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 ?

The creation story that I am most familiar with through my research and first-hand encounters with my religious relatives would be the Biblical/Islam story of Genesis and the Garden of Eden. When it comes to the style and “credibility” of the story compared to King’s Earth Diver story, I find that the elements share more in their qualities than they differ.

In Earth Diver story, Charm is depicted as an overly curious woman. Being impressed by the smallest things, and often questioning her environment. Charm seems to be very similar to Eve in the Garden of Even. It was Eve’s curiosity that persuaded her to listen to the snake, against God’s will, and break the single rule that was meant to not be broken — Eve’s curiosity lead to the theft of the Golden Apple (as I recall from my memory). It was this mistake that was her shortfall — the beginning of a series of cascading events that served as a punishment to her curiosity.

Likewise, on a pursuit of something to satisfy her relentless craving, Charm set on an adventure to find a Red Fern Foot (akin to the Golden Apple found in the Garden of Eve).

By now she was very hungry, and she was very keen on some Red Fern Foot, so she really got into the digging. And before long she had dug a rather deep hole. (King 13)

Indeed, just as Eve was met with a punishment for breaking the one rule, Charm found herself digging so deep to the point where she fell into the other side of the world.

And sure enough, she fell through. Right through that hole and into the sky. (King 15)

Another notable similarity between the two stories of creation is the fact that in both, there are animals (the snake in Genesis, the Fish in Earth Diver) that persuade the protagonist to the ultimate mistake.

These specific excerpts from both stories of Creation are an example of what I wrote about in a previous lesson. While there exist differences in the exact details of these stories, they tell the same story. This is why orality, particularly in cultures in which orality is primary,  is very much important and no less inferior to literature.  Ultimately, no matter the difference in the minute details of a story of creation, they are very much talking about the same thing. A different but shared perspective if you will.

Works Cited

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2017/09/rise-and-fall-adam-and-eve-exploring-myth-original-sinners>.

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

“Two Sides of The Same Coin by D Awanis.” Hello Poetry. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2020.

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.

Daniel Coleman’s claim was published in 2006. As such, this was well after the final Act in question had received royal assent (The Immigration Act), therefore all of the immigration Acts come to question. Coleman’s claim of “… a specific form of [Canadian] whiteness based on the British model of civility” is ultimately about racism by the early settlers and colonizers is certainly true (5). This is easily supported by the language of the first three acts that explicitly discriminated against certain populations, namely, people of Indigenous and Asian descent. As an example, the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 explicitly discriminated against people of Asian descent by imposing a $50 (approximately $1,300 when adjusted for inflation) on each Chinese immigrant.

Where Coleman’s claims fall short, however, exist when he claims that the white race “still occupies the position of normalcy and privilege in Canada” (7). As the span of this lesson’s exercise is limited to the examination of only one act, the Multiculturalism Act 1989 will be the focus of this post.

It is integral to understand that discrimination against a human under the categories of physical characteristics the pigmentation of the skin, number of toes, and eye colour is morally wrong as these qualities can not be changed.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation

Where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream …

-M.L.K, JR.

Works Cited

Coleman. White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada. N.p.: U of Toronto, 2006. Print.

Digital image. Martin Luther King Jr. Biography. Biography, n.d. Web. <https://www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr>.

Heritage, Canadian. “Government of Canada.” Canada.ca. Government of Canada, 27 Jan. 2020. Web. 18 Apr. 2020. <https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/corporate/publications/plans-reports/annual-report-canadian-multiculturalism-act-2017-2018.html>.

King, Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream…” N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.archives.gov/files/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf>.

See if you can find echoes of the stories discussed above: a gift from god, a second Garden of Eden, an empty/wasted land, the noble but vanishing Indian, and the magical map. By echoes I mean reading between the lines or explicitly within Moodie’s introduction. Discussing what you discover, use your examples as evidence to write a blog that explores what you think might have been Moodie’s level of awareness of the stories she carried with her.

In her book, Susanna Moodie’s quest is presented as a typical European expatriate on a search for land akin to the Garden of Eden. With a Christian perspective of a God-given Earth that is meant to be consumed to enrich the common European person, Moodie et al. had all but the intentions to establish a relationship with folks already living on the “new land”. The wasted, soulless land that discovered by the Europeans seemed to be very much an extension of land bestowed upon the Christian Europeans bestowed upon by God. Moodie believed that any land that had not been yet explored by the early settlers was merely wasted land that could serve to better the lives of the settlers.

Providence works when it would reclaim the waste places of the earth, and make them subservient to the wants and happiness of its creatures.

To be frank, it may have been that in Moodie’s view — in the Christian hierarchical order of creation (God, human, animal, plant) — that the folks already living on the land may very well not have even been considered humans. Perhaps that may have explained the treatment given to the Indigenous peoples of the land. This claim can be supported by the golden rule as written in the Bible:

Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets.

-Matthew 7:12

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

-Luke 6:31

Their sense of hearing is so acute that they can distinguish sounds at an incredible distance, which cannot be detected by a European at all

…

Indian coolness and courage…

…

[the land which] belong[s] to the Chippewa or Mississauga Indians, perhaps the least attractive of all these wild people

The claim of Moodie et al.’s perspective on the supposed God-given land can be further supported by the text:

“He chooses such, to send forth into the forest to hew out the rough paths for the advance of civilization”

It is clear that upon the initiation of settlement onto Canada, the primary goal was to “hew out” the rough forest for the land of the settlers regardless of what or whomever else who may reside inside. After all, this was done in the image of God.

Works Cited

Digital image. Quora. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.quora.com/How-did-early-Quebec-settlers-build-homes-to-withstand-harsh-Canadian-winters-What-materials-and-with-what-tools>.

“The Golden Rule.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2020.

Joseph, Bob. “National Indigenous History Month – Why It’s Important.” National Indigenous History Month – Why It’s Important. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2020.

Moodie, Susanna. Introduction. Roughing It in the Bush, Or, Life in Canada. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2007. N. pag. Print.

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?

By presenting readers with two different stories of origin, each told in a different manner, King brings into consideration something of great importance. Followers of certain religions often recite their “story of origin” in an authoritative and perhaps monotonous voice. This may be because, to them, it is “factual, accurate, static”. The same followers may very well dismiss other stories of origin as simply just “stories”. Indeed, folks may certainly be inclined to believe that there is only one story of origin (e.g.: Earth Diver or Genesis, not both), however, it is important to consider the perspective of a theologian. As King writes:

This is because first encounters involved performances of exchanging stories – with no common language, both parties sang their songs, played their instruments, displayed their cultural symbols and artifacts, wore regalia that spoke of their status, and — both parties depended on their own already long told stories to interpret the other’s performance

…

Both European and Indigenous exchanged their stories, both represented themselves through song and music, dance and costume, and both sides “drew each other into their imaginative worlds”

First stories and first contacts were recorded through oral stories. And just because they are oral stories, they must not be dismissed. Infact, as there existed no common language, an oral story would allow a listener to relive the first counters first-hand. Hence, King’s goal is to make the reader understand that stories have value — they are not just imaginative. The Potlatch law had effectively put a great silence on Indigenous peoples.

Works Cited

“An Aboriginal Presence.” Civilization.ca – First Peoples of Canada – Our Origins, Origin Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2020.

First Nations & Europeans. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/first-nations-europeans-kristenw>.

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

“How Indigenous Dancers Connect with Their Power through Performance | CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 27 Sept. 2019. Web. 17 Apr. 2020.

Paterson, Erika, Dr. “Lesson 2:2.” English 372 99C Canadian Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2020.

The interesting thing about evil is that it affects our world in an innumerable amount of ways. Once it was introduced, it has not left our world since. Surely, there must have been an originating source of the evil that permeates throughout our world and manifests itself as genocides, terrorist attacks, mass murders, and tortures and killing sprees by psychopathic serial killers.

In fact, I have a great story to tell you. Perhaps, it may offer a greater understanding of the magnitude of effects an introduction of evil can have to an environment. In his writing on page 9, King mentions a story told by an author that tells the story of the origin of evil. It went something a little like this:

There was once a small village of no more than a few hundred dozen folks. As with any village, the days were filled with warm sunshine, joyful playfulness, and of course, a heartwarming sense of love and affection — present in all throughout the community. The daily activities of the villagers consisted of cleaning one’s home, helping to produce goods, and of course, getting water from the communal well that was located in the center of the village. It was a well of a thousand miles of depth, an old endless supply of water that served as the only source of potable water for all the folks around the village. Villagers had generations of ancestors swear by the holy, clean, thirst-quenching material that was entrenched for an infinite depth located at the very heart of this village. It had been the source of water for over a dozen generations.

There was one little girl that had noticed that her mom had suddenly gotten quite sick. It was when she alerted her father that things started to go wrong. “What did you see mommy do that made her so sick?” the father asked, to which the little girl responded, “She had just finished drinking water that she had gotten earlier from the well!”. It was not a day that had gone by before her mother had passed. The father, having had no time to mourn, quickly alerts his friends that something dangerous may be present in the well.

It had not even been two days before the entire village had heard of this story. Some folks believed that the water had been poisoned, others believed that there lived a creature in the well that had begun attacking villagers. Of course, the villagers were no longer retrieving water from the well. Some folks left to find a new source of water, others abandoned the community in which they had lived in for generations. It was not long before the entire village had been completely wiped of humanity.

The story had spread, and with it was the intertwined spirit of evil and death. It mattered not the truth of the fact, but rather the power of the story, because once you have told a story, you can never take it back. So, be careful of the stories you tell, AND the stories you listen to.

–

Reflections

I actually had a lot of fun with this assignment. I find it very relevant to current world events (the pandemic crisis). This way of thinking may very well be a bit strange but I find it fascinating. The spreading ability of a powerful story seems to be very much like the exponential spread of a virus. Once it is introduced to the world (a story, as well as the virus), it is nearly impossible to take back.

Work Cited

andreiuc88. Photograph. Shutterstock. Web. 16 Apr 2019. <https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/12-horror-films-that-reveal-mother-natures-evil-side>.

Calder, Todd. “The Concept of Evil.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 21 Aug. 2018. Web. 16 Apr. 2020.

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

Spencer, Sylvia. “The Village Well.” PoemHunter.com. N.p., 24 Feb. 2006. Web. 16 Apr. 2020.

Explain why the notion that cultures can be distinguished as either “oral culture” or “written culture” (19) is a mistaken understanding as to how culture works, according to Chamberlin and your reading of Courtney MacNeil’s article “Orality.

Stories are important. They allow us to relive our past. They allow us to pass on valuable lessons and meaning onto our families and our communities. Orality is a greatly powerful medium of which folks can use to tell stories while enabling a much richer and perhaps more fulfilling understanding of it. It is simply dismissive to describe oral culture as inferior.

Here is a quote from a group of folks who go preach of biblical stories using a very important medium:

Over 75% of the world communicates orally through verbal storytelling, drama, and song. Conveniently, over 70% of the Bible consists of stories.

—

As Courtney MacNeil quotes a book in her article, there is a lot that is often overlooked in orality. There exist qualities that are present in this form of communication that make it unwise to simply dismiss it as a primitive form of communication. Orality allows a listener to gather information from many more sources than just “written words on a paper”.

Orality is the manifestation of a gestural mode, of a corporeality and a subjectivity within language. With the means of the spoken within the spoken. With the means of the written within the written. (Wesling and Slawek 159)

All cultures include a form of storytelling, in several mediums: orality, and literature. The two differ only in the sense that one is perhaps more easily communicable with outsiders (given the utility of the world wide web). It is certainly wrong to come to the conclusion that cultures whose stories are primarily of the oral form are primitive. If anything, it is orality that is superior in its ability to tell a story and evoke feelings and thoughts beyond which one would experience while reading literature. It is the effect of body language, emotion, tone of voice, hastiness, and emphasis from which a listener could tap into to receive a much deeper understanding of a story to be told.

In my opinion, when it comes to conveying information to other parties on the topic of sciences, the primary quality of importance is replicability. Scientific works in the written format are excellent as they will have no minor details changed upon the distribution of the information. In a story, however, it often does not matter whether a particular subject was blue in colour or yellow, or whether it was 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm during which something occurred, but rather the emotions, physical reactions and other senses of information that constitute qualities which help tell a story.

Orality allows for a teller to really convey the information from their heart. After all, “storytelling has been, and continues to be, the foundation of human culture“.

Works Cited

Austin Hackney, Jennifer, Hi Jennifer, Hi Alain, and Alain Ruche. “The Oral Tradition of Storytelling.” Austin Hackney: Writer, Storyteller, Fabulist. Austin Hackney, 19 Oct. 2019. Web. 16 Apr. 2020.

Reaching the oral majority. Digital Image. ORALITY. Web. Date March 31 2020.

Wesling, Donald, and Tadeusz Slawek. Literary Voice: The Calling of Jonah (SUNY Series, the Margins of Literature). N.p.: State U of New York, 1995. N. pag. Print.

Perhaps one of the most exciting things in university is exploring new fields and domains that otherwise may have been overlooked. Upon the start of any course, I am most excited about being exposed to things I have never thought about. With every new course here at UBC, students’ are given additional tools in their toolbox to enrich their understanding of their environment so that they can better analyze the world.

ENGL 372 is an exciting opportunity to learn about things I hadn’t had the opportunity to think about much before. For me, being an immigrant to Canada means a new exciting opportunity which involves learning about Canadian culture and history — that is, learning of the stories of the Indigenous and European folks that came well before us. It is important to learn and understand the stories and values of those who founded Canada. To do that, we listen to their stories, as their stories have a very powerful effect:

Indigenous storytelling is a way to instill a knowledge of the mind, body, and soul in connection to the earth through experienced and trusted “knowledge keepers.”  In many Indigenous cultures, storytellers must be trained, apprenticed, and given the right to share knowledge through these stories.

I think it’s very important to learn about the traditions and culture of the Indigenous peoples whom have lived in Canada for a very long time. I find that in media whenever Indigenous history is mentioned, it is primarily in a negative context. Of course, it is very important to speak about all things, but in my experience, the media primarily speaks about the mistreatment of Indigenous folks in Canadian history. I believe it is equally as important to learn about Indigenous stories — and that is done by exploring their literature and orature.

Works Cited

“History and Future of the Book 2018.” History and Future of the Book 2018 RSS. N.p., n.d. Web.

“Our History.” Gourlay’s Clinic Pharmacy, https://www.gourlayscanmore.com/?page_id=133

“Residential Schools – A Chronology.” Assembly of First Nations – Residential Schools – A Chronology. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2020.

Below is a list of our shared assumptions, values, and stories that I feel are of great significance:

Joseph – I, like Joseph, was raised in a multi-cultural environment. Having spent the first decade of my life in Iran, I have spent a considerable time of my life with my family members who hold different cultural values. As a result, the formation of my identity took quite some time due to the great differences in these two environments. It greatly challenged me in determining what I really considered to be my home.

However, after having spent the great majority of my life in Canada, I can now certainly say that my home is here. All of my experiences, my values and beliefs are well aligned with Canadian principles. I have been extremely fortunate to experience life from multiple different cultures. I think Joseph would certainly agree with me.

Joanne – A common element in our definition of home is the feeling of a safe space. It is a place of safety, relaxation, and familiarity.
“… the sense of familiarity is one more component that contributes to my definition of home”.

Georgia – Our shared value in the sense of home is the feeling of gathering around those who we consider being of vital importance – family. For us, we share the thought that it really is a great feeling to be met with family when we get back home. It is a very important moment that allows us to share our stories with those who love us.

Indra – My sense of home certainly is a physical shelter – away from chaos and disorder. On their blog, Indra mentioned how they don’t feel that their idea of a home is anything physical. However, one important assumption and value that we share is the belief that everyone should be able to define their own sense of a home. This is very important, as it allows folks to “develop [their] own criteria for happiness and security”.

June – Our shared story is the tragedy of separation from home. In their case, their grandfather lost their home as a result of a tragic war. Although not nearly as tragic, in my case, my parents lost their home when they left their home country in pursuit of a better life for their children.

Sidney – Our shared assumption is the freedom we are privileged to experience. Living here has blessed us with great freedom and allows us to fulfill our dreams.

Even though our literal definition of a home may be different, we all very much share the same values.

Works Cited

“Blog Post Image: Group-Holding-Hands-on-Beach-Www.livingartscenter.org_.” Creating Scholars Through Therapy LLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2020. <http://creatingscholarsthroughtherapy.org/group-holding-hands-on-beach-www-livingartscenter-org_-2/#attachment/0/>

Joseph Um. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/josephum/>.

Joanne. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/zhannakutlimetovaengl372>.

Georgia. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/georgiamasaki/>.

Indra. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl372indrai/>.

June. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/jroh00/>.

Sidney. N.p., 28 Jan. 2020. Web. 03 Feb. 2020. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl372blog/>.

The concept of a home is, of course, one that is shared by everyone on our Earth. What makes one’s own home, however, is very much dependent on personal values and stories. One thing is certain, and that is the feeling where everything comes back to one place – a warm home.

A home for some folks may be their local community. A village elder and a tribesman may find themselves very much involved in their community. Their village represents a collection of shared values and ideas. In this collection lies a place in which all of their productive and leisurely time is spent. Their community becomes something they’ve worked on together to strengthen, to advance, and work every day to further build upon. It is something that everyone around them has worked on. In this case, their home may be their village. Their neighbours make up small elements of their home. Together, they share the same stories and come from the same home.

My view of a home is different. This very well may be because I hold a more introverted perspective in my definition of a home. With a beautiful sunrise always comes a new day. One often filled with great challenges – new relationships, objectives, and goals. In my case, my home represents a physical house. A place that will allow me to escape from the chaos that manifests in my environment.

For me, the sense of fumbling for my house keys in my pocket is very much where I begin to enter my home. It represents the last few moments in the day where I am still exposed to the elements. The elements of a particular day that may be a snowstorm, a cold night or even just a hailstorm of school assignments. Home is entering into a safe place. A place where shutting the doors behind me gives me a feeling of shelter. Home is the feeling of locking out the chaos behind me, separated by just inches of building material. On the other side of the doors to my home, away from all of the chaotic elements, is where I find order. It is where I find my family.

Home to me is a warm place that holds all that is valuable to me – my family and our shared stories. It holds my stories in the form of pictures and art. It is a shelter for us all from the constant waves of disorder that we experience from every single medium. The most valuable element to a home is family – that is, folks who you share with your stories and your experiences. Home is where you can kick your feet up to the crackling fire and rid your mind of the stress that exists in life. After all, it no longer matters, because you are very much safe inside your home.

It is unfortunate that this feeling of a home is often shortlived. With the sunset always comes a new day. It is when you must leave your warm home and face the chaos of the world once again.

Works Cited

Digital image. Prohomemi. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2020.

Ipekseyhan. “The Most Valuable Things in Life, “Family”.” Ipekseyhanpoyrazkarayel. N.p., 29 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 Jan. 2020.

Orlane. “A Warm Home.” Meaning of Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2020.