Literary Devices
"those storms awoke."
Personification
Complete the line from the opening stanza: "The children were meat for the..."
Scavengers
The act of watching a person or activity and making certain that everything is done correctly and safely
Supervision
Forced haircutting and prohibiting native speech upon entering residential schools served this primary systemic purpose
Forced assimilation or stripping of cultural identity
"hand-peel potatoes, / wash the many pots and pans / under the supervision of the kitchen nuns."
Imagery
According to the poem, this specific natural season arrived when "our winds took a turn."
Winter
To raise or bring up from infancy or to support someone or something snugly in your arms or hands
To cradle
The phrase "Indian Affairs" in line 2 refers to this government department responsible for administering residential schools.
The Department of Indian Affairs
“The children were meat / for the scavengers”
Metaphor
The line "clapping hands and electric light" precedes the children getting on these to give Christ a difficult time.
Knees
the floor of a fireplace and the area immediately extending out into the room, typically made of brick, stone, or concrete
Hearth
The final lines,"those storms awoke", conclude the poem by pointing to these lasting consequences for residential school survivors.
Intergenerational trauma, long-term grief, anger
What theme(s) might "the brick walls" symbolize in this poem.
Confinement, isolation, institutional power
Name the one of two rooms explicitly mentioned where the children were forced to work before going to school.
The scullery and laundry room
This is a small utility room or "back kitchen" usually located next to the main kitchen, used for food preparation, dishwashing, and appliance storage.
Scullery
The imagery of "devoured our mother’s hearth" signifies the destruction of this core aspect of Indigenous life.
Home, family warmth, or cultural heritage
"The children were meat / for... / the Saints of many churches."
Situational irony, while the Saints themselves are holy symbols, they commit unholy acts.
This four-word phrase describes what the children were forced to do to European culture and education in school.
To swallow Europe
The official residence provided by a church for its priest
Rectory
The speaker uses sarcastic titles like "Saints" and "higher saints" to highlight this flaw in the church leadership.
Hypocrisy, abuse of power, or cruelty