Beneath Clouds

Furthermore, Downey’s apt use of pathos, or emotional appeals, draws readers in and triggers an emotional response in them, keeping them engaged for the duration of the essay. To expand, he uses blunt phrases like, “permanent loss” (445) and “distant, angry aliens, lacking emotional bonds” (446) to create a severe impact on readers. Also, stirring examples of “descent into alcohol, drugs, and prostitution” (445) and “children committing suicide” (446) illustrate for readers the acute level of damage and suffering that Aboriginal victims experienced. Downey’s use of evocative and graphic imagery in his recounts of “residential schools” (446) and the physical, “emotional and sexual abuse” (447) that specific victims endured elucidates the turmoil and anguish felt by victims of the ‘Sixties Scoop’ in general. As such, this technique fully immerses readers in his essay. Downey creates both a sense of compassion and guilt in his readers through his mention of children who were “enslaved,

In contemporary times the Indigenous are stereotypically represented as being violent and aggressive. Sen is creating a stereotypical image of young Indigenous boys as criminals and dominative. An extreme close up of Vaughn behind jail bars show the separation between Vaughn and society. The stereotype of Indigenous Australians as criminals is shown in a negative light and acts as a false stereotype. The jail bars act as a physical and metaphorical barrier and the use of non diegetic music sets a mood of extreme sadness. Domestic violence is also suggested in the car ride. The women with the child is seen as submissive and this violence acts as usual practise. However, Vaughn does not appear to this stereotype of all males being dominative. Sen’s use of camera angles highlights the stereotypical nature of indigenous people and

Unfortunately, individuals are dehumanized by police officers by way of discrimination. One example of unfair treatment from law officers is the racial discrimination in England and Wales uncovered by a shocking survey, “Police forces were threatened today with legal action as the Government’s equality watchdog said Black and Asian Britons were still being unfairly

In the book Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson, the main character, Lisamarie, has to go through a series of traumatic events. However, these events play a crucial role in understanding the message of the novel. First Nations communities are still struggling with the aftermath of residential schools. This has led to a loss of culture. Lisamarie faces the death of many family members, and sexual assault which help her get in touch with her supernatural side. However, because she has grown up in a Haisla family that doesn’t practice a lot of its culture, she doesn’t know how to accept that part of herself. Several members of Lisamarie’s family attended residential schools which forces her to face intergenerational trauma. The author uses traumatic events that revolve around first nations communities to make the reader aware of the struggles that still affect first nation cultures.

Aboriginal women is sexualized, assaulted, and mistreated in today’s society, and the novel portrays this inequity. Lisa’s friend, Erica, was in Terrace, when Lisa witnesses her being harassed by a group of white men. The men were teaching Erica how to “fuck a white man,” when Lisa intervenes. The men call the girls “a squaw, “cunt”, and “bitch” (Robinson 250). The

Indigenous women are impacted not only by the incredible trauma of experiencing violence, but also the secondary trauma of having to account their experiences in activism to push for their recognition and action towards resolution. These acts of incredible resistance move the abuses of settler colonialism out of the weak consideration of the private sphere and into the public, destroying ‘objective’ colonial histories (Million 2008). Delilah Saunders took upon herself the mantle of publicizing her family’s trauma and making public the negligence of the colonial state in her sister Loretta’s death, but failed to have her own alcohol abuse connected to public histories of trauma. A failure to acknowledge the complex associations between alcohol abuse and trauma pushes the issues of Indigenous women back into the private sphere and allow for further negligence of the colonial state regarding the ongoing role they play in the destruction of Indigenous women’s

In the film, Rhymes for Young Ghouls, Mi’gmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby uses film syntax (mise-en- scène, montages, diachronic shots, synchronic shots, and cutting) to assist him in telling a tale about the historical violence done to Indigenous men, women, and children by the Canadian government and the residential school system (Boo 220). The purpose of the film Rhymes for Young Ghouls is to bring awareness to a wider audience who may or may not be aware of the violence inflicted on Indigenous people, violence that was sanctioned by the Canadian legislation and state (Boo 211). In the film, Barnaby illustrates how non-Indigenous men were not concerned with gender when beating an Indigenous person; women were beaten the same as men were. In

Statistical evidence proves that Aboriginal women represent a majority of victims from the unsolved cases that occurred on the Highway of Tears. As shown the government and the Aboriginal community view of the same issue is different. The previous government failed to address the root causes of the issues through preventative measures recommended through national studies. Instead their priority was focused on crime fighting. Finally, the perspective of the Aboriginal communities revealed reasons why they may have felt neglected and unheard in response to the inaction of government decision makers. In going forward, the government needs to be more inclusive of Aboriginal communities on addressing incidents on the Highway of Tears. There is hope

In addition to being victims of poverty, these female protagonists also suffer as victims of their gender. In her book, Feminist Readings of Native American Literature: Coming to Voice, Katherine M. Donovan wrote, “Although [Native American women] face many of the same problems as their male counterparts – alcoholism, drug abuse, unemployment, poverty, suicide, loss of tradition and identity – they also face problems that are distinctly female-gendered: a loss of power and esteem in formerly matrilineal cultures; the trauma of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse from Native and non-Native men” (Donovan 18) First Nation women had very few rights in the 1900s and their issues drew very little attention. Even today, many First Nation’s women are murdered and raped without much police or media attention. In the 1940s until the 1980s, the setting of these books, their rights and attention to their issues would have been even fewer, and many men will have taken advantage of First Nation women.

The 60s Scoop refers to the systematic removal of indigenous children from their homes to be put into foster homes or for adoption by child welfare authorities. This matter caused great emotional traumas, such as being the inability to express one’s feelings and the stress of being taken away from one’s family, for those who were taken as well as their families. Drew Hayden Taylor’s play, Only Drunks And Children Tell The Truth, depicts these traumas on Janice, an indigenous woman who was taken from her home as a child and raised in a white household. As the play progresses, one sees Janice on her journey as she recognizes and reconciles her disconnection from her biological family.

“A Red Girl’s Reasoning,” by Pauline Johnson is a story that explores the controversy of incompatible cultural values, specifically regarding marriage customs and traditions. This short story highlights cultural distinctions between Aboriginals and Europeans, by elevating European culture as superior and questioning the authenticity of Aboriginal conventions. Christine’s questions the cultural hierarchy in the Hudson Bay society and demonstrates her role as a transgressor to shrink the cultural imbalance between Aboriginal and European. Her ideals defy socially acceptable ideals, and she tests rigid boundaries

With one in six Australian women experiencing abuse in their lifetime, the issue of abuse is highly prevalent in Australia. MacDonald and Phan clearly take advantage of this though incorporating both the themes of domestic violence and Stella’s characterization to encourage a modern Australian audience to

Within a North American context, the narrative of the dysfunctional Aboriginal family is widespread. This image has been produced and reproduced by a variety of structures and institutions. However, what is almost always left out is the appropriate context behind why many Aboriginal families experience certain social conditions that cause them to be framed in this perpetually negative manner. This consideration would factor in a long and impactful legacy of colonialism. Essentially, when European settlers arrived in Canada, they brought along with them a system of beliefs and practices that were foreign to those Indigenous communities within Canada. These practices and values were not only opposite to Indigenous beliefs, but were also extremely disruptive and threatening to the lifestyle Aboriginal families had lived for centuries. Thus, I will explore the ways in which European colonialism marked a community along with the manner in which these effects were able to be sustained until present day. Specifically, I will argue that the Canadian legacy of colonialism is the root cause of the development of toxic familial structures within Aboriginal families, namely those that are patriarchal. Therefore, this paper will the discuss the following sub-issues-the introduction of patriarchy into indigenous society and its intersections with other colonial consequences, such as substance abuse and poverty.

A common theme has emerged from the past readings. Feminist theory and intersectionality. I have taken some Women’s studies courses before so I am familiar with feminist theory. Intersectionality is trickier for me as I am a white, female, privilege Canadian woman who has not faced any oppressions for what I look like. The only oppressions I face are for being a woman and there is no intersectionality with having only one oppression. I will explore both feminist theory and intersectionality and finish off with battered women's syndrome in this paper as well as talk about my own personal experiences and how they relate to the course.

Given the form of the lyrics and their social connections, the options for music selection and instrumentation varied across genre and sound. For the