Life is hard when you are forced to move to a new country, and follow the rules of a new culture. As a person growing up in Canada I am thankful my parents moved here, but hearing their stories of struggle makes me feel sorry, and lucky that I didn’t have to go through the same. Being a first generation Canadian, I think that Canada does make it hard to adapt, but at the same time, they are very accepting of other cultures. As Canada continues to become a cultural mosaic, and different races, beliefs, and cultures live together as one, some may feel left behind. The stories Why My Mother Can’t Speak English by Garry Engkant, and Growing up Native by Carol Geddes show a mix of hardships and acceptances that people from different cultures go through to adapt to European/Canadian cultures that have been present in the past, and are present now. I feel as a whole, Canada does a good job at preaching multiculturalism and inclusion, and doing things to help immigrants, but there are many cases in which people still feel left behind in the past, and now, because this is a culture in which communicating “our way” makes things easier, unfortunately.
Although it is easier to speak English to communicate with others, Canada is still a country in which you are allowed to stick to your own culture. This is shown in the quote: "before they come and take away my house." "Nobody 's going to do that. This is Canada" (Engkant, pg.1). The narrator’s mother is in fear of being targeted by
The Canadian government portrays the country as a land of new beginnings, where people go to start a better life for themselves and their families. With much to offer to newcomers, including the promises of safety, security and healthcare, the vast selection of jobs and education, and an overall high quality of living, many immigrants have chosen and will continue to choose Canada as their new home country. Canadian officials take pride in accepting and embracing multiculturalism - as Canada is often referred to as a country of cultural mosaic in contrast to the idea of the American ‘melting pot’. This image of Canada overlooks the ill-advised past actions that have taken place, much the same way as it disregards the subtle discrimination that
In the article Why My Mother Can’t Speak English by Garry Engkent, the men appear to hold more power than the women. The son shows that men have the power by taking control away from his mother and making decisions for her. The father shows this by preventing the mother from learning English and forcing his opinions onto her. Feminist theory examines how women in a piece of writing may be marginalized (Kennedy). It is important to examine this piece of writing with feminist theory because of the way that the dynamics in the relationships reflect patriarchy.
How do you think one’s culture affects how they see what is going on in the world? We have read several short stories, poems, and excerpts during the past couple of weeks, we also have our own personal experiences. With what we have seen, read, and learned ourselves we can conclude that one’s culture has a great deal to do with how we see each other, the world, and what is going on in the world. In My Mother Pieced, a poem by Teresa Palomo Acosta, she talks about these quilts that are a part of her mother's culture.
Being Canadian means belonging to a Canadian society, where regardless of location, each community is rich with diversity, culture and tradition. When asked what being a Canadian means, a common answer many people choose without hesitation is multiculturalism and with reason. Canada is known globally for its acceptance of worldwide immigrants, its discrimination-free environment and high tolerance of cultures. This type of environment promotes a healthy and violent-free environment where everyone is family, but most importantly, it decreases hatred towards other cultures. Looking back at Canada’s history, it can be easily noted that it was founded upon settling immigrants looking to start a new life. Nowadays, it is not much different as many people around the world flee their
The idea of an individual immigrating to a new country and picking up its heritage is a facade that is placed upon the immigrants of Canada. To fit in as a Canadian, the public needs to see one as a born Canadian and this is troublesome to many people. Many immigrants and non-Canadians can relate to the family in “The Jade Peony” who’s new lives in Canada has left their “family torn and confused in a strange land [where] everything [is] so very foreign and scientific” (Page 3). Although this seems to exacerbate what it's like living in Canada as a minority, it is a reality for people like the family in “The Jade
Canada is often referred to as one of the most progressive countries in the world for a multitude of reasons: being the first country to constitutionally enshrine aboriginal and treaty rights, the steady escalation of interracial Canadian marriages, and committing to the official policy of Multiculturalism, which is entrenched in the 1982 Constitution Act and the Multicultural Act of 1988 (Fleras, 2017). However, Canada is not the post-racist utopia as it appears to be as that Canada is not necessarily the same Canada “experienced by the disenfranchised such as Aboriginal peoples, racialized minorities, and the newest Canadians” (Fleras, 2017, p.7). The reality of Canada’s seemingly pristine reputation is routinely glossed over with “polite fictions of tolerance, fairness, and generosity” (Fleras, 2017, p.6). That is, there is a discrepancy between the ideal – what Multiculturalism says it is doing in combating racism – and the real – what it is really doing in perpetuating a racialized and racist Canada (Fleras, 2014, p.246). In my essay, I will be unveiling three inconvenient truths and how they are masked. First, I will describe how Multiculturalism is merely a system that manages different ethnicities in a way that allows white privilege to prevail. Second, I will debunk the myth of Canada’s near-non-existent colonial legacy. Last, I will explain the myth of meritocracy and how it is reflected in a vertical mosaic. Only through a series of polite fictions that mask
Many immigrants decide to come to Canada in search of new beginnings without the fear of being
Canada may not be a good place for immigrants because the government is extractive. The take of the land from Indigenous people is ongoing. Many indigenous girls are murdered around Canada and the government does not do anything to stop that. Canada is committed to free trade, multiculturalism on paper, but these policies do not apply in real-life. Even today, the government is still extracting land “the crime of indigenous girl should only have been a crime with no social implications”. Are those girls murdered because they are part of the minority or just a regular crime of people? There is no possible reconciliation between indigenous people and the government. In 2002, a female indigenous had to fast for 6 weeks to have the attention of
Immigration has been a significant part of Canada. Immigrants come here to search for work opportunities, a new life, and to prepare to start or support a family. However, there are many challenges that come along with a new life, significantly, social exclusion.
Canadians have a very peaceful reputation internationally, yet not many countries know much about the Canada. Save for the most prominent stereotypes of Canada, such as maple syrup, beavers or the cold, Canada’s reputation shows its citizens to be very polite, accepting and down-to-earth people. Canada as a country is seen as a place of opportunity, whether it be for jobs, education or a new start. It is seen as very progressive in its human rights laws and reputable in general. One of Canada’s biggest identifiers internationally is its multiculturalism. Approximately 250,000 people immigrate to Canada each year from all around the globe, making it a mosaic of different cultures, religions and races. Some people and countries
Moving on to the theme of mental health, it quickly becomes obvious that The Last Warner Woman presents two different views on the topic. After the death of Mother Lazarus, Adamine runs away from the leper colony to a Revival Church (cf. Miller 40 ff.), where she meets Bishopess Herbert, her “second mother” (Miller 42). Bishopess Herbert is the one who teaches Adamine how to use the “gift of warning” (cf. Miller 42).
Immigrants today now have the privilege of entering and residing in Canada but along with this privilege, there are also barriers that impede their integration and deprive them of equal opportunity in the society. The undervaluing of foreign education and credentials has emerged over the years as a huge obstacle faced by recent immigrants who seek employment in the areas that they have been trained, and worked in for decades in their respective home countries. For years, newcomers in Canada have been denied inclusion into the Canadian labour market simply because of policies that were
The quantity of individuals who are into Canada is consistently expanding as seen somewhere around 2001 and 2006, the quantity of remotely conceived individuals expanded by 13.6%, and by, 2006 Canada had developed to have 34 ethnic groups with no less than one hundred thousand individuals each, of which eleven have more than 1,000,000 individuals and various others are spoken to in littler sums. 16.2% of the populace self-distinguishes as a noticeable minority (Statistics Canada, 2011). This massive immigration has ensured that multiculturalism in Canada has never faced any threat of collapse. The Canadians know that the only way different cultures are going to strive in the country is by supporting legal immigration of people from various parts of the world into the country. By allowing the settlement of immigrants, multiculturalism in Canada was being
What can one say about their mother? One may talk about her positive and negative
A mother is someone who can take the place of all others but no one can take the place of her. There are many different definitions you could use to describe your mother. My mother, Pam Krull, fits every one of those. Today I decided to pick the three that I thought was most important to me. I admire and aspire to be like my mother because of how supportive, how selfless, and how loving she is.