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 …show more content…
MacDonalds know by physical appearance that someone belongs to their extended family. Lastly they keep using the Gaelic language, the family’s language of origin, and often sing Gaelic songs. These are ways the clan of Calum Ruadh continue to preserve their family identity from before the 1700s to the present day. Calum Ruadh brought his dog with him from Scotland, his land of origin, to Cape Breton Island.
Upon arrival to Cape Breton, Alexander’s great-great-great-grandfather broke down and wept for two days when landing on the coast of Cape Breton Island. His family, including the dog, who left Scotland with him, surrounded him and had no idea what to do, “After they landed on the shores of Pictou, Calum Ruadh broke down and wept and he cried for two whole days and I guess they were all around him, including the dog, and no one knew what to do. … He was crying for his history. He had left his country and lost his wife and spoke a foreign language.” (Macleod, page 24). On the day he left Scotland with his family to Canada, Calum left his dog behind on the coast of the ocean, and while the boat was leaving the coast, the dog ran and swam to catch the boat. Calum caught the dog from the water and said, “Little dog, you have been with us all these years and we will not forsake you now. You will come with us.” (Macleod, page 23). His decision to bring his dog with
him instead of leaving it to die shows loyalty to those that were in his family. From the day the family arrived in Cape Breton Island, the dog became a symbol of the Calum Ruadh history and became a part of the family identity in the “new world”. The story about the dog and Calum Ruadh’s arrival to Cape Breton Island had been passed down from generation to generation and Alexander remembered that his grandfather once said: “That always got to me, somehow, that part about the dog.” (Macleod, page 23). The dog in the story represents the loyalty of Calum, and part of the family identity; they kept not only the same breed of dog, but kept descendants of the dog Calum Ruadh brought with him from Scotland, which demonstrated a strong determination to preserve family history. A strong connection to its owners was presented by the dog’s determination and loyalty to the family, “…she would have drowned if they had not cared for her the way she cared for them.” (MacLeod, page 96). Stories about dogs remind the family to stay together and to always “look after your own blood.” (MacLeod, 65). Alexander’s parents’ dog waited for them for a long time, even after they drowned in the sea. Another story about dogs is told by Grandma; “Oh I think of that so many times. It was as she had what the churches call a ‘strong faith’, you know. That she waited and waited for them, thinking that they would come back, long after everyone else had given up hope.” (MacLeod, page 95). When Grandpa died his clothes were kept on the same place they were in the day he died. “The brown dogs lay beneath the hanging clothes for months, their noses resting upon their crossed paws. Caring a lot and trying hard.” (MacLeod, page 265). These stories about the dogs demonstrate the loyalty not only by the dogs but also by the MacDonalds to support each other and to stick to their own clan. The stories were re-told from generation to generation so that no one forgot how important it was to know the roots of their family identity. Family members were recognized by “either bright red or intense and shining black hair” (MacLeod, page 29). The red hair usually goes with a dark eye colour. Even the hospital staff, where Alexander’s first baby was born, knew that the look of the baby would change, “either his hair will 2 turn dark or his eyes will turn blue. Most red-haired people have blue eyes. No one looks like that.” (MacLeod, page 30). Alexander MacDonald, the storyteller in the novel, was known as “the little red-haired boy.” He never had to use his name because “the little red-haired boy” (Macleod, page 18) was always enough for people to know who he was when referring to him. Only when he started to attend school he had to use his name, because the teacher called it out during roll call. The recognizable family identity of clann Chalum Ruaidh is also in the story of Alexander’s sister’s eleven year old son. The boy was walking on a street in Calgary when a car full of men approached him. “What is your name?”, said one of the men, rolling down his window. “Pankovich.” He answered. And then one of the men in the back seat leaned forward and asked, “What was your mother’s last name?” “MacDonald” he answered. “See,” said the men to the car in general, “I told you.” And then another of the men reached into his pocket and passed him a fifty-dollar bill. “What’s this for?” asked my nephew named Pankovich. “It is,” said the men, “for the way you look. Tell your mother it is from clann Chalum Ruaidh.” (MacLeod, page 30). The little boy has learned from a young age that extended members of the clann Chalum Ruaidh are recognized by their unique look wherever they go. This scene is conveying a message that individual family members should know each other, look out for each other and take care of each other no matter where they are. One lady at the airport recognized Alexander’s sister by her hair colour. “My husband also has red hair” (MacLeod, page 197). The MacDonald’s are proud of their look and they are proud of their family history and their roots, and it is shown with a high degree in these scenes. The family is keeping their tradition and uniqueness of their culture and identity by speaking the Gaelic language and singing old Gaelic songs. They played old Gaelic songs at funerals, at family gatherings, while working in the mine, and in the car while driving to do regular daily activities. In the nursery home they sang songs when Alexander visited his grandma. Gaelic was always spoken among the family, and the language was always passed down to the next generation. 3 Through the spoken Gaelic language they expressed their unique culture, and their perspective on their lives. The language was so important to them that they believed it made them to be the people of the God; Alexander’s grandfather once said “It was the language spoken in garden of Eden. … It was the language that God used when speaking to the angels.” (MacLeod, page 137). “In the time following their return to the old Calum Ruadh house, my brothers spoke Gaelic more and more as if somehow by returning to the old land they had returned to the old language of that land as well.” (MacLeod, page 64). Gaelic kept the customs of the Scottish family and their identity alive after leaving their homeland. It was spoken by every member of clann Chalum Ruaidh and always was a part of their identity. By the language they spoke they identified themselves as MacDonald because “you think and dream in whatever language you are given.” (MacLeod, page 192). The MacDonalds were not assimilated by the English language even though Calum Ruadh came to Cape Breton in 1700s. Descendants of Calum Ruadh also spoke and dreamt in Gaelic, which stayed to be a language of their choice and their hearts. Alexander’s grandfather and grandmother “reverted totally to Gaelic” (MacLeod, page 40) as they become older “as it has always been the language of theist hearts.” (MacLeod, page 193). They believed that there is “the language of the heart and the language of the head” (MacLeod, page 193) and it was obvious that Gaelic was the language of their hearts, as they naturally used it in their everyday lives. The MacDonalds maintained their heritage for centuries after their immigration to Canada; their heritage was always passed down to the next generation so that it never got lost. Alexander’s great-great-great grandfather cried for his history, but family history continued without a change in identity long after his arrival. Descendants of his dog were kept to preserve family identity. The family knew how to recognize each other by a specific look that no one else had; either red hair with dark eyes, or dark hair with blue eyes. Songs in Gaelic are spoken and sung throughout centuries, in times of struggle and times of well-being. They maintained their identity by speaking 4 the Gaelic language and passing on old Gaelic songs to new generations. Only by keeping family identity they would be able to “always look after your own blood” (Macleod, page 58), and members of clan Calum Ruadh stuck to each other and took care of each other as they believed that made them to be, both ethically and morally, productive and respective members of society.
A lighthouse’s piercing beam of light shines over the murky land, providing respite—albeit brief—from the harsh battering of the neighboring terrain. Trouble, by Gary D. Schmidt, wraps this picture eloquently in the form of a compelling and captivating contemporary fiction book. Trouble primarily centers around a boy named Henry Smith, who never really understood the formidable potential of the omnipotent entity Trouble in his safe and idyllic life. Henry had always fallen into the dark shadow of his brother, Franklin, as a result of Franklin’s physical prowess. “…especially since he could never hope to match the records that Franklin—Franklin Smith, O Franklin Smith, the great lord of us all, Franklin Smith—had put up on the wooden Athletic Records panels for his rugby play.” (7). Henry’s brother, however, was extremely arrogant, and put his brother down at every chance he got, which causes Trouble to appear. “‘You do that climb, you have guts…you don't have any guts.’ Franklin punched his arm. Too hard. Then he laughed and walked away.” (38). Although the word “Trouble” usually brings to mind pictures of kids attempting to pull their parents’ hair out, it strikes the Smith family in a very different way: with the death of their Franklin due to being run over by Chay Chouan, a Cambodian immigrant. The family is utterly devastated with Trouble’s unforeseen arrival. “And his father hadn't shaved—which was, Henry thought, the first time that had ever happened.” (11). Having been promised to be taken to Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine, right before Franklin had died, Henry takes the news the worst. His thoughts completely revolve around Katahdin, and how he would hike it at any cost, if just to...
Michael Patrick MacDonald lived a frightening life. To turn the book over and read the back cover, one might picture a decidedly idyllic existence. At times frightening, at times splendid, but always full of love. But to open this book is to open the door to Southie's ugly truth, to MacDonald's ugly truth, to take it in for all it's worth, to draw our own conclusions. One boy's hell is another boy's playground. Ma MacDonald is a palm tree in a hurricane, bending and swaying in the violent winds of Southie's interior, even as things are flying at her head, she crouches down to protect her children, to keep them out of harms way. We grew up watching Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and Peanuts. Michael Patrick MacDonald grew up watching violence, sadness and death.
When a Choctaw tribal member became terminally ill, it was common practice for the medicine man to inform the family of impending death (Swanton 1931:170). Upon death, the Choctaws believed that the spirit of the dead continued on a voyage to either the good hunting ground or the bad hunting ground. This journey would take many days, which would require the proper provisions. A dog would sometimes be slain in order to accompany his master on the long journey. After the introduction of horses, they, too, were killed so that the spirit had means of t...
What the texts suggest about the relationship between how an individual sees themselves vs how the individual is seen by others, is through the concept of identity. An individual’s identity is shaped by many factors: life experiences, memories, personality, talents, relationships and many more.
the state of the Acadians after this exile early in the second part of the poem:
Family plays the biggest role in this novel. Anything that the characters say or do usually has to do with family. The first time Alexander MacDonald, the narrator of the story, mentions family it is not his own. It is one of the immigrant families picking berries along the road that he is driving on (MacLeod 1). This point takes him directly into a slight mention of his own family: the grandmother (3). Since there is no main character in the book, it is thought to be the narrator. However, I wish to disagree with this fact and say that the real main character in this book is Alexander’s brother, Calum, who lives in Toronto. The first time Calum is introduced, one of the first things to come out of his mouth is of family: “I have been thinking the last few days of Calum Ruadh,” (11). We find out that Alexander has a close relationship with his brother and he drives to Toronto to visit him every weekend. This has become almost a tradition because he does not visit him to actually have a constructive conversation or to resolve a problem, although Calum has many of them, the most serious of which is drinking, but instead he visits him only for the sake of visiting him. It is also a tradition in that they do the same thing every time: they drink, not so much Alexander as Calum. We later find out that Alexander has a similar tradition set up with other family members. The most distinct of which is his relationship with his grandmother: Grandma. When he visits Grandma, it is always the same routine: they sing long Gaelic songs, like the ones that their ancestors would. Alexander, for most of the first half of the book, does not talk about his present day family as much as his ancestors. He provides the reader with the information about how he wound up in Canada and what his ancestors had to go through to get here. Throughout this part of the book, Alexander makes it seem as...
Ultimately, belonging is not simply a state of security and acceptance, but also involves fear, insecurity, conflict and exclusion. Through Arthur Miller’s exploration of this paradoxical nature of belonging, we see the importance and necessity of belonging to oneself, even if this means exclusion from the community.
There are many factors that lead to the development of an individual’s identity. Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” illustrates an extreme change in Gregor Samsa’s external identity and the overall outward effect it has on the development of his family. While James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” illustrates a young man struggling to find his identity while being pushed around by what society and his family wants him to be. Both of these characters exhibit an underlying struggle of alienation but both also demonstrate a craving for belongingness. This conflict of trying to belong to something as well as satisfying the needs of society, has directly impacted their own individuality and the lives of the people around them.
Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the
...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.
One example of how the author argued that families should be loyal is through his portrayal of Sarah’s character. When talking about how her father saw her rebelliousness, she says, “He began to see me as a lost cause, an embarrassment to the family.” (Alameddine, 35)
In Chretien de Troyes, names play a very big role in the self-discovery of the knights. The knights in the stories conceal their identity, stripping away all of the glory that comes with their reputation and do battle under an alias.
“Any dog want to be king? ” he began, “There will be a hunt for the “Golden Bone”, the prize will be my throne.”
...ver a true definition of identity and his own real identity, he is still as naïve and as gullible as he was at the beginning. He is the “same human individual, [seen] [differently] only in appearance” (Griffon 161). Every person who he had encountered had held a unique perception of him and even if that is not how he had desired to be perceived it is his own actions that originally driven them to that belief. Yes, he still has a unique identity of his being held in his core, but it is just as real as the identity that others hold around him but only relevant by the existence of belief. Identity is a tool only relevant to those who use it, if man functioned away from society then identity becomes pointless, illogical. Yet as the Narrator chooses to live as a part of society, he is still solely responsible for creating the path that serves to define him negatively.
James Marcia’s theory of identity formation was based on Erik Erikson 's “psychosocial stage theory” (Diessner, 2008) identity versus identity confusion. The foundation of which he used to identify, and divide one’s