oh canada

During the period of Canada’s foundation, there was much controversy as to what nations should be recognized as the founding partners. The British still had a hold on Canada; they held Canada as part of their own nation and expected its citizens to follow their lead. As noted in CanLit “Other cultural and linguistic groups, including Indigenous peoples, were expected to assimilate to the notion of Canada as British.”(Nationalism 1500-1700s: Exploration and Settlement) The Indigenous peoples were not given the option to maintain their right to express their culture and be part of the foundation of Canada, rather they were expected to become a Canadian by following the British expectations of the ideal citizen. CanLit explains the issues that the Indigenous peoples had in expressing their culture as follows “the Indigenous peoples being reduced from allies and trading partners, to wards of the new Canadian state. They were seen primarily as obstacles to settlement who needed to be civilized before they could be assimilated into the population and become citizens.” (Nationalism 1800s: Loyalism and Nation-building). These people were only treated as a restriction from an idealized society and they had a choice; become a Canadian through the eyes of the British or be segregated from society due to belief and traditions. Where is the equality in these decisions? Canada is normally depicted as a peaceful place; we say “Please” and hold the door open for each other, but Canada’s foundation is created upon making people feel different due to their culture, rather than bracing this new form of traditions, stories and people, and allowing for the creation of a country where all are equal.

I really enjoyed reading about Louis Riel (I had read about him in high school but was excited to see all of the articles which gave light to his political career!). His goal was to maintain the Northwest part of Canada as land of the Métis, where the Manitoba Act was created. In an article I found that explains the motives of this Act it shows that “Central to this agreement, the federal government agreed to reserve 1.4 million acres (566,560 hectares) for the children of Métis residents of Manitoba and ensured that the province would be officially bilingual.” (Stanley). Riel had accomplished part of what he wanted; to allow the Métis people to keep their land, not just for now, but also for the future. His provisional government had succeeded in getting the attention of the Canadian government and demanding their rights to their land. Even though it seems simple that these people do have a right to their land, Riel was faced with so many obstacles in obtaining what was rightfully theirs. The provisional government enabled the “Métis (who) organized the Métis National Committee in order to protect the social, cultural and political status of the Métis in Red River and the Northwest” (Stanley) which was necessary due to the fact that the Canadian government decided that it had the right to their land. Louis Riel created a movement for the Métis people and showed them that their land was their heritage and their right, and the creation of the Manitoba Act put this on paper.

I would just like to add a quote I really liked from Frye “Identity is local and regional, rooted in the imagination and in works of culture; unity is national in reference, international in perspective, and rooted in a political feeling” (The Bush Gardens) which encapsulates the essence of what nationalism should be. Unlike the segregation of the Indigenous peoples in the founding of Canada, Frye determines that unity is key in creating a national home. In a united nation, all people are determined as equals and all have a right to their culture and traditions. But as Canadians, who really are we? Are we really those nice people, or do we have a shadowed history? Canada foundation was created upon the recognition of British rule in Canadian culture, which either left a person assimilating into their approved culture or wondering where the ideologies of the unity of differences had gone in the definition of nationalism.

“Reading and Writing in Canada, A Classroom’s Guide to Nationalism.” CanLit Guides. Canadian Literature. Aug. 15 2013. Web. Feb 23 2015.

Frye, Northrop. “The Bush Garden.” Blogspot. Web. Feb. 21 2015.

Stanley, George. “Louis Riel.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Apr. 22 2013. Web. Feb. 26 2015.

Gwyn, Richard. “Canada in the age of national-identity crisis: Gwyn.”  The Star Commentary. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd, Apr. 1 2014. Web. Feb. 27 2015.

I found a really good website which demonstrates the importance of oral reading, and although it is geared towards children, it explains the importance of orality being linked to meaning through personalizing the story being read. Reading aloud makes the reader form connections with the story, and the character in it. When I was reading Robinson’s story out loud to myself, I found that I was making a different voice for each of the characters. For Coyote, I was reading him in a voice that was like an adult; one who was upset for being secluded by God, but when meeting the King he has a voice that included power and meaning. His voice changed with the changing of his personal life, when he was sad I spoke slower and had an inclination of sadness in my voice, which changed when he was given the role to talk to the King. From reading orally I found that I was connecting to each of the characters and understanding their issues (Coyote being secluded and then being asked to speak to the King; one must feel that they are being used for somebody else’s purpose). I then found a quote that helps to summarize this connection between reader and story by Kathrine Peterson “A book is a cooperative venture. The writer can write a story down, but the book will never be complete until a reader, of whatever age, takes that book and brings to it his own story.” Robinson is sharing his story with the reader, who in turn makes a connection with it, which becomes a story of their own.

Reading the story silently I found that I did not connect with the characters as much; they were just characters in somebody else’s story. But when I read it out loud and with my sister the story took on a personality of its own. The only issue with reading stories out loud is that one can memorize the basic plot of the story and when reading orally can choose to change certain aspects of the story. I got my sister to read the story back to me as well and was interested to hear that she changed the sound of Coyote’ voice; even though he was described as being a male, she though that he was more of a female character who wants to help her family, even if that means meeting the King of England. By meeting the King, Coyote makes a deal that the Native peoples get to keep their land after making a document with the King. This is much alike how a mother would act to keep her children safe, and even though Coyote is tricked he goes to his best efforts to allow the Native peoples to keep their land. I found this Government of Canada website which explains and gives dates to land treaties with the Native peoples which I found really helpful in connecting these historical events to the story. Robinson’s story, when read aloud, allows for the syntactic structure to become personalized to the reader; one can choose as to how each character should sound and what values they have in the story as well.

“Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension.” Reading Rockets. n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/reading-aloud-build-comprehension

“Treaties with Aboriginal People in Canada.” Government of Canada. 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2015. http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100032291/1100100032292

I read the following blogs by Shamina, Charlotte and Florence. Each of their stories shared a piece of their history; who they are, who they came to be. Each reflect on a memory or event that occurred to them which shaped their future and their idea of what home is to them. I came up with this list which describes home:

Home can be many different places, either where one lives of where they have visited

Home doesn’t always feel like home

Home can become a lonely place without somebody around you

Family is always connected to home and comfort

Home is full of traditions that vary from each family

 All of these ideas of the home are unique to each of these blogs. A theme that occurred in all of them was that of family and how important it is in the recognition of the home. Family becomes centralized in the home, holding it together. I really like the poem byAlbert Guest and how he describes the home in his own view. He explains home from his own personal memories and experiences, much like the authors did in the blogs I read. The home can move around to different places, it is not static. I recently had a friend go back to Taiwan to deal with her dual citizenship; she has lived in Canada for most of her life but was born in Taiwan. To maintain her dual citizenship, she had to go back for 3 months to be able to be considered. Even though she was born there and moved to Canada, the government wants her to return and renew her paperwork, even though it is her place of birth. From these stories it reminds me of how the home can move, but returning can also have its issues. The home is not always there for when you want it to be, but when it is it becomes your memories and experiences.

Works Cited

“Home.” Albert Guest. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. Feb 2 2015.  <<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173578>>

Ng, Florence. “2.1 Home is a pie chart and a couple of memories”. Maple Trees and Beaver Tails. UBC Blogs. 31 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.

Kallu, Shamina “How is Wherever I’m With You.” Canada: Muffled Voice and Native Narrative. UBC Blogs. 30 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.

Hodgson, Charlotte. “This is my home, piece by piece.” From Far and Wide. UBC Blogs. 29 Jan 2015. Web. 2 Feb 2015.

This story begins with a man, who meets a woman, falls in love, and creates a family. This is how I connect to my family, and even though love seems to occur in these few steps, it is what holds my parents, my sister and I together. The land we live on has contained many pieces of history that my sister and I have found through our time playing outside in our yard, and it is true that we found an old wristwatch in our backyard, as noted in the story. I hope you enjoy the story I have made about how my family came to be, and as I note in my story, the land we all live own belongs to the past, the present and the future.

The Building of a Home

Once upon a time there was a piece of land. Uninhabited, overgrown and really not a place one would like to call home. But this piece of land becomes the story of a man who decided to look past its thickets and woods and see it as a place of happiness. We will call this man Neil. Now Neil worked in the local car shop, just down the road from the land. His days were long, but the pay was good and at this time that’s all that really mattered to him. Every morning he stopped off at the coffee shop, just before work, and ordered the same black coffee and blueberry muffin. Then to work it was.

Neil bought the land when he had saved up for a down payment. The endless aching muscles and tiredness had allowed him to buy this place, where he would now build his future. He began by clearing what would be the front yard and the house area of all the brush. The sun was hot, but he enjoyed being in the fresh air among what was now his. Next came the foundation, which began with concrete blocks which were used to hold up and level the main floor. The walls were then followed by the roof, all done by Neil’s hands. The structure of the house complete, he contemplated how he wanted to decorate and make his new home. He stepped back from looking upon the front of the house and heard a crack. Neil looked down and saw an old wristwatch, the leather falling apart and the inside of the watch fading yellow. He put it in his pocket and went to the coffee shop, as it was hid daily routine to visit.

You see readers, it was not just the coffee that Neil liked the most about this shop, it was the girl who worked there and always smiled at him when he came in. We shall call her Charlotte. “You have really changed that old plot of land up the hill there. It’s really starting to look good” was all she said to him. He smiled and said as manly as can be “Oh it looks okay so far. I just need a genie to finish it for me” which made her laugh. And funny enough this was how their relationship began. Just a simple exchange of words, a few laughs and the beginning of a loving family.

So the couple began the task of building their home, putting in a kitchen and a living room. The land had now become a home for them and as the years went by the front yard contained a porch, which led to a swing in the front tree, a dog in the doghouse and a bicycle, with training wheels of course. This unloved plot of land had now become a home for Neil, Charlotte and their daughter’s Amelia and Allie. By building it together they had created a bond so strong with the land that they now felt that they had become a piece of it. Looking through an old drawer, mainly now consisting of crayons and coloring books, Charlotte found the old watch in the back corner. She questioned Neil who said “I found it when I was first building the house. I guess somebody must have dropped it.” Charlotte saw an engraving on the back marked M.L. They took it to the local post office and asked them if they knew of anyone living in the area with those initials. After some researching, they realize it had belonged to a Matthew Leroy who had owned the property 70 years beforehand. Neil felt disjointed, as he thought he was the sole owner of the land, which he had thought had never been touched. Charlotte remarked “This land belongs to those in the past, present and future. Someday our daughter’s will live in it and call it their home. The world belongs to all of us, and will be passed down to future generations. We call this our home, as many others have as well.” Neil smiled and thought of the truth of what she said. He leaned down to kiss her and smiled. He was happy living in the present with the love of his life and his daughter’s coloring at his feet.

An Explanation of the Story

I really like writing stories, and this caught me when I was driving home from work. I wanted to create a place where love happens and where the family is the center of the home. This is much like how I have grown up with my family, which have always been there for me and have been my stable building blocks as I have grown up. My parents built the home we live in now, and have shaped the land so that my sister and I could spend our childhood playing in our tree house and exploring our forest. Much like the couple in my story, my home has been my place of relaxation and memory. It has been built on love and a strong family bond, which to me is the essence of home. The book that I have hyperlinked in this blog is actually one I have read for a previous course and thought that it would be really interesting to share. I found it amazing how the family and its values can alter from each family and found it a really good source in understanding the value of the family in our society. (I have included the link to the book which can be found on Google Books if anybody is interested in reading it 🙂 ).

“Who Owns the World?” Kay Cahill and Jennifer Copley. WordPress, 2 July. 2007. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <http://www.whoownstheworld.com/canada/>

“Family Values: Subjects Between Nature and Culture.” Kelly Oliver. New York: Routledge, 1997. Print.

“Family Values: Subjects Between Nature and Culture.” Kelly Oliver. Google Books, 2007. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. <https://books.google.ca/books?id=7z_fqGpgSkUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=family+values&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XtjqVKCzB4W7ogSBpILoDg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=family%20values&f=false>