Gord Downie The Secret Path

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The Secret Path & Gord Downie By Tessa “The Secret Path” by Gord Downie is an influential piece of art. Released in 2016, the album/poetry graphic novel/movie covers the story of Chanie Wenjack, a young twelve year old boy who died after escaping residential school in 1966. This beautifully written and performed true story demonstrates the grim reality of Canadian residential schools. As Gord Downie’s last project, “The Secret Path” held great significance and purpose for him. Downie was diagnosed with glioblastoma only a year prior to the release of the project, a form of brain cancer with a 6.9% survival rate, so he knew his end was more than likely. In Gord’s words, “This is the best thing I've ever done, and by best I just mean (it) helps my heart a little (.) Nothing else really matters to me.” This shows how …show more content…

Chanie’s story shows the importance of resilience, illustrated by the fact that despite his unimaginable hardship, he kept walking, even if all he was headed towards was death. This is metaphorically the same situation Downie was in while creating “The Secret Path”. The theme and purpose of this piece is not only gut wrenching, but inspiring. Gord used a variety of effective techniques to depict these topics, such as recurring motifs and visual cues. The mood and symbolism of The Secret Path has resulted from Gord Downie’s own life and feelings regarding Canadian history, as well as his speculation of what Chanie might have been feeling. One strong example of this is the colour scheme used in the film and novel. During the majority of the story, blues, blacks, and whites are used to portray a cold, grim, and desolate mood. Bright orange fire is used as a symbol of the “before”, freedom, warmth, and family, while the raven is plain black and symbolizes trauma, death, and the

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