Truth & History
This was the first large residential school in Canada, opened in 1831.
What is the Mohawk Institute
"Forest lamenting" is an example of this device, giving human qualities to nature.
What is personification?
The poem Mechanic is about the trauma caused by this system in Canada.
What are residential schools?
The last federally-run residential school in Canada closed in this year.
What is 1997?
The verse "he arrived with the thump of a rabbit" imitates a sound. Which lyrical device is this?
What is onomatopoeia?
The poem shows how the brother develops this illness after his time at residential school.
What is diabetes?
Over this many Indigenous children attended residential schools.
What is 150,000+?
Repeating consonant sounds in "shifted his foot / had his little dance and left" is an example of this device.
What is consonance?
The poem’s title Mechanic is ironic because it refers to someone who fixes things, but in this context, nothing can fix the ____ caused by residential schools.
What is damage or trauma?
Although residential schools were officially created to "educate" Indigenous children, what was their true purpose?
What was to erase Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions?
"Sugar chewed off both his leg" is a metaphor for this.
What is diabetes or an illness caused by residential school?
The poem reflects the physical suffering, emotional pain, and long-term effects experienced by children in residential schools. This is the poem’s main _____.
What is theme or message
The first large residential school opened in 1831 in which province? Which two provinces never had federally run residential schools?
What is Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador?
In the poem, the speaker talks directly to her deceased brother, saying “Otâ by my bed / He arrived with the thump of a rabbit.” This device shows how memories of trauma and connection persist even after death. Name this poetic technique.
What is apostrophe?
The poem shows the brother’s childhood, his struggles at residential school, and his illness later in life. What overall message does the poem give about the effects of residential schools on children?
What is that residential schools caused lasting harm to children physically and emotionally?