Document Analysis: Canada and 9/11

The following post is the in class analysis of the "Canada and 9/11" excerpt. We didn't hand it in, so I decided to share my thoughts via blog.

First off, this article is representative of the helpful and selfless nature in Canadian identity. The way that without hesitation the residents of Gander welcomed stranded plane passengers shows Canadians' ability to recognize and act on a person (or thousands) in need. Specific examples of this illustration of Canadians  include when "they consoled, and they cooked, they cooked and they cooked" and how "with a population barely hitting 10'000, [Gander] welcomed 6'600 stranded passengers that fateful day". The way that the residents cooked and cooked supports how Canadians continuously help until the job is done. The way that a tiny town like Gander was willing to nearly double its capacity to welcome strangers shows the immediate selflessness of Canadians, at least on a large scale. I believe these values do remain true throughout Canada because the article mentions also hundreds of Canadians in "Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto" who were thanked for their helpful efforts. These are just major cities. Gander is an example of small towns who gave generously as well.

Propaganda Observations

While browsing WWII propaganda made by the allies I came across these three pieces. I find them interesting because both demonstrate confidence in the allies' powerful united force, but Canada is not really recognized as a heavy hitter in them. This was strange because after our unit on Canada's development of independence during WWI, we had come to the conclusion that our nation had made itself a name as a strong fighting force and a recognized country on the global stage. We certainly contributed to the second World War, having over 700'000 men enlist during the war over 40'000 being casualties and over 8'000 being POWs. Was power a greater cause for recognition than dedication was? I believe that it is concerning the image of the allied forces because the main powers featured in these posters are Russia, Britain and The United States. This is made evident by the largest, or foremost cannons in the first poster (right) being these nations, as well as the only three forces defeating Hitler (below) being these nations as well. Perhaps Canada was still being recognized nationally as a tag-a-long of Britain's, as suggested by the third piece of propaganda I found (bottom right). Britain is described as a mighty lion (shown by the cigar representing Churchill's leadership and the royal crown), whereas Canada is shown as a beaver, much smaller in size and far less menacing. It also wears a helmet and wields a sword showing its fighting capabilities, but wears a sash to display its identity which again leads me to believe that our identity wasn't as clear in WWII than we had hoped. These pieces of propaganda leave me questioning Canada's success in developing their identity after WWI.

Images from: http://scones.wikispaces.com/Art+From+WWII Hitler
http://www.polishgreatness.com/warpropagandb.html Cannons
http://fortmissoulamuseum.org/index.php Beaver

A Revelation of Ignorance

One thing that is revealed about Canada when the Jewish refugees were rejected is that Canada wasn't always as accepting of immigrants and helpful as it appears today. It is a disappointing and shameful contrast of how Canada seems to be a safe haven for international immigrants and refugees now, but in the 1930s  Canada (among other countries) had a blatant disregard for the needs of the Jews and failed to provide assistance to them like any human being should be allowed, an example of this being the passengers of the MS St. Louis being denied entry into the country for safety from prejudice. I find it troubling that the country had a strong Christian religious background and ignored the Jews in their time of need, when a huge portion of Jesus Christ's teachings were to love your neighbour, and to treat them no worse than you would treat yourself. These Christians turned their backs on the Jews, contradictory to Jesus' messages. It may have been fear, ignorance, selfishness, hatred or a combination of all of these things, but at this time Canada was ignorant to the needs of Jewish refugees.

Canada's Identity After Unit 1

 What I’ve learned about the Canadian identity up to this point is that Canada is not only a country, but a nation. I believe that a nation is independent, and goes through triumph alone and suffers losses alone. A nation is able to pick itself up after it is staggered, and a nation supports its own efforts. Canada started defining its independence during World War One, as a fighting force in the fierce trench battles. After the war, Mackenzie King worked towards forging Canada into even more of a sovereign nation through events such as the Imperial Conferences and the Halibut Treaty, to name a few. Canada further proved its nationality when the economy suffered a staggering blow in the early 20s, when such things as labour unrest, lack of employment for soldiers and prohibition emerged. However, the nation was able to recover. Using its natural resources and the resourcefulness of its people to its advantage, Canada used things like the manufacturing of automobiles, the discovery of insulin, the export of newsprint, and mining to start the economy on a path to great success. Furthermore, after the stock market crash, Canada was rocked by the great depression. The unemployed workers fought to feed their families and found income in relief camps set by the government. Later on, Canada would use the Second World War to restore itself to a working nation. These examples provide proof of Canada’s identity as a nation.       

Propaganda Comparison

These are pictures of WWI propaganda posters to enforce food preservation. An American poster (left), and a Canadian poster (right) . I chose to compare these posters for this blog because I find the differences between them very interesting. The American poster is incredibly dark, suggesting starvation for women and children. With haunting expressions of fear and pain, this poster encourages food preservation by strongly targeting ones empathy. The Canadian poster is much different in tone, colour and technique. This poster has a very bright and cheerful tone, and unlike the American poster, it doesn't even hint at a deadly consequence of wasting food but instead gives a replacement for the food that must be given up. The expressions of the butcher and his customer also show their joy in supporting the war effort. I think that these posters suggest that perhaps Canadians were more easily supportive of the war effort on the home front, whereas Americans had more so had to be encouraged to give up food for others. Also, showing fish as an alternative for meat in this poster may allude to the strength of Canada's fisheries during the war. I find the optimism in the Canadian propaganda reflective of its identity as a nation shown in its skill as a fighting force during WWI, in that it endures strongly through hardships. The harsh images in the American propaganda suggest that America was more focused on the consequences of failure in the war rather than the joy of victory.

The Mighty Beaver

This is a picture of the North American beaver. I chose to use the beaver as an image of Canada's identity because I believe it represents us well.
First off, the beaver is usually considered synonymous with Canada because it resides in many parts of Canada, so our country is brought to mind when one views the beaver. Next, the beaver is an intelligent, resourceful and enduring creature who defends its territory with pride, just like Canadians. The presence of beavers is also considered a Canadian stereotype, but its presence actually shows how similar Canada is to many other countries, as the beaver is found in America, and many parts of Eurasia. Also the beaver has a built in hammer and chainsaw. Thats pretty awesome. Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver#Habitat