The theme of “The Dead Child” by Gabrielle Roy is about how a simple action can have a massive impact on our surroundings. In other words never underestimate the power of a simple action. In the story we are introduced to a group of Métis students, who are under privileged and are taught in poor working environments. Already we can see that these students do not have very much – money wise-. Despite their lack of necessities they were still able to give the gift of kindness, respect and love to their close friend Yolande. Their simple act of kindness not only changed their perspective on death but it also opened their hearts and allowed them to connect with their teacher throughout their moments of grief. By simply visiting Yolande before her burial helped the students cope with their misery and lift all the emotional weights from their tiny shoulders. Not only did they show others that Yolande was not…
“The Wandering” by Maureen Hayes and “The Leaving” by Budge Wilson are two stories that took place in major cities in Canada in the late 1900s. Both stories showed love and caring traits between the daughter and the mother, and they demonstrated their traits through their actions when under external and internal conflicts.…
The era of late 1700’s was a period of great change in North America. After the French and Indian war ended in 1963, Great Britain’s control of North America’s east coast caused more interaction between the American colonies and Canada, which was a French colony prior to the war. In 1774, the Continental Congress wrote to the inhabitants of Quebec in an appeal which was entitled, “Appeal to the Inhabitants of Quebec.” In this appeal, the American colonists expressed their great joy that Quebec was now a part of the English colonies, and the main thesis of this appeal was that the inhabitants of Quebec had earned the right to have the same rights as the colonies under a just form of government, and that the best way for them to achieve that was by joining the American colonies. These ideas that the colonists had were very persuasive, and they provided a…
On December 6th a tragedy rose in Halifax harbor. But no one knew this. The town, in the author’s words “were buzzing with activity. Soft smoke curled from chimneys as mothers served up steaming bowls of oatmeal” (1) This gives a cozy mood. Readers can picture and feel the warmth and the taste of their mom’s oatmeal. Noble Driscoll is a child in this town. He in the author’s words “was fascinated by the vessels that passed in and out of the harbor”, (5) this just shows how clueless the town was. The ships Noble loved, were about to destroy what he calls home.…
Montreal is Quebec’s largest city, has always been renowned for its many churches and basilicas, earning it the nickname la ville aux cents clochers. Mark Twain once said “This is the first time I was ever in a city [Montreal] where you couldn 't throw a brick without breaking a church window”. Today, it is better known for the diversity of its people and its culture painted streets, such as the Quartier Latin and the booming Quartier des spectacles. The city is home to over a hundred and twenty cultural communities and seventy-five languages; seemingly fitting since well over a quarter of the population was born abroad. In the June 2008 issue of Monocle, a London based magazine, Montreal was dubbed “Canada’s Culture Capital”. It seems hard to imagine that the Catholic Church had a monopoly over not only Montreal but the entire province of Quebec simply half a century ago. How did a land founded and built on Catholicism become a place renowned for its cultural diversity? This essay will explore how the Catholic faith’s image developed in Quebec after the Second World War, touching the province’s strong religious foundation, the Church’s control of the education and medical systems, and how the Quiet revolution paved the way for the prosperity of the French language and the multicultural land we have today.…
It is hard to imagine how a street became such a featured miniature of Vancouver's history and demographics. Hastings Street in the Downtown area still remains Vancouver's best, but an archway followed by Chinese-language signs quickly juxtapose Downtown's prosperity. Next, four of the six-line avenue are blocked because of a skid row's existence. People lost in their dreams found this area the best place for them to live; narcotic access is easy and sometimes free. Next, an area heavily structured with tailor and other small professional businesses appear. People living in this area found Hastings street an integral part of their lives and love it with the best of their heart. Finally, the street diverges into two highways and the miniature abruptly closes, but what appears next is another juxtaposition--ocean and mountain.…
On a September afternoon in Southern Ontario, Alexander MacDonald travels along Highway 3, to visit his older brother, Calum, once a great chief of the Scottish-Canadian clan in Cape Breton, but now an alcoholic that lives in a forgotten apartment in Toronto. “No great Mischief”, tells the story of the MacDonald’s that arrived to the New World in 1779 but remained loyal to their traditions. The story is narrated from Alexander MacDonald’s eyes. He grew up in Cape Breton and orphan at the age of 3, he and his twin sister were raised by their Grandparents; people whose motto was “Always look after your own blood”. They lived their childhood apart from their older brothers, but fate pulls them back together. After his graduation day, Alexander joins Calum and the Scottish clan to work at the uranium mines. Alexander unmasked the true meaning of family, compassion and death through heart-breaking and joyful stories. “No Great Mischief”……
The poem “Canada: Case History” by Earle Birney is about a teenage boy and his…
The nineties was a very significant decade because it had many crucial moments in Canadian history. Some defining moments would include the battle of Vimy Ridge, the on to Ottawa track, and the persons case. Without the nineties Canada wouldn't really be what it is today.…
Can it all come back? Of some come back-but some downtowns may be just too far gone. Is it time to write the obituary for Carleton Place? An obituary can be a compelling story of a life as Carleton Place once had, and still can be. Instead, I write a short life story today as it is an alternative to writing an obituary in advance. When the obituary is needed, all the facts of the Carleton Place are already at hand-- and I hope things change so I never have to write it.…
In Canada, there is a lot of mixing of cultures; many people are the third or fourth generation of immigrants. They were born and grown up in a different society where they have few reminders of their own heritage. In the poem “What I have left is imagining” by heather MacLeod and “Ancestors-The Genetic Source (adapted)” by David Suzuki, Both of these authors feel that they are separated from their culture. However, heather still feels connected to her homeland, while Suzuki doesn’t feel that same connection.…
5. Describe one dream/hope that a family member has when they land in Quebec. What does the character imagine their life might be like?…
Her constant uses of sad, melancholy, and somber words show that even though she has a strong attachment and love for her childhood home, as she continues to grow up, this love and attachment changes to confusion and detachment. Joan Didion’s feelings are more evident when her essay is compared to Margaret Laurence’s essay “Where the World Began,” which is another essay dealing with the author’s reflection on her childhood home. Laurence’s tone is completely different from Didion’s, and Laurence continually talks about her love for her childhood home regardless of whether she is talking about the prairies where she grew up, the oddities of her hometown, or of her personal opinion of Canada as a whole. While Joan Didion never explicitly states that she feels detached from her childhood home the longer she lives away from it, the tone used in her essay in comparison to Laurence’s essay suggest that there is a strong…
Of Montreal was born in Athens, Georgia in 1996. To start off, the band had one member, Kevin Barnes. Since 1996 the band underwent many changes in members, recording labels and musical context. Kevin Barnes had entirely wrote and recorded the first album, Cherry Peel on his own before even presenting it to the rest of the band, as he did with many albums to follow. Kevin had sent some of the tracks on Cherry Peel to a recording label called Bar/None Records, who had loved the songs and requested Kevin send more. The first show played by Of Montreal was at a place called the 40 Watt Club, with two other members of the band, Derek Almstead, and Bryan Poole. Since Cherry Peel, the band has recorded 19 more albums, all different from the next,…
When I began to write this paper, a lot of events came to mind. One event that stands out is the family vacation I took to Toronto, Canada. It took place in middle of the hot month of July in 2007. It was a family trip that I went on with my church, Brown Missionary Baptist Church. I had never gone on a trip with them before but was filled with so much excitement and anticipation as well as curiosity and being very nervous as time winded down. I guess it had something to do with me really getting to know my church members. You would think that we would want to travel by plane but that was not a part of the plan at all. We travelled on an icy cold, long, white Coach Bus that seated fifty two passengers. The interior had a type of royal blue theme going on which matched the temperature because when you think of running water in a sink or bathtub the cold water is usually represented with the color blue. It was so cold on the bus it seemed like it was fall when the heat from summer hit your cold body. It stayed cool like that the entire way there. As we approached Canada, I began to get butterflies as if I was starting my first day of high school or college. After showing everyone’s birth certificates and forms of identification, the time had finally come, I made my first visit to Canada and my second trip out of the country.…