Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson

* Lena sits in the back seat, next to another young, fair-skinned Aboriginal woman. She has a toddler on her lap. Again, that theme of pregnancy is raised and in response to the child’s cries, the driver turns and slaps her across the face. This scene seems to highlight the negative aspects of Aboriginal culture – that is, the subordination of women and prevalence of domestic violence.

The Artslink Queensland production of Ruby Moon by Matt Cameron can be described as an example of the Australian Gothic dramatic style. Ruby Moon, set in picture perfect Flaming Tree Grove, is about the tragic dilemma of a couple, Ray and Sylvie, trying to cope with the earlier disappearance of their young daughter, Ruby, while on the way to visit her grandmother at the end of the cul-de-sac (Queensland Education, 2014).

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 Thomson Highway’s play The Rez Sisters it involves a group of sisters wanting to go to an ample bingo in Toronto to win big, but behind the main story lies many hidden and valuable events. One of the prevalent themes in the Rez Sisters is violence from men against the women. Majority of the women have experienced some sort of domestic violence. The women in the play who were abused are Emily Dictionary, who was forced to abandon her family to save her own life from her husband and Zhaboonigan who was raped by two men with a screw driver. Specifically in this report we will be exploring the sexual violence against the women in The Rez Sisters and how it relate's to Indigenous women today.

Colonialism is an ongoing practice that is marginalizing indigenous communities because of their race, class, gender, and sexuality. Qwo-li Driskill et al quoted Rayna Green claiming “that colonial discourses represent Native women as sexually available for white men’s pleasure” (34). From their first contact the Europeans through to the present day, Aboriginal, Indigenous, and First Nations women have been categorized and seen as Other. Sarah Hunt employs in her analysis a form of postcolonial critique used by Edward Said, who argues in Orientalism (1978) that there exist constructs of false assumptions underlying Western attitudes towards racialized others, including Indigenous groups, rooted in Eurocentric prejudice, serving as an implicit

Every time you step onto the stage the movement you show reveals you as the dancer but also the dance that was created. A ballet isn’t as simple as an arabesque or balancé de côté that are put together to provide a show. Each ballerina on the stage brings their own personal approach to how they dance, it’s a little more psychological than one may think. As said by Likolani Brown “you have to work hard but also not lose track of who you are and you have to remember why you do it. You do it because you love it and you have something individual to give to the art.” For a dancer it’s not just the determination but the personality in dancing that fully brings one to the art. In ballet or any form of dance there are two elements which are inward and outward. Inward being the choreography or creativity of an artist tied together with the outward putting pressure on that artist to create a product. This product of art has to keep the ballet world spinning even though so little is understood about the ballet. So, how can we as ballerinas can we really communicate the inward with each other or with the audience when the pressure of the outward lies so heavily? A ballerina will speak no words but will be heard because the movements that we make is our own form of communication. Movements, choreography, terminology are all things a ballerina would use to really say something, to explore and discover more about each other. For dancers this form is so unique and special to us because we

Eden Robinsons short story “Traplines” illustrates the struggles of an aboriginal upbringing surrounded by white culture. Will is the principal character, he is an aboriginal adolescent who is exposed to poverty, substance abuse, and violence within his family and friends. He has little mentorship or support until his English teacher Mrs. Smythe and her husband offer to adopt him. Throughout the story Robinson relies heavily on characterization, specifically Mrs. Smythe. The portrayal of Mrs. Smythe helps develop the theme which illustrates the differences between aboriginal and white culture in Canada.

Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California in April of 1952. He is the son of Mexican-American working-class people and he also earned his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in 1976 at The University of California. In the novel, Pacific Crossing, Soto writes about two teenage best friends who receive an invitation to Japan to participate in an exchange student program. The two friends, Lincoln Mendoza and Tony Contreras, are from California and they both live in the same neighborhood, called a barrio. Gary Soto also lived in a barrio when he was growing up in California. Tony and Lincoln are also Mexican-American, like Soto.

Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach incorporates words and phrases from the Haisla language in an effort to reflect the protagonist’s culture while also satiating the cultural curiosity of a non-indigenous audience. The incorporation of Haisla is one of the mechanics of the Glorious Northern Gothic novel, as it provides a reformation of traditional Gothic conventions through an Indigenous lens. The Haisla language is presented through the protagonist’s narration and is usually introduced in an instructional tone or story. Italics mark most of the language in the text; however in some instances the words are not italicized or are only implied. It is through this process of marking that the use of Haisla language moves beyond a mode of integrating the protagonist’s culture into the story and provides a critique on Non-Indigenous Canadians’ appetite for Indigenous stories: what language the text contains and what language is omitted defines what parts of the culture Non-Indigenous Canadians have already consumed or are permitted to consume.

If Lisamarie is unsure of certain aspects of her own culture, how are the outsiders who are not familiar with the Haisla culture at all, supposed to understand her family's supernatural gifts. This is where the audience viewing this book has troubles understanding Lisamaries perspective and also why many readers take in a Eurocentric viewing of the novel. Lisas supernatural encounters are blamed on post-traumatic stress, passed on through generations in result of residential schools, drinking and drug abuse, and grieving of dead relatives. The author Eden Robinson makes it easy for the reader to claim that Lisa is crazy, due to all these tragedies over the course of her life. Although there is some unproven evidence towards Lisas visions being linked to trauma, one must take a deeper look to realize her mental health is stable.

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson is a fictional novel that takes the reader on a cultural expedition through the different layers of the Hiasla culture. As the book begins, Lisa, the protagonist, wakes up as her parents are preparing to leave to help with the search to find her brother, who is missing at sea. Lisa decides to join her parents, however, she cannot find a flight, so, she decides to take her family's motorboat on a long journey along the Pacific Ocean coast. Along the way, she either almost drowns and is rescued by her brother, almost drowns and gets a vision from her dead brother to send a message to his girlfriend, or drowns. Her brother falls in love, but upon finding out that his soon-to-be fiancé was raped by another man he takes a fishing job with the man and kills him on the ocean after sinking their boat. The novel is structured in four chapters. The narrative is told in first person perspective, Lisa's perspective. During the present narrative, Lisa reflects on events leading up to her brother's disappearance and significant events in her life. Intertwined with this narrative is a series of frequent and sometimes lengthy flashbacks which illustrate how her brother came to be lost at sea. Robinson’s style of writing depicts time in both a linear and abstract form; Robinson’s style showcases the validity of Haisla culture in modern time.

“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

Monkey Beach is a story of multiple layers, expanding and growing in complex ways through every page. Monkey Beach combines multiple themes such as happiness, and mishap, grief and survival into one story, creating a suspenseful novel that is calm, yet filled with much adventure which impacts each character differently, making them grow and develop in different ways. This novel is written by Eden Robinson, born January 19th, 1968. Robinson has an older brother and younger sister, and lived in the Haisla territory that is close to the Kitamaat village right by the coast of British Columbia and was a the daughter of a mixed parentage. When she was young, her biggest influence was Stephen King as she read his books many times from when she was 10 all the way to 14. Due to Stephen King, she quickly became a “bookworm” and began writing when she started studying at the University of Victoria for creative writing. After graduating, Robinson moved to Vancouver to look for work that would let her write. After working small jobs at night and having a short story published in PRISM International magazine, she decided to go into a master’s program in the University of British Columbia. She later wrote Trapline, which was her first book and was published in 1996, later winning her the Winifred Holtby award. After many months, Robinson began writing Monkey Beach in her apartment, she worked hard to make the novel complex and compelling and published it in 2000 which resulted in her

Apart from Trudy’s alcoholism, her character presents several aspects and behaviours which can be summarized as a lack of proper parenting skills. Within this novel, there is little explanation for Trudy’s deficiency in this area. As such, the reader is left with the most probable explanation being her alcohol abuse. This may seem the most probable considering when intoxicated she becomes highly abusive towards her daughter, going as far as to tell her to “shut up you whore” (128). However, through the historical context provided by research, information points to another explanation for her absence of parenting skills. When a child is placed in an environment like a residential school which was beyond notorious for its “inadequate parenting, parenting skills are often deficient” (Brasfield 2001). Bearing in mind the absence of remotely proper parenting skills at residential schools, there is a strong amount of evidence suggesting Trudy’s lack of skill in this area stems from her attendance at a residential school. Charles Brasfield’s research suggests residential schooling adversely affects its attendee’s future ability to parent considering residential school

Although historical moments within the colonial era excluded Indigenous women stories, Indigenous feminism is a theory and practice that seeks the need to define the challenges Indigenous women faced as a result of intersections of race, ethnicity, and gender . They differ from white feminism and/or liberal feminism because white feminism tend to focus on gender and oppression, and overlook racial issues . Indigenous feminism has served as an agency of understanding Indigenous women’s struggles and revealing the silences of the past within history.