Snow gently danced down from the sky, gracefully landing atop the heads of the dense crowd below. For late December in Ireland,it was extremely cold, especially since they were near the sea.Yet no one minded it.They were waiting eagerly at the port for their steamship to dock and for them to board it.The boat that would bring them to freedom.The boat that would bring them to prosperity.The boat that would bring them to America.
Surrounded by people, Grace stood as tall as she could, trying to get a good look of it. Her brown hair barely peeking above others.The closer boat came, the more her anxiety grew.She hugged her sack tightly to reassure herself that she would be fine, that she would make it to America and rejoin her mother and her …show more content…
Grace proceeded to board timidly, the people around her avidly doing so. With every step, she reaffirmed her resolve. After getting on, she looked back at Ireland and bid it farewell.
Steerage conditions would best be described as a nightmare in her mind her ;it being dense, filthy, and dark at the very bottom of the ship. There was little to no privacy or ventilation. The air was oppressive and foul. Several of bunks were lined side by side, only separated by blankets or personal belongings. They were allowed go up during the day,leading to a daily assemblage on the deck. Many were seasick and constantly throwing up. What was edible there barely had the right to be called food ; It was a endless cycle of garlic,bread and herring, which everyone soon grew tired of.
Even though the unsanitary, depriving setting, the immigrants and Grace held faith in the future.To pass time, they would sing and dance ; however, the activity they did most of the time—Grace’s favorite— was talking. Stories of rejections and deportations at Ellis Island and life in America were constantly circulating. Tales of prosperity were told animatedly, while some rehearsed for answering the immigration inspectors’ …show more content…
Grace smiled and joined as people cheered, some with tears streaming down their faces. She knew that her family was here, and that she would soon be with them,the thought making her tear up. The first and second class left first. Steerage members waited anxiously for hours. Then finally they boarded a smaller ferryboat that would take them to Ellis Island for immigration processing.
Officers wearing uniforms greeted the ferryboat as it docked. They shouted and motioned to the passengers to walk down to the main red brick building. The commotion was overwhelming. People who did not speak English were unsure what the officers were saying. Men, women, and children struggled off the boat carrying trunks, cloth sacks, and suitcases. They followed one another along a path and entered.
Wearing her numbered tag, Grace cautiously entered the a on the building's ground floor, taken aback by the size of the building and the incredible number of people. Leaving her belongings behind as instructed, she filed into a line of slowly advancing immigrants,uniformed workers harshly scanned the mass of people she was in. Eventually she entered a large, chaotically loud room, where she began a painfully long process of bewildering questioning and inspection. Her body worn, yet mind strong, she finally descended down stairs to the first
Surrounded by people, Grace stood as tall as she could, trying to get a good look of it. Her brown hair barely peeking above others.The closer boat came, the more her anxiety grew.She hugged her sack tightly to reassure herself that she would be fine, that she would make it to America and rejoin her mother and her …show more content…
Grace proceeded to board timidly, the people around her avidly doing so. With every step, she reaffirmed her resolve. After getting on, she looked back at Ireland and bid it farewell.
Steerage conditions would best be described as a nightmare in her mind her ;it being dense, filthy, and dark at the very bottom of the ship. There was little to no privacy or ventilation. The air was oppressive and foul. Several of bunks were lined side by side, only separated by blankets or personal belongings. They were allowed go up during the day,leading to a daily assemblage on the deck. Many were seasick and constantly throwing up. What was edible there barely had the right to be called food ; It was a endless cycle of garlic,bread and herring, which everyone soon grew tired of.
Even though the unsanitary, depriving setting, the immigrants and Grace held faith in the future.To pass time, they would sing and dance ; however, the activity they did most of the time—Grace’s favorite— was talking. Stories of rejections and deportations at Ellis Island and life in America were constantly circulating. Tales of prosperity were told animatedly, while some rehearsed for answering the immigration inspectors’ …show more content…
Grace smiled and joined as people cheered, some with tears streaming down their faces. She knew that her family was here, and that she would soon be with them,the thought making her tear up. The first and second class left first. Steerage members waited anxiously for hours. Then finally they boarded a smaller ferryboat that would take them to Ellis Island for immigration processing.
Officers wearing uniforms greeted the ferryboat as it docked. They shouted and motioned to the passengers to walk down to the main red brick building. The commotion was overwhelming. People who did not speak English were unsure what the officers were saying. Men, women, and children struggled off the boat carrying trunks, cloth sacks, and suitcases. They followed one another along a path and entered.
Wearing her numbered tag, Grace cautiously entered the a on the building's ground floor, taken aback by the size of the building and the incredible number of people. Leaving her belongings behind as instructed, she filed into a line of slowly advancing immigrants,uniformed workers harshly scanned the mass of people she was in. Eventually she entered a large, chaotically loud room, where she began a painfully long process of bewildering questioning and inspection. Her body worn, yet mind strong, she finally descended down stairs to the first