In her short story “The Loons”‚ Margaret Laurence employs the theme of racism and poverty as a medium to vent‚ and highlight the indignities of the Metis community. The story’s central‚ and dichotomous symbol‚--the Loons--‚ as well as the author’s compassionate tone uniformly evoke and portray sympathy toward the Metis community. The story’s main focus is on both poverty and racism; the two challenges threatening the continued existence of the Metis culture. Together with increasing urbanisation
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The Loons Source: Masterplots II: Short Story Series‚ Revised Edition; January 2004‚ p1-2 Article Author: Cass‚ Jocelyn Creigh Document Type: Work Analysis Biographical Information: Laurence‚ Margaret Given Name: Jean Margaret Wemyss Gender: Female National Identity: Canada Language: English Publication Information: Salem Press Locale: Ontario; Canada; North America Abstract: A summary and analysis of The Loons. Literary Genres/Subgenres: Short fiction; Sketch Subject Terms:
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the long-run. Both “The Loons” by Margaret Laurence and “Compatriots” by Emma Lee Warrior portray similar messages about the Natives. The main characters Hilda and Vanessa represent ignorance because of their stereotypical nature towards the culture. However‚ as Vanessa matures she goes through a realization and understands the sorrow and pain of Piquette and her tradition other than herself. Vanessa’s final understanding of Piquette’s life and culture symbolizes the loons. Both short stories reveal
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The Loons Margaret Laurence’s “The Loons”‚ is a story about an Indian girl who tries to overcome obstacles in her life and discover a place of belonging‚ but in the end‚ dies at an early age. She grows up in an environment where she is not happy‚ and despite her efforts to leave‚ ends up back in her hometown‚ which leads to her death. The theme of this story is that everyone is a product of their environment‚ which is illustrated by Vanessa and Piquette’s lives and the loons on the lake. Vanessa
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My response to Stacey Waite’s Becoming the Loon: Performance Pedagogy and Female Masculinity is hopefully as she expected it- a renewed understand and deconstruction identity‚ and how it’s been expected to be played out in our everyday lives. I enjoyed this reading‚ and it’s intelligent and simultaneously intriguing wording. The "flashbacks" were well done‚ flowed together‚ and were creative in their comparisons to the main text. The paper was also easy to read‚ which made me all the more intrigued
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out the story‚ the loons and their cries symbolize the aboriginal people and their attitudes towards the white settlers and their treatment not only towards native culture but‚ the stereotypical mentality pressed upon them. These feelings of ‘“despair‚ the unprootedness‚ the loss of the land”’ (Stovel 219) where caused by many generations of mistreatment‚ stereotypical‚ and racist mentality. The ethnocentric attitudes of the time‚ are none better portrayed than by the character of Vanessa MacLeod
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“The Loons”: Social Racism Kills a Metis Girl Margaret Laurence’s short story “The Loons” from A Bird in the House has proven highly controversial as an example of racist literature. The Loons‚ is a representation of racial separation in mid-western Canada in the early 1900’s. Here‚ Margaret Laurence uses setting and characterization to show how severe the prejudice of white people can be towards half breeds‚ after the period of new colonization. Piquette Tonnere‚ protagonist‚ who intends to fight
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"The Loons" by Margaret Laurence In the short story "The Loons"‚ Margaret Laurence writes the story of Piquette Tonnerre. A half-Indian girl who grows up under harsh circumstances in a society that suppresses half-breeds. The story is told through another girl‚ Vanessa‚ who comes in contact with Piquette through her father. As the title suggests the story also includes a special type of birds‚ the loons‚ and we can see an obvious comparison between the loons and Piquette. The loons are very
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The Loons Piquette Tonnerre the daughter of Lazarus had a history of regularly visiting at the hospital where Ewen makes a living. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis and her bone began to flare up again as the chapter begins. Vanessa’s father plans to bring Piquette on the family’s summer break to Diamond Lake but the dilemma in this plan was that Beth and Grandfather Macleod did not agree. “Oh dear‚ I’ll bet anything she has nits in her hair” (Beth. page 107) “Ewen‚ if that half-breed youngster
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and partial to the security offered by solitude‚ the loon selects some lonely location on the borders of the lake far from the existence of men. Thoreau‚ in Walden‚ pursues the loon because it represents what Thoreau is himself searching for""the ability to be at home in two worlds‚ but also separate from both of them. To be able to reach a unity with nature and likewise successfully separate himself from society. However‚ he can’t catch the loon because this objective is impossible to achieve. Thoreau
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