Editorial Cartoon

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The formatting of the introduction has been messed up by the size of the blog page. In the images of "Cara's Drafts", one can see how they are meant to look.

The Essay (final copy)

Dr. Seuss wrote a book, well, actually quite a large amount,

much more and too many than I am willing to count.

But there’s one in particular that’s worth a real look.

According to the cover, it’s called “The Butter Battle Book”.

In class, many days before now, we read it together: Ann, Cara, and Sam.

We found it just like the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Oh, yes ma’am!

In case you’re unaware of the events that occurred over there,

it’s not clear, but don’t worry, we did research and are willing to share.

Northern Ireland is made up of two kinds of men:

Protestants and Catholics. They don't get along – it's messed up the Zen.

The Protestants, they wanted to stay a part of the UK,

but the Catholics, them, they just wanted to fray.

Christianity, you see, is like buttering bread,

there are so many ways that it can be spread.

The catholic Yooks like their sacraments up, while the protestant Zooks

like things facing down. The Trouble is that everyone thinks the others are kooks.

A divide thus occurs, between Yooks and Zooks, because of this big butter ordeal.

Over time, as the butter congeals and the divide is a wall, strong like steal.

Things get messy when both groups decide the wall is just not enough,

they want to exterminate the ‘others’, and prove they are tough.

[Here should be Sam’s paragraph. It speaks about the similarity between the religious beliefs of Protestants and Catholics. She relates the scenario to the Butter Battle by explaining that in both cases the two opposing groups are just executing the same ideals in a different way. The Protestants and Catholics have each interpreted the Testament differently while the Yooks and Zooks have each interpreted how to butter toast. Sam questions whether these two situations really possess the ground for an argument. Is it not ridiculous to fight over how one should butter their bread? In the end, everyone’s crunching on the same stuff.]

“Hug your neighbour and hug your neighbour's tree” is the philosophy of a tree-hugging, Irish based smoothie company. This image of harmonious neighbourhoods is not one that has always operated so smoothly in Ireland. “The Butter Battle Book”, a story by Dr. Seuss, depicts the separation of the Yooks and the Zooks by a wall, a situation that is comparable to that of the apartheid between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The Troubles in Northern Ireland resulted in an intense apartheid between Protestant and Catholic neighbours. There are many venues in which this separation is apparent. The schools in Northern Ireland, for example, are extremely segregated. Not only do Catholics attend catholic schools and vice versa, but the subject matter taught in protestant schools is different from that at taught at catholic schools. The Irish Gaelic language is taught in all Catholic grammar schools, but not in Protestant schools. Catholic schools place an emphasis on arts/humanities courses while Protestant schools have a stronger focus on sciences. (CAIN) Differences in curriculum, greatly contributes to the divide between faiths as it can push the children’s interests in different directions. The wall between the faiths of Northern Ireland has grown overtime, through generations maturing in a segregated environment, in the same way that the wall depicted in The Butter Battle Book eventually grows so high that a Yook cannot “look a Zook in the eye”. The most literal comparison between the wall in Seuss’ book and that between the Protestants and Catholics of Northern Ireland is in the separation of faiths by neighbourhood. This physical separation between Catholics and Protestants has been in effect since the 17^th century. (CAIN) The wall, created through differences in education, physical separation and other factors, between Catholics and Protestants has kept many people of Northern Ireland from understanding their neighbours, let alone hugging them.

Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD in the form of its not-so-hilariously ironic abbreviation, is the predicted result of a military strategy in which, if employed, an arms race of nuclear weapons by opposing camps results in the termination of both (Gaddis, John). The good news? The war is undoubtedly over. Unfortunately, the victory party has to take an eternal rain-check. In Dr. Seuss “The Butter Battle Book”, he references Mutually Assured Destruction in the war between Yooks and Zooks. Although one would not expect such a morbid doctrine to appear in the colourful world of cartoon characters whose names rhyme and who fight with Triple Sling Jiggers and Snick-Berry Switches, one would imagine that the joke stops there. However, not only are the events of “The Butter Battle Book” a direct interpretation of the Cold War of 1985 (Amazon), but The Troubles in Northern Ireland constitutes MAD in a less literal sense. During the Butter Battle, The Yooks and Zooks engage in back and forth threats each time with more advanced weaponry at hand. The problem is that the two sides keep inventing the same machinery; their guns are equally as powerful. The Yooks and Zooks become paralyzed in this power-equilibrium, “in short: whoever shoots first, dies second” (Gaddis, John). The situation is perfectly captured when one unidentified Zook says with a yell, “If you sprinkle us Zooks, you’ll get sprinkled as well!”. The Troubles unfold into what is essentially self-hatred; two branches of the same religion fighting one another. The scenario involves MAD to a certain extent but really boils down to SAD: Self Assured Destruction. Like the Yooks and the Zooks, countering one another with the same weapons, Protestantism has no power over Catholicism. No one sect of Christianity can prevail because they both get their tricks from the same book (or in this case, Testament). There have been approximately four thousands deaths as a result of the Troubles (The Troubles), and although we should not undermine such a significant loss, it was not the pulling of triggers that was truly killing Northern Ireland but rather what the ladder implies. If two sects of Christianity start repel farther and farther apart, it takes its toll on the umbrella of Christianity. As the umbrella stretches, the definition of what it means to be a Christian loosens. How can both a Protestant and a Catholic refer to themselves as ‘Christians’ when they are so strongly opposed to one another’s religious views? Eventually, as a means of dropping all connection to those of the “other church”, one's label as a ‘Christian’ could easily be forgotten. That is SAD.

This marks the end of our essay, we hope you had fun.

As for the battles, in the end, no one won.

When you’re fighting over buttering toast,

There is no right answer. It’s just whichever way you like most.

No matter which or what way, you’re still eating the same stuff.

So eat breakfast together- enough is enough.

And if someone’s burns your toast, don’t burn theirs too.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Source no.1
CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the Internet). Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland (1968 to the Present). Jan. 10, 2009 http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/index.html

This site contains information and source material on 'the Troubles' and politics in Northern Ireland from 1968 to the present. There is also information on Northern Ireland society. New material is added regularly and there are also frequent updates. This was a very useful, though perhaps a bit excessive source. It provided all of the information needed, but it was more a matter of finding it all. It is a very large site and the information is very spread about and one must sift through quite a bit of very technical language and information. Overall this source was very informative and allowed for my paragraph to be accurately written.

Source no.2
Gaddis, John. Mutual Assured Destruction. Nuclear Files. www.nuclearfils.org

John Gaddis effectively defines the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction and explains its origins during the Cold War. John Gaddis continues to explain its relevance in more recent history.

Gaddis provides a comprehensible definition of MAD. He briefly summarizes its derivatives and its meaning, providing only the essential information. His tone is not too formal, and language used is fairly simple. The explanation he provides is straight forward.

Understanding MAD is the first and most important step in order to be able to write about it in our essay. The information this source provided was therefore crucial.


Source no. 3
The Troubles. Kids Net. www.encyclopedia.kids.net.au

This article explains the reasons for the Troubles in North Ireland and how they unravelled. The article speaks of how the Troubles concluded.

Since this article is written for a kids’ online encyclopaedia, it is very easy to understand. The main points are clear and concise.
In comparison to other websites that provided extensive details, Kids Net provides a short explanation of a complicated situation.

In order to get a full understanding of the situation in Northern Ireland, we looked at various sources. This one however effectively summarized the important parts. I used this site to get the approximated death toll and the duration of the Troubles.


Source no. 4
The Butter Battle Book. Amazon books online. www.amazon.com

In the section entitled “Editorial Reviews”, Amazon explains that “The Butter Battle Book” is Dr. Seuss’s spin on the Cold War.

The review hardly elaborates how the Cold War and “The Butter Battle Book” are linked. It simply explains the moral of the story and mentions that this is a tale of the Cold War.

This was useful to our piece because it confirmed that the book was written about the Cold War, and although we had been told by peers and parents, this confirmed the notion.

Cara's 3rd Draft

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Cara's 2nd Draft

Click on each page of Draft 2 to make them bigger.

Cara's 1st Draft

Click on the images of draft 1 to make them bigger. (OOPS! for some reason p.1 is below p.2)

Ann's Drafts

Draft 1
INTRO
The severe apartheid etc resulting in a normalcy with regardes to the hatred between the peoples of ireland.
this appartheid is easily comparable to the physical wall built between the two peoples of Dr Seuss' book.
A few areas where this appartheid is apparent are in education, employment and housing.

EDUCATION
-the children of either community never got the chance to come thogeather for example in school, and perhaps make friends which would possibly have lead to a resoloution. this is because of the segregation in the irish schools which, again, very clearly relates to the wall devideing Yooks and Zooks. "Differences in curriculum content may contribute to the development of a sense of identity and difference. For example, Irish is taught in all Catholic grammar schools, but in no Protestant schools. Recent evidence indicates that Catholic schools place an emphasis on arts/humanities courses and Protestant schools on science courses, though this is changing." "Darby et al. (1977) argue that segregated schooling causes social apartheid; the very separation of Catholic and Protestant children into different schools encourages suspicion and develops group differences and tribal loyalties." (CAIN)

EMPLOYMENT
it is difficult to proove but there were signs of direct discrimination between the two opposing parties during the Troubles. It was evident that the unemployment rate was higher among the Catholics of North ireland.

"Direct discrimination occurs when a person is intentionally denied employment, or provided with employment, on the basis of some characteristic that is unrelated to the job sought. The 1976 Fair Employment Act made such direct discrimination, on the basis of religious affiliation or political belief, illegal in Northern Ireland, even in circumstances where an employer denied someone a job for benign reasons: for example, an employer might have felt that in a predominantly Protestant workforce, it might not be safe for a Catholic to be employed (or vice-versa). Under the 1976 Act this consideration was insufficient and illegal to apply. "(CAIN)

"after taking account of the factors included in the model, the difference in the rate of unemployment between Protestants and Catholics is somewhat reduced, compared with the simple rates, but it remains substantial. In fact, for the typical group selected, the rate of unemployment predicted for Catholics is almost double the rate for Protestants in most travel to work areas. ... It is possible to put forward more detailed theories of the social processes that lead to the difference in rates of unemployment, but in the end such theories rest on the assumption that Catholics are somehow channeled into disadvantaged sectors of the labour market. Apart from discrimination or unequal opportunities, no adequate explanation of how they are confined within such sectors has yet emerged."(CAIN)

HOUSING
Geographical segregation is perhaps the most blatent similarity between the Northern Ireland Troubles and the Butter Battle Book. Just like the actual physical wall in Seuss' book, the peoples of ireland have been separated by neighborhood since the 17th century.

"The summers of 1969 and 1971 saw a huge movement of population in a number of areas of Northern Ireland but particularly in Belfast (Darby and Morris 1974). As the civil unrest continued many families were forced to move, because of intimidation, out of mixed areas. The scale of the enforced movements was large: "Our estimate of the total ... in the Belfast area between August 1969 and February 1973 is between 8,000 families (minimum) and approximately 15,000 families (maximum)....roughly between 6.6% and 11.8% of the population of the Belfast Urban area." (Darby and Morris 1974 Summary page c). " (CAIN)

"The divisions between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland manifest themselves in a number of ways. One of the most important of these is the geographical segregation of the two main religious groups. In addition to being considered an outcome of the religious divisions in the society some would argue that residential segregation is one of the main elements which sustains division." (CAIN)

"Northern Ireland has been a religiously segregated society since the plantations in the 17th century. The extent of geographical separation has not been constant but has varied with the incidence of political and civil unrest. During more settled periods the natural process of population movement within the region has produced areas where mixing resulted in sizable minorities of one community or the other. However these mixed areas, particularly those which were working class or close to demarcation lines, have proved to be very unstable during times of unrest. "

-Still needs a conclusion

Draft 2

“Hug your neighbour and hug your neighbour's tree,” is the philosophy of an environmentally-aware, Irish based smoothie company. This idea of living harmonically with ones neighbour hasn't always operated so smoothly in Ireland. “The Butter Battle Book”, a story written by Dr. Seuss, depicts the separation of the Yooks and the Zooks by a wall, a situation that is easily comparable to that of the apartheid between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The troubles in Ireland resulted in an intense apartheid between Protestants and Catholics. There are many venues in which this separation is apparent, such as in public education, employment and housing. The schools of Northern Ireland are as separated as its people. “example” these differences in curriculum only widen the gap between Protestant and Catholic children.(CAIN) The wall between the children of the two opposing faiths in Northern Ireland was not always so distinct, explain with concrete example, the wall has grown overtime in the same way that the wall depicted in The Butter Battle Book eventually grows so high that a Yook cannot “look a Zook in the eye”. The employment rate of catholics is significantly lower than the employment rate of protestants (number?/ statistic??) , (2 classes of society, one richer/ working).(CAIN) Geographical segregation is the most literal comparison that can be drawn between the Troubles of Northern Ireland and the consequences of the Butter Battle. Much like the brick wall in Seuss' book, the peoples of Northern Ireland have been separated by neighbourhood since the 17th century.(CAIN) (the protestants living strictly in the Northern district....or whatever it is...) All three cases have a significant impact on the lives and mentality of the Irish people and enforces the divide that they had built between them. This apartheid kept many Irish from understanding their neighbours, let alone hugging them.

Draft 3

“Hug your neighbour and hug your neighbour's tree,” is the philosophy of an environmentally-aware, Irish based smoothie company. This outlook on harmonious neighbourhoods isn't a philosophy that hasn't operated so smoothly in Ireland. “The Butter Battle Book”, a story written by Dr. Seuss, depicts the separation of the Yooks and the Zooks by a wall, a situation that is easily comparable to that of the apartheid between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The troubles in Ireland resulted in an intense apartheid between Protestants and Catholics. There are many venues in which this separation is apparent, such as in public education, employment and housing. The schools of Northern Ireland are as separated as its people. Differences in curriculum in these schools contributes to the development of a sense of identity and difference in the pupils. Irish is taught in all Catholic grammar schools, but not in Protestant schools. A difference in language would be a drastic factor in the separation of Irish children. "Recent evidence indicates that Catholic schools place an emphasis on arts/humanities courses and Protestant schools on science courses.”(CAIN) These differences in curriculum could push the childrens interests in different directions depending on the school that they attend, anouther deviding factor between Protestant and Catholic children. The wall between the children of the two opposing faiths in Northern Ireland has grown overtime, through their maturing in such a segregated system, in the same way that the wall depicted in The Butter Battle Book eventually grows so high that a Yook cannot “look a Zook in the eye”. Much like the brick wall in Seuss' book, the peoples of Northern Ireland have been separated by neighbourhood since the 17th century.(CAIN) Both cases have a significant impact on the lives and mentality of the Irish people and enforces the divide that they had built between them. This apartheid kept many Irish from understanding their neighbours, let alone hugging them.

Essay Outline

in altering our thesis and beginning an introduction:

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- in Dr. Seuss'... (brief summary/outline of picturebook) obviously written about the cold war, during the cold war and subsequently sensored - seen to demean differences, raisons d'etres, lean into thesis.
-thesis
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thesis: The conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland is similar to the tensions between the Yooks and the Zooks in Dr. Seuss' "The Butter Battle Book".

three subtopics:

1 execution / interpretation -SAM
2 The wall (physical barriers vs. societal divides) -ANN
3 MAD (ultimately demeaning to both parties- no end) (what are we fighting for) -CARA




Conclusion:

Timeline

i found a timeline of events of the troubles

http://www.historyonthenet.com/Chronology/timelinenorthernireland.htm


-Ann

Comparing...

Noted similarities between the Yooks/Zooks conflict and the Troubles

note: "In the Book" #1 corresponds to "In Ireland" #1, and so on.

In the Book...
1 The Wall divides Yooks from Zooks -the wall grows higher overtime
2 The hatred being handed down from generation of Yook or Zook to generation, parent to child. “Inherited Hatred”
3

In Ireland...
1 There is a ridiculous divide between Protestants and Catholics (divide gets stronger?- research)
2 In Northern Ireland, hate begins early
Three-year-olds already show signs of prejudice, a survey finds.
(http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0904/p07s01-woeu.html)
3

Making some progress...

Thesis: The war between the Yooks and the Zooks is similar to the war between the Protestant and Catholics of Northern Ireland

After having conducted significant research here is a simplification of the Conflict in Northern Ireland, "the Troubles".
Who? Irish Protestants of Scottish-English decent versus Irish Catholics of Irish ancestry
What? bloody riots and intensified conflict resulting in the death of over 3000 people
Where? seriously?
When? Disagreements between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland trace back to when the north was colonized by Scottish and English Protestants, setting Ulster (the northernly province of Ireland) apart from the rest of the predonminantly Catholic country. But in 1963, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Viscount Brookborough, stepped down after 20 years in office. Violence erupted again and though the situation has become much less violent, is has yet to be resolved.
Why? "The Protestants are predominantly Unionists, pledged to keeping the province of Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom. The Catholics are predominantly Republicans, wanting unification between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Extremists on both sides resort to terrorism. "-(http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/cherry_18_3.html)

This just in...

The conflict in Northern Ireland is called the Troubles.

good news.

BOOK: FOUND.

Two cities, two dozen Chapters and two libraries later, we have gotten our hands on a copy of the Butter Battle Book.

Thank goodness.

Now, having read the book, it is much easier to note all the ways in which in can be compared to the conflicts in Northern Ireland. The book of course was written as a mockery of the Cold War and the arms race involved.

Although weaponery did not play a significant role in Ireland, the idea of trying to be the more powerful party, certainly was.

Oh yeah, we have selected the Conflict in Northern Ireland as our comparision to the butter battle.

We can now focus in on a thesis. Our essay is finally in sight.

Websites

links for each topic have been found, this way we can read up on each one and decide wich topic fits best.


Caste:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_India

Iron curtain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Curtain

http://www.nationalcenter.org/ChurchillIronCurtain.html

http://www.winstonchurchill.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=429

Berlin Wall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall

http://www.berlin-life.com/berlin/wall

http://www.essortment.com/all/berlinwallerec_rvfg.htm

North Irland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5097948.stm

http://www.cain.ulst.ac.uk/

http://www.flashpoints.info/countries-conflicts/Northern_Ireland-web/n-ireland_briefing.html



... Let the Reasearching Begin!

January 6th, 2009

Several new thoughts were added to the list of comparative topics.

-North/south Ireland
-Berlin Wall or Iron curtain
-Caste system, India.

As far as we know about the plot of "The Butter Battle", the Berlin Wall or the Iron curtain would serve as a fairly literal comparison where as that of the caste system would be much less direct.