3.4 The Cold War
Throughout the Cold War, from the time troops were sent to Korea, through Vietnam and the collapse of the Soviet Union, people responded to the events of the day in a myriad of creative ways. Some wrote protest songs, read political poetry aloud at cafes, and/or chanted in street marches.
For this assignment, you will write about one of the events listed below. You will compose at least 20 lines of verse in which you describe an event or document your response to it.
You will read it aloud either as a song or a spoken word poem. You may indicate that it is "sung to the tune of...[a song that most will recognize]" or you may write your own music.
You will create a presentation that includes images that will further the message of your composition. You will create this in the software of your choice. It could be in Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, or iMovie. It could be a video made with a digital camera or phone.
Here are the events to choose from:
- Gorbachev announces glasnost and perestroika
- Berlin Wall is torn down - Berlin is reunited
- Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia declare their independence
- 11 Soviet Republics announce their separation from the Soviet Union
- Gorbachev steps down as leader of Soviet Union
- Revolution in Poland in 1989
- Velvet Revolution takes place in Czechoslovakia
Jeffrey Lewis is a singer-songwriter who has penned many tunes that deal with historical issues. These have become popular on the History Channel as well as on YouTube. For some inspiration for this assignment, you can watch his video "Fall of the Soviet Republic" below.
You don't have to put as much effort into getting the lyrics to scan nor must you spend as much time colouring illustrations as Lewis has, but this is the kind of effect that you want to aim for.
You will compose a poem set to the tune of a song and will recite it to some images that you have paired with the lyrics. However, you can feel free to explore your creative side with this assignment.
If you are going to upload a file, keep it to 2 MB or less. Otherwise, you can post this as unlisted on YouTube and provide your teacher the link Or you could use Google Docs or another site that you feel comfortable posting to. You will then need to post the URL below.
This will be marked according to the creative assignment rubric.