Canadian Border Guard Analysis

In the short story, there is a conflict between the mother and the guards at the border. As the mother and son approach the American border the mother refuses to give her citizenship as either Canadian or American. Once she reaches the border, she has a conversation with the guard:

“Borders”, by Thomas King, takes place at the Canadian - American border. The main character is a mother who is Blackfoot. The mother refuses to identify herself as either Canadian or American; instead, the mother insists that she is Blackfoot, and because of this she and her twelve-year-old son have to stay in amidst the border offices of Canada and the United States. The title of this short story, “Borders” indicates two borders; one is the physical border amid Canada and the United States and the other is a metaphorical border between someone’s identity and citizenship. In Thomas King’s “Borders” The story shows proudness of citizenship and it portrays where you are from is a huge part of who you are. The three arguments that I will argue to prove this thesis is that the mother is proud that she is a Blackfoot, It is rare and improbable for a young women to leave the reserve, and that the mother dislikes the Americans because she was proud of her own people.

The United States Border Patrol is a police force located all over America. Most people think the only job Border Patrol has is chasing down immigrants due to the media coverage on the Mexican border. Although it is a big part of the job it is not the only thing done. The main position for agents is in Mexico, another main location is Canada. Between the two locations 21,000 agents patrol 6,000 miles. (Department of Homeland Security, n.d.) The Border Patrol’s keeps illegal people, drugs, and weapons of mass destruction from entering our country. Another major responsibility is to prevent terrorist from trying to cross the border. In order to prevent this from happening Border Patrol have check points with man power alert at all times. Equipped with the best equipment from the government they stop virtually everything crossing. I along with most of the country feel that this is a very important job in the United States.

King illustrates that when the mother is questioned about her citizenship she replies ‘Blackfoot (King, 137)’. The mother regards her Blackfoot citizenship as superior her ancestors are the founding fathers of this nation. According to the Canadian Mandate “we are a nation which strongly believes in the principles behind multiculturalism and equity for all citizens.” For immigrants in Canada they are willing to give up their prior citizenship in order to be a Canadian citizen. However the mother in the story repeatedly points out the fact that being a Canadian citizen is of no value to her. The mother should not be categorized in the mandate due to her direct ties to the land. Carry Dawson confirms that for Aboriginals, loyalty to land is of greater importance than that of being a Canadian citizen. In her literary study entitled “An Indian Without a Country” at Dalhousie University she argues that for Aboriginals loyalty cannot be held equivalent at a higher status than being a Canadian citizen. Loyalty cannot be held equivalent because it “obviates the history of people with communal identities and land.” Through the use of the physical border King communicates denying the mother access from crossing the border as a metaphor for undermining Aboriginals mobility and movement.

Never exceeding more than seventy-five guards, this placed them severely understaffed for the need of manpower, but it was reinforced with the help of “Military troops along the southwest border performed intermittent border patrolling…Texas Rangers were also sporadically assigned to patrol duties by the state” (Border Patrol History, 2015). At that time the United States government was more concerned with intercepting enemy communications than they were about illegal entry into the country. However, struck by the realization of how ineffective their efforts were to secure and patrol the border without enforcement between stations; Frank W. Berkshire, the Supervising Inspector, addressed his concerns of uncoordinated efforts in enforcing

6th July 2016, New Delhi: Immigration to Canada depends on your skills, qualification, experience, and the way you choose and follow the whole process. Canada is one of the most preferred countries for migration –henceforth the country witnesses millions of people across the globe applying for permanent residency of Canada. Here is an overview on gateways to get Canada PR.

An idea that arises No Great Mischief[, is MacLeod’s ability to prove to the readers that it is impossible to talk about the Scottish-Canadian heritage without mentioning family history, loyalty and bonds. It is common for an individual to discuss all three factors when discussing family or one’s past in general. However, in No Great Mischief, MacLeod successfully

“Borders” by the author Thomas King exemplifies the classic political dispute of citizenship versus identity. “Borders” presents a story taking place between the Canadian-American borders, and featuring a thirteen-year-old boy that is also the narrator, along with his mother. Despite repeated attempts by the border guards, the mother declines to reveal her citizenship as being either Canadian or American; instead, she insists that she is Blackfoot. Due to her lack of cooperation, she and her thirteen-years-old child remain between the borders of Canada and America. Springing from the desire to conceal her national identity from the guards, the protagonist encounters a conflict between man and society – and between citizenship and identity. King uses figurative language to put forth an explicit political argument that citizenship and identity are not the same, accomplishing this through a focus on the narrator’s perspective and the importance of the Blackfoot identity to the narrator’s mother. In particular, he makes this claim through his use of metaphors and humourous language. Humour is illustrated through the characterization of the main characters, especially via the perspective of the narrator, a thirteen-year-old boy. King utilizes humour to deliver his message regarding identity through the perspective of the narrator, without seeming like the author himself is presenting it.

Throughout the short story, the mother, is proud to be a Blackfoot. The mother blatantly refuses to identify as Canadian or American, when the officer asked the mother “Citizenship?” and the mother responded “Blackfoot”. The mother knows she has to identify as either American or Canadian but she refuses to because of how proud she is of her own people. Furthermore, after the border officers were being nice and pleasant towards her and explaining that her identifying as either a Canadian or n American was a formality and

Your Citizenship please? At a point in time, people encounter this question when you are about to cross the border into a different country, whether it is by car, train or plane. It questions one’s identity as to who they are. Most people answer with the current country they live in but does one ever answer with the country that they were from? “Borders” by Thomas King, is an intriguing story about a mother that has pride in her culture and values where she comes from. Along with her two kids, she resides in a native community. The mother has to declare her citizenship at the border, where she persistently presents herself as “Blackfoot.” The story, “Borders”, illustrates how difficult it is for Aboriginals to maintain their cultural

The U.S. Border Patrol to me is very important to the United States of America and to me as well. Without the Border Patrol, America would be a goat standing in the middle of a wolf cage. The Border Patrol and their agents border the boundaries of America so we can be safe in our homes. People don’t realize how important any kind of law enforcement is, until the day that they need assistance comes. I don’t take our men and women who protect us Americans; it is something that not everyone can say that they have. I have no one in my family that has worked with the Border Patrol, and I want to be the first in my family to join the Border Patrol. I am from Del Rio Texas, a border town neighbors with Mexico. The U.S. Border

Surveillance and biopolitical governance are terms usually associated with the internal surveillance methods of the United States, especially in light of the Snowden NSA leaks. However, Canada has developed an elusive biopolitical national security policy that has both social and political consequences. In April 2004, the Canada’s federal government introduced its first national security legislation, Securing an Open Society: Canada’s National Security Policy (Bell 147). Discussions surrounding a national security agenda has expanded rapidly since the tragic events of 9/11. Canada has quoted $690 million in national security policy and strategy however, this only reflects a portion of the actual total amount of money put towards security and

Initially, the author gets into a process of introspection in which he is surrounded by the question of what it means to be a good agent; he creates this atmosphere by using rhetorical questions that emphasize his outgoing moral conflict due to the fact that the duties of a border agent clashed with his principles.

Immigration to North America is a topic that many texts have covered. This type of writing piece can be conveyed in many ways and in many mediums. However, the formal way in which the authors of “What Colour is Your English?” have written their report gives it more credibility in the eyes of the reader. This aids in exposing a serious prejudice within Canadian society that needs to be dissolved due to the detrimental impacts on those it affects.

It was reported in the San Antonio Express News that “Border-Patrolling Drones Would Call Texas Base Home.” Lynn Brezosky reported that “U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin cut the ribbon for the launch of the nation’s fourth base for operating border surveillance drones.” This is important in securing the U.S.-Mexico border, which the U.S. has an approximate 1,933 mile long border with Mexico (Beaver). Brezosky also reported that “the Homeland Security budget called for two drones for Texas.” The new drones in Texas are another step towards securing the U.S. border with Mexico. On the other hand, the so called “border fence” is producing less than favorable results.