The novel Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden, is about a young Cree man named Xavier who returns home from fighting in World War One injured and addicted to morphine. His Aunt, Niska, paddles him on the three day trip home. On this trip Xavier revisits his memories of war and his gruesome experiences while Niska tells stories of her past in hope that she can heal her Nephew’s wounds.
Click the link to get a more detailed description of the book.
I found this book talked a lot about the treatment of First Nations in Canada during the time of World War One. Sometimes, living in the times we live in now, we forget how much things have changed. For example, Residential Schools were a part of Canada’s past, and it is something that I don’t have a lot of knowledge about however, this book certainly shon some light on how the children were treated. Each of the main characters of Xavier, Elijah and Niska spent some time in a Residential School as kids, and the book mentioned some of their experiences and observations. “When the children came back, they were different, speaking emistikosh tongue, talking back to their parents, fighting and hitting one another, crying in the middle of the night for no reason they could explain” (Boyden 91). These Residential Schools certainly had a negative impact on First Nation communities.
Something I really liked about Three Day Road was that it had a lot of imagery and descriptive language. I found this very helpful for me to make mental pictures and enjoy the story better. I felt more like I was experiencing and observing everything that the characters were describing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading stories about war and different cultures. Although it contains some history, it is a fictional book so everything is story based, rather than fact based. Overall I really enjoyed this book. I would rate it a 4 out of 5 because although I found some parts a little slow, overall I really enjoyed reading this novel.
In the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden there are many events that can be examined through a Postcolonial lens. The book talks about European colonialism and Residential schools, which resulted in a loss of culture throughout First Nation communities.
In the book, the First Nations live a separate life from the wemistikoshiw, defined as a Canadian who is not a native american, white man. The two communities rarely interacted with each other because the First Nations lived out in the forests, away from the towns. When they did cross paths with each other, it was typically for the purposes of trading goods. “Those Cree who did have furs were treated well, given flour and sugar for their bellies, and rum that loosened their tongues” (Boyden 46). Because of this separation of communities, there was a lot of tension between them when they ventured onto each other’s land. There were several times in the book when the characters traveled to town, but were treated differently and unfairly because they looked and dressed differently. One of the times when Niska went to the town she met an elder who offered her wemistikoshiw clothes to fit in, and told her “‘You must watch yourself around here,’ she said. ‘Or the same thing that happened to your father will happen to you’” (Boyden 169). Her Father was killed by the wemistikoshiw because his way did not abide with the rules of the wemistikoshiw. Niska is one of the few who still lives that way, and this is her way of rebelling against the wemistikoshiw.
The book also told many stories about the characters’ experiences with Residential schools. Both Xavier and Elijah were brought up in a Residential school for part of their life. The wemistikoshiw took children away from their families to ‘educate’ them. The children had to learn and speak English, they were given haircuts and they were forced to live a different way. This is how the wemistikoshiw tried to eliminate the culture of the First Nations children. Niska once again tried to rebel against the wemistikoshiw by taking her nephew, Xavier, from the residential school. “‘You paddle home.’ I took my paddle and clipped her [the nun] sharply on the head for emphasis” (Boyden 219). Niska was strong and courageous to stand up against the school. She was able to take Xavier home and teach him everything that she knew as a way to pass on the traditions of her family.
I found it interesting that Xavier and Elijah chose to go and fight in the war because they would be fighting alongside the people who brought all of the changes to Canada. This book gives a thorough demonstration of the mistreatment of First Nations people. The wemistikoshiw used them to get furs and other resources, their families were torn apart to ‘educate’ the children, and their traditional roots were lost.
Works Cited
Boyden, Joseph. Three Day Road. Penguin Canada, 2005.
Facebook, and Post. “Archetypal Theory on Three Day Road.” Archetypal Theory on Three Day Road, tomfouxman12u-eng.blogspot.com/2017/03/archetypal-theory-on-three-day-road.html.
n.a. “History of Prince George.” City of Prince George, n.d., http://www.princegeorge.ca/Things to Do/Pages/Learn about Prince George/HistoryofPrinceGeorge.aspx.
After reading the novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, I found that the characters could be related to several different archetypal characters.
The Mother Figure / Mentor
Niska played the role of the mother figure and mentor to her nephew Xavier and others who came to her for help and guidance. She has a lot of wisdom and experience that she learned from her Father and passed on to Xavier. “You had very little knowledge of any of it, and so I taught you everything I could” (Boyden 219). Niska often was willing to help others, even if it put herself in uncomfortable situations. For example, there were several times through the book when she had to travel up the river into town. She felt misplaced there because she wore different clothes, looked different from the others around her and received strange looks and comments. Her strength and will helped to push her through these moments. When Xavier returned from war, he was very weak, injured and severely depressed. Niska cared for him constantly on their three day trip home. These traits and characteristics that Niska possesses are what make her a mother figure and mentor to those around her.
The Trickster
Elijah is an excellent example of the archetypal character of the trickster. He is laid back, likeable, thinks in the moment, and tries to make the best of a bad situation. In the book he speaks with a different accent so that he fits in with the other Canadians around him. He developed this habit in residential school where he would talk his way out of trouble:
“Elijah learned to talk his way out of anything, gave great long speeches so that his words snaked themselves like vines around the nuns until they could no longer move, just shake their heads hopelessly at the pretty little boy who could speak their tongue like one of their bishops.” (Boyden 59)
Elijah often got carried away with his words, and told stories to the other soldiers to help pass the time. His storytelling made him more popular among the soldiers because he helped lift their spirits.
The Hero
The main character Xavier, is an excellent representation of the hero. Although he is shy, quiet, and likes to keep to himself, he always stands for what he believes in. He doesn’t look for praise every time he accomplishes something, unlike his friend Elijah. I also believe that he is mentally strong because he doesn’t give into his temptations easily. There were many soldiers around him, including Elijah, who became addicted to morphine. Xavier was tempted to try it several times, however he knew it would not end well, so he resisted. Being a hero also means that he had to make difficult decisions in order to make things right:
“How long have I stayed here, straddling my friend, staring down as my tears leave streaks in the dirt and blood of his dead face? Finally, I sit back and grasp my knees, rock slowly as the shells scream in and explode all around me. My friend lies still, arms stretched out from his body as if he welcomes the sky.” (Boyden 370)
This quotation was taken from the book just after Xavier killed Elijah. Xavier decided that Elijah needed to be killed because he had gone windigo (become a cannibal). This was an exceptionally difficult decision because it meant saving his best friend’s life, which would mean others would not be safe, or kill him and save the lives of others. In the end he made the right choice to kill Elijah in order to prevent more death.
Symbolism ~ Water
Three Day Road is set on a river. Water represents many things including purity, rebirth and cleansing. Rivers are flowing, so they often represent the cycle of life. I think that this is applicable in the book because on the journey home, Niska tries to purify Xavier of his difficult times overseas at war, and she tries to heal him of his physical and mental wounds.
Works Cited
Boyden, Joseph. Three Day Road. Penguin Canada, 2005.
The novel I chose to read was Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden. This book is set just after World War One, and is about a young Cree man named Xavier who returns from war injured and addicted to morphine. His Aunt, Niska, paddles him on the three day trip home. On this trip Xavier revisits his memories of war and his gruesome experiences while Niska tells stories of her past in hope that she can heal her nephew’s wounds.
The perspectives of this book switched between Xavier and Niska, so I had to pay attention to whose perspective I was reading. I found that reading in different perspectives allowed me to learn more about each of the characters and to understand them better. For example, when I was reading in Xaviers perspective, he told stories of his recent past through vivid dreams which allowed me to understand his emotions better and learn more about the significant impact the war had on him.
The stories that each of the characters told were extremely descriptive, so I found it very easy to create mental images. The following quote is an example of the vivid language used to describe the river they were paddling on. “The river water is black this early in the morning before the sun has a chance to warm it and the light to turn it the colour of tea” (Boyden 34). I believe that the pictures my mind forms come from things I have seen before in pictures or in real life.
The author, Joseph Boyden, was very passionate about expressing issues in the indigenous community. The book brought up the topic of residential schools and discrimination:
“ Even though the walk was not far, the parents were not allowed to visit the children. My mother told me this was so that the nuns could work their spells without interruption. When the children came back, they were different, speaking in the wemistikoshiw tongue, talking back to their parents, fighting and hitting one another, crying in the middle of the night for reasons they could not explain. I wondered what happened to them over in that place and was thankful that I was not sent there.” (Boyden 91)
This novel certainly shone a light on the mistreatment of people who were part of the indigenous community. It also expressed the impact of war on soldiers. As Xavier described, the soldiers lived like animals, killing people, and living with death all around them.
I believe that Three Day Road was a good demonstration of Canada’s past and the separation of people. It has shown how we have learned from our mistakes and changed for the better. Xavier experienced this change when he won a contest and was able to prove himself to the army officials. “It strikes me then. None of these who are here today can call me a useless bush Indian ever again. They might not say it out loud, but they know that I have something special” (Boyden 109). Xavier was treated differently because he was Indigenous, but by winning the shooting contest he showed that he was in fact superior, if not better than the other soldiers who were there that day.
This novel was a great read. I found it serious and educational, but at the same time very enjoyable to read. I specifically enjoyed the story telling aspect of it because it drew me in and made me want to keep on reading.
Works Cited
“Joseph Boyden.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Boyden.
Boyden, Joseph. Three Day Road. Pengui Canada, 2005.
jennac0129. “The First Day of ‘Three Day Road.’” Jenna’s Blog, 12 Nov. 2016, http3740.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/the-first-day-of-three-day-road/.n.a. “Historical Sketch for Anglican Residential Schools.” The Anglican Church of Canada, 10 Sept. 2018, http://www.anglican.ca/tr/schools/.
This post is based on the podcast Serial. Serial was first released in 2014 and was hosted by Sarah Koeing who shared the true story about the unsolved murder case that happened in Maryland, United States of America in the year 1999. In this case, a young man named Adnan Syed was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
Adnan Syed
Adnan Syed (age 17)
Adnan Syed was convicted of killing Hae Min Lee. Before the murder, Adnan was known as a kind, polite and outgoing person. He attended Woodlawn High School, was popular among his classmates and a straight-A student. He was an athlete, worked a part-time job and occasionally led prayers at the local mosque. His family life was good. He lived at home with his parents and two siblings. None of these are the characteristics of a killer. When he was arrested and declared guilty for the murder of Hae many people that knew him were shocked. No one could believe that someone like Adnan could commit such a sinister act.
What Happened
On January 13, 1999, Hae Min Lee was killed by manual strangulation, then buried in a Baltimore park. Her body was discovered one month later on February 9th. The question everyone wanted to know was who killed Hae? Adnan was arrested and declared guilty, however, he said that he didn’t do it but his close friend Jay said that Adnan had killed her. There are two different sides to what exactly happened, Adnan’s and Jay’s.
Adnan’s story summarizes the activities of a regular school day for him. He woke up and went to his morning classes, then he met up with his close friend Jay for lunch. Adnan lent Jay his car so Jay could later go shopping to get a gift for his girlfriend. After lunch, Adnan went to his afternoon classes until school ended at 2:15 pm. At this time he claimed to have gone to the Woodlawn Public Library across the road to check his email before track practice. At the library, he had a conversation with Asia, one of his classmates. At 3:30 pm he went to track practice, and his coach testified that Adnan was there as usual. Jay picked Adnan up from track practice at 4:30 pm which was early, and they went for a bite of food. At 6:00 pm Adnan and Jay went to Cathy’s house until 7:00 pm, at which time Adnan went home and gathered some food for his father and delivered it to him at the mosque. For the rest of the night, Adnan’s father testified that Adnan was at evening prayers as usual.
Hae’s car which she was last seen in leaving school the day she dissapreaed.
Jay’s story was very different and it changed between interviews. The general story went like this. At lunchtime, Jay got a call from Adnan and they met up and went to the mall. During this time, Adnan told Jay that he was going to kill Hae. Jay then dropped Adnan off at school for his afternoon classes, then went to Jenn’s house. Jay said the plan was for Adnan to catch a ride home with Hae after school so that he could kill her. Later that afternoon, around 3:45 pm Jay said that Adnan called him and told him to come to Best Buy where he showed Jay Hae’s body in the trunk of her car. The two boys ditched the car, then hung out for a while before Adnan went to track practice. After practice, Jay and Adnan got some shovels then drove separately to Leakin park where they buried Hae’s body and ditched her car before driving back home.
There are some phone records of who Adnan’s phone called, received calls from and at what times. Jay’s story seemed to line up with the phone records, which made his story appear to be true. Click Timeline to see it all laid out.
The Facts
Throughout the investigation of this case, there was little evidence and many of the facts and pieces of information didn’t line up. There were also very few suspects in this case. Adnan Syed, Jay Wilds, and Ronald Lee Moore were the top three suspects, however, it was ruled out that Jay or Ronald had killed Hae.
There were also very few alibis to support each other’s whereabouts. For example, Asia said that Adnan was in the library at the time of the murder however, there was no further evidence to prove that. Jay doesn’t have an alibi for his side of the story when he saw the body and helped bury it. Without strong alibis or evidence, neither Adnan or Jay could be believed.
DNA samples were collected from the scene and Hae’s car however, they were never tested until last year, in 2019. Adnan’s DNA was not found in any of the samples collected. Instead, they matched someone who was not in the law enforcement database yet, so they could not be identified. This raised many questions as to whether or not Adnan was the one who killed Hae, or whether it was someone else.
Is Adnan guilty?
Adnan Syed
I don’t believe that Adnan is guilty. He just doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to kill his ex-girlfriend out of jealousy or anger. That seems to be the only motive in this case. Many of Adnan’s classmates, friends, and family don’t view him as an aggressive or temperamental person. Throughout this case, my point of view was always changing. I usually found myself wanting to believe that Adnan was innocent, but sometimes I wondered if he was guilty. The evidence, in this case, is not enough to make a decision that Adnan is guilty. In the court of law, suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
Firstly, when looking at Adnan’s story compared to Jay’s story, we can see that Adnan had many alibis who were reliable. His teachers, the track coach, his Father, and his classmate Asia. Jay’s story only seemed to have two alibis: Jenn who was a friend of Jay’s, and the phone records that seemed to line up with his story. Next, we know that the DNA samples showed that Adnan was not the murderer. Finally, the Adnan that everyone in his community knew didn’t have the personality or give reason to believe that he was capable of murdering someone. This gives me no reason to believe that Adnan Syed murdered Hae Min Lee.
Why did I choose this medium?
I think that a blog was an excellent way to get my opinion across in a professional manner. There are a variety of features incorporated into a blog that can help to get a point across. Blogs can use images, links, videos, headings, tags and other unique features to accomplish this. These are elements that vlogs, podcasts, and other mediums cannot do. These features help the reader to gain a better understanding of what I was writing about.
In writing the blog, I thought it would be helpful to the reader to include images of suspects and other characters to help them to understand the story better. I thought it would be helpful to attach links to other websites so that if readers wanted to further investigate the topic on their own, they could use these links as good starting points. Headings were another important element of this blog. They identified the subject matter for each section. I also incorporated tags as a quick guide to topics and keywords that were frequently mentioned in the blog post. This also makes it easier for readers to search for my blog and find it more quickly. The blog is a great format for presenting opinions in a unique and personal way.
Led Zeppelin was a rock band that originated in London, England in 1968. They created and played various types of rock music including hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal and folk-rock. Led Zeppelin is considered an influential band because they performed variations of rock and heavy metal, which were new music genres at that time. Unfortunately, Led Zeppelin is also known for “ripping off” other artists because they copied lyrics and melodies from other songs without crediting the original creators. Led Zeppelin did this in several of their songs:
These examples show how Led Zeppelin copied various artists’ rhythms, melodies and lyrics without modifying them enough to call them their own. They commonly used fragments of lyrics from other songs without changing many of the words and sometimes leaving them exactly the same. When they used melodies from other songs, they usually kept the same rhythms, tone and the general sound of it however, they would change the key or the instrument to make the timber different. When they used elements from other songs they usually didn’t attribute the original artist as they should have.
Most songs have copyrights on them that protect the lyrics and melodies. It is expected that artists attribute others that inspired them, gave them ideas, or helped them create their music. Most artists will not directly copy the music of other artists however, they will transform and combine elements to make it their own. A current example of this can be seen in Ariana Grande’s song “My Favorite Things” which uses elements of the song “My Favorite Things” written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the Sound of Music. Ariana Grande attributed the song to the original songwriters in addition to paying them royalties. Led Zeppelin on the other hand had many examples where they should have attributed their work to the original songwriters.
I think some of Led Zeppelin’s songs were more original than others. The elements of songs that were copied were obvious. It is one thing to be inspired by a piece of music and create something similar, but to use some of the exact same elements is wrong. An example of a more original piece is “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, which was released in 1969. It shared a title and some lyrics with Jake Holmes “Dazed and Confused”,released a few years earlier in 1967. Sure they have the same name and one line of a verse is very similar but I think that these songs are very different in style. The lyrics had no other similarities, and the rhythms and melodies were both unique. An example of them going a little too far is when they used the melody from “Taurus” by Spirit, released in 1968, for their song “Stairway to Heaven” released in 1971. Led Zeppelin didn’t give any credit to Spirit and a subsequent lawsuit did not find they had infringed on any copyrights despite the similarities..
Creators should always be original and creative with what they do. To do this they should avoid using the exact same elements as other artists. They should always attribute anyone or anything that helped them create their work. Finally any artist should obtain copyrights for their works whether it’s music, movies or artwork to avoid others from “ripping them off”.
The podcast Serial, narrated by Sarah Koenig, was incredibly interesting and enjoyable to listen to. It was about a 17 year old boy named Adnan Syed, who was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The podcast was based around Sarah Koenig trying to determine the truth about what happened to Hae Min Lee.
Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed
I enjoy watching, reading and listening to murder mysteries so this podcast was very interesting and fascinating for me to listen to. I have never had to do an assignment based around a podcast before, so this was a new experience for me. I had to use new skills to listen carefully so that I could understand and remember everything that was being said. A particular aspect that I liked about listening to the podcast was how interactive it was for the listener. As the listener, I could piece together facts, develop my own ideas and visualize the setting and characters. I also liked that I could hear everyone’s tone of voice. Their tone of voice showed their expressions and perspectives on a subject. This helped me to thoroughly understand the speaker, which is very important for a crime story because I was able to get a sense of who was telling the truth and who was lying.
The podcast Serial summarized an investigation of a murder crime. Presenting the information in the form of a podcast was an alternative to the traditional form of a newspaper article or report. A crime investigation can be somewhat subjective depending on how the facts are presented. A podcast is an excellent way to clearly understand the suspects and investigators because you can hear their tone of voice and understand what they are trying to say. You can understand if the narrator or other character expresses a bias. A podcast also provides proof of all the facts. A recording can not change what someone says, so it can be used as concrete evidence. I think that presenting journalism in the form of a podcast like Serial is very unique.
The event in the podcast happened in real life, which means that the people mentioned in it are real and had gone through everything that the podcast stated. This podcast is very popular which can add to the emotions and stress of both Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lees’ families. Within the first episode, it does not appear that the families are involved in many interviews, so the effect of popularity of the podcast will have a smaller effect on them. I am sure that Adnans’ family has mixed feelings about the podcast because it could reveal the truth about what happened. After the first episode, it is unclear what the truth is, however later episodes may prove that Adnan is guilty or innocent.
The podcast highlighted that the investigation and trial took place six weeks after the murder. For many people, including myself, it is very difficult to remember what you did on a specific day six weeks ago. Sarah, the narrator mentioned that if there is a defining event that happened, you will remember events throughout the day much better. This is because our brains have selective memory, which means that it will remember things that it thinks are important, and forget the things that are not. Sarah made a good point in saying that “if nothing significant happens, the answers get very general. I most likely did this, or I most likely did that ” (Koenig, 3:18-3:27 minutes). This means that some of the suspects who were questioned in the podcast could have easily mistaken the things they did on one day for another day, which makes it difficult to collect accurate facts and information. I know that I would not be able to remember a day that happened six weeks ago. I would only be able to assume things. For example if it was a week day then I could confidently say I was at school and that I went to swim practice and then I went home and worked on my homework. It is very easy to accidentally tell a lie or make a mistake when you cannot remember exactly what you did.
I definitely prefer to listen to a podcast than read a book because I can just listen and imagine what the narrator is telling me, rather than having to focus on reading every word. Listening to a podcast, I can hear the expression and tone of the narrators, and other characters voices to further understand their perspectives. The one difficulty with podcasts is getting direct quotes with proper punctuation to portray exactly what the speaker said. Having someone tell you information is much easier than reading and trying to understand what the writer is meaning to say. By the end of the podcast, I was completely drawn in and wanted to listen to the next episode to learn more about the murder.
Michael. “Selective Memory – Why Do We Remember Some Things And Not Others?” Exploring Your Mind, Exploring Your Mind, 16 Apr. 2018, exploringyourmind.com/selective-memory-why-do-we-remember-some-things-and-not-others/.
I think that grade 12 University English should be a mandatory requirement for entry into all Canadian university programs. However, I don’t think it should be required as a compulsory course in your average. I think this because English is a course that some students find easy and excel in, while others have difficulties with it. Those students who find it difficult are affected, because a poor mark in English can result in a lower average. Depending on the program requirements, students should be able to choose if they want to include English in their average. University programs can be extremely competitive to get into. If a student struggles in English and gets a poor mark, this can significantly affect their average and possibly be the difference of getting into their desired program or not.
Although I don’t think that English should be mandatory to include in your six course average, I still think that it is very important because it teaches students professional writing, reading and speaking skills. To graduate from high school all students must complete grade 12 University English. This provides everyone with the same English skills and creates a level playing field. Studying English also improves analyzing skills which I think are very important because it teaches students to read between the lines and identify meaning and themes of a text or film.
If English is not a required for the six course average submitted to the universities, the universities still need a way to determine that students who are being accepted to their programs have sufficient English skills. They could do this by requiring a minimum mark for English. This way students can use their best six courses, and universities can accept the students with English marks that meet their requirements.
Everyone applying to a Canadian university should have grade 12 University English. I prefer the idea of students submitting their best six courses that are appropriate for the program they are applying to, and achieving a minimum required English mark set by the University.
Work Cited
Kopans, Leigh Ann. “Tips And Tricks On How To Write an A Essay Fast.” Leigh Ann Kopans,
Elly's Blog 