Where Is Here Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood, well known for her illustrious enhancement of Canadian Literature, claims what distinguishes Canadian writing from the American or European writing is the theme of survival Canadians have experienced. Now, with people from all over the world immigrating to Canada there is a struggle to survive through the preservation of their cultures while living in one that is dominantly English and French. There is tension between the English, French, First Nations and many other cultures that have adopted in Canada. This tension is part of the Canadian identity; the tension is only possible by being constantly determined to preserve it all. Atwood claims the creation of Canadian Literature is from responses to the question, “Where is here?” According to Atwood in
Edwin John Dove Pratt, commonly known as E.J Pratt, was a Canadian poet born and raised in Western Bay, Newfoundland encircled by the charisma of the sea; Pratt uses personified elements, imagery, and the structure of his poem Newfoundland to build a profound connection between the endurance behind human experiences and the qualities of the sea. The structure of the poem is very unclear; there is no clear meter or rhyme scheme and therefore, written in free verse. This irregularity and unpredictability of the structure mimics the tides of the sea and the course of life. He also organizes stanzas based on whether they are forces illustrating using interior or exterior elements of the sea and human life. The unitalicized print in stanzas one, three and five imply the text is illustrating external elements that effect the course of the sea, for instance, “Here the tides flow” (line 1), is an external factor that affects the course of