The search for and importance of family and identity of the Calum Ruadh clan in Alistair MacLeod's No Great Mischief is significant to the concept of blood being thicker than water. The importance of family, as indicated in No Great Mischief, is very apparent in regards to the main point of prominence in this deeply emotional Gaelic- Canadian tale. An idea that arises No Great Mischief[, is MacLeod’s ability to prove to the readers that it is impossible to talk about the Scottish-Canadian heritage without mentioning family history, loyalty and bonds. It is common for an individual to discuss all three factors when discussing family or one’s past in general. However, in No Great Mischief, MacLeod successfully manages to highlight each factor and outlines them in great detail. Therefore, the significance of family and identity in No Great Mischief manifests itself through family history, loyalty and typical relationships like family bonds—typically relationships. Together, all three of these components construct Alistair Macleod's No Great Mischief. In No Great Mischief, the family blood line introduced in the novel dates to the MacDonald’s, who are the most numerous of the great Scottish Highland clan. The MacDonald clan became powerful through their ability to train their men into great fighters and being frequently battle tested. The Scottish Highlanders played pivotal parts in the political up risings of Scotland's history. One of the up risings that was outlined in No Great Mischief was the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. The massacre of Glencoe as the narrator tells it was that this branch of the MacDonald clan was set upon by troops whom they had quarrelled with for two weeks under order... ... middle of paper ... ...y identity. Throughout No Great Mischief, the reader witness the importance of family. MacLeod's explores all facets of the MacDonald family, by examining family history, loyalty and family bonds . The points I previously stated are crucial, as they manage to identify what No Great Mischief’s focus is. No Great Mischief is constructed in a way to make the reader understand that identity is derived from family. Works Cited MacLeod, Alistair . No Great Mischief. Toronto, Ontario: Emblem Editions, 2001. Print. Marston, Daniel. The French-Indian War, 1754-1760. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print. "Glencoe, Massacre of (13 February 1692)." The Companion to British History, Routledge. London: Routledge, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 03 December 2013. Print Eichler, Leah. "Alistair MacLeod: Of Scotsmen in Canada." The Publishers Weekly 247.17 (2000): 54. Print.
Captain Thomas Preston’s vision of the Boston massacre was an incident were a British soldier accidently fired his weapon and his men then followed after resulting in the death of five Bostonians including free black sailor Cripus Attucks. Starting the story Captain Thomas Preston admits that the arrival of the Majesty’s Troops were obnoxious to the inhabitants. Troops have done everything in their power to weaken the regiments by falsely propagating untruths about them. On Monday at 8 o’ clock two soldiers were beaten and townspeople then broke into two meetinghouses and rang the bells. But at 9 o’ clock some troops have informed Captain Thomas Preston that the bell was not ringing to give notice for a fire but to make the troops aware of the attack the towns people were going to bring upon them.
The thoroughness is one of its key strengths, allowing for people of varying knowledge about Salem to gain an understanding of the events and background of the witch trials. The author includes multiple sources to show the exceptionally varying ideals and their effects on Salem. “the peace that came under Joseph Green's conciliatory leaders... the important role religious strife played in the events of 1692”(Latner, 2006, 118). Joseph Green completely paralleled his predecessors, he was responsible for restoring order to Salem. This is significant because it shows the impact that ministers had, they had the power to change the town completely, Green was one of the first to not cause strife. Compared to Christine Leigh Heyrman’s “Witchcraft in Salem Village: Intersections of Religion and Society” Latner’s article correlates with the central idea that religious leaders and religion itself started the witch
This chapter provided information from the trial of Captain Thomas Preston. The chapter asked the question, “What really happened in the Boston Massacre”. Chapter four focused on the overall event of the Massacre and trying to determine if Captain Preston had given the order to fire at Boston citizens. The chapter provides background information and evidence from Preston’s trial to leave the reader answering the question the chapter presents. Although, after looking through all the witnesses’ testimonies some might sway in Captain Preston’s favor, just the way the grand jury did.
Identity represents the people around us, friends, family, complete strangers, but not often do people stop to think about what makes up a specific person’s identity. The novel No Great Mischief demonstrates the importance of identity by exploring national and family history of a Scottish family. It is a novel about the MacDonalds that immigrated to what Canada was in the 1700s. Their family history is told by Alexander MacDonald, a descendant of Calum Ruadh who was his great-great-great grandfather. Calum Ruadh set off on the journey from Scotland and settled in Cape Breton Island in 1779. Calum Ruadh and his successors kept family identity for centuries by keeping the dogs from the same ancestor, the dog that Calum Ruadh brought with him from Scotland, from his land of origin, to Cape Breton Island in 1779. In addition, the family identity is recognizable by their physical appearance unique to their family. The
Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:
Norman the older brother of the Maclean household is very responsible. Norman is an obedient
MacDougall, Brenda. One of the Family: Metis Culture in Nineteenth-Century Northwestern Saskatchewan. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
On March 5, 1770, an event occurred in Boston, which consisted of British troops shooting upon colonists. People refer to this as a massacre, but they only look at one side of the story. The Boston Massacre in 1770 was not really a massacre, but a mutual riot (Boston Massacre History Society). British soldiers went to America to keep the people of Boston in order. However, the soldier's presence there was not welcomed by the Bostonians and this made things worse (Boston Massacre History Society). The British had to fire their guns because the Bostonians were antagonizing the soldiers, which caused five people to die. The Bostonians made the soldiers feel threatened so in turn they acted in self-defense. The British soldiers and their Captain had to go through a trial, to prove they were not to blame for what had occurred.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Quinlan, Don, Doug Baldwin, Rick Mahoney, and Kevin Reed. The Canadian Challenge. N.p.: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Cather and Fitzgerald regard keeping a close family in integrity as a success. In their perspective, the traditional gender role-playing,
...d by the two families show that behind the civilized persona, the true actions of the feud reveal their dark human nature. This darker nature is mob mentality in which the basis of their family feud is a basis of none that can be remembered, causing the feud to be a meaningless struggle between the two families. Through these ironic actions of the Shepherdsons and the Grangerford families, Twain reveals the darker sides of the human nature.
Holinshed R. Historie of Scotland (2nd Ed. Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland 1587) "Historie of Scotland"
... Ed. W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris. Toronto, Canada: A Canadian Scholar? Press, 2000.