Hello, my name is Sophie, I’m a fourth year english and political science major. I am interested in working in the fields of either media or journalism, but I am not sure how or method in which I will attain my goal. I grew up in California which has its own unique literary and media culture, and because of this I have little understanding of what Canadian literature is like or what makes it so different from that in the States. However, I am very interested in stories about places and how they shape and connect with the people living in it. One of my favorite examples is movie from my home state, Lady Bird (2017) dir. Greta Gerwig, which is pictured below. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNi_HC839Wo
What I enjoyed about the film was the way in which Gerwig examined the effect the place one grows up in has on the way they see the world, and also how that relationship changes as the individuals experiences changes in their own life. Like the protagonist, it took me leaving California and living somewhere else to change the way I saw my hometown and the surrounding areas.
I am now seeking to gain an appreciation of my new home by learning the stories which belong to those who called this place home first. As a student of both english and political science, so far most of my understanding of First Nations people, has come from discussions relating to their political realities, and media relating to these political circumstances like the late Gord Downie’s work The Secret Path (trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGYnQx2R4nE ) which discuss the realties and suffering created by residential schools. While it is important to discuss the ways in which the Canadian government has, and continues to harm indigenous people, I also find that it is marginalizing to only discuss a group by how they experience oppression. Instead I think that the whole spectrum of indigenous voices must be given a place to speak, and that the works created must allowed to enter realms of authority, such as academia. As such I cannot wait to discuss and learn about Canadian literature with you all.
Downie, Gord, director. The Stranger. YouTube, YouTube, 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=za2VzjkwtFc.
Gerwig, Greta, director. Lady Bird. A24, 2017.
Hi, this is a comment.
To get started with moderating, editing, and deleting comments, please visit the Comments screen in the dashboard.
Commenter avatars come from Gravatar.
Hi Sophie,
I really like the way you articulated your last point. Being from the states myself, I also lack any kind of knowledge about Canadian indigenous peoples, and my feeling after moving to Vancouver and living here for a while was that Canadians speak a lot about the mistakes the government has made/continues to make, but little about the indigenous peoples themselves, such that I still know next to nothing about the native peoples of BC after having lived here for 3+ years.
I’m curious about your experience with California’s educational system in regards to the subject of indigenous peoples and cultures. I went to school in several different states and each one taught the subject differently (with Florida not teaching it at all). What was your experience like in California?
Cooper
Hi Cooper,
My experience with the California education system’s perspective on indigenous people was rather varied. The two key ways in which indigenous people were discussed was through discussions of the various cultures as present before colonization and how they were treated by the American Government before the 20th century. There were no indigenous literary works which were assigned. I took AP US History, but the teacher said that the test would begin after colonization, so we spent little time studying it (There was a significant question regarding indigenous on the exam however). To this day, I do not know the names of the individuals whose land I grew up on, and I hope soon the curriculum changes to address this.
Your cultural removal from Canadian Literature will most definitely make this an interesting course for you! I am interested in how your expectations of it will compare to the real thing. Could you elaborate on that?
How do you believe Canada is portrayed in its own media, such as The Secret Path? What impression of Canada does its media give you?
I find Canadian media to be varied in terms how it portrays itself. To me, Canadian media seems very self reflective, pieces such as “The Secret Path” endeavor to address historical truths, such as the consequences residential schools had on those living in it through creative mediums. However, it seems that Canadians themselves seem divided on what stories they believe should be told as was shared in this article by a fellow classmate. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/barbara-kay-supplanting-literary-classics-with-native-literature-doing-a-disservice-to-students
Hello Sophie!
I also think that your cultural distance from Canadian literature and Indigenous history as a Californian will make this course very interesting for you! As a metis-Canadian student that grew up in a town that was built around a residential school, I’ve learned a lot about the history of our First Peoples but can admit that I know little-to-nothing about American Indigenous populations. I hope you enjoy learning more!
I also enjoyed Lady Bird and the ways that it plays with the idea of home, by illustrating the effects of changing or adapting perspective. I am curious how you might consider the effect of perspective in storytelling as an important factor in determining the reader/listeners response to the story?
Hi Lilly,
As I mentioned in another comment on this piece, unfortunately I have not learned as much about American Indigenous populations in my schooling. I’m excited that I will be able to rectify my lack of knowledge on First Peoples through this course.
I find perspective to one of the key ways in which individuals respond to a story. There have been works of art that I was exposed to at an age where my perspective of the world had yet to develop in a way that I was able to connect with the work. Later on, I was able to connect with the piece one I had experienced life more, as well as developed a more nuanced perspective of art as a whole.