"How to Pronounce Knife" by Souvankham Thammavongsa by Ethan Gill [Staff] https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb How does the story detail the experience of immigrants in Canada? Do you agree with W. L. Morton, a famous Canadian historian, when he says that, "one of the blessings of Canadian life is that there is no Canadian way of life...but a unity under the crown admitting of a thousand diversities" (85)? To answer this question, please feel free to use evidence from personal experiences and/or our text. en-us 2021-10-28 22:33:24 UTC 2024-11-04 15:13:57 UTC hello@padlet.com Experience of Immigrants in Canada https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853889087 This story highlights Canadian privileges by consistently comparing Joy's Lao's family home life to her peers at school. It is important to realize that just because Canada is widely known and praised for its multiculturalism and acceptance of foreign cultures, that doesn't mean that each individual is as respectful and understanding of immigrants' challenges. There is still a huge amount of unwavering racism and discrimination against immigrants on a daily basis. As much as we want to call ourselves racially and culturally accepting, immigrants are not living what citizens of Canada who were born and raised here would consider an average Canadian life. We do believe that there are definitely certain aspects the define a Canadian way of life, but we are also a unity of different cultures. For example, Canadians will still have northern American mannerisms and traditions, but there is an abundance of diversity of cultures from all over the world. ]]> 2021-10-29 13:13:51 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853889087 Disagree https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853893971 I think that there is a Canadian way of life and when immigrants come to Canada they are assimilated into society trying to forget her orignal culture: "‘Don’t speak Lao and don’t tell anyone you are Lao. It’s no good to tell people where you’re from.’" (Thammavongsa 1) ]]> 2021-10-29 13:15:58 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853893971 Shreya, Mara Kyra 1.) It highlights the struggles of immigrants in Canada. When the child was wearing a green tracksuit while the others were wearing dresses, it showed that she was not prepared. It shows that she did not fit in. The parents did not care about the note that was sent home, due to the fact that they might have had money issues, and that they cannot speak english to the best of their abilities. https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853897895 2.) We agree.  There are a lot of cultures eg. in our school; this shows the level of diversity amongst us. There is no set standard way of living in Canada, but rather each and every single person can live however they want (Charter of Rights and Freedoms). In the text, it mentions different ways of preparing meat, such as in a broth, noodles, grilled of charcoal fire, stew, and baked in the oven. This relates because it signifies the numerous traditions, meaning that there is no 'canadian' way of living. Canada is a melting pot for many cultures and ehtnicities, which makes Canada what it is today.]]> 2021-10-29 13:17:31 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853897895 https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853899994 The story reveals everyday moments of racism, power and privilege towards immigrants. It also highlights the alienation immigrants feel everyday. This comparison is shown between the yellow-haired girl and the protagonist when explaining that the yellow-haired girl is rich and privileged vs the protagonist who is not.]]> 2021-10-29 13:18:20 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853899994 How does the story detail the experience of immigrants in Canada? (Ethan, Ahmed, Nick, Matthew) https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853908980 Our group believes the concept of isolation that the main character faces within the school environment clearly symbolizes/reflects the same experience as new immigrants in Canada. For example, when "Mrs. Choi noticed the green the child was wearing and her eyes widened. They calmly blinked, always scanning the room for something out of place, and when she spotted something she didn’t like her eyes got like this." This quotation showcases the isolation that Joy faces which can connect to immigrants within the country who often feel disconnected in Canadian society. Similarly, this isolation is felt when "It was her last chance before her father would go off to bed. He was the only one in their home who knew how to read." This highlights the struggle of new families in Canada. ]]> 2021-10-29 13:21:57 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853908980 https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853908992 I disagree]]> 2021-10-29 13:21:58 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853908992 answer https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853909149 shows financial struggles as it mentions they went to a discount store for meat and clothes. They also don't follow the same events and are excluded from things like photo day, as they don't see a need for things like that. They also live in Canada like it's their home country, for example, they hide their nationality because it can cause trouble in Laos, but in Canada, it is for the most part safe.

I do agree with W. L. Morton as Canada has a very diverse population and we celebrate many different cultures and cultural events yearly. Also, Canada is a free country, and you are permitted to live how you want.  ]]> 2021-10-29 13:22:01 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853909149 Disagree https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853911515 There is a Canadian way of life because if you come from another culture and you live in a place with people from different cultures trying to live in their own personal way of life based on their own cultures it makes a new environment that is not truly your culture because humans are adaptable and they constantly change around people. I don't think you could live in a place for a long time and truly keep your own culture the same way it was because you're around people that are trying to do the same so it gets all mixed and I don't know if the mixing of cultures is a culture itself or something else but I don't agree that it is unity within all cultures because they get mixed. ]]> 2021-10-29 13:22:59 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853911515 https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853915265 I disagree ]]> 2021-10-29 13:24:27 UTC https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853915265 https://padlet.com/gille15/528fy428irk3ezqb/wish/1853932725 I found Souvankham Thammavongsa's “How to Pronounce Knife” to be very interesting and insightful towards the experience of immigrants in Canada. As someone who is 7th generation Canadian I cannot speak on my own experiances or fully understand the struggles immigrants face in our country, but I have empathy. I agree with W.L. Morton, because we all lead different lives, and Canada is very diverse. I think it's hard to indentify a general "way of life" in any large group because we cannot all live the same, Epecially in a country with over 20% of the population being immigrants.


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