Duncan Scott Changing Of Canada

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The world has a powerful tool to change all things residing on it. This tool is time and nothing is safe from the changes it brings. The nations on earth are constantly going through changes brought to them by time and events. The early twentieth century brought forth many of these for the nation of Canada. Duncan Campbell Scott lived during these times and saw the effect that they had on Canada. The great war saw Canada acting independently and flourishing. This time also brought inner dispute for Canada, akin to the turmoil between peoples of different origin. Through these changes one thing remained constant in Canada, the natural beauty remained. Scott witnessed these events transpire. His works reflect the changing of Canada which is shown …show more content…

In 1876, the Canadian government introduced a part of legislation called The Indian Act Of 1876, this act gave a great amount of jurisdiction to the federal department of Indian affairs. This gave the department the capability to intervene with internal band issues, administer policy changes, and the authority to advocate who was Indian. The enactment became progressively restrictive, forcing ever-more vigorous controls on the aboriginal people. Duncan Campbell Scott was a Canadian bureaucrat who held a position as Deputy Minister in charge of Indian Affairs Branch from 1913 to 1932. The majority of the poems he wrote contains imagery that demonstrates a sense of sympathy and respect towards the first-nation people. The changes taking place at this time to the country did not have a positive effect on the first-nation people, therefore he writes in sympathy for them. For instance, In the poem On The Way To The Mission the protagonist, an Indian trapper, is being hunted by two white men who look to steal the fur he is carrying. Instead of speaking poorly about the trapper for his ethnic background and beliefs, Scott uses imagery to describe the trapper’s journey and hardship “He was an Indian trapper; he planted his snowshoes firmly, he dragged the long toboggan without rest” (Scott, 6-9). Scott speaks with amiability towards the Indian Trapper as he is sympathetic to the fact that the …show more content…

This makes it a powerful topic for Duncan Campbell Scott to write about, as it is something everyone has experienced. Despite the changing of Canada in the early twentieth century, the wilderness remained untouched in the eyes of Scott. He writes frequently and fondly on this topic because of the changes taking place, the wilderness is a place for him to go that reminds him of other times. The first passage in which he mentions his predilection towards the wilderness can be seen in the poem Night Hymes On Lake Nipigon, he writes “All wild nature stirs with the infinite, tender plant of a bygone age whose soul is eternal, bound in the lonely phrases that thrill and falter back into quiet”(Scott, 32-35). This is in reference to the unchanged soul of the wilderness in a time where everything around it is in a state of change. Duncan Campbell Scott’s poem, Spring On Mattagami, is a unique reflection on Canadian wilderness considering how he personifies the backcountry to resemble a woman. This comparison shows effective as it represents virginity “But poising in the act, and with half a sigh for pardon, she hid it in her bosom where none may dare to see” (Scott, 43-44).This comparison shows effective as it represents virginity, The purity of the woman exemplifies an untouched state in which the Canadian ecosystem stood at in the early 1900’s. In his poem, Fragment Of An Ode To

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