Spruce

n the novel Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden, survival is a repeating theme. Throughout the stories if the two protagonists, Annie and Will, their survival physically, mentally, and emotionally is continually tested. Boyden expresses the theme of survival through the use of symbols relating to the survival of Annie, Will and the Netmakers. Annie’s journeys expressed in the novel test her survival skill physically and mentally in the city and in her rural hometown setting. In the urban…

Joseph Boyden’s novel, Through Black Spruce, creates a modernized depiction of the Windigo figure. He uses the figure to describe key antagonists who act as corrupting forces to the world around them. The Windigo figures torment Will and Annie Bird as well as corrupt the youth through their drug business. According to Antoine, the Windigos must die in order to stop their unending corruption. Antoine is the only character able to handle the burden of killing the Windigo figures as he has no…

In the novel Through Black Spruce written by Joseph Boyden exhibit the importance of family and community in the small town of Moosonee. Will Bird and Annie Bird, the main protagonists demonstrate how family and the community need to stick together through thick and thin. Will is in a coma due to a flying accident and is in the hospital. Annie is his niece who stays by his side throughout the novel showing deep support. Both characters start telling each other stories about past events which…

problem of spruce beetles. Spruce beetles usually live in the south where there is always a high temperature. In the film it showed in recent years the beetles have been migrating to the North, which is unexpected because the North is the coldest, but with recent climate change and the increase in temperature spruce beetles can be found in Alaska. The migration of spruce beetle not only shows the drastic change in temperature but it also causes problems, in the documentary it stated that the…

The taiga biome – known by some as the Snow Forest – is a fascinating environmental phenomenon; spanning from North America to Eurasia in the highest latitudes, the taiga is an unbelievably difficult place to live, and plants and animals must be uniquely suited to handle the harsh climate and terrain. Surprisingly, there are a number of different plants that can endure the long, brutal winters and short, fleeting summers of the taiga, and they range from large pines to tiny lichens, each serving…

Vaillant, the Golden Spruce. The emblematic giant in both cases has become somewhat of a flagship entity or, to use a term closely related to the one coined by Farmer, a type of “charismatic megaflora”. They are extraordinarily big plants who have been given a particular status. Farmer notes that “at this point, El Palo Alto has more visibility as a simulacrum than an organism” (544) while Vaillant writes that “the golden spruce has become the most widely dispersed Sitka spruce on earth” (236).…

The Smoky Mountains are home to a wide variety of plants. The Great Smoky Mountains national park is over 800 square miles, and throughout this vast space is found a large diversity of plants. The national park is over 95% forested, and is sometimes referred to as the “wildflower national park”. While over 12,000 plant species have been discovered in the park, there is evidence that there may be as many as 90,000 unfound species. The range of elevations throughout the Smoky Mountains makes it a…

Hughes H-4 Hercules, commonly known as the “Flying Boat” or “spruce goose” was, and still is, the largest wooden aircraft ever designed and flown5. It holds the record for having the biggest wing with a span of 320 feet, which could cover an entire football field2. Henry Fraiser was the man who first proposed the idea of the enormous flying boat based on the demand for a transport plane to support the activities of the US military during World War 24. Frasier approached the famous aircraft…

wildfires are common in the taiga. They also have the ability to grow in all types of soils. Black Spruce: The Black Spruce is a tall tree. It can grow up to 25 meters tall. Douglas-Fir: Douglas-firs are very big. They can grow up to 60 feet tall and 25 metres wide. Eastern Red Cedar: The Eastern Red Cedar is a small evergreen that can grow to a height of 10-50 feet. Similar to the black spruce, they produce an oil that works as an insect repellent. Lingonberries:…

of Dentistry and Oral Health and was the Dean of (ASDOH) Dr. Jack Dillenberg who had a great welcoming personality with a good sense of humor. Another important person I met was Dr. George Blue Spruce, Assistant Dean at (ASDOH) who is also the first Native American Dentist. Getting to know Dr. Blue Spruce and hearing a piece of how he became a dentist really motivated me to push harder to become the best dentist I can possibly be. He mentioned that we need more Native American dentist so we can…