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The Theme Of Loss In Indian Horse And I M Not The Indian You Had In Mind

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Recommended: The role of indigenous people and settlers in colonization

Loss is a sadness that lingers in claims of silence where all memories have been buried. Two texts that involve readers looking at the theme of loss which are explored in Richard Wagamese’s novel "Indian Horse" and in Thomas King's poem "I’m Not The Indian You Had In Mind" respectively. The authors illuminate on the effects of loss and how colonization has impacted the characters and cultural identities, offering struggles faced by the Indigenous peoples. The narrative elements demonstrate a convergence and powerful inspection of colonization in the characters journey as to the struggles they had gone through. Along with the effects on cultural appropriation highlighting the identities forced to leave on Indigenous people. Also the use of …show more content…

Colonization occurs in residential schools as demonstrated in the quotation “I’d never heard from my parents. Maybe they couldn’t find me. Maybe their shame over abandoning us in the bush was too great. Or maybe the drink had taken them over as easily as hockey had claimed me. Some nights I felt crippled by the ache of loss” (Wagamese 42). The author shows Saul as lonely due to the loss of community connections and the absence of his family. This relates to colonization, as it shows broken family relationships. His emotional pain stems from his love of hockey because playing hockey provides an outlet for his loneliness. Similarly, to the absence of Saul's family, the poem's quote demonstrates “It’s not as bad as it might sound hell, we didn’t make this mess. It was given us and when we’re gone as our parents did we’ll pass it on” (King, Lines 58 - 64). It depicts the Indigenous people's losses of land, culture, and identity, as well as the loss of their traditional way of life. The writer has a connection to the struggles they faced as a result of the consequences the Indigenous faced and indicates that challenges will arise in the future. Moreover, in the research source "[t]hese are tough conversations and we have to get to a point where we are willing to make mistakes because we are going to make mistakes along the way" (Larson, online). It conveys reconciliation and difficult conversation, similar to loss, loneliness, and healing. The text and the real world demonstrate the complexities of historical injustices. The text manifests a difficult conversation about the Indigenous impact on colonization with the launch of new websites because Saskatoon is attempting to bridge the gap. However, in the real world, Indigenous peoples face numerous challenges. Based on the

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