Hazel's Isolation

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.

Firstly, within the novel, it is clear that Hazel is a caring person and is fully aware of what her body’s condition does to her

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

In the boiling pot of America most people have been asked “what are you?” when referring to one’s race or nationality. In the short story “Borders” by Thomas King he explores one of the many difficulties of living in a world that was stripped from his race. In a country that is as diverse as North America, culture and self-identity are hard to maintain. King’s short story “Borders” deals with a conflict that I have come to know well of. The mother in “Borders” is just in preserving her race and the background of her people. The mother manages to maintain her identity that many people lose from environmental pressure.

There is a sense of rebellion throughout the story that reminds the reader of what it’s like to be a child. As a child I can remember talking back, and when something didn’t go my way I would pout and “give (them) some lip.” (Bambara 450) Having this sense of rebellion makes it feel like you can do whatever you want with no price to pay. However, this again shows the rebellious nature of Hazel helping the reader realize she is a child. Even when Hazel talks to the manager of the movie theater she is courageous enough to “…kick the door open…and sit down...” (Bambara 451)and demand the manager her money back. She even puts up an argument to get out of punishment with her parents when she knows she has done something wrong. The connectivity between these two ideas help

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

Hazel grace was remarkably negative during her cancer battle. A quote from the book is, on page 99, Hazel says “I’m like. Like. I’m like a grenade, Mom. I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up. I just want to stay away from people… because there’s nothing I can do about hurting you” She was saying that she is going to die and she wants to stay away from people so they don’t end up being hurt.

No matter how old you are, you might know what It feels like to lose a loved one. Hazel Grace has never been anything but terminal, until she meets Augustus Waters, and that’s when her story is about to be completely rewritten. The novel is an emotional roller coaster dealing with first loves, terminal illnesses, secrets, passion and trust. In the novel, The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel Grace must go through what any person with a terminal disease must go through and beyond that: overcoming a terminal disease, love, and fear.

The theme of the short story “Borders” by Thomas King is: the right path may not always be the easiest. This is first shown when the protagonist, Laetitia’s mother tries to declare her citizenship as Blackfoot when the border guard as her for her citizenship. The mother doesn’t see herself as Canadian nor American; she sees herself as Blackfoot and she tells the border guard. Laetitia’s mother talked with everyone at the border, but in the end, she was told that if she doesn’t declare her citizenship as Canadian or American, she would not be allowed to pass. The narrator explained, “ She [Stella, a border guard] told us that if my mother didn’t declare her citizenship, we would have to go back to where we came from. My mother stood

To begin with, this story takes place mainly in Indianapolis in the 21st century. The story also takes place in hospitals, support groups in churches, as well as each other’s homes. From this, I can understand when Hazel describes

Hazel has a strong identity in the story, she has much self-confidence and is not afraid of letting everyone know that she is the best, “Now some people like to act like things come easy to them, won’t let on that they practice. Not me. I’ll high-prance down 34th street like a rodeo pony to keep my knees strong even if it does get my mother uptight.” p. 1 ll. 29-31. Thus her strong and proud personality, she still loves and protects Raymond and is not afraid of showing this either. At the end of the story Hazel’s view on other people changes, when she sees Raymond running parallel with her at the May Day race in his own unique style. She realizes that everyone is not just who she sees them to be, that there are more to people than you can

The mother, throughout the short story, is proud to be a Blackfoot. The first piece of evidence that supports this is that the mother blatantly refuses to identify as Canadian or American. When the mother said, “Citizenship?” “Blackfoot”. The mother knows she has to identify as either an American or Canadian but she refuses to because of how proud she is of her people. Next, after the border officers were being nice and pleasant to her and explaining that her identifying as either a Canadian or an American was a

The book revolves around 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster, and 17 year old Augustus Waters. Hazel doesn’t lead an ordinary teenage life, she suffers of lung cancer. After a long time of struggling with her illness, her parents decide that

The relatable personas of the characters are undoubtedly the strongest aspect of this novel. Readers are guided through the life of a cancer patient, hand-in-hand with Hazel, through the use of first person narrative perspective. Each of the characters have their own unique story which is beautifully portrayed in Hazel’s mind. Despite the lyrical and detailed descriptions, the novel has a wonderful pace, not lagging at

Despite the adversity they face, the characters in The Fault in Our Stars identity lies within their inner selves, and is not defined by societal expectations. Hazel expresses her frustration with the lesser standard that is expected of cancer patients, saying “According to Maslow, I was…unable to feel secure in my health and therefore unable to reach for love and respect and art…which is utter horseshit: The urge to make art or contemplate philosophy does not go away when you are sick” (Green 213). According to society, cancer patients, and those who are not “secure in their health” are restricted from experiencing life at its fullest. The outside world sees Hazel in singular terms, as “a cancer kid”, unable to reach for greatness;