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conclusion of the canadian identity
conclusion of the canadian identity
major themes of canadian literature
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Thesis; themes, such as isolation, survival, loss of a loved one, loneliness, and emotional instability are all connected to what Canadian identity is. Through the loss of parents and close family, two sisters, Beena and Sadhana, have to navigate life while dealing with the loss of their loved ones. Beena becomes pregnant, having to be a single mom, as the biological father leaves her; this is when she begins to get reclusive. Her sister had no means to deal with the emotional trauma, and consequently she develops anorexia. Keeping secrets and always pushing loved ones away, Sadhana never wants help from her sister or uncle, who became their caretaker until they were old enough to handle themselves. Eventually, Sadhana dies from heart failure …show more content…
Sadhana emotionally isolates herself from her family, and after her death, Beena was left alone with her son and uncle, having to deal with the death of her parents and her sister. This is an inherently Canadian theme because Canadian identity often gives way to the idea of emotional or physical isolation. Canadian landscape is so vast that it often reflects the inner emotions of characters written in this setting. Bone and Bread showcases isolation from the standpoint of the characters. Each character through the novel is influenced by isolation in some way. Quinn, Beena’s son, has no father which makes him feel isolated from the world. Sadhana was driven to anorexia by her isolation and Beena was forced into a reserved lifestyle. “The place is a reliquary now, a storehouse filled nearly to the brim. If clutter really reflects a scattered mind, mine is beyond saving. Haphazard, clogged. Disturbingly fixated on the past” (401 Nawaz). Throughout the book it is noted that Beena consistently reflects about her past due to her isolation; this is all linked to Canadian identity because throughout Canadian literature and a lot of Canadian lives, people experience isolation and are affected by …show more content…
Throughout the novel Beena and Sadhana’s relationship is consistently strained. This strain comes from their emotional instability stemming from their tragic past. Every action Beena takes to help her sister, Sadhana pushes away; each time causing a greater gap between the two. “With every step, I kicked up sand, no matter how softly I tried to walk. Every pace yielded a sandstorm, an underwater mushroom cloud” (62). This describes how Beena and Sadhana grow apart slowly but steadily, even though they attempt to stay close. This affects Quinn’s emotional stability as well. Watching his mother and aunt grow apart this causes emotional strife not only for the sisters but also for Quinn. He grows unstable and weary of relationships; even his own friendships. This can be contributed to Canadian identity because the experience of intense emotion is seen in Canada by passionate emotions demonstrated by its citizens. While Canadian identity is not focused on the negative like the book is, it is more focused on the positive feelings brought upon by the opportunities available in Canada. Both the book and Canada have intense emotions, whether they are positive or
Identity is 'how you view yourself and your life.'; (p. 12 Knots in a String.) Your identity helps you determine where you think you fit in, in your life. It is 'a rich complexity of images, ideas and associations.';(p. 12 Knots in a String.) It is given that as we go through our lives and encounter different experiences our identity of yourselves and where we belong may change. As this happens we may gain or relinquish new values and from this identity and image our influenced. 'A bad self-image and low self-esteem may form part of identity?but often the cause is not a loss of identity itself so much as a loss of belonging.'; Social psychologists suggest that identity is closely related to our culture. Native people today have been faced with this challenge against their identity as they are increasingly faced with a non-native society. I will prove that the play The Rez Sisters showed this loss of identity and loss of belonging. When a native person leaves the reservation to go and start a new life in a city they are forced to adapt to a lifestyle they are not accustomed to. They do not feel as though they fit in or belong to any particular culture. They are faced with extreme racism and stereotypes from other people in the nonreservational society.
However, instead of allowing the corruption and grief of losing a significant figure in her life completely consume her, Leah embraces a new culture and turns to another male figure, her husband Anatole, for guidance. With new surrounding influences, Leah encounters various forms of separation, whether it be from her birthplace, father, or husband, and accepts all the drawbacks and loses that come along with the isolation. At the same time, Leah also challenges herself to overcome the loss and succumb to the loneliness that could potentially bring her closer to a new aspect of life never explored before. Through it all, Leah turns her experiences with exile into bittersweet memories sprinkled across the time span of her life for each rift allowed her to obtain a sense of self identity during periods of time free of human contact or, in Leah’s case,
Throughout the film we learn that each woman has setbacks within her household. One sister has a terrible drinking problem and ultimately loses her job due to excessive drinking and tardiness. The second sister has had several pregnancies that each result in miscarriages
When asking some of my friends why they would often say that their families all still spoke their native language or that they lived in a community which a lot of people still spoke the language as well. This is why it’s hard to describe a Canadian identity. We are a very diverse country that celebrates differences. I don’t think there is one Canadian Identity, I think everyone has their own that is influenced by the many different cultural identities that we celebrate in
Is Canada a nation or has its control just switched empirical hands? As Professor Hutcheson asked, did Canada go from "Colony to Nation or Empire to Empire?" This question has greatly influenced Canada's changing identity since her birth as a British colony with Confederation in 1867 to the present day. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the shifting Canadian identities between the years 1890 to 1960. The objective is to illustrate Canada's transforming identity by using the novels The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan, and Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and to connect the stories of each of these works of fiction to the varying political, economic, and social issues of their times. Each book is written by a prominent author, and portrays an accurate reflection of the demanding political, economic, and social concerns throughout the late nineteen and first half of the twentieth century of Canadian history. All of the novels reflect Canada's peripheral view of the world, as opposed to a central point of view, because throughout its history Canada has always been perceived as a secondary player. As George Grant says in his literary piece Lament for a Nation, Canada is "a branch plant society" , meaning Canada is controlled by another power. The essential question is where has Canada's loyalties traditionally lay and how has this shaped the Canadian identity. The Imperialist by Sara Jeanette Duncan, written in 1904 reflects a very British influenced Canada. At this time, Canada is still a British colony under British rule, and the people of Canada are very content to consider themselves British. The novel predominately ill...
The mother is a selfish and stubborn woman. Raised a certain way and never falters from it. She neglects help, oppresses education and persuades people to be what she wants or she will cut them out of her life completely. Her own morals out-weight every other family member’s wants and choices. Her influence and discipline brought every member of the family’s future to serious-danger to care to her wants. She is everything a good mother isn’t and is blind with her own morals. Her stubbornness towards change and education caused the families state of desperation. The realization shown through the story is the family would be better off without a mother to anchor them down.
Lister Sinclair’s pamphlet Change Comes to Canada was distributed at the Canadian Government Pavilion during Expo 67. Sinclair looks at the meaning of the name Canada. She analyses common points in people’s daily lives such as the meaning of ‘our home and native land,’ Canadian history, Canadian resources, transportation, climate and culture that tie each Canadian together. She claims that “every Canadian who thinks about Canada has his own idea about the meaning of that dream.” She argues that there is no actual national identity but individual identities that made up our national identity. She challenges the questions related to a national identity. It is interesting that something that questions the national identity would be distributed at Expo 67; but, it provides in...
In the written piece What Canada Means to Me an example of feeling detached from the rest of the world is: We seem to suffer from a lost identity, ungrounded in anything concrete, detached from both outer and back-home society; this shows that once Native American children were taken away from their home and stripped of their beliefs they felt unwanted by both sides of society. To return home was never the same and they were treated differently while out in Canadian society being of a different culture they were out casted, which left a constant feeling of un-belonging and detachment from
basis of the plot and themes of this novel. The fond memories she possessed of her mother and the harsh ones of her father are reflected in the thoughts and
Have you ever wondered which events in Canadian history have been the most significant in shaping Canadian identity? Many significant events in the twentieth century left a lasting legacy for Canada. Canada would not be the culturally rich, prosperous and progressive nation that it is today, without its immigration patterns in the past. World War I (WWI) was also a significant event as it united Canada and left behind a legacy of sacrifice and national pride. Economic development during the post war period contributed to Canadian success nationally and globally. Immigration, WWI and economic development were significant events in Canadian twentieth century history. Each event brought new and powerful
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Overtime, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms , media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada. In other words,
Many people across the globe argue that nationalism within Canada is simply not feasible. It is said that we as a people, differ so greatly with our diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds that we cannot come together and exist together as a strong, united nation. In his book, Lament for a Nation, George Grant tells the reader that “…as Canadians we attempted a ridiculous task in trying to build a conservative nation in the age of progress, on a continent we share with the most dynamic nation on earth. The current history is against us.” (1965) Originally directed towards the Bomarc Missile Crisis, the book argues that whatever nationalism Canada had was destroyed by globalization as well as the powerful American sphere of influence. Although it is true that the book was initially written as a response to the events that took place in the late 1950s, many of the points are still valid today.
While she might think that her plans are working, they only lead her down a path of destruction. She lands in a boarding house, when child services find her, she goes to jail, becomes pregnant by a man who she believed was rich. Also she becomes sentenced to 15 years in prison, over a street fight with a former friend she double crossed. In the end, she is still serving time and was freed by the warden to go to her mother’s funeral. To only discover that her two sisters were adopted by the man she once loved, her sister is with the man who impregnated her, and the younger sister has become just like her. She wants to warn her sister, but she realizes if she is just like her there is no use in giving her advice. She just decides that her sister must figure it out by
In a desperate attempt to discover his true identity, the narrator decides to go back to Wisconsin. He was finally breaking free from captivity. The narrator was filling excitement and joy on his journey back home. He remembers every town and every stop. Additionally, he admires the natural beauty that fills the scenery. In contrast to the “beauty of captivity” (320), he felt on campus, this felt like freedom. No doubt, that the narrator is more in touch with nature and his Native American roots than the white civilized culture. Nevertheless, as he gets closer to home he feels afraid of not being accepted, he says “… afraid of being looked on as a stranger by my own people” (323). He felt like he would have to prove himself all over again, only this time it was to his own people. The closer the narrator got to his home, the happier he was feeling. “Everything seems to say, “Be happy! You are home now—you are free” (323). Although he felt as though he had found his true identity, he questioned it once more on the way to the lodge. The narrator thought, “If I am white I will not believe that story; if I am Indian, I will know that there is an old woman under the ice” (323). The moment he believed, there was a woman under the ice; He realized he had found his true identity, it was Native American. At that moment nothing but that night mattered, “[he], try hard to forget school and white people, and be one of these—my people.” (323). He
It upholds the national identity of multiculturalism, meanwhile establishing the boundary of Canadian national culture that these traditions do not abide the norm. There are the sensitizing cultural practices that do not align with our cultural traditions, in which it is seen as “barbaric”, a term commonly used when describing foreign cultures during the Western colonization. Moreover, its connection to foreign cultures is closely attached with the word “primitive” that was used as well to describe foreigners. Canadian membership is to not engage in these practices for the reason that it is not customary in the nation-state, and to gain citizenship an immigrant must be a part of the imaginary community – they must share the nation’s common