Abstract This paper discusses the acrimonious and interminable battle over an official Canadian flag, which has been an illuminating chapter in the history of a young and still befuddled country. The paper asserts that this battle is evidence of a nation with an identity crisis, torn between two giants, the United States of America to its south and its colonizer, the United Kingdom. If there was one thing that united the various factions in this dispute it was disunity.
Abstract There are a few stereotypical images that spring to mind when one thinks of Canada's national identity, and hockey is inevitably one of them. Is this sport really a part of Canada's national identity, or has it become an empty corporate shell? This paper discusses the book "Hockey Night in Canada", by Richard Gruneau and David Whitson and the message it conveys about the Canadian cultural and national identity.
Abstract This paper looks at how hockey, arguably Canada's most popular sport, is so engrained in Canadian culture that Canadian identification with it begins at an early age. The paper points out how, along with Richard Gruneau and David Whitson, the authors of "Hockey Night in Canada: Sports Identities and Cultural Politics", Canadian youth over the decades have grown up with a fairly stylized and masculine ideal of the sport and its place in Canadian society.
Abstract There is no doubt that hockey in Canada is a rich field for the exploration of the most pervasive myths of Canadian culture. Specifically, the poems in John B. Lee's "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition" evoke some of these myths. However, there are significant differences between the myths that are reflected in Lee's poems, and the myths that are alluded to in Richard Gruneau's and David Whitson's "Hockey Night in Canada" and Elizabeth Etue's and Megan K. Williams's "On the Edge". These differences are explored in this essay.
Abstract This paper discusses how ice hockey was once identified as a quintessentially Canadian sport and at the same time a key figure in the domain of masculine sports. However over recent years hockey has garnered strength as an international sport and has expanded its membership to include that of women. The paper further dicusses how att the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the Canadian women's hockey team won gold whilst their male counterparts failed to reach the medal round. What relevance does this result have for Canada involvement in international competition, and what does it mean for the role of women in traditional male dominated sports?
Abstract This paper presents a positive review of John Lee's poems in "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition", describing them as a rich reflection of myths that will be familiar to many Canadians. As such, they would make a pleasant and even nostalgic read for many people. The writer of the paper explains that, although the poems don't have the same effect on her as they would on someone who grew up with the particular heritage discussed by the poems, they do contribute to her understanding of the myths surrounding the game of hockey in Canada. The paper also notes that the poems offer a variety of perspectives on the myths and evoke a number of clear pictures of a particular lifestyle.
Abstract Every nation has a unique way of expressing their most deeply held beliefs and customs through local art, community projects, or organized activities like sports. This paper explains that, in Canada, geography and nature have resulted in the game of hockey being part of the national landscape. The paper further discusses John B. Lee's book, "The Hockey Sonnets", and how it uses the mythology of hockey to express cultural ideologies and dramatic narratives from the viewpoint of the Canadian cultural identity.
Abstract This paper examines the interrelated issues of civic pride and identity and the challenges of retaining big league sports teams in Canadian cities. The paper argues that the sources of civic pride are changing, such that hockey is no longer the chief or only source of a sense of civic pride and identity in Canadian cities. Moreover, the paper argues that this is a good thing, as hockey has become increasingly commercialized and public money should not end up in the private pockets of franchise holders.
From the Paper "Fortunately, as we have seen, civic identity and pride is no longer tied exclusively to hockey in Canada. People have grown up and moved on. This is a good thing, as hockey at the same time has morphed into a big-money sport that makes only a very few people richer - mainly just the franchise owners. It is untenable and unconscionable for people to be denied food, healthcare and housing, while taxpayers' money is poured into the pockets of already wealthy franchise owners. This will mean that more Canadian cities will see the departure of their teams to the big, wealthy cities of the USA's sunshine belt. It seems that Canadians will simply have to root their civic pride and identity in benefits for all, and learn to watch the games from afar. Fortunately, most of us have television!"
Tags: franchise, identity, league, commercialization
Abstract In this article, the writer mentions that the labor movement had cemented the concept of leisure time into the middle-class, Canadian mindset permanently. The writer points out that the development of institutionalized hockey in early Canadian life was a way to define the meaning of the sport, understand why it was played, and how these factors contributed to social life and behavior. Further, the writer maintains that hockey played an important part in the formation of early Canadian stuff.
From the Paper "Canadian culture is an elusive concept. The vast geography of the country, coupled with hundreds of years of steady immigration, make any single national phenomenon difficult to define. One cultural factor that many Canadians can agree on is the national sport of hockey. In the book Hockey Night in Canada, Richard Gruneau and David Whitson examine this cultural phenomenon and how it affects the Canadian mindset. The authors state at the beginning of Chapter 2 that "one of the many indicators of hockey's growing importance in Canadian popular culture" was the fierce debate that continues to rage over where in the country the game first originated. The three cities vying for the title seem ... "
Abstract This paper discusses the short story, "The Hockey Sweater" by a French-Canadian writer Roch Carrier and argues that the main theme of the story is the strained relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, told through an allegory. The paper relates that, although Carrier does find that there are common points in the relationship between Francophone and Anglophone Canadians, most of the story is concentrated on the conflicts between the two major Canadian cultures.
From the Paper "The story selected for this essay is "The Hockey Sweater" by a French-Canadian writer Roch Carrier. The essay will argue that the main theme of the story is the strained relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone Canadians, told through an allegory.
"The main protagonist of the story, written in the first-person narrative, is a young boy whose life revolves around school, the church and the skating rink where he plays hockey with his friends from school. This suggests that the author might be writing from his own experiences and points of view. As will be shown later in this text, he lives in the small town in Quebec. The most exciting part of boy's life is takes place at the rink. Everything else is considered punishment. The choice of hockey rink as a center of life, or at least of good life, places the story setting deep in Canadian culture. Hockey as national Canadian sport is a part of both Anglophone and Francophone Canadians' life. Something the two can and do share. Probably the most common dream of all Canadian boys, Francophone or Anglophone, is to be a great hockey player."
Abstract One of the most fascinating aspects of the Canadian cultural identity is the degree to which government policy and free enterprise economic principles converge and frequently collide in the field of the mass media. In large measure this is a consequence of Canada's geographic position next door to the world's last remaining superpower and predominant popular culture engine, the United States. This paper explores how the Canadian government, in order to maintain cultural distinctiveness in terms of national identity, has adopted a range of policies that promote the Canadian identity in the mass media and restrict the reach of foreign media and foreign media ownership.
Abstract This paper takes a look at the amount of violence in professional hockey, focusing primarily on the case of Todd Bertuzzi and Steve Moore. This paper goes on to discuss the debate such violence has caused within the world of sport.
From the Paper "The Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident in the National Hockey League's 2003-2004 season provoked widespread debate in both the sports world and among the general public about the role of violence in professional hockey. In this incident Bertuzzi, in retaliation for an aggressive hit by Moore on one of Bertuzzi's teammates, attacked Moore and accidentally broke his neck. While there was no paralysis, Bertuzzi was indefinitely suspended and Moore was said to be considering lawsuits against Bertuzzi, Bertuzzi's team, and the NHL in general."
Abstract This paper discusses the idea that Canada is a nation saddled with an identity crisis. The paper reports how some believe that Canada can rest uneasily on the upper border of the world's most powerful and successful country; and has a British legacy in our parliamentary system that both reflects our ancient heritage and reinforces the notion that the most fundamental parts of ourselves came not from Canada but were imported from elsewhere.
Abstract The cultural differences in the United States and Canada began after the American Revolutionary period. A plethora of theories exist regarding the rationale behind the variances in culture. Some theorists contend that the Vietnam War created a vast gap between the cultures, while others suggest that the ideologies of rebellion and peace forced the two cultures to become opposing neighbors. Religion, politics and national ideologies encompass the realm of cultural differences that exist between the countries. this paper examines the similarities between Canadian and American cultures that exist despite the many differences that also exist between the cultures.
Abstract This essay deals with four areas which are causing Canadian National Parks to disappear--extreme government cut-backs, identity crisis, improper management and ecosystem destruction. It also suggests ways in which the government can change its polices to save these parks.
From the Paper "Canadians look at the infamous National Park's landscape and see a vast and beautiful range of Canada at it's best. Unfortunately, what one sees is often deceiving. The truth is that the state of Canada's National Parks is alarming. Entire species are disappearing, vegetation is being destroyed by development and urbanization, and the pristine lakes and rivers are being contaminated by pollution. The Canadian Government has not been fulfilling its managerial role in protecting the essential resources that are comprised in Canada's National Parks. The problems that have generated in the Park's system have often dismissed due to their seemingly insignificant characteristics. Unfortunately, all of the insignificant problems joined together to create a devastating picture of dyfunctionality of the National Parks. There are four pivotal points that have caused the Park's disastrous spiral aimed at oblivion. Extreme cuts to the Parks Canada's budget has forced them to compromise their principles on how the parks should be run, and resorted to doing what they could. Parks Canada has found itself in an extreme identity crisis, as financial pressures are pitting conflicting philosophies against one another. The Canadian Government is the root which many, if not all of the posing threats the National Parks has emerged from. Their improper management and mentality has potentially shattered any chance of Canada's ecosystem to flourish. Until the Canadian Government stops seeing the nation's national Parks yet another way to generate a clever income for their institution, the parks will continue to lose their ecological integrity until they fade from man's sight completely."
Tags:canada, crisis, cutbacks, degredation, forestry, government, identity, management, national, park
