Topic: Saul writes, “it wasn’t a yearning for new geography that drove me - it was my tiredness of the old. The bush ceased to be a haven. A vacant feeling sat where the beginnings of my history had once been. That part of myself was a tale long dead, one that held nothing for me.” (177)
Write about how this statement is a departure from Saul’s, and other indigenous people’s history. Response: This statement is an expression of what we as Canadians took from Native Americans. This shows how once the children were torn from their families, it was never the same as it was before they left. After the victims had spent so much time in the horrible residential schools, their once beautiful culture became a nightmare. They no longer felt safe after we mutilated everything they had, the only option they had was to move on and become "normal". Indigenous people had everything taken away from them by the privileged white man. This statement proves just how lost people can get when they have their childhood taken away from them.
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Topic: Saul talks about the power of music saying, “ once I discovered Dvorak’s cello concerto, I turned to it again and again through my travels to suspend the desperation clutching at my gut. Work and music sustained me for a long time.” (180)
Saul is not unlike many of us, finding purpose and escape through the arts. Write about what sustains you. Response: In my life, as any normal teenage student does, I have quite a lot of stress placed on my shoulders. As a soon to be grade 12 high school student, my grades are everything to me. In order to get passed everything, I put my heart and soul into spending time with my friends, solving puzzles, playing with my dog and listening to an abundance of music. When I do homework I normally have music going, in a way it comes me down, while also keeping me focused and motivated. In times when I feel lost, or alone, I turn to music. Music has always had open arms anytime I need a distraction. Although friends are an extraordinary aspect in life, they can also be the force dragging us down sometimes. Friends are amazing, they are there in the moments to celebrate, as well as in times of need. Without friends, I wouldn't be in the place I am now but in the end, music will always be my one true love. |