Irish Potato Famine Chapter Summary

The Irish Potato Famine killed many over the course of time, 1 million to be exact. There were alternatives to dying in this time of hardship, however, and that was coming to the U.S and try to make a living there. Let’s come up with an example of someone that came, a fictional character other than the one that we are all reading about. Let’s name him… Bartley. Bartley is 17 years old. Bartley is on a ship with his 13 year old sister headed to America. His family had just enough money to send their two children off, but since they were so poor, they themselves had to stay behind. But hey, they’re going to America. They aren’t terribly worried about their parents. But their parents aren’t very important in this lesson. Dr. Chester didn’t ask

To do that, they had to stay on the ship together side by side and wait until the morning to take the ferry to Ellis Island. The brother and sister got name tags and numbers on their clothes, and then, side by side, they come to face the medical examination. Yay. They were inspected by doctors who were watching for little things, including heavy breathing, weakness, signs of heart problems. They passed by the doctors, and then they examined their face, neck, and hands. The brother and sister were separated from one another at this point of time. Bartley himself got something written on his clothes. B, his clothes said. He didn’t know what B meant. Then they met the eye doctor, still separated. Bartley walks up to him as his turn is next, and suddenly, he becomes very nervous. He doesn’t know why… Maybe he ate something earlier? That must be was B means, he thought to himself when he saw the button hook in the eye doctor’s hands.

Back problems, his clothes say. His sister was healthy, however. Bartley’s stomach falls to the ground as he realises what was going to happen to him. He could be sent back. He could live with his parents again. His future would be gone and there would be nothing that he could do about it. He was not sent back, though. He was able to pass through. His sister wasn’t. She had eye disease as he found out, and she wasn’t allowed to enter the US. Since his sister was not 12 years old or younger, she could go back to Ireland by herself. Before Bartley could stop her, she left with a single goodbye and a hug. And then she left him. Bartley stood alone. His sister was going to Ireland. He was by himself and surrounded by people. He did not cry. He didn’t dare cry. His sister could find her way. He couldn’t go back for her now. He had to carry on. This is what he is meant to do, after all. 2 minutes were spent of him being interrogated. He was approved, and then, he passed through. Alone. He passed through alone. Bartley was not afraid. And thus, his future