As Canadian As Possible Under The Circumstances By Linda Hutcheon

What is a Canadian? When considering the figurative language within, “I’m not the Indian you had in mind” by Thomas King and, “As Canadian as Possible Under The Circumstances” by Linda Hutcheon, the literary devices that illustrate strong Canadian values are idiom, irony and paradox. There are many different expressions and phrases used in our everyday life. Whether it may be English, French, or Cree, they all represent Canada in their own way. In today’s Canadian society there are many idioms that float around our conversations that foreigners might not understand. Linda Hutcheon quotes a poem in her essay called A Canadian Is Somebody Who by John Robert Colombo he writes, “Bets on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Enjoys Air Canada dinners, desserts and all” (Hutcheon 338). This quote is more of a modern day example of Canadian culture that portrays Canadian’s as being a more wealthy and fortunate when referencing gambling and flights. A

This displays when a canuck attempts to describe themselves; this usually turning into making fun and cases of irony. This presents excellently in Hutcheon's Essay when she states, “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 the threat of a kick never far away. Such are the Great Canadians” (Hutcheon 335-336). This is a perfect example of irony because of the way the author is trying to compare something great or extraordinary with a sculpture of a large animal bottom. Sometimes the situations are not always humorous; in King’s piece he states, “The Activist alone in jail” (King line 31). This section of situational irony creates the thought of a person trying to do good for his or her community that ends up in solitary confinement. These pieces of irony brings to light the different situations that Canadian’s come across in their everyday conversations and