Portfolio Planning

For my portfolio I plan to create three different writing/media texts. These texts will include a persuasive essay, a concept map and a remix all based around my favorite theoretical point of view, the feminist theory!

 Persuasive Essay 
I have decided to create a persuasive essay to reflect my analysis using feminist theory. In this essay I will persuade the reader that Niska defies the traditional roles of women. I think that this is very important for readers to understand this point because with understanding comes a greater appreciation for Niska's character. Without understanding this point Niska seems ordinary and powerless. I want to offer the readers a chance to see that Niska is actually a powerful and unique character. In my opinion a persuasive essay is the best way to tackle this point because a persuasive essay gives me the ability to tap into the emotions of the readers, and target a more specific audience.

Concept Map
My plan for the concept map is to use it for planning out my essay. I will put my thesis in the middle and branch on thoughts and then finally evidence. I think that by creating a concept map it will help readers to understand where I got idea's from for my essay and how they relate. Also the concept map will act as an alternate way for me to communicate my ideas to those who I have not targeted in my essay. Basically I want to make sure that everyone is getting my concept ;)

Remix
In my older posts I have shown the sketches that I drew as I read the novel. For a remix I want to recreate a scene from the novel through a sketch where Niska is demonstrating her independence and strength. I think that by creating an image I will be able to help the reader better understand who she is and demonstrate her power through an image. As everyone already known a picture is worth a thousand words and when I am finished my drawing I hope this will be true.

Conclusions
Over this course I have had the opportunity to develop my analysis skills while I read and write a text. Before I use to just read the words given to me on the page and write down the first thought that came to me. Now when I read a text I think about all of the different ways it can be interpreted. I find myself looking for archetypes and devices and trying to figure out what they mean and why they were put there. I find more meaning within a text because I am able to point out small details that I otherwise would not have noticed without using the theories. Also, when I write I am able to put deeper meanings into what I am writing and make my writing more interesting. The skills that I have learned in this class will befit me for years to come.

When I write the texts for my portfolio my only fears fall in writing my essay. I  fear that I may encounter some challenges with providing solid proofs and explanations to support my points. Overall I really like my idea and it is something that I can passionately write about, so I think that everything will go very well.  

Theory of most Insight...

The theory that offers the most insight is... 

In my opinion analyzing the book using the feminist theory offers the best insight. This theory helps me to appreciate the novel more because I am able to understand Niska; one of the main characters, through a deeper perspective. Niska is a very round character, she has a complex personality that can be difficult to unfold without first understanding her place as a woman in the society in which this novel is based. Niska has always disregarded the way she was supposed to act as a woman from when she was young. I discovered an article about the aboriginal beliefs of women's roles; it stated that "[t]he most important thing they were taught was to have pride in their bodies and to be proud to be a woman".(NCCAH)  From a young age Niska did not have pride in her body as a woman; "[she] hated the changes, the monthly blood, the sprouting of breasts. [She] was appalled and memorized by what [she] was becoming."(Boyden 46) Most young aboriginal woman during this time would have been proud to come into woman hood and begin their path to become a mother, Niska was different. Even a small fact such as this one has helped me to understand Niska's personality a little better, and when she started to defy the norms of women for that time.

The Author

I believe the author of this novel, Joseph Boyden tells stories of his struggles and of his family through the character Niska. Joseph's father was a war hero and died when Joseph was only eight years old. In his biography it was said that Boyden "seemed to constantly search for his father's identity through his life"(J.McKay) I found this interesting because in the novel Niska's father; a hero of the tribe, also died when Niska was very young, and throughout the novel she often referred back to memories of her father to guide her through life. In my opinion Joseph gave Niska memories of her father to compensate for the ones he doesn't have of his and for the guidance he missed out on. Joseph's uncle Erl was an Ojibwa native, and lived traditional lifestyle a lot like Niska. It would appear that Joseph gave Niska the lifestyle of his uncle because he wanted the readers to understand the struggles that come with this lifestyle, through a character that is easy to relate with. Finally I believe that Joseph made Niska a woman to show the discrimination associated with aboriginal women at the time and the struggles they would face for defying their roles. 
New Images
I want to show the new images I created for Niska and Xavier. These Images show what they were like when the novel finished.

* Niska is older
*Niska's hair is more grey

*Xavier has scars
*Xavier is skinnier and his face is sunken in.
*Xavier's hair was cut for war so it is shorter now.
*If I drew Xavier's entire body he would only have one leg.




Works Cited

 Betchart, Tyler. "Woman Power." Photobucket. Digital Image. 26 July 2016. 

 Boyden, Joseph. Three-day Road: A Novel. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2005. Print. 

 McKay, J. "Biography." Writer in Residence, Athabasca University.Web. 26 July 2016. 

 "NCCAH." NCCAH.  Web. 26 July 2016.

 Unknown Author. "Hamish Hamilton Canada - Authors - Joseph Boyden." Web. 26 July 2016. 

Feminism in Three Day Road...

Objectification

In the society that this novel takes place women were viewed as objects owned by men, they were often taken advantage of and treated as if they were worthless. This was especially true for first nation women. In this story Niska is a very strong first nations woman with very strong beliefs. A woman with power was often looked down upon during these times; Niska had power, and to some men this was threatening. In this story a Frenchman discovered Niska in the forest,  he discovered she had power and seduced her in order to  make her fall in love with him. When she did, she became vulnerable and now he could take away her power. He did this by seducing her in a church and convincing her that it was "holy" to do so. By doing this the Frenchman had "[taken] her power away"(Boyden 174) This man obviously felt the need to stand higher than Niska and so he did something unforgivable to her and for a while he did take away her power. (To find out more about women's rights during WW1 click HERE.)
Defying the Norm
Niska is a strong and independent woman throughout the novel, these are very unusual qualities for women in the society in which this novel is based. Niska does not care what she is seen as in the eyes of others. For example, when Niska went to a store to find out if there was any news on Xavier when he went to war, she was treated very poorly as aboriginal women often were at the time. The men in the store told her that she is "a dirty bush Indian and a sorceress to boot and that he will not have [her] in his store even if [she] had a hundred relatives in their army"(Boyden 296). This quote shows how as a woman she was treated very poorly and seen as nothing more than dirt in the eyes of others. However instead of leaving like a normal woman she talked back to these men and negotiated so she could get the information she wanted. If a normal woman of this time was to talk back like Niska did, they would be beaten and punished. However Niska is known to be such a strong woman that the men are afraid of her and in a unique way, respect her. This doesn't seem like a very big deal, but for a woman to be able to do what Niska did and get what they needed was very rare in a society such as the one in this novel.

 Final Thoughts 

In my opinion the insight gathered from the feminist perspective is very valuable. Without analyzing the story through this theory the reader would miss the defining qualities of Niska, one of the main characters. Therefore I feel that for a true understanding of the novel, a feminist look on things is completely necessary.







Answers 
Will Xavier live?
Yes, Xavier does live.
Is Elijah a Wendigo?
Elijah does symbolize the Wendigo. 
Is Elijah the monster that Xavier must battle?
Theoretically, yes. Elijah turns into a Wendigo and Xavier must kill him in order to become a Wendigo killer like his descendants.  

(Overall this book was amazing I would happily recommend it for anyone looking for a good read!)



Works Cited 

Boyden, Joseph. Three-day Road: A Novel. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2005. Print.

"Women's Rights during WW1 in Canada." Ontario Human Rights Commission.Web. 25 July 2016.

The Archetypal Three Day Road...

Character Archetypes 

Three Day Road contains many character Archetypes throughout the novel. Refer to the chart below.

Character	Archetypal Profile	Explanation	Proof From Text
Niska	Wise Wizard/Magician Hero	·         Has Gifts ·         Uses her past experiences to guide others ·         Frenchman suspiciously  commits suicide	“It did not take long for the spirits to come to me” (Boyden 175). (She can talk to spirits and ask things of them.) “I asked him to go out and find the source of my hurt and extinguish it” (Boyden 176). “He ran to the top storey of the hotel on main street and flung himself through the window” (Boyden 176). (She got her revenge on the Frenchman “defeating him” and becoming the hero of her own story.)
Xavier	Hero	·         Battles Enemy ·         Stands strong for what he believes in	“I stand up and then with a desperate scream join them on the charge at the parapet.”(Boyden 238) (This is a quote from Xavier in Battle against the Germans) “Elijah reaches for a broom in the corner, hands it to me, points to the nest. I refuse to take the broom glare back.”(Boyden 258) (This is showing how he is standing strong for what he believes in. He does not want to kill the birds because that goes against his morals and so he stands defiantly to protect those morals.)
Elijah	Fox	·         Pretends to be a hero but really is not. ·         Seems to be becoming a Wendigo	“I notice that he has left out how he cut the hair from their heads. I also notice that he doesn’t speak with his Englishman’s much now that he has discovered the morphine.” (He deceived the men with his English accent pretending he was one of them until the morphine made him show his true self. His transformation into a Wendigo is shown by how he scalps and kills his victims; he enjoys it.)
Germans	Evil Enemy	·         Try to kill Xavier (Hero)	“Germans leaning over and shooting point blank.”(236) “The dirty Huns killed him with gas” (Boyden 250). (Both these quotes prove how the Germans were on the other side of the war fighting against Xavier.)
The Frenchman	Evil Enemy/fox	·         Is  deceptive and dishonoured Niska	“You are nothing special, just another squaw whore. I took your power away in this place and sent it to burn in hell where it belongs” (Boyden 174). (He brings her into a church and has intercourse with her, tricking her that it was right when it was really quite the opposite.)

Archetypal Journey 

The main protagonist Xavier has begun the Archetypal journey of a hero. He begins with an odd childhood, growing up in a residential school. Then he is introduced to his aunt Niska who teaches him the old ways of the Oji-Cree. Niska acts as his mentor and guides him as he grows up teaching him useful skills such as how to hunt. After this he goes off to war, experiencing his first true sense of danger and putting his skills to the test. The format of Xavier life is the same as an archetypal hero, from this I can infer that in the last section of the novel he will have a big battle and then return home. In the basic archetypal story line all heroes must face off with their biggest enemy. Therefore it is logical to believe that Xavier will have to do the same.

Answer and Ask
Now that I have read further into my novel I can answer some of the questions that I had in the previous post.
Will Elijah stop taking morphine?
This is still unknown however it is growing more and more unlikely.
Does Elijah go insane?
In these middle chapters the morphine has drove him insane. He is also growing more and more fond of killing which is very unusual. He has also began to scalp people, which makes me think he may be transforming into a Wendigo.  
Will Xavier ever speak up?
He does not speak up using words but rather using actions when he proves his worth by shooting a duck that Elijah could not.
Will Xavier live?
This is still Unknown. 
Some new questions I have include...
Is Elijah a Wendigo?
Is Elijah the monster that Xavier must battle?

Works Cited

 Boyden, Joseph. Three-day Road: A Novel. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2005. Print.

 Diana. Hero Battle. Digital image. Diana's Castle. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2016. 

PVNCCDSB. "Activity 4: Literary Theory." Elearning.  Web. 25 July 2016.

The Road So Far...

Introduction to Three Day Road
I am currently reading a historical fiction novel by the Canadian author Joseph Boyden. It is written in two different perspectives, each being  an Oji-Cree Canadian. The first a woman named Niska, the second a man named Xavier. The novel is based in the time of the first world war, where a lot of Canadian indigenous people were sent off to fight. In this story Xavier who is Niska's nephew has been sent to war and returned back to Canada. The story is about Niska and Xavier's three day journey home, where both characters frequently flash back to past experiences. Niska often flashes back to her memories growing up and Xavier relives his time at war. Both stories reflect the brutal truth of indigenous Canadian history. 

Mental Images 
I am a very visual learner, and so often when I read a book I create sketches to go along with how I visualize the characters. In the image below I have drawn the three main characters in the novel; Niska, Xavier and Elijah. This is my interpretation of their appearances based on their personalities and things that they do. For example, I drew Niska as a beautiful, strong middle aged woman. I got this image based on a few things. Firstly, her age I guessed at, I know she is older than Xavier but young enough to be spirited. Then I figured she was strong because she paddled a three day trip to the town where Xavier was, against the current down a river. She said "I battled with every stroke until my arms were dead things and my lower back felt broken,"(Boyden 8) From this quote I got that she was strong and independent, so I did my best to draw her this way. For Xavier I gave him a blank expression and traditional looking features. Xavier is a invert he does not talk to many people. He is also educated on the traditional ways of his people. Lastly for Elijah I made him look broad and overconfident. In the novel Elijah reminded me of a people pleaser and his image below is my interpretation of him.

Thoughts so Far

So far I have really enjoyed the novel. It is very well written and full of imagery, symbols and history.

For example, during a forest fire in the novel Xavier described the feeling of the ashes falling on him as " a burn like wasps stinging [his] scalp"(Boyden 53).  This type of imagery allows the reader to understand what Xavier is feeling by relating the feeling to something that most people could understand. The imagery Boyden uses also provided emphasis on certain things that I would otherwise not have noticed; such as the feeling of the ashes on Xavier's scalp.  An example of a symbol that Boyden used in the novel is morphine. Morphine symbolizes carelessness. This is shown through Elijah and how begins neglecting his culture and other people when he is on morphine.  Symbolism creates depth within the novel making it more interesting to read. To continue, this novel is rich in Canadian history. Personally Canadian history is very interesting to me, especially when it comes to indigenous studies. Residential schools are frequently referenced to throughout the novel, and this subject has always sparked my interest. I absolutely despise the way that indigenous children were treated in these schools. In the novel Niska is taken from her mother "for the greater good of god"(Boyden 92). In my opinion it is not in the greater good of anything to take a child from a loving mother. Overall the novel has been very interesting, I look forward to finishing the novel. 

Curiosities and Questions

Will Elijah stop taking morphine?

Does Elijah go insane?

Will Xavier ever speak up? 

Will Xavier live? 

(I hope to answer these questions in future posts)



Works Cited 

 Boyden, Joseph. Three-day Road: A Novel. Toronto: Viking Canada, 2005. Print.