Analysis Of As Canadian As Possible Under The Circumstances

The application from the essay “ As Canadian As Possible Under the Circumstances” by Linda Hutcheon and the poem “I’m not the Indian you had in mind” by Thomas King shows in the aspects of the history, culture and tone side of things The talk of history shows relevance because it is significant in the importance of how Canadians act today. In the poem it talks about the progress they make towards reconciliation but then fall back and go backwards, “seven forward, seven back” (King). The author Thomas King portrays very important thoughts in the poem about residential schools and how that has affected how people act today. The way that that the government has acted against indigenous groups “The Oka guy, remember me? Ipperwash, Wounded Knee” (King lines 86-87) an example being the Oka Crisis

This is something super important in impacting Canadians in their everyday lives. As Canadian As Possible Under the Circumstances talks about Canadian culture and language and how we have the ability to make fun of ourselves to communicate a message. Canadians are generally good people but can come across as bitter. By saying “Three life-sized horses’ rumps that protrude from a wall are clearly a broad visual pun on the idea of a “horse’s ass” with a the threat of a kick never far away” (Hutcheon p 335-336) it shows the sense of humor Canadians have. In the poem he says “But I’m not the Indian you had in mind I’m that other one” showing the way that the culture perceives that culture. In Canada they are usually seen as being a superior white race. However by looking at this essay and poem it shows that we are multicultural and bilingual. It is important to understand how Canadian culture affects how people treat one another. The beliefs, religious groups and the social groups Canadians fall into is relevant in how others view us and it is a significant