Poems such as, “The Stranger,” by Gord Downie, help reveal the dark periods of Canadian history by shining a light on the thousands of children who were affected by the residential schools in Canada. “The Stranger” is a ballad written on behalf of Chanie Wenjack, a twelve-year-old boy who had tried to escape from one of the schools. Wenjack, unfortunately, failed in escaping the residential school due to distance and weather conditions, he passed away next to the train tracks where he had walked along on his journey back home. This poem, in particular, shines a light on a sensitive topic for the people of Canada; Wenjack’s story is one of the many different narratives heard from these residential schools. Children were emotionally, physically, and sexually abused, assimilated into caucasian standards, meaning these aboriginal children lost their language, culture, and identity at the hands of these residential schools. “The Stranger” gives the reader an idea of Wenjack’s life from the perspective of Downie; the constant reference of Wenjack being a “stranger,” leaves the impression that no one knew him and his story may never be told, as the reader will later find when Downie exclaims, “what I’m feelin’ is anyone’s guess.” “The Stranger,” by Gord Downie is only a partial look into the lives of an aboriginal child during the time of the residential schools, the pain and sorrow felt by the thousands of children will never be forgotten because it was one of the darkest periods in Canadian history known to date.
Julia,
Thank you for posting your reflection based on Gord Downie’s poem, “The Stranger,” from the book, “The Secret Path.”
You seem to have a great understanding of the main issues brought forth in the poem about First Nations people within Canada.
This was well-written and I like that you acknowledge the poem type (ballad) and that the poem is in the perspective of Wenjack, yet written by Downie.
Thank you for sharing,
Mr. Barazzuol