Mixing in "Burning Vision"

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that the play 'Burning Vision' raises questions about race, nation, identity and belonging, particularly through the metaphor of mixing. The writer notes that "Burning Vision" is a complex play, in which many story-lines mix together simultaneously. This reflects the complexity of the subject matter, as the play deals with profoundly important issues, such as war, death, colonialism, grieving, loss, hope, racism and exploitation, etc. The writer maintains that the play highlights the interconnectedness of all of these geographically, racially and nationally divided people, in a huge cycle of death of destruction. In so doing, it highlights Canada's limited ability to be inclusive, and finally offers a possibility for overcoming those limitations. This essay examines what the play has to suggest about the nation's ability to be inclusive, and what it offers as a possibility for overcoming those limitations. The writer concludes that the play ends on an upbeat note of mixing in a positive sense.

From the Paper:

"This is chilling in many ways. First of all, LITTLE BOY is a lost and lonely, pathetic character in the play. Second, LITTLE BOY was also the name of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, so the character is associated with death and murder. Third, LITTLE BOY implied that identities are stolen when colonialists lay claim to a people - which, as we know, is very much the Canadian reality, with horrors such as the residential schools, which were explicitly designed to steal Aboriginal identity. Thus, the play speaks to the key theme of colonialism - the foundation upon which modern Canada was built - in a very negative way. It speaks not of mixing, but of smothering. It thus shows us the potentially catastrophic implications of people mixing in a way that is not inclusive, but rather divisive, exploitative and repressive."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Clements, Marie. Burning Vision. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2003.

More papers on Mixing in "Burning Vision":

• Analytical Essay # 131771 : "Burning Vision" - Play Analysis"
• Book Review # 101679 : "Burning Vision" and "The Unnatural and Accidental Women"
• Analytical Essay # 131772 : "Burning Vision" and "The Unnatural and Accidental Women" - Play Reviews"

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