Questions And Answers On Joseph Boyden's 'Orenda'
Initial Topic Proposal
Research about Author and Time Period
Joseph Boyden was born in October 31, 1966
Joseph Boyden’s father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the most highly decorated medical officer of World War II.
He grew up in Willowdale, North York, Ontario and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School
Boyden experienced depression in his teenage years, and has admitted that he attempted suicide at sixteen
Of Irish, Scottish and Anishinaabe heritage, Boyden writes about First Nations heritage and culture
The time period in which he writes The Orenda is in the 17th century
Questions:
1. How will the growing relationship between Snow …show more content…
Falls and the Bird affect the plot of the story near the end?
2. What is the significance of telling the story from all three points of view instead of having one narrator?
3. What is so symbolic about Snow Falls mistakenly cutting off her finger as she cut off Bird’s finger?
4. What does Bird see in Snow Falls that makes him want to keep her as a daughter?
5. How has living with the “sauvages” changed Christophe for the better?
Possible Topics:
The influence of isolation on a human being
The need for companionship in a human’s life
The influence of religious belief to a society’s lifestyle
The lack of respect towards human life
The environment and how it affects the people living in it
Tribe rivalry and how it can bring destruction
Critical Review 1: Hayden King thinks that The Orenda is a book that places blame on a certain tribe for the destruction of the Huron and the loss of their Orenda.
Although the author of the book Joseph Boyden claimed that the he had no intention of making any tribe to blame for the destruction of the Huron, King says otherwise. To King the reason why The Orenda was not a good book was because “The themes that push this narrative are a portrayal of Haudenosaunee people as antagonistic, the privileging of the Jesuit perspective, and a reinforcing of old story-telling tropes about Indigenous people (King 2013).” He thinks that these three points prove that the book is implying that the Haudenosaunee people destroyed the Huron and their Orenda. Furthermore King brings up how the only two people from the Iroquois are presented in the book; one of which being Snow Falls who eventually joins the Wendat tribe, and the other being “Tekakwitia, leader of the army that eventually destroys the Huron and tortures to death Christophe the Crow (King 2013).” For this reason he comes to the conclusion that The Orenda was a book meant to place blame on a certain tribe for the destruction of the …show more content…
Huron.
Critical Review 2: Terri Monture also agrees that The Orenda portrays a bad image on her tribe, the Iroquois and she also thinks that the portrayal of women in the story is also a major issue.
The Orenda portrays Gosling and Snowfalls as being “magical”. As Monture states, “I really dislike the idea of making women “magical.” To do so negates their humanity, makes them viewed as mystical creatures that cannot possibly be real.” The Orenda in this case is also a book that treats women as if they are not human beings which would raise some women equality issues. She says that this is one of the reasons why she did not continue to read the book. The author seemed to make it sound as if this novel was meant to be a novel just for men to read as the women in the book are portrayed in a bad way. In conclusion the reason why Terri Monture found this book to be offensive is because it portrayed a bad image on the Iroquois and to the women in the
novel.
By: Hassan Abdulrahman
Works Cited
King, Hayden. "CRITICAL REVIEW OF JOSEPH BOYDEN 'S." MUSKRAT Magazine. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. <http://muskratmagazine.com/critical-review-of-joseph-boydens-the-orenda-a-timeless-classic-colonial-alibi/>.
Monture, Terri. "An Onkwehonwe in Kanata." : In Which I Review Joseph Boyden 's The Orenda. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. <http://redindiangirl.blogspot.ca/2013/09/in-which-i-review-joseph-boydens-orenda.html>.
Research about Author and Time Period
Joseph Boyden was born in October 31, 1966
Joseph Boyden’s father Raymond Wilfrid Boyden was a medical officer renowned for his bravery, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was the most highly decorated medical officer of World War II.
He grew up in Willowdale, North York, Ontario and attended the Jesuit-run Brebeuf College School
Boyden experienced depression in his teenage years, and has admitted that he attempted suicide at sixteen
Of Irish, Scottish and Anishinaabe heritage, Boyden writes about First Nations heritage and culture
The time period in which he writes The Orenda is in the 17th century
Questions:
1. How will the growing relationship between Snow …show more content…
Falls and the Bird affect the plot of the story near the end?
2. What is the significance of telling the story from all three points of view instead of having one narrator?
3. What is so symbolic about Snow Falls mistakenly cutting off her finger as she cut off Bird’s finger?
4. What does Bird see in Snow Falls that makes him want to keep her as a daughter?
5. How has living with the “sauvages” changed Christophe for the better?
Possible Topics:
The influence of isolation on a human being
The need for companionship in a human’s life
The influence of religious belief to a society’s lifestyle
The lack of respect towards human life
The environment and how it affects the people living in it
Tribe rivalry and how it can bring destruction
Critical Review 1: Hayden King thinks that The Orenda is a book that places blame on a certain tribe for the destruction of the Huron and the loss of their Orenda.
Although the author of the book Joseph Boyden claimed that the he had no intention of making any tribe to blame for the destruction of the Huron, King says otherwise. To King the reason why The Orenda was not a good book was because “The themes that push this narrative are a portrayal of Haudenosaunee people as antagonistic, the privileging of the Jesuit perspective, and a reinforcing of old story-telling tropes about Indigenous people (King 2013).” He thinks that these three points prove that the book is implying that the Haudenosaunee people destroyed the Huron and their Orenda. Furthermore King brings up how the only two people from the Iroquois are presented in the book; one of which being Snow Falls who eventually joins the Wendat tribe, and the other being “Tekakwitia, leader of the army that eventually destroys the Huron and tortures to death Christophe the Crow (King 2013).” For this reason he comes to the conclusion that The Orenda was a book meant to place blame on a certain tribe for the destruction of the …show more content…
Huron.
Critical Review 2: Terri Monture also agrees that The Orenda portrays a bad image on her tribe, the Iroquois and she also thinks that the portrayal of women in the story is also a major issue.
The Orenda portrays Gosling and Snowfalls as being “magical”. As Monture states, “I really dislike the idea of making women “magical.” To do so negates their humanity, makes them viewed as mystical creatures that cannot possibly be real.” The Orenda in this case is also a book that treats women as if they are not human beings which would raise some women equality issues. She says that this is one of the reasons why she did not continue to read the book. The author seemed to make it sound as if this novel was meant to be a novel just for men to read as the women in the book are portrayed in a bad way. In conclusion the reason why Terri Monture found this book to be offensive is because it portrayed a bad image on the Iroquois and to the women in the
novel.
By: Hassan Abdulrahman
Works Cited
King, Hayden. "CRITICAL REVIEW OF JOSEPH BOYDEN 'S." MUSKRAT Magazine. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. <http://muskratmagazine.com/critical-review-of-joseph-boydens-the-orenda-a-timeless-classic-colonial-alibi/>.
Monture, Terri. "An Onkwehonwe in Kanata." : In Which I Review Joseph Boyden 's The Orenda. Web. 7 Mar. 2015. <http://redindiangirl.blogspot.ca/2013/09/in-which-i-review-joseph-boydens-orenda.html>.