Oh Canada! An Interpretation

For this week’s post: “The task at hand is to first discover as many allusions as you can to historical references (people and events), literary references (characters and authors), mythical references (symbols and metaphors).” – Dr. Erika Paterson My Section in the 2007 Harper Perennial version is pages 167-179.   Summary: The two parts which span over pages 167-179 are centred on Lionel and Alberta. Opening at a scene a day before his birthday, Lionel is situated at a ‘dead end’, having “[run] out of options years ago” (King 167). There…read more

Coyote Pedagogy is a term sometimes used to describe King’s writing strategies (Margery Fee and Jane Flick). Discuss your understanding of the role of Coyote in the novel. “This lesson places special emphasis on learning how to recognize the significant differences between European literary production and First Nations storytelling traditions. In many ways,Green Grass Running Water is a novel about different story-telling traditions, which in turn reflect different, and sometimes conflicting world views.”- Dr. Erika Paterson. Having read King’s Green Grass Running Water once during my first year at UBC and now again at my fourth…read more

For this blog assignment, I would like you to research and summarize one of the state or governing activities, such as The Royal Proclamation 1763, the Indian Act 1876, Immigration Act 1910, or the Multiculturalism Act 1989 – you choose the legislation or policy or commission you find most interesting. Write a blog about your findings and in your conclusion comment on whether or not your findings support Coleman’s argument about the project of white civility. –Dr. Erika Paterson For this assignment, I’ve decided to focus on Japanese Canadian Internment, which…read more

1] In his article, “Godzilla vs. Post-Colonial,” King discusses Robinson’s collection of stories. King explains that while the stories are written in English, “the patterns, metaphors, structures as well as the themes and characters come primarily from oral literature.” More than this, Robinson, he says “develops what we might want to call an oral syntax that defeats reader’s efforts to read the stories silently to themselves, a syntax that encourages readers to read aloud” and in so doing, “recreating at once the storyteller and the performance” (186). Read “Coyote Makes a Deal…read more

We began this unit by discussing assumptions and differences that we carry into our class. In “First Contact as Spiritual Performance,” Lutz makes an assumption about his readers (Lutz, “First Contact” 32). What do you make of this reading? Am I being fair when I point to this assumption? If so, is Lutz being fair when he makes this assumption?   In Lutz’s essay “First Contact as Spiritual Performance” he describes a “cycle of confusion” which existed or even continues to exist due to a language barrier (Lutz 30). Lutz definitely speaks to…read more

I really enjoyed reading everyone’s concept of ‘home’ this week! Many were touching as well as interesting and I appreciate how honest and open everyone has been! A recurring theme which is present in most of my peers’ blogs as well as my own post on the looseness of the word, is the concept that ‘Home’ is where one establishes it to be based on a variance of reason, justifications- whatever one may call it. Coming from outside the country (more like way across the globe), it was very interesting to…read more

FOR THIS WEEK: We were supposed to retell a story of how evil came into this world drawn from Thomas King’s interpretation of Leslie Silko in his novel The Truth About Stories.   “Sometimes change is simply in the voice of the storyteller” (1). I have a great story to tell you, and it is about how evil came into this world. “”Don’t blame me if you make a mistake””, uttered one to another (13). But of course, what would be called a mistake if there was no evil in this…read more

6. Write a summary of three significant points that you find most interesting in the final chapter of If This is Your Land, Where are Your Stories? In J. Edward Chamberlin’s novel, “If This is Your Land, Where are Your Stories?”, the author introduces what I believe is a very useful tool or springboard for dialogue through the need for stories which are based on history, but serve the purpose of fostering commonalities. In recent Canadian news, the Conservative majority rejected a bill which was viewed to be beneficial towards dialogue with First Nations…read more

  Hello my fellow classmates! Sorry for catching on so late, this will not happen again! And hello perhaps to anyone else chancing upon this sight as well? I’m excited to begin the readings for this course! First up, a little introduction. I’m a 4th year Philosophy student with a minor in English Literature! I’m from a tiny place called Singapore which experiences summer all year round and is known for its great street food! Getting back on track, the course, in summary, entails the discussion and examination of Canadian…read more