Assignment #7 – Remembrance

Remembrance

“Veterans want Canadians to understand the price of freedom. They are passing the torch to the people of Canada, so the memory of their sacrifices will continue, and the values they fought for will live on in all of us.”

The objectives of this assignment are:

1. to reflect on and expand our understanding of “Who are the victims of war?”
2. To stimulate the formation of imagery that tells a story of war
3. For students to draw a “story artwork” in their sketchbook that depicts a story of a war victim, that illustrates one of war’s ravages..  This sketchbook artwork is to be shared with the school on November 11 ceremony,
4. This assignment will be assessed out of 20.  It is DUE: Nov. 3    Please don’t be late as it is needed for the slideshow for Riverside’s Remembrance Day ceremony.  The slideshow needs to be prepared the week before.

Lesson Intro:

Who are the victims of war?  Are they only the soldiers?  The ravages of war impact all of humanity in various forms. In Canada’s First and Second World Wars, many other wars fought since those wars – Afghanistan,  we lost thousands of lives of soldiers who fought and died in the battles.  These lives lost are certainly much of what we are asked to remember on November 11.  What other faces, besides those of the soldiers, were the victims of the wars?

The video (below) is about the Liberation of the Netherlands told from the perspective of those who truly know about it – the Veterans who fought there. Listening and watching will provide an understanding of a chapter of our wartime history that helped to shape Canada as a nation and is the basis for a lasting friendship between our country and the people of the Netherlands. Listening and watching will also provide students with imagery that can tell a part of that war story, and that will stimulate a war story artwork that they are to make in their sketchbook.

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/liberation-netherlands/video

Video review questions (to bring clarity of understanding to the video)

1. How long was the Netherlands under bondage during the Second World War (i.e. occupied by the Germans)?
2. Where was most of the fighting done in flooded portions of the Netherlands?
3. What was the name of one kind of amphibious army vehicle that only rode three to six inches (7.5-15 cm) above the water?
4. What did one small, hungry girl eat in front of a Canadian soldier while other children looked on “like wolves”?
5. On what day did the war (in the Netherlands) come to an end?
6. What did Glen Tomlin shoot when he nervously entered a room in a house the soldiers were clearing?
7. What did Joseph Wormersley hear as he was about to roll a grenade down the stairs in a house the soldiers were clearing?
8. How young were some of the German soldiers pressed into service at the end of the Second World War?
9. After the country was liberated, what was done to the hair of some Dutch women who had been “too friendly” with German soldiers?
10. What colour did Dutch people like to wear to celebrate the liberation of their country?

After watching the video and debriefing it through the questions what imagery comes to your mind that tells a story of war

What story scene can you imagine that would depict a war victim?  What might a victim of war look like in your sketchbook drawing?

In MacLean’s Magazine the reporter wrote:

By J.L. Granatstein May 5, 2020

The Dutch had every reason to remember their liberation. For five years, the Nazis had brutalized and starved them, sent Dutch Jews to Auschwitz, shipped men to the Reich to work as slave labour, looted their nation, and executed Resistance fighters until the last few days of the war. Even a half century later freedom was precious.

The liberation was the most extraordinary event I have ever seen. As the vets marched or rode through the cheering throngs, they were mobbed, showered with kisses, handed drinks, cigarettes, and flags in an astonishing outpouring of gratitude. Grandmothers grabbed vets and danced on the road. Young mothers, cheering and sobbing simultaneously, held up babies to kiss a weeping vet, and then would tell a Canadian reporter that they had done this so their children would know forever that they had touched one of their nation’s liberators.

https://www.macleans.ca/history/when-canada-liberated-a-nation-from-tyranny/

Do Canadians remember? Do we teach our children and new Canadians that freedom has a price and must be defended? The Second World War was a time of supreme national effort for Canadians who produced a remarkable military, industrial, and agricultural contribution to victory. Ten per cent of the population of 11 million donned uniform, and the war effort, starting from nothing, was such that Canada was able to give away billions of dollars in food and military supplies to our allies. The army, navy, and air force fought in every theatre of war, and Canadians earned a high reputation for valour.

The Sketchbook Assignment:

1. After watching the video and debriefing it through the questions what imagery comes to your mind that tells a story of war

2. What story scene can you imagine that would depict a war victim?  What might a victim of war look like in your sketchbook artwork?

3. Your assignment is to create in your sketchbook artwork that tells a story of war.  It should show its audience an impact of war that we might not know about or realize.

4. Materials:  You can use  pencil drawing with shading, or whatever you are most comfortable with.  You will be assessed on how well you handle the techniques of the medium you use.

5. Use references to assist you with details.  You can also use the inspiration and stimulation of the videos from today’s lessons.  Your work will assessed for the details that it provides as visual explanation and visual impact.

6. Your artwork will be assessed for its success in imparting a story of a war victim.

6. Your artwork will be scanned into a slideshow presentation for the School Nov. 11 Remembrance Day ceremony.