fca chapter 9(final) - mohammad hashemifinal) ... is based on the life story of buddy bolden, ... i...

MichaelOndaatje

9CHAPTER

1

2

3

4

Where is Sri Lanka?

What languages are spoken there?

Which literary form do you like more: poetry or prose?

Have you seen the movie The English Patient?

Warm-up Discussion Questions

FCA_Chapter_9(final) 3/28/08 11:06 AM 87

Michael OndaatjePhilip Michael Ondaatje, Cana-

dian poet, playwright, novelist, critic,

editor, film director, photographer and

university professor, was born on September 12,

1943 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) into a wealthy

family of Portuguese-Dutch-Tamil-Sinhalese

origin. He was the youngest of four children born

to Enid Doris (née Gratian) and Philip Mervyn

Ondaatje; his siblings are Christopher, Gillian

and Janet.

Ondaatje’s ancestors had been landowners

in Ceylon since 1600, but by the time Michael

was born, his father, an alcoholic, had sold most

of the land they owned and had become a land

manager. When Michael was two, his parents

divorced, and in 1952, he left Sri Lanka to join

his mother and to finish his high school educa-

tion in London, England.

In 1962, he followed his brother, Christopher,

to Canada, where he pursued his education

in English Literature at Bishop’s University

in Lennoxville near Montreal, the University of

Toronto (B.A. 1965) and Queen’s University

(M.A. 1967).

In June 1964, Michael married Betty Kimbark

(Kim), who was then a thirty-five-year-old artist

and a professor of literature. They had two chil-

dren—Quintin (1964) and Griffin (1967)—and

separated in 1981.

Ondaatje started writing poetry when he was

in Montreal, and by the end of the 1960s, he had

already established his reputation as a poet

with works such as The Dainty

Monsters (1967) and Man with

Seven Toes (1969).

He taught at the University of

Western Ontario from 1967 until 1971 when he

was fired because he didn’t have, and didn’t want

to get, a Ph.D. He was almost immediately hired

by York University (Glendon College), where he

still teaches English.

After his success in poetry during the 1960s,

Ondaatje started experimenting with prose in

the 1970s. Coming through Slaughter (1967), his

first novel, is based on the life story of Buddy

Bolden, a legendary jazz pioneer, and reflects

Ondaatje’s fascination with extraordinary

personality types, a fascination that continued

in 1982 with Running in the Family, a novel

attempting to imagine and reconstruct Ondaatje’s

family history in Ceylon. In 1987, In the Skin of a

Lion, the only Ondaatje work that is distinctly

Canadian in subject, was published, followed by

The English Patient (1992), which earned

Ondaatje a share of the prestigious Booker Prize,

the first ever awarded to a Canadian. The book

was also turned into an Academy Award-winning

movie. Another novel, Anil’s Ghost (2000), was

also a success and won the Giller Prize, the Prix

Médicis and Canada’s Governor General’s Award.

In 2007, Ondaatje published his latest novel,

Divisadero, the story of a single father and his two

teenage daughters.

Michael Ondaatje currently resides in

Toronto with his second wife, Linda Spalding, who

is also a writer, editor and professor of English. ■

188

BiographyCH

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Reading ComprehensionScan the text for the following information and fill in the blanks as quickly as you can.

1. Ondaatje’s full name:

2. Date of birth: Place:

3. Mother’s name:

4. Father’s name: Profession:

5. Education (two degrees):

6. Names of his brother and sisters (three):

7. Ondaatje’s age when he married his first wife:

8. Names of his children:

9. Titles of two of his poetry collections:

10. Name of the university that fired him:

11. Name of the university where he now teaches:

12. Title of the novel that received the Booker Prize:

13. Name of his second wife: Profession:

14. The city he lives in now:

Vocabulary Development1. A. The adjective rich can often replace wealthy.

Example

Michael was born into a wealthy/rich family.

However, the nouns coming from those adjectives, richness and wealth, aren’t always synonyms.

Don’t use richness when referring to money belonging to a person or an entity. Use wealth instead.

Example

Don’t say:

Instead, you can say:

His family’s wealth was considerable. They owned several hotels and other businesses.

His family’s richness was considerable. They owned several hotels and otherbusinesses.


abc


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In some of the sentences below, richness is used incorrectly. Find the wrong sentences and change richness to wealth in the spaces provided.

a) Because of the richness of the cake, it was served in very small pieces.

b) Sugar beets grow well in Colorado because of the richnessof the soil.

c) Bill Gates is famous as much for his philanthropy as for his richness .

d) His luxury car was a symbol of his richness .

e) I like this fabric because of its richness .

B. Can you find two other synonyms for the adjective rich?

2. Sibling means “brother or sister.” The suffix -ling sometimes means “small one” or “baby.”For example, a duckling is a young duck. Using your knowledge of the suffix -ling, guess themeaning of the following words. If you aren’t sure, consult a dictionary.

a) Spiderling means:

b) Gosling means:

c) Nestling means:

d) Sapling means:

3. A. An alcoholic is a person who drinks too much alcohol or is addicted to alcohol. In conversational English, sometimes the suffix -oholic or -aholic is added to words to mean “addicted to.” For example, a workaholic is a person addicted to work. Some of these words aren’t even in many dictionaries as people make them up when they need them or just for fun. Using your knowledge of this suffix (-oholic or -aholic), guess the meaning of the following words.

a) Chocoholic means:

b) Shopaholic means:

c) Infoholic means:

d) Cakoholic means:

B. Now try to make up some fun words yourself using the suffix -oholic or -aholic.

a)

b)

c)

d)

4. Guess the meaning of the verb to establish from the sentences below.

Canada was established as an independent country in 1867.

The Winterlude has been established as one of the most popular winter festivals in NorthAmerica.

Ondaatje has established himself as a world-class writer.



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To establish means:

5. The expression to hire someone (paragraph 6) means “to pay that person to work for you.”Find a word in the same paragraph that is an antonym (opposite) of to hire. Now try to finda synonym of to hire using your dictionary.

a) Antonym: b) Synonym:

6. An experiment is a test that a scientist conducts. The word can also be used for any kind of action that ordinary people do to see the results. Experiment can be a noun or a verb.“Ondaatje started experimenting with prose” means “he started writing different types ofprose to see the result.” The verb to experience, on the other hand, refers to somethingthat happens to you. You don’t do anything. You just feel its effect. Try not to confuse thetwo verbs.

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using the correct word form (experience, experiment, to experience, to experiment).

a) The cook tried to with new ingredients in his famous dish.

b) Have you ever cold weather similar to what we have in Canada?

c) The students conducted an in their chemistry lab.

d) He had an unpleasant while travelling in Asia.

e) The book was written as an .

7. A. A legend is an unbelievable story from the past that is full of heroes and heroic actions. A good example is the legend of Robin Hood. Now, if a person is legendary, what kind of person do you think he or she is?

B. Fill in the blanks with names of legendary people.

a) was a legendary hockey player.

b) was a legendary singer.

c) was a legendary actor.

8. A. Guess the meaning of the word pioneer from the following sentences.

Pioneer means:

B. Name three pioneers in other fields.

a) Name:

Field and nationality:

Bill Gates is a pioneer software designer.

Tommy Douglas is regarded as the pioneer of many social programs in Canada includingthe free health-care system.

Roberta Bondar is Canada’s pioneer female astronaut.



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192

b) Name:


c) Name:


9. Guess the meaning of the noun fascination from the sentences below.

Fascination means:

10. The prefix extra- means “above,” “beyond” or “outside.” For example, the adjectiveextracurricular means “outside the regular school program,” while extramarital means “outside marriage.”

A. What does extraordinary mean?

Extraordinary means:

B. Fill in the blanks using your own experience.

a) My most extraordinary friend is because

.

b) The most extraordinary place I have ever seen is because

.

c) The most extraordinary thing I have ever done is

.

11. The prefix re- sometimes means “again.” Knowing that to construct means “to build” or “to create,” what does the verb to reconstruct mean?

To reconstruct means:

12. Guess the meaning of the adverb distinctly from the sentences below.

Distinctly means:

13. Prestige means “good reputation” or “respect.”

A. What kind of prize is a prestigious prize?

Pronounce each word clearly and distinctly.

His accent was distinctly American.

I distinctly remember his words.

The child watched the colourful movie with fascination.

He never lost his fascination with photography. He still loves it more than anything else.

I can’t understand my wife’s fascination with fashion. It’s more like an obsession.



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B. According to you, what is the most prestigious …

a) car?

b) job?

c) restaurant in town?

14. A resident is a person who lives in a particular place. What does the verb to reside meanin the following sentence?

To reside means:

Challenging StructuresSometimes writers combine sentences to save space, avoid repetition or express complicated relationships between ideas. The following sentence is a combination of several simple sentences.Rewrite this sentence as six simple sentences. The first one has been done for you as an example.

1. Coming through Slaughter is his first novel .

2. It is based .

3. Buddy Bolden .

4. The novel reflects .

5. This fascination .

6. Running in the Family .

Word Families and Parts of SpeechWhen learning how to use a word, it is a good idea to learn all the forms the word can take. In the following exercise, use a dictionary to find the exact meaning of each word form, andthen try to use each one in a sentence of your own.

1. a) Fascination (n)

Meaning:

Sentence:

b) To fascinate (v)

Meaning:

Sentence:

Coming through Slaughter, his first novel, is based on the life story of Buddy Bolden, a leg-endary jazz pioneer, and reflects Ondaatje’s fascination with extraordinary personality types,a fascination that continued in 1982 with Running in the Family, a novel attempting to imagineand reconstruct Ondaatje’s family history in Ceylon.

Michael resides in Toronto.



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c) Fascinated (adj)

Meaning:

Sentence:

d) Fascinating (adj)

Meaning:

Sentence:

2. a) Distinctly (adv)

Meaning:

Sentence:

b) Distinct (adj)

Meaning:

Sentence:

c) Distinction (n)

Meaning:

Sentence:

d) Distinctive (adj)

Meaning:

Sentence:

e) Distinctively (adv)

Meaning:

Sentence:

Word CombinationUse all the words in the first row plus your own words and write one meaningful sentence inthe second row. The first one has been done for you as an example.

a) to attempt • to establish • reputation

Sentence: Canadians attempted to establish their reputation as a peace-loving

nation.

b) to become • securely • established

Sentence:

c) to win • extremely • prestigious

Sentence:

d) to change • permanent • residence

Sentence:



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e) to continue • to experiment • successfully

Sentence:

f) to seem • really • extraordinary

Sentence:

Vocabulary ReinforcementRead the following passage about Oprah Winfrey. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate wordsfrom the list. Change the grammar if necessary.

Oprah Winfrey is a American talk show host and television

whose with helping others has her as one of the most

respected public figures today. In her shows, she focuses on family issues: helping

mothers quit drinking, dealing with adult rivalry and jealousy among brothers

and sisters, the broken lives of rape victims, etc.

Oprah is very ; she was the richest African-American of the twentieth

century. In recognition of her achievements, she has received many

awards. She is the most influential African-American

woman alive. Oprah currently in Chicago, Illinois.

WritingMake a list of all the things you would do to help people if you were as wealthy as OprahWinfrey. Try to use the new vocabulary in this lesson.


ABC

alcoholic distinctly extraordinary

fascination legendary pioneer

prestigiousreconstruct sibling

to establishto reside wealthy


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|n the Skin of a Lionby Michael Ondaatje

The following excerpts are taken from In the Skin of a Lion by Michael

Ondaatje. First published in 1987, the novel tells the story of the immigrants

who built the modern city of Toronto in the 1920s and 1930s. Ondaatje spent

months researching in the libraries and archives of the City of Toronto to give

a realistic picture of the time, and many of the events that happen in the

novel are true stories that were published in the newspapers of those days.

EXCERPT 1

Preparation

With a partner or in small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. What is the longest time you spent on the way to somewhere?

2. Have you ever travelled to Canada from another country? If yes, how did you travel—by car,ship or plane? How long did the trip take?

3. How do you think people travelled at the beginning of the twentieth century when there were no commercial airplanes?

A C T I V I T Y 1



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In the Skin of a Lion – EXCERPT 1

The following excerpt from the novel shows how a Macedonian villager called NicholasTemelcoff escapes the war in the Balkans and immigrates to Canada after hearing the interestingstories of Daniel Stoyanoff, another villager, who has just come back from Canada. When hearrives in Canada, Nicholas moves from city to city until he finds his first job as a baker.

ICHOLAS was twenty-five years old when

the war in the Balkans began. After his village

was burned he left with three friends on horse-

back. They rode one day and a whole night and

another day down to Trikala, carrying food and a

sack of clothes. Then they jumped on a train that

was bound for Athens. Nicholas had a fever, he

was delirious, needing air in the thick smoky

compartments, wanting to climb up onto the

roof. In Greece they bribed the captain of a boat

a napoleon each to carry them over to Trieste.

By now they all had fevers. They slept in the

basement of a deserted factory, doing nothing,

just trying to keep warm. There had to be no hint

of illness before trying to get into Switzerland.

They were six or seven days in the factory base-

ment, unaware of time. One almost died from

the high fevers. They slept embracing each

other to keep warm. They talked about Daniel

Stoyanoff’s America.

On the train the Swiss doctor examined every-

one’s eyes and let the four friends continue over

the border. They were in France. In Le Havre

they spoke to the captain of an old boat that car-

ried animals. It was travelling to New Brunswick.

Two of Nicholas’s friends died on the trip.

An Italian showed him how to drink blood in the

animal pens to keep strong. It was a French boat

called La Siciliana. He still remembered the

name, remembered landing in Saint John and

everyone thinking how primitive it looked.

How primitive Canada was. They had to walk

half a mile to the station where they were to be

examined. They took whatever they needed

from the sacks of the two who had died and

walked toward Canada.

Their boat had been so filthy they were

covered with lice. The steerage passengers put

down their baggage by the outdoor taps near the

The construction of the Prince Edward viaduct in Toronto

where Nicholas worked

Source: City of Toronto Archives, Series 372, Sub Series 10, Item 841.

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198 © PEARSON LONGMAN • REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED

toilets. They stripped naked and stood in front

of their partners as if looking into a mirror. They

began to remove the lice from each other and

washed the dirt off with cold water and a cloth,

working down the body. It was late November.

They put on their clothes and went into the

customs sheds. Nicholas had no passport; he

could not speak a word of English. He had ten

napoleons which he showed them to explain he

wouldn’t be dependent. They let him through.

He was in Upper America.

He took a train for Toronto where there were

many from his village—he would not be among

strangers. But there was no work. So he took a

train north to Copper Cliff, near Sudbury, and

worked there in a Macedonian bakery. He was

paid seven dollars a month with food and sleep-

ing quarters. After six months he went to Sault

Ste. Marie. He still could hardly speak English

and decided to go to school, working nights in

another Macedonian bakery. If he did not learn

the language he would be lost. ■

40

50

60

DEFINITIONWORD

delirious not being able to think or speak clearly because of fever

compartment one of the separate sections dividing a train

to bribe to give money to persuade someone to do something dishonest

napoleon an old French gold coin; a kind of money

deserted a place with nobody in it; abandoned; empty

hint a sign

to embrace to put your arms around somebody

pen a place for keeping farm animals

primitive very simple and old-fashioned; not modern

filthy very dirty

lice plural of louse (a small insect that lives on the human body)

steerage the part of the ship for passengers with the cheapest tickets

to strip to take off all your clothes

customs government office that collects taxes on everything that comes into the country

shed a small, simple building

quarters simple rooms given to servants or soldiers

Glossary


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Focus on the Story

Make a list of all the places that Nicholas went to from the time he left his village until he decidedto go to school to learn English. Also, specify how he got there (means of transportation). To helpyou find the information, the things that happened to Nicholas in each place have been provided.If the information isn’t given, put ‘N/A’ (not applicable) in the chart. The first one has been donefor you as an example.

Focus on Language

PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are used frequently in the following passage to show relationships betweenwords or to form idiomatic expressions. Try to fill in the blanks with correct prepositions; then go back to the text on page 197 and check your answers.

A C T I V I T Y 3

A C T I V I T Y 2

PLACE WHAT HAPPENED TRANSPORTATION

1. Nicholas’s village The village was burned.

in Macedonia

2. He was on the way there two days and a night.

3. Nicholas had a fever and was delirious.

4. Here he slept in a deserted factory.

5. His eyes were examined by a doctor.

6. Two of Nicholas’s friends died on this trip.

7. He could find no work in this city.

8. He worked in a Macedonian bakery.

9. He decided to go to school here.

N/A


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200

Nicholas was twenty-five years old when the war in the Balkans began. After his village was burned he left

with three friends horseback. They rode one day and a whole night and another day

down to Trikala, carrying food and a sack of clothes. Then they jumped a train that

was bound Athens. Nicholas had a fever, he was delirious, needing air in the thick

smoky compartments, wanting to climb up the roof. In Greece they bribed the

captain of a boat a napoleon each to carry them to Trieste. By now they all had

fevers. They slept in the basement of a deserted factory, doing nothing, just trying to keep warm.

There had to be no hint illness before trying to get

Switzerland. They were six or seven days in the factory basement, unaware time.

One almost died the high fevers. They slept embracing each other to keep warm.

They talked Daniel Stoyanoff’s America.

the train the Swiss doctor examined everyone’s eyes and let the four friends

continue the border. They were France. In Le Havre they

spoke the captain of an old boat that carried animals. It was travelling

New Brunswick.

Two of Nicholas’s friends died the trip. An Italian showed him how to drink

blood in the animal pens to keep strong. It was a French boat called La Siciliana. He still remembered

the name, remembered landing Saint John and everyone thinking how primitive

it looked. How primitive Canada was. They had to walk half a mile the station

where they were to be examined. They took whatever they needed the sacks of

the two who had died and walked Canada.

Their boat had been so filthy they were covered lice. The steerage passengers

put their baggage the outdoor taps near the toilets.

They stripped naked and stood in front their partners as if looking

a mirror. They began to remove the lice each other and

washed the dirt with cold water and a cloth, working down the body. It was late

November. They put their clothes and went the customs sheds.

Nicholas had no passport; he could not speak a word English. He had ten

napoleons which he showed them to explain he wouldn’t be dependent. They let him

. He was in Upper America.

He took a train Toronto where there were many his

village—he would not be strangers. But there was no work. So he took a train

north to Copper Cliff, near Sudbury, and worked there in a Macedonian bakery. He was paid seven

dollars a month food and sleeping quarters. After six months he went to Sault

Ste. Marie. He still could hardly speak English and decided to go to school, working nights

another Macedonian bakery. If he did not learn the language he would be lost.



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Focus on Culture

In the excerpt, we read that Nicholas “took a train for Toronto where there were many from his village—he would not be among strangers.” Like Nicholas,many immigrants, upon arrival in Canada, areattracted to places where other people from theirculture or religion live. Later on, when they feelmore comfortable, some move away to other areasand mix with other cultures. This process is calledintegration or assimilation. Others never leave theirown cultural neighbourhood and form small com-munities within Canadian cities. Almost all largerCanadian cities have a Chinatown or a Little Italy.For example, there is a group of neighbourhoods inToronto where less than half of the people haveEnglish as their first language. In this case, themajority of people are native speakers of Chinese, Italian or Portuguese, among others, and thespeakers of these languages can easily survive in these neighbourhoods even without speakingany English.

In small groups, discuss what makes some nationalities form their own permanent neighbourhoods while others almost never do so. Check the terms cultural integration andcultural assimilation in a reference book or on the Internet. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of assimilation and integration?

EXCERPT 2

Preparation

With a partner or in small groups, discuss the following questions.

1. How did you learn English?

2. What techniques do you use to improve your pronunciation?

3. Have you ever dreamed in English?

4. Do you think there were special language classes for immigrants in Canada at the beginningof the twentieth century?

5. How do you think newcomers to Canada learned English at that time?

A C T I V I T Y 5

A C T I V I T Y 4


Toronto Chinatown


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HE SCHOOL was free. The children in the

class were ten years old and he was twenty-

six. He used to get up at two in the morning and

make dough and bake till 8:30. At nine he would

go to school. The teachers were all young ladies

and were very good people. During this time in

the Sault he had translation dreams—because of

his fast and obsessive studying of English. In the

dreams trees changed not just their names but

their looks and character. Men started answering

in falsettos. Dogs spoke out fast to him as they

passed him on the street.

When he returned to Toronto all he needed

was a voice for all this language. Most immigrants

learned their English from recorded songs or,

until the talkies came, through mimicking actors

on stage. It was a common habit to select one actor

and follow him throughout his career, annoyed

when he was given a small part, and seeing each

of his plays as often as possible—sometimes as

often as ten times during a run. Usually by the end

of an east-end production at the Fox or Parrot

Theatres the actors’ speeches would be followed

by growing echoes as Macedonians, Finns and

Greeks repeated the phrases after a half-second

pause, trying to get the pronunciation right.

This infuriated the actors, especially when a

line such as “Who put the stove in the living room,

Kristin?”—which had originally brought the

house down—was now spoken simultaneously

by at least seventy people and so tended to lose its

spontaneity. When the matinée idol Wayne

Burnett dropped dead during a performance,

a Sicilian butcher took over, knowing his lines and

his blocking meticulously, and money did not

have to be refunded.

Certain actors were popular because they

spoke slowly. Lethargic ballads, and a kind of

blues where the first line of a verse is repeated

three times, were in great demand. Sojourners

walked out of their accent into regional Ame-

rican voices. Nicholas, unfortunately, would later

choose Fats Waller as his model and so his

emphasis on usually unnoticed syllables and the

throwaway lines made him seem high-strung or

dangerously anti-social or too loving.

But during the time he worked on the

bridge, he was seen as a recluse. He would

begin sentences in his new language, mutter

and walk away. He became a vault of secrets

and memories. Privacy was the only weight he

carried. None of his cohorts really knew him.

This man, awkward in groups, would walk off

and leave strange clues about himself, like a dog’s

footprints on the snowed roof of a garage. ■

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40

50

In the Skin of a Lion – EXCERPT 2

Now continue reading Nicholas’s story to see how he has to learn English at a schoolamong young children. He then moves back to Toronto, where he finds a new job as a construction worker on a bridge while practising English by going to the theatre and watching plays.

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Glossary

DEFINITIONWORD

dough a mixture of flour and water or milk used to bake bread or cakes

obsessive excessive; thinking too much about something

falsetto a singing technique; singing in high-pitched tones

talkie a talking movie (early movies didn’t have sound)

to mimic to imitate

to infuriate to make very angry

simultaneously at the same time

spontaneity naturalness; being done without thinking

matinée a theatrical performance or a movie shown during the daytime

blocking (theatre) the exact movement and positioning of actors on a stage

meticulous paying too much attention to details

to refund to return money to the payer

lethargic lazy or slow

ballad a song with repeated lines that tells a story

blues a type of folk song with repeated melancholy notes

sojourner a temporary resident

Fats Waller famous American jazz pianist, singer and comedic entertainer

recluse someone who lives alone and isn’t sociable

to mutter to speak in a quiet voice that is difficult to hear

vault a safe; a room with a strong door for keeping valuables

cohort a friend; a member of a group of similar people

awkward not comfortable

Focus on the Story

Answer the following questions.

1. How many hours a day does Nicholas work at the bakery before he goes to school?___________________________________________________________________

2. Which one of the following groups is not mentioned as part of Nicholas’s English dreams?Circle the letter of the correct answer.

a) men b) dogs c) teachers d) trees

A C T I V I T Y 6


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3. Which of the following techniques is not mentioned among those used by new immigrantsto learn English? Circle the letter of the correct answer.

a) going to the theatre c) going to schoolb) listening to songs d) becoming actors

4. What do immigrants (such as Macedonians, Greeks and Finns) do during the play?

5. What makes the actors angry and why?

6. Why do you think lethargic ballads and certain kinds of blues are popular?

7. According to the text, what is similar to “a dog’s footprints on the snowed roof of a garage”?

8. Circle “T” if the statement is true and “F” if it is false.

a) Nicholas has translation dreams because all the time he thinks T Fabout learning the English language.

b) Nicholas goes to the theatre when he is in Sault Ste. Marie. T F

c) Sometimes people watch the same play ten times to learn T FEnglish pronunciation.

d) At the time of the story, going to the movies was more popular T Fthan going to the theatre.

e) Wayne Burnett is a butcher who later becomes an actor. T F

f) Nicholas’s decision to choose Fats Waller as his pronunciation T Fmodel is a mistake.

g) Nicholas is a very sociable and friendly person. T F

Focus on Language

PHRASAL VERBS

Below is a list of some phrasal verbs used in the excerpt. Go back to the text, find the sentencewith each of these phrasal verbs, copy them in the chart below and try to guess their meaningfrom the context. The first one has been done for you as an example.

A C T I V I T Y 7



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Focus on Culture

Language is probably the most important part of any culture. Canadians recognize and respect this fact. The Canadian government deals with three important issues about language.First, the federal government has declared English and French to be the official languages ofCanada. Second, there are many aboriginal languages spoken by the First Nations (“Indians”)and the Inuit (“Eskimo”) that need to be supported. Third, the immigrant languages other thanEnglish and French are encouraged and supported by the federal government’s multiculturalismpolicy. These are usually called “heritage languages,” which are defined in an official document as “a language, other than one of the official languages of Canada, which contributes to the linguistic heritage of Canada.” (Canadian Heritage Languages Act)

Although Canada is often thought of as a bilingual country, in truth, less than five percent ofthe population speaks both French and English from childhood, and less than half of the popu-lation is able to speak more than one language.

Discuss in a group or with a friend what official bilingualism means. How is Canada different from other countries, for example, the United States, where English is the only official language? What kind of support do you think the government of Canada providesunder the Canadian Heritage Languages Act?

A C T I V I T Y 8


a) to get up Sentence: He used to get up at two in the morning and make dough

Meaning: to rise; to leave bed after sleep

b) to speak out Sentence:

Meaning:

c) to bring down Sentence:

Meaning:

d) to take over Sentence:

Meaning:

e) to walk out of Sentence:

Meaning:

f ) to walk away Sentence:

Meaning:

g) to walk off Sentence:

Meaning:


Look at the following list of works by Michael Ondaatje. His major novels are in bold. Choose four ofthese novels (any except In the Skin of a Lion) and go online to find a plot summary. Read the summaryand then write your own summary of each story in about sixty words (four lines) or less. You can startyour search at http://en.wikipedia.org.

Works by Michael Ondaatje

■ The Dainty Monsters (1967)

■ Leonard Cohen (1969) (essay)

■ The Man with Seven Toes (1969)

■ The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (1970)

■ The Broken Ark: A Book of Beasts (1971) (editor)

■ Rat Jelly (1973)

■ Coming through Slaughter (1976)

■ Personal Fictions: Stories by Munro, Wiebe,Thomas, and Blaise (1977) (editor)

■ Elimination Dance (1978)

■ There’s a Trick with a Knife I’m Learning to Do (1979)

■ The Long Poem Anthology (1979) (editor)

■ Tin Roof (1982)

■ Claude Glass (1982)

■ Running in the Family (1982)

■ Secular Love (1984)

■ In the Skin of a Lion (1987)

■ From Ink Lake: Canadian Stories (1990) (editor)

■ The Brick Reader (1991) (edited with Linda Spalding)

■ The Cinnamon Peeler (1991)

■ “Translations of My Postcards” fromThe Cinnamon Peeler (online at CBC Words at Large)

■ The English Patient (1992)

■ Handwriting (1998)

■ Lost Classics (2000) (edited with Michael Redhill, Esta Spalding and Linda Spalding)

■ Anil’s Ghost (2000)

■ The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film (2002)

■ The Story (2005)

■ Divisadero (2007)

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Activity

FCA_Chapter_9(final) 3/28/08 11:06 AM 6

fca chapter 9(final) - mohammad hashemifinal) ... is based on the life story of buddy bolden, ... i...

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