Write a blog that hyper-links your research on the characters in GGRW according to the pages assigned to you.

Pages 103 – 1114, 1993 Edition.

This passage begins with Lionel pulling his foot out of the puddle and ending with Jeanette calling back saying it sounds very far away.

This section in the novel is in the early stages and King presents an unique way of structuring his content. Throughout the text there are parts that discuss about the stories of the Native American characters within contemporary Canada.  He divides it into four main plots which includes this section.

Work Cited

King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.

3. What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story or stories you are familiar with and the story King tells in The Truth About Stories ?

Each story can be told differently. When comparing between the ethos of the creation story and King’s story in in The Truth About Stories, there are some major aspects I would like to address. Beginning with most creation stories, it often highlights a higher being such as God and other aspects such as animals. We often see or hear narratives discuss about certain elements such as these and how this higher being known as God created the world. A place where they distinguish night and day and land and water and so forth. When comparing both stories, King’s version shares a slightly different yet unique way of retelling the tale. Do you think people are more prone in listening to a story that is told similarly like the original format or do you rather listen to different story? It is interesting because the content can remain the same such as the elements but the way in which it is told such as tone, style, focus can really alter a story. However, I think it really depends wether or not a person is religious because the more knowledge you have about something or something you are unfamiliar with can really affect the way you perceive things.  By having these two various stories, what exactly do you think King is really to convey here? I personally because that he urges us to look and examine various stories and perhaps by looking into stories that are told different we can grasp a new insight or idea. What are your thoughts?

Work Cited

King, Thomas. “Green Grass, Running Water.”

King, Thomas, “The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative.

2] In this lesson I say that it should be clear that the discourse on nationalism is also about ethnicity and ideologies of “race.” If you trace the historical overview of nationalism in Canada in the CanLit guide, you will find many examples of state legislation and policies that excluded and discriminated against certain peoples based on ideas about racial inferiority and capacities to assimilate. – and in turn, state legislation and policies that worked to try to rectify early policies of exclusion and racial discrimination. As the guide points out, the nation is an imagined community, whereas the state is a “governed group of people.” 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.

Does Canada actually reflect multiculturalism? Many people may often hear that Canada is a country that embraces multiculturalism. However, when thinking about examples of state legislations or polices, perhaps there are certain aspects such as distinctive groups that are discriminated and excluded based on these regulations. Firstly, let’s unpack and discuss about the idea of ‘multiculturalism’!

What is ‘multiculturalism’? I think the first thing that may come to mind would be relating to diversity of cultures and how each culture has their own set of values, traditions, customary behaviours, and the list goes on. I find the Multiculturalism Act 1989 most interesting because personally I always hear my friends or even classmates from other courses always have this assumption that Canada is categorized as being a place that celebrates this idea of ‘multiculturalism’? Also, I am born and raised in Canada and I personally feel that even when growing up in this country, institutions such as public schools naturally integrates this perception. This also made me realize that I do not often think too critically on this idea. Perhaps, many have often hear about this but do not examine further of how Canada became to be or is associated with this idea of ‘multiculturalism’. Also, when I was first initially researching for this, I began reading some articles such as John Berry’s research on multiculturalism in Canada. It’s a quick read! But, in summary, Berry discusses how the policy of multiculturalism proceeded and highlights the important purposes behind creating the policy. Canada first declared to adopt this multicultural policy in 1971. However,  this policy was not officially recognized and put into place until around 1988. He argues that there are two main goals of the policy which are to support for the maintenance and development of cultural communities (the cultural component); and promotion of intercultural contact along with the reduction of barriers to such participation the intercultural component” (Berry 663). This idea that he unfolds through his article suggests that ore of the meaning of multiculturalism lies the notion of individuals having and sharing a collective identity as Canadians, and who also have particular identities as members of various ethnocultural communities” (Berry 664). This part in his text reveals how it is also important for one to understand their own culture and to be active in building relations with others. This idea of emphasizing building relations among diverse culture is interesting because this policy attempts to respect and celebrate diversity but some claim that it was a failed promise. This article provides a glimpse of how there are certain aspects excluded and still problematic with this policy. Some of the issues they discuss include lack of integration between cultures and current systems with immigrants. Also, relating Coleman’s argument about the project of white civility, he discusses the idea of nation-building and how a ‘natural community’ seems to be unsuccessful. This made me think of an example within Canada  specifically on the idea of how certain places in Canada may not seem to be as well-intergrated as how people would imagine it to be. For instance, Quebec is a place known for people who often speak mainly French and visitors who do not speak it can be casted as being ‘different’ or out extremely fast. 

Now, do you think Canada is a ‘multicultural’ place?

Work Cited

Berry, John W. “Research on Multiculturalism in Canada.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations 37.6 (2013): 663. Web.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2010/11/07/persichilli_the_failed_promise_of_multiculturalism.html

Question 1:  “…So, why does King create dichotomies for us to examine these two creation stories? Why does he emphasize the believability of one story over the other — as he says, he purposefully tells us the “Genesis” story with an authoritative voice, and “The Earth Diver” story with a storyteller’s voice. Why does King give us this analysis that depends on pairing up oppositions into a tidy row of dichotomies? What is he trying to show us?” (Paterson, “Lesson 2:2”)

Our world is built through categorization and scholars suggest that it is human nature to rely on binary categories to understand the world. For example, some binary categories may include life: death, safe: dangerous, and much more found here. And just like narratives, there are good ones and bad ones told. King discusses two creation stories: “Genesis” and “The Earth Diver” to show how each story delivers to people differently and one’s experience or knowledge of the narrative may vary. There are multiple ways in presenting a story and absorbing it. The way people in-take the narrative can different from person to person and this is why King is trying to highlight through these creation stories that people depend on oppositions to understand a narrative.

Another great example is the ‘turtle and earth story’ . This is an illustration of how in one way it can be told. However, King’s text explores the various ways in approaching to narratives such as these ones. In one way, the style of how the story is written can affect the individual and another can be the  how the writer focuses on certain aspects such as characters. Therefore, there are endless ways creating a narrative but sometimes by having oppositions can help one’s understanding of the narrative and may also reveal differences and similarities.

Work Cited

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/opposites.shtml

King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003. Print.

www.youtube.com (Earth on Turtle’s Back)

5] “To raise the question of ‘authenticity’ is to challenge not only the narrative but also the ‘truth’ behind Salish ways of knowing “(Carlson 59). Explain why this is so according to Carlson, and explain why it is important to recognize this point.

The question of authenticity has been a highly debated topic over many years . There has been countless literature surrounding the definition of authentic, what constitutes authentic and how authenticity is achieved. Moreover, there have been many controversies on the concept of authenticity itself. For example, the field of anthropology debates on the idea of authenticity. Carlson’s text “Orality and Literary: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History” highlights debates surrounding the notion of indigenous histories and how people are often brought up through Western perspectives. Perhaps, there is a tendency for people to often not question their own history or narratives. Some scholars such as anthropologists suggest that it is important to examine narratives or histories within their context and a concept that summaries this point would be Cultural Relativism where culture to culture varies and it is vital to look at these narratives such as Salish within their context. With this in mind, one may grasp a better understanding of their culture and try to view it from their perspective.

From the beginning, Carlson argues that there are numerous “indigenous stories circulating among the Salish people of south coastal and plateau British Columbia challenge us to reconsider both the history of Native- newcomer relations and our understanding” ( Carlson 42). This aspect is interesting because people often do not challenge the ‘authenticity’ of a narrative, specially some indigenous histories. In one hand, one may argue that many people are raised with the influence of Western chronologies and ideologies and may not think critically besides the narrative… what about the truth behind these stories? Why is it important? Carlson recognizes this point as being extremely significant because Salish people were not treated equally because of their history and narratives. One may suggest that Carlson wants people to understand that it is not only about the narrative but also the culture’s understanding of the story attached with their history. Hence, perhaps people should examine and reconsider indigenous stories.

Work Cited

Carlson, Keith Thor. “Orality and Literacy: The ‘Black and White’ of Salish History.” Orality & Literacy: Reflectins Across Disciplines. 43-72. Print.

Fillitz, Thomas, and A. Jamie Saris. Debating Authenticity: Concepts of Modernity in Anthropological Perspective. New York: Berghahn Books, 2013. Web.

Tilley, John J. “Cultural Relativism.” Human Rights Quarterly 22.2 (2000): 501-47. Web.