Welcome to my blog, English 470! My name is Brendan Ha and I’m a fifth year English Literature major who is currently applying for his Bachelors of Education. I’m a second-generation Korean-Canadian who was born in Vancouver, and then was condemned to a locale that is perpetually perfumed in the aroma of cow manure. I live in lovely, lovely Abbotsford.
This is a view from Eagle Mountain, one of the richest neighbourhoods in Abbotsford. Please don’t mind the Real Estate logo at the bottom right. I’m sure there’s some social commentary that can be derived from this.
We’re also situated in the Bible Belt of Canada, so interspersed between stretches of blueberry farms are dollops of churches, fellowships and assemblies. I am also sad to say that Abbotsford has lost its prestigious title as the murder capital of Canada in 2012. The city is still currently looking for something to be proud about in the new year. Jokes aside, I do enjoy my rural town. Despite all the bugs and unpleasantry that comes with the agrarian landscape, I can at least take solace in the fact that we don’t have flying spiders. Although it is different than the eclectic energy of the city, Abbotsford harnesses a more calmer power. When the horizon yawns against the rosy-fingered twilight and you can see the white-capped crest of Mt. Baker jutting out above the picturesque hills, one can only say “wow, this is home.”
Here, where sermons and folk-song thrive, I can see an intersection between this class and home. English 470 is a course where we’ll study Canadian literature’s wealth of Indigenous traditions, where speech drives the compelling power of stories to the forefront of intercourse and the spirited participation of both listener and orator. We’ll discover the historical undercurrent of the works we examine and further explore the linkage with European forms of literary expression. And this is why I am so excited to take this course. I want to broaden my understanding of Canadian literature by falling into the intricate webbing of “nation building, canonization and colonization” (Paterson). I want to wrap myself intimately with racial issues in Canada, tie them to the body of works of our writers and find how each string resonates today in 2016. To be able to collaborate with everyone here on the worldwide web is going to be an absolutely enriching experience as I’m sure we all come from places with stories of our own, whether it’s the big, bustling city or the small, quiet town. English 470 promises this and I am ready to take the plunge.
And although I may be scared of spiders, the web of storytelling is something I would love to be ensnared by.
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Works Cited
“Abbotsford Sheds Title as Murder Capital of Canada.” The Star. The Canadian Press, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. <http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/01/03/abbotsford_sheds_title_as_murder_capital_of_canada.html>.
Nes, Katie Van. Keller-Williams-Amazing-Homes-Eagle-Mountain-Amazing-Views-Abbotsford-BC. Digital image. Luxury Real Estate Lives Atop “Eagle Mountain” in Abbotsford, BC. Activerain, 19 July 2011. Web. 9 Jan. 2016. <http://activerain.com/blogsview/2408699/luxury-real-estate-lives-atop–eagle-mountain–in-abbotsford–bc>.
Paterson, Erika. “Course Syllabus.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies: Canadian Literary Genres Jan 2016. University of British Columbia, 2015. Web. 12 January 2016.
Watson, Traci. “Flying Spiders Found—and They Can Steer in Mid-Air” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 18 August 2015. Web. 10 Jan 2016. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150818-spiders-animals-science-flying-forests/>.