ONE:
Interpretation of Sources
Identification of Relationships
Communication
Total:
3/5
3/5
5/5
11/15
Comments: you missed the message of the first two sources somewhat.
The first source discusses how Quebec is split between separatists and
federalists, and the second source shows that both French and English
speaking Quebeckers tend to want to stay in Canada.
TWO:
Exploration of Issue
Defence of Position
Evidence
Grammar/Correctness
Total:
2/3
7/10
7/10
2/2
18/25
Comments: A well-written paper, generally, but a big problem was that
you never referred specifically to the sources.
TOTAL: 29/40
Assignment One:
Nationalism can be represented and interpreted in many different ways. It is usually
viewed as the citizens of a country feeling a sense of unity and pride. Although it can
have negative views if it is too extreme. For source one nationalism is interpreted as
a positive thing and the concept of a bilingual country can be interpreted. Looking at
source two nationalism can be interpreted as the citizens having the same thoughts
and feelings about specific questions that relate to their lives. Lastly for source
three, we take a look at the citizens who don’t feel a sense of nationalism but instead
a feeling of alienation. In all nationalism has a different definition for everybody and
these sources explore three distinct definitions.
For the first source there is one main ideology that is represented and that is
that Canada has two main languages. The first symbol is one that all Canadians
recognize and that is the maple leaf. The maple leaf symbolizes the heritage and
history of Canada. It is the national symbol of Canada and is represented proudly on
the Canadian Flag. The second symbol is one of the provincial symbols of Quebec.
This symbol is also widely recognized in France and it can be interpreted that
Quebec and France are related; mainly by their language. When these symbols are
combined such as they are in source one they can be interpreted as Canada being a
bilingual country. The majority of the population of Canada, including Quebec, feels
unified by the fact that we are a bilingual country. Our citizens feel connected and
respected by our government.
The second source is a referendum ballot, which is a question or idea
proposed to the public in which they can vote on. In this source we see the votes of
eight citizens and they all reject the referendum. They all have the same feelings
regarding this specific referendum. The ideology represented in this source is that a
large population of people living in the same area may have the same ideas about
certain things. These people may feel connected to their fellow citizens and this is a
form of nationalism.
In the third and final source we can see a man in a suit poking a beehive with
a stick. The main symbol in this cartoon is the leaves on the tree, because they are
not leaves at all but the provincial symbol of Quebec. When I interpret this source I
see the man in a suit as a possible Prime Minister of Canada. The bees would
represent the Quebeckers and the tree and beehive would represent their province.
Since the man is poking the beehive I feel that it means he is agitating the Quebec
population. The ideology behind this source is that the population of Quebec is
becoming irritated with the Canadian government because they feel as though they
do not get enough recognition or enough control over themselves. This would create
problems with the Quebeckers and their feelings of nationalism because they
wouldn’t feel connected or a part of Canada.
There is a relationship between sources one and two and that has to do with
the Quebec provincial symbol. It shows up in both cartoons and has the same
meaning. In the first source the symbol represents Quebec and the relationship they
share with the rest of Canada. In the third source though the symbol represents
Quebec and the feeling of alienation. Although not all of the population of Quebec
feels the same way about their treatment in Canada. Both of these sources show
different interpretations of how people see the connection between the majority of
Canada and Quebec.
Each source that was looked at has a distinct look at nationalism and what it
means. Nationalistic views can be positive or negative depending on the person and
the situation. The ideology represented in each source relates to the connection
between Canadian citizens. Nationalism can either pull people and provinces
together or push them apart and distance them. Sources one and two embody the
togetherness and source three represents the separation.
Assignment Two:
When developing your identity there are many things we take into consideration,
nation being one of them. However it is not the most important thing and our
identity should not be run solely by it. Identity is all about how someone thinks of
himself or herself. Contributing factors include friends, family, appearance,
language, personality, culture as well as their nation. A nation is a community of
your choice, and that community could be anything in your life. Such as your
religious group, your school, or even people of the same ethnicity. Our nation has an
impact on our lives that help define who we are and without associating with that
nation we most likely would have turned into different people.
Identity is all about how a person sees him or herself. Many things can affect
how we define ourselves, such as our friends, family, appearance, language and even
culture. If you hang out with certain people you will probably end up dressing and
talking similar, which defines your identity. Another defining factor would be our
nation. How has the world we grew up in molded us into who we are today? What
nation we identify ourselves with has an impact on who we are because each nation
has different customs to follow. Each person decides on how much they let nation be
the foundation of their identity but for the majority of people it is not the only thing
that develops our identity. Our nation should be one of the bases that we build our
identity off of, but it should not be the sole base.
A nation is a community, and it is a community that we choose for ourselves.
When most people hear the word nation they think of their country, but in reality
when speaking of nations if can be any community we belong to. Whether that be a
city, town, religious group, ethnic group or even a school. Benedict Arnold said that
even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them,
or even hear of them, yet in their minds of each lives the image of their communion.
This is true with any nation we associate ourselves with; we most likely never will
meet everyone in it. Although we still feel connected to them because our identities
are similar. People take pride in their nations and that is part of nationalism. This
can relate to our identity because we should be proud of who we are and what we
belong too. Nation is any group of people who may or may not live together, but
whom you can relate to in one way or another.
Without the sense of belonging to a nation we would not be who we have
become. We are all accustomed to the traditions, values and beliefs of our nations.
That is one of the factors that mould us into the people we are. Think about the life
you have lead so far and then try picture yourself in a different place. What if you
had grown up there? Do you think you would still be the same person you are now,
or would you be completely different? Every place has different rules and customs
compared to ours although some may be similar. If we did not have the feeling of
belonging to any type of nation we would feel very isolated and alienation. For
example if you were an outcast in high school that would be one nation you did not
belong to but if someone asked you if you felt like you were a part of Canada, you
would of responded yes. This is because even if you don’t fit in with one nation,
there are other nations that you can fit in with. If our identity did not rely somewhat
on our nation, we would not of evolved into the people we are today.
A nation should be one of the many bases of our identity. Identity can be
described as how a person views his or herself and that relates to nations because it
allows us to feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves. If we had not
based our identity on our nation we would not of been able to identify ourselves the
same way we do now. Creating an identity is a process that involves many different
things, nation being one of them. Nation is one of the bases of identity but it should
not be the only base.