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.