Essay Assignment 2
Women were actively involved in shaping the colonial past of Canada. Colonial relationships of power were expresses locally in different times and places that were grounded in the materiality of women’s day-to-day lives. However, many historians tend to overlook the plight of women during the colonial period as well as their role in the development of colonies. However, Margaret Atwood, among other individuals, featured imperial women in her written works. She wrote poems that sought to describe the experience that British immigrants had in Canada during the colonial period. This paper seeks to compare and contrast representations of colonialism in Atwood’s First Neighbours and Thoughts from Underground.
British female emigrants had a difficult time in adapting to the new environment. Thoughts from Underground presents weather changes as one of the challenges that the emigrants face. Atwood refers to the heat associated with summer as “the heat thick as a swamp” (111). This could also be reflecting the extreme conditions both emotionally and psychologically that the women had to endure. The heat represents the external pressures that the Canadian community as well as culture presented to the women.
The colonial women were actively involved in the process of colonialism. They performed their duties outside the comfort of their houses. This accounts for the extreme heat that they had to endure which is not phenomenal if one indulges in indoor activities. Just like their male counterparts, they did not give up on their course in the foreign country. Nothing would stop them from fulfilling their goals or rather losing their focus, which was to attain success. They were willing to achieve success just as their male counterparts. Owing to this, they endured the harsh weather conditions (in both summer and winter) as noted in the second and third stanza of Thoughts from Underground. They ate not so good food just to remain strong for their course in the Canada.
The poet asserts that the satisfaction as well as happiness of the women was only dependent on their success. It was not until they were successful that they began to love the country. They acknowledged the involvement of other forces in their achievement of success. The poet notes that “we were made successful” (111). Various bodies in the Canadian history were involved in the promotion of the pride of women in the society. For instance, the imperial government supported the development of women movements. As female imperialists, they used techniques familiar to the most of the parties that were involved (Pickles 221). The movements were the key to the unity of the women an aspect that played a pivotal role in the realization of their success. On the other hand, First Neighbours begins and ends in a rather sad note since the woman did not achieve any success. She did not experience positive changes in her life thus remains dull.
The emigrant women felt that they had lost their identity. Thoughts from Underground depicts the struggle of the character in question in understanding herself. She says that:
I began to forget myself
of sentences (111)
They could not figure out clearly who they should be associated with i.e. between their mother countries and Canada. The poet tells of how she loved her mother country, England, while at the same time being proud of Canada. First Neighbours also depict an identity crises among the colonial women. The poet notes that:
knew that England
was now unreachable, had sunk down into the sea
without ever teaching me bout washtubs (82).
They had to realize that they were no longer English women but emigrants irrespective of their feelings.
In both poems, Atwood shows that women knew the various factors that were essential in the development of the nation’s economy. They were aware of the natural resources besides being familiar with the native industry. A right attitude, one of the aspects that dictate an individual’s achievement, is essential for the development of not only an individual but also the society. Owing to this, the characters in both poems decide to overcome all odds and develop the right attitude, which is believed to be central to the success of the women in the Edwardian era.
The two poems show that women faced a great deal of discrimination. Thoughts from Underground presents women in a male dominated society. This is revealed at the end of the poem where the poet says “it is still no place for the English gentleman”. On the other hand, First Neighbours presents a different type of discrimination: race-based discrimination. The poet talks of how she was uncomfortable with the language of the natives of Canada”
Speaking a twisted dialect to my differently-
Shaped ears (82).
The fact that she mentions an Indian in the poem (fifth stanza) shows that the community was already divided based on an individual’s race. The conversation between the woman and the Indian is not friendly. When she asked him whether the “squat thing” he was roasting was a toad, he was annoyed. This depicts lack of cohesion between the different races that were in Canada.
The other form of discrimination that was rampant in Canada during the colonial period was class discrimination i.e. discrimination based on one’s social class. The description that the poet gives to the girl who jeered at her depicts that the girl came from a lower social class. She refers to her as the “girl in a red tattered petticoat” (82). The poet was keen to note her outward appearance, which Porter argues is one of the indicators of the class one belongs in a given community (102). The middle class as well as the upper class members of the society looked down upon those who belonged in the lower class. The middle class comprised of trade unionists and veterans. They believed that immigrants were a threat to their economic well-being thus they did everything possible to keep them out of their community. One of the key bodies in the immigration process once admitted that there could be ‘absolutely worthless British immigrants’ (Pickles 56).
Gender-based discrimination within the Canadian community also affected the way women were treated in the region. Canada was particularly eager to attract male agriculturists and female domestics. Considerable efforts were made to obtain British male agriculturists. Additionally, there were other special provisions for the male veterans to take up the land. These attempts by the government could be held accountable for the treatment that the women received on their arrival in Canada. The first stanza in Thoughts from Underground starts by showing the dissatisfaction of the poet. Although it does not give a picture of the circumstances, which made the poet hate the country, one can say that she probably received a rather hurting reception from the Canadians. This is also the case with the first stanza of First Neighbours:
The people I live among, unforgivingly
Previous to me, grudging
The way I breathe their,
Property, the air
Atwood’s representation in the two poems differs in a number of ways. Thoughts from Underground shows that women focused all their energy on overcoming their challenges-they are development oriented. It shows that women were able to shun their negative attitude towards their immediate environment and focus on the success of the entire society. The woman is conscious of all the economic developments of the nation. She is able to notice billboards (an advertising tool). The natural resources are for the nation’s economic development purposes. On the other hand, First Neighbours, depicts women as victims of circumstances. She is under the pressure of the other members of the society, which she takes a rather long time to deal with an aspect that drains much of her energy. Additionally, she shows no concern on the development of the nation since she is still under racial captivity-she refers to one of her fellow citizens by his race-Indian. She seems to promote division in the community by promoting the aspect of social classes when she describes the young girl by the poor state of her outfit. She perceives natural resources as tools for her own satisfaction as depicted in the seven-stanza where she talks about the forest, birds and the branches. Additionally, the woman in First Neighbours does not appreciate cultural diversity, which is an attribute that any individual who is concerned about the economic growth of a nation should possess (Bonnett 63). She is reluctant to learn the language of her Neighbours.
Thoughts from Underground differs from First Neighbours as far as optimism is concerned. Grosfoguel argues that the quest for success is the major driving force for immigrants (58). Most of the colonial women, just like their male counterparts, were after the creation of wealth in foreign countries. Owing to this, all the colonialists ought to have had a conquering spirit which is evident in Thoughts from underground. She seems to keep a track record of how things changed since she entered the new land. The success makes her to love Canada and be proud of it as well. She notes that:
Who can doubt it, look how
Fast Belleville is growing (111).
She identifies with the Canada’s city Belleville an aspect that shows that she has overcome her identity crisis. On the other hand, First Neighbours, shows how women had lost hope as far as achieving success is concerned. She is not enthusiastic about changing her desperate state as she notes that “though clumsiness and fright are inevitable” (82). Additionally, she dwells on impossibilities an aspect that is detrimental to the success of any individual.
Both poems show that women faced many challenges in Canada. They experienced gender-based discrimination, racial discrimination as well as class-based discrimination. Additionally, they experienced harsh weather conditions but they battled it out. Success was also a key measure of the satisfaction of the women. Those who were successful lived and enjoyed life while unlike their counterparts. On the other hand, Thought from Underground depicts women as development oriented and optimistic while First Neighbours depicts women as victims of circumstances/hardships who are unable to be achievers.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. 1965-1975. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1987. Print.
Bonnett, Alastair. Anti-Racism. Florence, KY: Routledge, 1999. Print.
Grosfoguel, Ramon. Colonial Subjects: Puerto Ricans in a Global Perspective. Ewing, NJ:
Pickles, Katie. Female Imperialism and National Identity: Imperial Order Daughters of the
Empire. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2002. Print.
Porter, Bernard. Absent-Minded Imperialists: Empire, Society and Culture in Britain. Oxford,
GBR: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print.
