The Stone Angel: Canadian Landscape

In the poem “Loch Ard Gorge” by John Foulcher he represents his vision of the world by describing a place called Loch Ard Gorge where there is a constant battle between life and death with death slowly winning. He does this by describing the Gorge in a way that compares life and death with the sea and the land, two places which can not exist without the other yet are difficult to reconcile.

Having travelled a lot myself, and lived in many provinces, one of those being in the east, I understand what Pittman is saying about being a Newfoundlander first. Upon my travel east, I meet some of the nicest people in my life. However, as friendly as they are, if you are not from there it’s hard to be accepted and trusted. The more I got to know people, and understand how much life was different there, they trusted me more. This much more so with more mature generations. As much as they are Canadian, they see themselves in their own little world. This being said, the same could be said for Toronto, Ontario. Having lived there as well, I found it very easy to be accepted in such a large place with so

The memories in the poem maintain a cohesiveness and continuity of experience through repeated motifs such as the violets and the ‘whistling’. Memories also give us a recovered sense of life, as shown through the final line of the poem ‘faint scent of violets drifts in air’. This example of sensory imagery also creates a rhythmic drifting sense linked closely to the “stone-curlews call from Kedron Brook”. It echoes images of the speaker’s mind drifting into reflection and aurally creates transience between the present and the past.

Eaton presents both settings as hostile and daunting. The desert is depicted as being a dangerous prison from which escape is impossible as described as “Dry, thorny bushes formed a natural, almost impenetrable wall of spinifex.” (Pg.145) and Port Barren as described as “A hot, dusty, dry hole with flies.” (Pg.17) by Jamie. The reader is positioned to sympathize with Jamie’s predicament of being stuck in this unfriendly environment. Jamie’s relationship with the setting by the end as he is accepted by the locals and earns a sense of belonging. As a short extract from the story represents: “I meant to ask you, what do you reckon I am? Neither mate. You’re local.” (Pg.

The appreciation of nature is illustrated through imagery ‘and now the country bursts open on the sea-across a calico beach unfurling’. The use of personification in the phrase ‘and the water sways’ is symbolic for life and nature, giving that water has human qualities. In contrast, ‘silver basin’ is a representation of a material creation and blends in with natural world. The poem is dominated by light and pure images of ‘sunlight rotating’ which emphasizes the emotional concept of this journey. The use of first person ‘I see from where I’m bent one of those bright crockery days that belong to so much I remember’ shapes the diverse range of imagery and mood within the poem. The poet appears to be emotional about his past considering his thoughts are stimulated by different landscapes through physical journey.

Humanity is but a facet of the sublime macrocosm that is the world’s landscapes. In the relationship between man and landscape, nature is perpetually authoritarian. In her free-verse poems, The Hawthorn Hedge, (1945) and Flame-Tree in a Quarry (1949), Judith Wright illustrates the how refusal to engage with this environment is detrimental to one’s sense of self, and the relentless endurance of the Australian landscape. This overwhelming force of nature is mirrored in JMW Turner’s Romantic artwork, Fishermen at Sea (1796). Both Wright and Turner utilise their respective texts to allegorise the unequal relationship between people and the unforgiving landscape.

. . took on, over time, the nature of one more hillock in the dramatic rise and fall of the coastal landscape.” (141) Expressed in this statement is the idea that although the Larkins experienced a tragedy that held the town‘s interest for a period, adversity is a natural part of the unpredictability and ups and downs of life. In other words; tragedy and adversity are part of the landscape of life.

Recollecting empowers the individual to delve deeper into meaningful encounters that assist in developing identity whether it be from a reminisced, imaginative or realistic. Illustrating this analogy is Botton’s AOT through its alteration of the basic novel structure to fully capture landscapes as the product of personal perception, all whilst challenging the reader to reconsider the true sense of these places and their everlasting impact on

The themes of faith and religion are weaved through Cloudstreet. The text presents an amalgam of traditional Christian beliefs, working class superstitions and Aboriginal spirituality. Tim Winton builds layers of religious symbolism through the text to show its influence on culture. For example, the river becomes a surreal environment where many important events occur such as the ‘black angel’ (Winton, 1998, page 220) walking on the river, fish that ‘shone like money’ (Winton, 1998, page 216) swarming into Quick’s boat and Fish and Quick being embraced by the stars on the river. The nature in which the river is treated, the clarity and peace upon which it imparts and the importance the characters place upon it create the river as a symbol for the coming together of the two families.

unique because Canada is a cultural mosaic, which allows elements of many cultures to be integrated

When Wallace writes “…the air suffused with honeysuckle and lilacs both, which was almost too much” (1) readers can literally almost catch a whiff of the honeysuckle and lilacs in the air. Wallace’s precise and purposeful style of language allows us to get a true feeling for Lane, our protagonist, and the terror, desperation and nervousness he feels in making a horribly difficult decision. “He hated himself for sitting so frozen. He could almost visualize himself tiptoeing past something explosive. A big stupid-looking tiptoe, like in a cartoon. The whole last black week had been this way and it was wrong” (1) portrays the sheer terror and desperation that Lane is feeling. Wallace tells this story from a limited omniscience point of view, only allowing us into Lane’s head. This point of view complements Lane’s character as well as the tone of this story as it helps to set the frightened and worried mood of the story as it permits us, as readers, to experience the inner conflict and desperation that Lane is feeling. The setting, in my opinion, has hints of foreshadowing that work nicely with Lane’s inner conflict. When Wallace writes “[t]hey were up on a picnic table at that park by the lake, by the edge of the lake…” (1) the word “edge” prompts a feeling that the story is on the verge of change. When Wallace writes of “springtime” and “storms”, it provokes a feeling of newness and change. In my opinion, all of the literary elements in “Good

geography of this country. The natural land forms which are present in Western Canada, such as

Second there is English Canadians who are the descendants of English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish settlers, soldiers and immigrants who came to Canada from the 17th to the 20th century. Generations of these pioneers helped to bring British political institutions and traditions to Canada” ("The government of Canada," n.d., para. 1). However there is a ton of diversity and different religions that has expanded across their region. In the last 200 years many travelled and arrived there (The government of Canada," n.d.).

There are always many differences and similarities between two countries, even they are in close geographical area. Both United States and Canada are on the America continental, therefore the United States and Canada are in close geographical location and in the neighborhoods, most people think that culturally they are same .But this is not true. Despite all similarities between these two countries, there are many differences between them.

Canadian and American cultural views were different which was proved because one is multicultural and the other is not. Canada was known as “mosaic” which means immigrants from any ethnic group were accepted here and were allowed to practice their religion. Therefore, they have a double identity ,meaning they are their ethnic group before a Canadian citizen as in Japanese-Canadian, Asian Canadian and so on . Whereas ,American culture was known as the “melting pot “, where they accept other cultures however they encouraged their citizens to give up their original culture ( Wells ,10 and 11 ). Canadian’s usually describe themselves as “NOT AMERICAN“(Wells,35) . Many Americans view Canada as a positive nation and as a better environment to live in then the United States . A legal sectary from Gastonia ,North Carolina said “Canada’s such a terrific place, I’d move there tomorrow if I could” (Wells, 35). This proves that Americans want to come to Canada since it is a safer environment due to it’s unique culture. Canadians are recognized as more modest, less aggressive and more down to earth then their southern neighbors (Wells,35).