What is Canada? Sure, many people will say that Canada is a nation of 35 million inhabitants in the great north founded by the French and British. They’d say that Canadians are great at embracing the harsh elements thrown at us. They’d say Canada is a cultural mosaic, comprised of a plethora of ethnicities. They’d say Canada is the home to Universal healthcare. They’d say we say that Canadians love the word “eh” along with drenching everything in maple syrup. But all of these things people think Canada is, fuses into one bold idea; in which Paul Henderson successfully conveys in his book, How Hockey Explains Canadian Culture. An idea in which Canada’s love for hockey has helped develop different forms of art and media, has helped develop a
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Serge Savard’s famous “Spin o Rama” could easily be compared to a pirouette done by a ballerina. One could infer that Savard’s spin is even harder than a pirouette as a ballerina “does not have a so-called goon chasing after him” (159) at a speed of 40 kilometres an hour. Would it be offensive to say that the movements of hockey players are the inspiration for new movements in ballet? Well, some of you may be asking, how does this have anything to do with the development of our identity? Paul Henderson’s inclusion of this comparison highlights the significance of hockey in Canada as a stepping stone to the progression of other art forms. The development of these art forms aids in the development of a national identity. His idea is further demonstrated as hockey has been the topic of many novels written by Canadian authors. For example, the hockey sweater is a story every Canadian has grown up with. Many famous hockey players, including Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe have gone on to write autobiographies. Hockey has also helped kick start the Canadian film industry. From titles such as Such a Simple Game directed by Gilles Groulx to Maurice Richard directed by Charles …show more content…
Canada is the home to some of the world’s greatest musicians, actors and artist. They range from the world famous pop star in Justin Bieber to the well-known singer-songwriter in Leonard Cohen. Canada gave Hollywood great actors from the charismatic Ryan Gosling to the hilarious Seth Rogen. “Despite the law forbidding people of foreign birth from being President of the United States, Canada has sent them three Presidents through Raymond Massey, who played Abraham Lincoln in Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Glenn Ford who played John F. Kennedy, and Dan Aykroyd who played Richard Nixon.” (164) Through this, Henderson exemplifies that no matter what talent Canada produces, it will never be fully recognized for its accomplishments by the United States and therefore the World won’t recognize Canada. He further demonstrates this point by referencing a segment done by Rick Mercer. In this segment, the people of America, to whom we look up to for recognition, still see Canadians as people who live in igloos and ride polar bears or moose to school every day. His insight is further strengthened as he recalls the gang from the comical movie South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut singing the hit Blame Canada from the movie’s soundtrack. The lyrics of the song include: “Blame Canada/With all their hockey hullabaloo/and that bitch Anne Murray too/We
Serge Savard’s famous “Spin o Rama” could easily be compared to a pirouette done by a ballerina. One could infer that Savard’s spin is even harder than a pirouette as a ballerina “does not have a so-called goon chasing after him” (159) at a speed of 40 kilometres an hour. Would it be offensive to say that the movements of hockey players are the inspiration for new movements in ballet? Well, some of you may be asking, how does this have anything to do with the development of our identity? Paul Henderson’s inclusion of this comparison highlights the significance of hockey in Canada as a stepping stone to the progression of other art forms. The development of these art forms aids in the development of a national identity. His idea is further demonstrated as hockey has been the topic of many novels written by Canadian authors. For example, the hockey sweater is a story every Canadian has grown up with. Many famous hockey players, including Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe have gone on to write autobiographies. Hockey has also helped kick start the Canadian film industry. From titles such as Such a Simple Game directed by Gilles Groulx to Maurice Richard directed by Charles …show more content…
Canada is the home to some of the world’s greatest musicians, actors and artist. They range from the world famous pop star in Justin Bieber to the well-known singer-songwriter in Leonard Cohen. Canada gave Hollywood great actors from the charismatic Ryan Gosling to the hilarious Seth Rogen. “Despite the law forbidding people of foreign birth from being President of the United States, Canada has sent them three Presidents through Raymond Massey, who played Abraham Lincoln in Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Glenn Ford who played John F. Kennedy, and Dan Aykroyd who played Richard Nixon.” (164) Through this, Henderson exemplifies that no matter what talent Canada produces, it will never be fully recognized for its accomplishments by the United States and therefore the World won’t recognize Canada. He further demonstrates this point by referencing a segment done by Rick Mercer. In this segment, the people of America, to whom we look up to for recognition, still see Canadians as people who live in igloos and ride polar bears or moose to school every day. His insight is further strengthened as he recalls the gang from the comical movie South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut singing the hit Blame Canada from the movie’s soundtrack. The lyrics of the song include: “Blame Canada/With all their hockey hullabaloo/and that bitch Anne Murray too/We