Go Back To Where You Came From Summary

Canada is well known for its diversity and well-rounded society in terms of varying cultures, ethnicities, traditions, etc. But was our nation always like this? And, what goes on beneath the surface of this “diversity-embracing” facade? The article The Long History of “Go Back to Where You Came from” in Canada by Michael Fraiman delves into Canada’s history of unjust immigration policies, xenophobic societal attitudes and the path to cultivating a multicultural atmosphere. Fraiman adequately reports the emotions of numerous Canadian citizens and immigrants through his effective use of writing traits such as organization, sentence fluency, and ideas throughout this piece. Firstly, throughout this text, the reader is led through centuries of Canadian history, specifically, in chronological order. This allows the reader to
Lastly, Fraiman's ideas are well-informed and thought-provoking. He has chosen ideas from varying periods, and perspectives, and even uses methods of comparing and contrasting that allow the reader to reflect on what they “know” about their nation. Each idea is connected to the thesis and offers a fresh perspective that helps the reader unpeel the layers of Canada’s so-called developing diversification. For example, Fraiman compares past historical injustices such as, “...the transatlantic fleet had off-loaded 12, 519 Irish emigrants, all of them sick, poor, starved and hopeless. This was how the United Kingdom decided to combat the Great Famine of Ireland: cast off the poorest to British North America” (Fraiman). To the current day, “According to Statistics Canada, hate crimes against Muslims grew 253 percent from 2012 to 2015.” (Fraiman). By using ideas that are validated through historical events, the author can emphasize the repetition and ongoing cyclical pattern that persists within racism in