The Other Family Summary

The reading The Other Family addresses an important problem in Canadian society. There is a hegemonic culture in Canada that causes immigrants to fear that they will lose their own customs and traditions. In the reading the little girl drew a picture of a family that was not representative of her own but that was what she knew to be a “Canadian family”. The reaction of her mother is indicative of the fact that this is a concern for their family and their heritage. This shows the overarching issue about the education system not being inclusive of all cultures as they should be in a multicultural country.
The fact that the child drew the family, and said this is “our family” with white skin along with the typical Canadian stereotype shows how there is a lack of cultural awareness in Canadian elementary schools. The child did not even realise that this was not how her family looked until after the fact that her mother reacted to it and she noticed the diversity in class. Through this the author shows that with education and awareness of uniqueness, children are capable of acknowledging and accepting differences. …show more content…
Though the policy of multiculturalism is one that promotes many cultures to co-exist in Canada this story shows that it is flawed and that many immigrant families see their children losing their heritage and identity due to a lack of education about diversity. By analyzing this piece, it is evident that something needs to be in place in early years of education so parents do not feel as if they are losing their children to a larger dominant culture they do not fit in with. If the child was to lose their own heritage the child would always be othered as the child is not like what she drew in the first picture she brought to her parents, she is visibly