinese Malaysian ancestry. (link in the eye)
The gap between the promise of the American Dream and the lived experiences of immigrants.
Read the poem and watch the video presenting one of the many photos Riis took of migrants. How are stories of emigration shaped and challenged ?
The New Colossus.
Jacob RIIS "Five Cents a Spot" (1889) Jacob A. Riis (1849–1914) was a journalist and social reformer who publicized the crises in housing, education, and poverty at the height of European immigration to New York City in the late nineteenth century. His career as a reformer was shaped by his innovative use of photographs of New York’s slums to substantiate his words and vividly expose the realities of squalid living and working conditions faced by the inhabitants. Harrowing images of tenements and alleyways where New York’s immigrant communities lived, combined with his evocative storytelling, were intended to engage and inform his audience and exhort them to act. Riis helped set in motion an activist legacy linking photojournalism with reform.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus
November 2, 1883
The 1903 bronze plaque located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Narratives of New York and the American Dream.
delving deeper into how narratives of emigration are shaped and challenged.
New York New York
Empire State of Mind
On the town
You will use this set of songs to highlight the elements of New York's identity which are idealized and celebrated but also what complicates this vision. Analyze the lyrics, identifying key themes, descriptive language, and mood. Select key quotes. Create a visual "mood map" that represents the emotions and imagery from the song (e.g., hopeful, gritty, celebratory) using key quotes.
Lorem ipsum dolor
New York city has come to symbolize the American Dream to people and migrants from the USA and from all over the world findfreedomopportunities/possibilities success ( profesionnal success, wealth , personal success - romance- happiness - the myth of the Self-Made Man) They believe it is the city where you can make it, have a brand new startand gain fame/notoriety.They also believe NY is welcoming and open to diversity.
The symbolic elements
The Satue of Liberty has become a beacon of hope for migrants
- She's holding a torch, a lamp, a guidance into the dark times, the possibility of a better life in a better society ( enlightened) . Lanterns are also a symbol of safety, at the ned of a dangerous and harrowing journey.
Razor wires
a powerful and distressing visual
Razor wires, also known as concertina wires, are an evolution of barbed wire, designed to be even more injurious and intimidating. Their sharp blades, often arranged in spirals, evoke an aggressive visual barrier that symbolizes exclusion and control. Their use in migration contexts, particularly on borders, highlights the dehumanization and hostility faced by those seeking refuge. The shiny, metallic glint against natural landscapes—whether along borders, beaches, or camps—serves as a grim reminder of the barriers humans construct. Images of children and families near these structures amplify their harshness and provoke outrage or sympathy.
- Hindering movement - deterrent
- Exclusion and Fear
- Dehumanization: something to be contained or repelled
- Contrast with barbed wires : While barbed wire already connotes suffering, razor wire takes it further, symbolizing the escalation of hostility in modern times.
Creative writing
to be handed back
I• Write a letter imagining you are a migrant who want to share aspects of your new lives with family back home.
o Choose your mood/tone, more Frank Sinatra like – the optimistic brand new start- or Alicia Keys like, more nuanced
o what will you then highlight (e.g., successes, challenges, cultural differences).
o Decide what to omit or downplay, reflecting on the social and emotional reasons for these choices.
• For next class be ready to discuss how these decisions reveal identity formation and the need to present a coherent self.
Artistic representation
Create a DIY to materialize the suitcase you left with and arrived on Ellis Island with and its content. What items other than clothes and sanitary/hygiene products have you packed ? Be ready to explain to the class.
Life-jackets
and rubber boats alike
The life jacket has become a universal symbol of the perilous journeys migrants undertake, particularly across treacherous waters, in search of safety and a better life.
- Survival and Hope: Life jackets are a lifeline, embodying the hope of reaching safety.
- Visibility: The fluorescent orange color demands attention, making the invisible plight of refugees impossible to ignore.
- The bright orange color of the jackets is both jarring and symbolic of hope amidst danger—often the only item visible in the open sea
- Loss and Danger: They are also stark reminders of those who did not survive; empty jackets signify lives lost at sea.
- Mass Displacement
Rubber Boats, like life jackets, overcrowded, often unsafe boats symbolize the desperation and risks migrants take.
Check Ai Wei Wei different installations.
The suitcase
and its tags
The suitcase is an incredibly evocative symbol in the context of migration, exile, and displacement. It represents not only physical mobility but also the emotional weight of leaving behind a life, possessions, memories, and connections. Packing a suitcase signifies a decisive and often painful moment in a migrant’s or refugee’s journey, capturing the themes of loss, hope, and the stark realities of starting anew.
Ellis Island Museum - The Baggage Room
- Transition and movement
- Loss and abandonment
- Hope and starting over.
- Universal yet deeply personal ( its content can be a potent metaphor for individual stories within larger migratory patterns)
Brooklyn part 1 p . Ellis by JR and De Niro : the recurring visual motif
New York City - Empire State of Mind
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Transcript
New York City, "Empire State of Mind".
Axe 3 : Migration & exile
GO!
Index
Ellis Island
the factual and the emotive
the gap
the promise and the experience
Intro
Contextualize your topic , build vocabulary
Symbols
emblematic items and symbols
Narratives of New York
Symbols
Symbols of migration and exile are often tied to the physical and emotional aspects of displacement. Here are a few items and symbols that have become emblematic of migration and exile across different contexts
Explore symbols through Samsia Hassani's work
Samsia Hassani Afghan artist living in the USA.
Intro
Contextualize and build vocabulary and notions
Migration/exile
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) was one of the most influential political philosophers of the twentieth century. Born into a German-Jewish family, she was forced to leave Germany in 1933 and lived in Paris for the next eight years, working for a number of Jewish refugee organizations. In 1941 she immigrated to the United States and soon became part of a lively intellectual circle in New York.
The last step of the journey
ELLIS ISLAND
ELLIS ISLAND CONTRASTING NARRATIVES
The realities of Ellis Island Emigration Station
Attached are the links to two videos. One is a mini doc powered by History, an American flagship channel ( partly owned by the Disney company). The second one is a short movie created by the French artist JR (who has been living in New York for some time) in partnership with Robert de Niro, a famous and influential American actor and film producer with a complex European ancestry. 1) The first document will provide facts, write them down. 2) What are your feelings after watching the short movie ( 2nd document)? What sort of thought does it provoke in you ? What was JR's goal according to you. Which techniques has he used ? To go further : read or rather watch the stunning graphic novel by Shaun TAN, Australian illsutrator with Chinese Malaysian ancestry. (link in the eye)
The gap between the promise of the American Dream and the lived experiences of immigrants.
Read the poem and watch the video presenting one of the many photos Riis took of migrants. How are stories of emigration shaped and challenged ?
The New Colossus.
Jacob RIIS "Five Cents a Spot" (1889) Jacob A. Riis (1849–1914) was a journalist and social reformer who publicized the crises in housing, education, and poverty at the height of European immigration to New York City in the late nineteenth century. His career as a reformer was shaped by his innovative use of photographs of New York’s slums to substantiate his words and vividly expose the realities of squalid living and working conditions faced by the inhabitants. Harrowing images of tenements and alleyways where New York’s immigrant communities lived, combined with his evocative storytelling, were intended to engage and inform his audience and exhort them to act. Riis helped set in motion an activist legacy linking photojournalism with reform.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Emma Lazarus November 2, 1883
The 1903 bronze plaque located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Narratives of New York and the American Dream.
delving deeper into how narratives of emigration are shaped and challenged.
New York New York
Empire State of Mind
On the town
You will use this set of songs to highlight the elements of New York's identity which are idealized and celebrated but also what complicates this vision. Analyze the lyrics, identifying key themes, descriptive language, and mood. Select key quotes. Create a visual "mood map" that represents the emotions and imagery from the song (e.g., hopeful, gritty, celebratory) using key quotes.
Lorem ipsum dolor
New York city has come to symbolize the American Dream to people and migrants from the USA and from all over the world findfreedomopportunities/possibilities success ( profesionnal success, wealth , personal success - romance- happiness - the myth of the Self-Made Man) They believe it is the city where you can make it, have a brand new startand gain fame/notoriety.They also believe NY is welcoming and open to diversity.
The symbolic elements
The Satue of Liberty has become a beacon of hope for migrants
Razor wires
a powerful and distressing visual
Razor wires, also known as concertina wires, are an evolution of barbed wire, designed to be even more injurious and intimidating. Their sharp blades, often arranged in spirals, evoke an aggressive visual barrier that symbolizes exclusion and control. Their use in migration contexts, particularly on borders, highlights the dehumanization and hostility faced by those seeking refuge. The shiny, metallic glint against natural landscapes—whether along borders, beaches, or camps—serves as a grim reminder of the barriers humans construct. Images of children and families near these structures amplify their harshness and provoke outrage or sympathy.
Creative writing
to be handed back
I• Write a letter imagining you are a migrant who want to share aspects of your new lives with family back home. o Choose your mood/tone, more Frank Sinatra like – the optimistic brand new start- or Alicia Keys like, more nuanced o what will you then highlight (e.g., successes, challenges, cultural differences). o Decide what to omit or downplay, reflecting on the social and emotional reasons for these choices. • For next class be ready to discuss how these decisions reveal identity formation and the need to present a coherent self.
Artistic representation
Create a DIY to materialize the suitcase you left with and arrived on Ellis Island with and its content. What items other than clothes and sanitary/hygiene products have you packed ? Be ready to explain to the class.
Life-jackets
and rubber boats alike
The life jacket has become a universal symbol of the perilous journeys migrants undertake, particularly across treacherous waters, in search of safety and a better life.
Rubber Boats, like life jackets, overcrowded, often unsafe boats symbolize the desperation and risks migrants take.
Check Ai Wei Wei different installations.
The suitcase
and its tags
The suitcase is an incredibly evocative symbol in the context of migration, exile, and displacement. It represents not only physical mobility but also the emotional weight of leaving behind a life, possessions, memories, and connections. Packing a suitcase signifies a decisive and often painful moment in a migrant’s or refugee’s journey, capturing the themes of loss, hope, and the stark realities of starting anew.
Ellis Island Museum - The Baggage Room
Brooklyn part 1 p . Ellis by JR and De Niro : the recurring visual motif