Themes in Austin Clarke's short story Canadian Experience Essay

I am Canadian I am Canadian! I live in a house not an igloo. I drive a car not a dog sled or ski doo.

But this changes a fair amount by the end of this story. After the death of his wife he seemed to be instantly distraught and deranged, the first time we hear from him after the fact, he just sounds like an absolute lunatic. Going on about dog collars and just random things until he deduces who “killed his wife”. In a later chapter he is talking to his friend, while his friend just tries to calm him down, George was already too far gone and made his mind up to take action against his wife’s killer.

When change is thrust upon us, it can change people with it, but when it does, it’s important to remember where you’re from. The importance of this essay is it depicts a time in history when change occurred to a people who, willing or not, did not see the coming effect it would have. This will cover Al Pittman’s, The Day I Became A Canadian, and his point of view on how changing nationalities belittled his country. This will also examine how his writing, being rhetorical elements like sentence structure and diction, enhances his writing, bringing out more emotion in the reader.

First, George’s attentiveness is what led him to be successful since his surroundings influenced him in a positive way. For example on page 11, he says, “I wasn’t any smarter or more special than the guys around me. For some reason, throughout my life I was blessed with people who told me positive things, and I believed in them. I believed my third-grade teacher when she told me that I could go to college and have a great career someday if I just stayed out of trouble.” This shows us that George

The readers are able to take a glimpse into his childhood and adulthood which contrast greatly. For instance, George’s childhood is difficult in ways that can relate to people in the real world. He is brought up in a household where his mother Kathleen’s “humourless regime mask[s her] bitterness far deeper than any of her children and husband imagine.” (92) Kathleen is still “shocked” (92) that she is a wife and a mother so she buries her feelings under “layer upon layer of domestic strictness” (92) hiding her feelings from her children thereafter making them believe that her humourless feelings are just a part of her personality. Because of Kathleen’s views towards the topic of family are bitter, she believes that her epileptic husband should be sent away to an asylum out of pure bitterness rather than care of his well-being. George’s parents do not see eye to eye on this matter. Howard “could not have let himself be witness to the simultaneity of his wife passing him a place of chicken or a basket of hot bread as she worked out her plans to have him taken away.” (128) The feeling of secretly not being wanted by his wife is too hard for him to bare which causes him to abandon his family. Because George witnesses the relationship between his parents crumble and that is when he decides to live a life away from it all, where he raises a family of his own in ways opposite of his own

When the topic of Canada comes up among peoples, immediately the thought of ice hockey, the Mounted Police, and beavers comes to mind. In fact, Canada has truly lost its true identity that we once knew. It is slowly being assimilated and in fact 'Americanized'; in aspects of social identity, national identity, and cultural identity.

Canada might have been one of the best places in the world but for me and Tim, Canada is a lot more than that. For Tim O’ Brien’s “On the Rainy River”, Canada is freedom: freedom from the draft letter that pressures him to go to war, freedom from the war that he never understood and always hated, freedom from the dirt, tent, and mosquitoes, freedom from that dense greasy pig-stink and blood clots in the slaughterhouse, freedom from his country, and freedom from his conscience… or is it? On the other hand, for me, Canada is separation: separation from the friends and family who I most

To me, being a Canadian means that you will stand by your country, and hold it strong well you are at war. It means that you will not give up your home and native land. We might have been a British colony for centuries, but we embrace that. We love our heritage and I would not even try to change who I am. For Canada is my life. Canada is not just a country, it is a home, a refugee, and an enemy. In this essay I will show to you the way that Canada is a home, a refugee and an enemy.

Although I am Canadian and still carry Canadian traits, adopting new traits from being in a different environment has helped me grow and become a better individual. Someone who doesn't move will forever lack certain traits because you are not exposed to different environments. Being from a different country, I have different thoughts on an American than Americans, but after being in America my perspective has altered. Being able to adapt to situations and environments, just as the frontiers had, has lead me to take more pride in my individual self. Going trough life significant life experiences has made me appreciate values of Americans like freedom and justice. The western mythology has helped shape this nation and is responsible for many

George Milton is a hard- working man who travels beside Lennie, yet he would rather travel by himself. He would not have to worry about anyone but himself. He travels with Lennie, and we often find him telling Lennie how much better off he could be without him. One simple reaction to Lennie sets George off on a rant enough to say,

Stepping out onto Canadian soil is the dream of any new immigrant coming to create a new life for a fresh start. The strong images of digging, logging, and construction are just some of the rough edged images that many do not consider when imagining the Canadian Dream. The Canadian Dream in the minds of workers in Michael Ondaatje’s, In the Skin of a Lion, is labouring to create life for themselves and working towards a steady future. Abbott describes the masterplot as “stories that we tell over and over in myriad forms and that connect vitally with our deepest values, wishes, and fears.” (Abbott 46). Ondaatje’s emphasis on labour reminds readers of the difficult work that individuals endured in the early foundational days of Toronto. The Canadian masterplot of labour in early Toronto can be initially thought of as a sparkling dream, when in reality it was harsh work that often went unrecognized. The less educated, along with immigrants were considered lower class and were placed in positions of difficult work and limited pay. Historically, it may be a preconceived notion that Canada was built with ease and peace, but in truth, weathered men and women were the backbone that built the nation. The individuals who built the infrastructure of Toronto endured the most difficult work yet were hidden in the darkness. They experienced the most dangerous labor yet they were recognized the least because of the negative connotations of the job. In this essay I will be outlining the

The first thing that pop out form my mind when I heard about the question “What is a Canadian?” is the world “friendly”. My English teacher in grade eight is from Vancouver, he talked about Canadians are friendly to others.

As the story nears the end the past catches up with the present and it goes on to describe George’s dedicated student lifestyle. He writes: “Every morning I get up and I wonder what I might learn that day. You just never know.” George also reflects on the attitude of people these days: “People worry too much. Life is good, just the way it is.”

One relationship that doesn’t receive a major amount of spotlight is the dynamic between Susan and George. To Susan, George seemed like an honestly nice man who always helped her out when she found herself in jail. “I knew I could count on George” (58), Susan says about George when he would always be the one to bail her out of jail. However, even though to Susan he seems he was always trying to do good, my opinion on his is different. I don’t argue that George is a decent man, one of the few good males in Susan’s life, but I don’t think he is doing well by helping Susan. In a way, even though he is paid to do help Susan, he plays as an enabler in her toxic cycle of crime and jail or in Susan’s words “jumping from the skillet to the frying pan”

George is strict and stubborn throughout the film; even though his mood may change his actions do not. One would think George would undergo a change at the end of the film when he has his family against him, but no signs suggest that George has completely changed.