The meaning of Green-ing

Historical Background

• Relates to grēne, an adjective from old English.
• The word grēne is of Germanic origin. 
• It is related to the Dutch word groen,
• As well as the German word grün.

Synonyms

• In relation to clothes: greenish, sea green, aquamarine 
• In relation to land: verdant, grassy, leafy
• In relation to condition: pale, wan, pallid, ashen, ill, sick
• In relation to emotion: envious, jealous, covetous, grudging, resentful

Why Green?

• Chosen for the sake of the book, The Girl in the Green Sweater 
• Autobiographic piece about a Holocaust victim 
• This keeps the vibe left off by the previously book read in class, Night
• Green has contrasting meanings in this book, making it more interesting
• Ms. Duffy advertised it as a good color

Associated with Green

• Greed, envy, money  
• Being naive or inexperienced 
• Being ill, sickly
• Abundant vegetation, grass
• The ocean, especially in association with Neptune

Thoughts

• The connotation behind green has changed
• In relation to people, green is often associated with greed
• It used to be associated with being naive or physically ill 
• This reflects changes in what characteristics are held as prominent 
• Interesting to think about how language changes

Idioms and Phrases

• "Green with envy" First used by Shakespeare. 
• "It's not easy being green" From a Sesame Street song by Kermit the Frog
• "Go green" An environmentalist slogan, often meaning "recycle".
• "Having a green thumb" Speculated origin: King Edward I to his pea farmers 
• "Giving the green light" Originated in the 1870s along with traffic lights 

Color Usage

• Before Shakespeare, being green was associated with being ill
• "It's Not Easy Being Green" is about racial prejudice and self acceptance
• "Go Green" campaign, spurred by Rachel Carson's environmentalist pieces 
• To have a green/garderner's thumb means to be a good gardener 
• To give someone the green light means to give approval 

"Go Green" Expanded; The Environmentalist Movement

• In the 1960s, Rachel Carson published a revolutionary book, Silent Spring 
• This spurred an environmentalist movement in industrial America
• The "Go Green" slogan and campaign originated 
•  This gave green a new connotation, relating it to environmentalist ideas

Plot Summary

• Krystyna Chiger lives lavishly with her family in Lvov, Poland.
• During WWII, German soldiers begin conducting violent actions in her city.
• Krystyna's family is forced into hiding, first around local ghettos
• Then they, along with several other Jewish families, hide in the sewers. 
• They reside and struggle in the sewers until their rescue by Allie soldiers

Significance in the Book

• Use of the color green has contrasting meanings.
• Green is used in literal terms to describe a sweater, without connotation.
• The sweater itself has sentimental value, representing struggle and hope.
• It is a symbol of nostalgia and live while Krystyna is in hiding.
• After her rescue, the sweater becomes a symbol of the struggle of the Jews

Usage in Song

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0VXgAJqhaI
• Green is associated with money, power, and greed.  
• "Say green is sex, green is power. I think you better take a shower."
• The singer sees shame in things associated with green. 
• "Such filthy thoughts. You're seeing green, I'm seeing red." 

Usage in Poetry

• "Wearing of Green, The" by Arthur Stringer associates green with Ireland
• Used in a nostalgic sense, relating green to IE because of its geography
• Again, green has a negative connotation, as IE had harsh labor demands.  
• Use of green in this way is partially outdated, as IE has been reformed.
• Although the notion that Ireland is a green in geography still stands. 

The End