Monday 8 December 2014

Is Tomson Highways's The Rez Sisters worth studying?

Recently we read Tomson Highway's play The Rez Sisters.  The question is whether or not this play is worthy of study. I believe that it is definitely worthy of study. For some background information that story follows a group of women living on a First Nations reserve.







The Rez Sisters has a engaging story about six First nations women heading to the biggest bingo in the world. the trials and barriers that the women overcome to get to this bingo is what really makes this story so interesting. The fully developed characters and unique message, along with many symbols and literary devices to develop any assignments that a person could think of. Furthermore, the use of very own to earth characters gives the play a very relatable side and the  difficulties that the women over come are similar to what many people will go through in their lives.  








Overall I think this this play is definitely worth studying because of the developed characters and the strong message. Also it is a nice change from the usual thinks that we read due to the relatable characters.


Tuesday 25 November 2014

My Defining Moment



A defining moment is a moment that changes you, and shapes you into the person that you are.

I was about 5 years old and my twin sister and I would sing at our church together but singing was my passion, my dream not hers. I would kind of depend on her and feel safe with someone up there with me.

We were both walking up together and by the time i made my way up to the stage she wasn't with me, she left me all  by myself. To say that I was nervous would be an understatement, I was terrified! I decided on that stage that i was going to do my best without her and I did. I even got a standing ovation from everyone!



Now I am in a band with my two brothers and we travel around Ontario doing shows, and preforming. From that day I knew that preforming is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and thats is what I intend on doing.






Thursday 20 November 2014

My Defining Moment


For the past 13 years of my life I have dedicated my spare time into dancing. Not only has dance become a huge part of my life, but so have the people I have met along the way. The people I have met through my dance career influenced me in many ways and have made me who I am today. They are like family and without them I don't know where I would be. Throughout the years I have had to say goodbye to many people whether they were leaving for University or leaving the studio moving onto bigger and better things. The physical aspect of dance allows you to forget about whats happening in your life as you get lost in the movement and music. Over the past 13 years I have shed blood, sweat and tears and that's resulted in wins and losses. But overall, dance has taught me that if you are willing to work for something you love, you are able to achieve it, no matter what gets thrown in your pathway.

My Defining Person

What was my defining moment ?          



  • I could not think of one defining moment but one defining person did come to mind. My grandmother has shaped who I am today in many ways. We have always been super close and I think of her more as a best friend than a grandma. She has always been there for me through the ups and downs of life and I can talk to her about literally everything. These conversations even include things you would not typically share with your grandma. She is the one person that knows everything about me and fully understands all my faults. Without her I probably would not have the outlook on life that I have today. She encourages me to be myself and to always do what makes me happy. Ever since I can remember we have been ‘joined at the hip’. I used to threaten my mom that I was going to run away to “gamma’s” house and never come back. I trust her with my life. I have always been her favorite grandchild and everyone in my family knows it. There is something about our personalities that has allowed us to just ‘click’. She is an absolutely fascinating woman and I love her with all my heart.

Wednesday 19 November 2014

What Defines Me?

              In my opinion, a defining moment is something that sticks with you forever, something that you learned from or something that helped you grow as a person. In the summer of 2006, I attended a week of summer camp at Cairn Family of Camps with my good friend Grace. Shortly after, she moved to Alberta but we continued to go to camp together every summer. This past summer, we attended the Leader In Training (LIT) program for the month of August. The month consisted of a week long canoe trip around the Hudson's bay area, covering over 40 km, 2 weeks of sessions and training to be a counselor, a week in cabin where we job shadowed the counselors, and the last week was basically just having fun times together before we had our closing ceremony. Majority of the LITs had been going to camp together for many years so it was nice to spend a month with such great people. On the canoe trip, I learned a lot about the other LITs, portaging, cooking food on an open fire, and proper storage for food and supplies so animals cant get to it. Although the sessions were a lot like school, we learned valuable things like how to tell if a child may be abused at home, how to run a campfire, different learning styles, different love languages, how to belay someone on a rock wall, how to run a TLC, how to set smart goals, how to handle bullying, how to work with children who have disabilities, how social media impacts us, the importance of diversity at camp and how to be your best self. I was also able to renew my emergency first-aid and receive my bronze medallion and bronze cross. During my in cabin week, I was with a group of 8 crazy girls. They got along great and I was able to really see what counselling is about, the difference between taking care of them and caring for them, especially because one of the cos had to leave halfway through the week so I was able to really step up and get involved. During the month, I also received my camp name, which is a name that is unique to you and its the name you go by at camp, mine is Rizma. Overall, this past summer I developed a deeper understanding of myself, who i really am, my faith and how to be more aware of the feelings of those in my community. I look forward to working at camp next summer,
and receiving my 10 year paddle that will be hung for staff and campers to see.

Study or Don't Study






What makes a text worthy of study? An interesting and relatable text makes a text worthy of study, its something that the reader can relate to and also enjoy, maybe even learn something new. I think that The Rez Sisters illustrates that because its something many people can relate to because Highway make the women so realistic and likable.










My Defining Moment


I believe my defining moment happened back in grade 9 when I went to ofsaa for track and field. I competed in the 400m and place the 6th best in the province. I won the 400m in grade 7 and 8 but i never thought it was something i wanted to take seriously. Ever since my track season in gr 9 I just want to beat everyone and become the best in the world! Running just became something I grew to love, now i have to run everyday as if its something my body craves.   

Buh Bye CanaDuhhh


A defining moment for me would be a point in your life when you make a very important decision or had an experience that changed you in some sort of way. My defining moment is when I had the chance to move to Jamaica and live with my father and also have a new start at a different high school. I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with my father ever since my parents got divorced, so when I heard that my mother and step-father were going to Jamaica for a bit, I thought it would be a good idea if I came but instead lived there, they both agreed and from then on I lived with my father. Living with my father was a very different experience for me, a lot different than living with my mother, they both had very different ways of taking care of me. My father was a more fun but strict parent, but my mother is more fun and relaxed. Another experience I had with moving to Jamaica was adapting to a new school. What I learned from that was going to a private Christian school is a lot different then my school in Canada. I wasn't use to most of their routines like, uniforms, having to pray at the beginning and end of the day, random bag checks, having to keep your fingernails short, and it was a VEGETARIAN school… strictly NO meat. Not only was this a big change for me but it also showed me that being a new kid at school isn't as hard as I thought it would, because I made friends really easily. Before this move I thought I wasn't capable of a big change or meeting new people, but from this experience it showed me that I am and I really enjoyed it, it also gave me and my father a chance to connect, because we don’t get to see each other often.  


                       

I don't have a defining moment.

When I was asked if I had a defining moment in my life, my mind went blank. I couldn’t think of a single moment that defined my entire existence and made me who I am today. Because there isn’t just one, theres millions and billions of those ‘defining moments’ happening each and every day. I was always raised with the idea that ‘everything happens for a reason’, and although that quote is very very cheesy, it’s also very very true. Everything that I’ve done in my life defines me, because it’s led for me to become the person I am today, and the person who I’ll be ten years from now. Like I could talk about how seeing Paul McCartney live was the greatest moment of my life due to how much I love The Beatles, and the different emotions I felt by seeing him live and in person. But I think that it’s the little things that are more defining in our lives. Little decisions we make that can change life as we know it. I mean, if I hadn’t chosen certain classes in whatever grade, I wouldn’t be friends with some of the people who I am friends with today. If I hadn’t chosen to do music class because one of my friends was going to do it going into Grade 9, I don’t think music would be half as important as it is to me now. See what I mean? These little decisions that we make on a daily basis that can possibly send our life in an entirely different direction, without us even knowing it. How are we supposed to just narrow it down to one moment, when ten years from now that moment will not be as significant as it is to us now. We have to cherish every moment, and treat it as the defining moment of our lives. That way we’re not dwelling in the past, or waiting for the future. By doing this we live in the present, and take each day as it comes, because each day is full of challenges that could alter your entire life. We don’t reflect on these little moments at all really, because they don’t seem significant to us and we forget them easily. I think by reflecting on these little moments, we’ll discover that there is more than just one way to define our life.

SEEING THE WORLD.

What was a defining moment in my life?
 

A defining moment in my life was when I traveled to Hungary in 2012 to visit my sister while she was doing a semester of school there through Western University. I traveled with my mum, and sisters boyfriend. This was defining to my life because travelling to another country and not staying in a resort like I usually do when I travel helped to open my eyes up to how amazing the world really is and how there's so much more of it to see. I think this because anytime I have traveled, I have usually visited a resort in Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican, etc but with going to one of those places and staying all inclusive you don’t get to experience the country’s real culture. They all have the same foods you eat when you’re at home, the employees speak English, and its luxurious. Don’t get me wrong, it is relaxing and enjoyable but travelling to Hungary was different. I think this because you almost have no choice but to experience the culture, you have to eat their food (try new things), you see such neat things like incredible views, monuments, and buildings, etc. This defined me because it helped me to realize how much more there is too life than just ‘things’, travelling and seeing the world is worth so much more than buying a new piece of clothing or food, and so on. Overall, I believe travelling to another country and exploring it for yourself has helped me to realize the best things in life aren't things.

 

                                        







More than a sport: My Defining Moment

As a little kid I was always interested in football. It was the only sport I was interested in. I watched every game, I followed all the news and then I played Outlaws Football for a couple years. I played 3 years of Outlaws but I never really hit my defining moment until Grade 9 when I joined Bears Football. That Grade 9 season was a learning season for me where my coaches taught me every that I know. The next year in Grade 10, the team and myself hit our defining moment by winning the home opener game and making it to playoffs for the first time since the program has been back. I think this was truly defining because after years of losing we came together and won. From that moment forward even though we lost we kept getting better and stronger. I take football very seriously because to me, it’s not just a sport but a lifestyle, every day in the fall we’re out there for 2 hours practicing and working hard to be successful

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Is The Rez Sisters worth the study?

     In short answer, yes . This play touches on the life of women on reserves in a way that brings light to an ongoing problem in an entertaining fashion . Often the play is criticized for its coarse language, although I believe Tomson Highway purposely did this as its needed for the character development, it brings the reader more into the play making it feel more real life, allowing the reader to put themselves in the women's shoes . The play contains many educational features too, allowing the reader to learn of the poverty in which many First Nations live in, doing so however, the reader or play watcher feels literally placed on that reserve . This is a phenomenal way to educate someone, the play makes the reader sympathy for the women, allowing for a deeper understanding of what they're going threw . The play is worth study, if the reader is mature enough to get passed the vulgar side of the story .

how socks affected who i am today

My Defining Moment  


I'm not truly sure I have a true "defining moment" because I don't have just one single moment that effected me in such a way. That isn't to say I haven't had a moment that led to the progressive changes that made me the way I am now. That moment was in grade nine at camp NGWEDWE when I wore socks to bed. You're probably wondering how on earth wearing socks to bed could be a defining moment but it's actually very simple because that's how I met my best friend. See my friend felt wearing socks to bed was extremely odd. To be honest quite a few of my friends feel that way. My friend seems to like weird people however because that's when they decided to talk to me. Of course our first conversation was about the socks thing. From there we bonded over similar interests and our mutual hatred for that camp. Though the fact that I bought them candy was likely a bonus. By the end of camp I was sure we'd never talk again, not because anything bad happened simply because often times that's how things happened with me. To be fair to these people who did this I did use to be very pushy and come on very strongly. However lo and behold we're still friends to this day and that likely will not change. This is my defining moment because my best friend has taught me so much. They opened my eyes to the world around me and I've learned a lot about myself as well. If I hadn't met them I wouldn't be anything like I am now. Amazing how something as simple as wearing socks to bed can affect your life so much.  




My Defining Moment


My defining moment was when i was 11 years old, facing the aftermath of my move away from Libya. While living in Libya, I attended an all American school, where I learned to love the school, culture, and especially friends, within my time of being there.This all changed quickly though, as when I arrived home on the last day of school, my father had broken the news to my family, that his company was sending him back to Canada. During the moving process, I was the furthest from happy, but finally began to embrace the closing of this chapter in my life. When I arrived in Canada, I got back into my regular routine at school, reconnected with old friends, but still missing Libya more than ever, constantly questioning why we had to move. My question was soon answered later, as a few months post-move, my dad came to pick me up from school early one afternoon, only to tell me that a few of our family friends from Libya had passed away. A war had broken out in Libya, and many people had died while trying to escape, the way our family friends had died. Ever since that day, Libya always became a reminder to me that everything truly does happen for a reason. I know a cliche quote, but i firmly stand by it, because I could have easily been caught in that mess. Not only was Libya a place full of memories that I will cherish for a lifetime, but also a reminder that life is precious, and it can be gone in an instant, just like that.

My Defining Moment


My defining moment was when my dad got sick and was hospitalized. The doctors at the hospital misdiagnosed him because the technicians were sloppy with their diagnostic imaging, and the doctors were very stupid and unskilled and did not know any better to order clearer image. It turns out my dad had a blood clot in the back of his neck from an accident a few months prior. If a big piece of the clot broke off it would have stopped blood flow to his brain and he would have died. Little bits of the clot had already broken off causing him to have something like a stroke, where the left side of his body would go completely limp and numb! This happened 3 times. It was the first stroke that made him go to the hospital in the first place, yet the doctors sent him home anyway (idiots). Then my dad had another stroke, so my mom forced my dad to see the doctors at the hospital she worked at in order to get a second opinion. After a week of tests they found the blood clot. For a week we had no clue what was going on with him or if he'd live. This experience made me want to become a doctor so i could PROPERLY diagnose people so they do not have to go through what my family did, as well as save people from dying. But this also inspired me to become a better person too because you never know when someones going to pass away, and I wanted to be a positive force in people's lives. Before i did not care about my grades or anything in general. I was very rude and I did not really care about others. Because of this experience I started trying really hard to get better grades so I could get in a good medical school, and now I try my best to help people out whenever and however I can. It really changed me into a kinder person.

My defining athletic moment

Before my athletic defining moment, I was never really playing any sports in or out of school because they were not what I truly wanted to accomplish as an athlete.  My defining moment as an athlete was on bright fall day in grade 9 gym class, when my gym teacher, Mr. Solinger, took us outside to the back of the school where he taught us to throw javelin and discus.  This moment introduced me to my newly acquired favorite sport and to one of the most fun ways to release all of your stress and focus on one thing at a time.  This also changed the way that I acted and continue to act. I am more healthy in order to do better at practice and in the competitions.  Now in the fall, you will see me running with the cross country team in order to stay fit for when spring comes around and more importantly, track and field comes around.  I always preferred javelin but last year at every track and field meet I threw the discus farther.  Because of this, I was motivated to do better in javelin how I did it was I got a javelin for Christmas.  Now you can sometimes find me at the park near my house, throwing away.

What Defines Me?

The preface to my defining moment began on a cold evening during the fall of 2009. My Mom was diagnosed with stage-four, triple-negative Breast Cancer, and she passed away a year later when the cancer had completely spread throughout her body.  My Mom was my best friend growing up, we did everything together. I didn't just lose her when she passed, but I lost our friendship, and that was definitely the hardest part.After she passed, I stayed in my room for a couple weeks, shutting out anyone who tried to come in. I gave up the things that made me happy and I avoided anything that reminded me of her. 


As cheesy as it sounds,my defining moment happened late one night while I was home alone. I came out of my room and just sat on my kitchen floor and thought for a while. I came to the realization that I literally needed to get back up on my feet and keep moving on with my life. So, I started cooking and I have been since. My Mom and I cooked together all the time, and it is my personal way of still being connected to her.This moment changed me for the better,and it gave me a new perspective on life. It made me realize that we can't control everything that goes on around us, so we need to cherish every single moment because in an instant everything can change.




My Defining Moment

Turn It Out

There have been so many moments in my life where things have changed who I am today, but I believe that the most important one of those moments is when I made it to nationals in my dancing. I've been doing competition dance for almost 4 years now and when I started I was beyond nervous. I had never danced in front of a crowd that big before and when I saw these dancers go up and dance like they weren't even being watched it made me relies that it shouldn't matter who's watching me as long as I'm doing the thing I love the most. The whole experience for these 4 years has taken me so far, my dance has improved so much and it's taught me that it's okay to push yourself out side your comfort zone, to work for what you want and you will get there. Ever since I was little I've wanted to be in the National Ballet and be up on stage with all the worlds greatest ballet dancers, when I got older reality hit me and I found out that I would probably never make it. After that realization I've never given up I joined the comp classes and extra hour private classes to help me gain the knowledge and training I need to get there. I've never been so admit about doing something in my life. It's my escape from life and it's what I do when I'm in deep thought about something or can't figure something out and need to get my mind off things. That is why I believe that making it to Nationals last year was my defining moment is because it taught me never give up push yourself and work for what you want and you will get. Dance is my life. 

My Defining Moment

My defining moment was when I was in grade 8, and I was one of the few lucky students chosen to attend We Day.  As a kid, and still to this day, I have always wanted to make a difference in the world we live in, whether that be volunteering at a food bank, running kid's programs, or cutting my hair for cancer.  I remember thinking of what We Day would be like, and wondering if the experience would have any affect on who I am as a person.  The day finally came, and I was extremely excited.  I had our school We Day t-shirt on, and I was ready to go.  We arrived, got to our seats, and I remember Mark and Craig Kielburger coming out on stage, and sharing their own childhood story of how they began to change the world.  I remember thinking to myself, yup, that's exactly what I want to do.  I thought, even if the gestures are small, I can make a difference. Since that day, I have tried my best to keep an open mind, participate in community events, and volunteer inside our community as much as I can.  I might not become famous for what I do to help people, but nothing beats the pride, and gratification that I am rewarded with when I help make a difference in the lives of others.

The adrenaline rush of skiing

The one moment in my life that defines me was on a very sunny march afternoon when i signed into the sandy boville invitational. at the time i was scared of hitting jumps over 40 feet but when i showed up on this march day, that all changed. i went up the chairlift for the first first time that day and saw the biggest jump i had ever seen. the air time must have been close to 3-4 seconds. almost 70 feet from end of the takeoff to the top of the landing. this jump changed the way i am today. the feeling of that jump made me want to keep hitting it over and over again. i was addicted to the adrenaline rush.  Now i will hit any jump i will be able to get enough speed for. I am able to learn bigger and harder tricks because i can hit bigger jumps. this changed the way i look at skiing forever, I no longer show up and say i don’t really want to hit the big jump. I show up and say lets get the session on the big jump started.  

My Defining moment

My defining moment would be the first time I taught a karate class.The reason this is my defining moment is because I was debating quitting at the time and throwing away all the time I had invested in the art. Then came the day I was asked to come in and help instruct the class with the junior instructor at the time. It was a great experience being able to pass on the knowledge and experience that I had gained over the years and seeing the kids working to absorb it all, and watching their faces light up as they got to try the techniques they were shown. These kids were so excited to learn the things that I had taken for granted for so many years. Since then I have continued with karate and I am grading for black belt this fall, I have also continued teaching classes for the younger students get to see them improving week after week. Even though I know that not all of them will stick with it all the way to black belt, it is nice to know that I am touching their lives and making their experience with karate something that they will take with them. That is my defining moment.

Champions/2010

My Defining Moment happened at the age of 11. It was the start of March, 2010 when my hockey team had just made it to the OMHA hockey finals. We were competing to be the best team in all of Ontario for the AE division. In the series we started off against a strong Oakville team. We battled back from a 2-0 deficit and came back to win and move onto the next round. We then played Whitby and beat them 4-2 in the series. Finally we swept Newmarket 3 games to 0 in the finals winning it all. This experience made me what I am today. A person who tries hard academically and will not accept things endless i know i tried my best. This skill i learned has helped me to be successful both at school and in life.

Is The Rez Sisters really worth Studying?


I believe The Rez Sisters is worth reading because it gives us insight of how life is on first nations reserves. It show us the struggles they go through with sickness, death, housing, and other social problems. Each character brings something new to the play and offers a new side to the same story. The profanity in the play makes the characters problems more real and relatable because we’re teenagers and we tend to cuss when we are angry, and it strengthens the point the characters are trying to make. I believe the profanity in the play sets it apart from other plays where everything is bland with no real emotion or anger put into the arguments. And it teaches you about the problems First Nations have in other part of our own country, and its good to be informed on issues like that. So yeah, i believe the Rez Sisters is worth looking at and studying.

Monday 17 November 2014

Is The Rez Sisters Worth Studying In Scho


Yes.  The Rez Sisters by Thomson Highway gives great insight into the lives, and struggles of First Nations.  In the beginning, when the characters are first introduced, I found it hard to keep track of each character, and their purpose in the story.  However, as we got deeper into the play, Highway made messages, and purposes of characters extremely clear.
The use of language and profanity in The Rez Sisters makes the play, and the characters very relatable.  I personally believe the use of language makes the point Highway is trying to convey stronger.  We are teenagers, and when upset, or angry, we often use these words ourselves.
Not only was this play very entertaining, but it also gave us students insight into the lives of First Nations.  It shows us the struggles First Nations go through on a daily bases, allows us to understand the state of reserves, and also, the relationships (in this case the women) that takes place within the reserve.
Overall, I loved this play, and think it is definitely worth studying in school.


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Sunday 16 November 2014

The Rez Sisters: Should it stay or should it go?



My opinion on The Rez Sisters changed progressively as we continued reading it in class. When we first started the play, I found it difficult to understand, weird, and I wondered why the heck we were studying such a strange play. But as we got more in depth to the storyline it made sense why this play in particular was chosen. The play focuses on many issues that are not usually talked about in class. The main focus of the book is learning about First Nations people (women in particular) and the issues they face on the reserve. Not only did the play teach us about First Nations people, but it was taught in a humorous and enjoyable way. The women in the play have very diverse personalities which keeps it interesting to continue reading. It strikes discussion with others about the material inside. The play also uses a lot of profanity which makes the people in the play seem more realistic and relatable. I really enjoyed that you can find hidden symbols and metaphors repetitively through out the book (if you look hard enough for them).  For all of those reasons I enjoyed the play very much.
Before we started reading the play I did not know a lot about First Nations people, but now after I have read it I have a much better idea of the rough conditions they have to deal with in their daily lives.
I think The Rez Sisters is not a play that would be peoples first choice to read when picking out a new book, but after reading you would not regret it. You will learn a lot and gain a new perspective on how First Nations people are treated.
Photo: Mark Dusseault

Should we really be studying The Rez Sisters in school?

I believe The Rez Sisters to be a good play for teenagers to study in High School, but I can see it's potential for being a bad play to study as well.

The Rez Sisters has great key ideas that teenagers could understand. The characters are well written, and relatable. They're kind of like someone who you'd meet on the streets of Orangeville, and perhaps that why we (being the youth of Orangeville) like them so much. The actual context of the book is a social issue that is relevant in our society, and the racism and hardship that Natives in Canada face is a topic that children in Canada are finally learning about in their curriculum. We know something about this topic, making it easy for us to discuss it in class, and fathom the main ideas of the book.

But perhaps for that very reason is why the book is not a good choice for a novel study in class. I'm not saying that we should ignore the issue, or make it seem like it's not important, it just might be a good idea to bring other social issues to light in class, especially those that everyone might not know a whole lot about. Doing this makes teenagers aware of more than one issue, and helps us have a better understanding of the sensitive issues that appear in books like The Rez Sisters, such as rape, poverty, and abuse. By doing this we can become aware of the problems in our world and society, and potentially fix these issues as we grow older.

Is The Rez Sisters Worthy of Study?... Why?

Is the Rez Sisters literature worthy of study?
Yes, I believe the Rez Sisters written by Tomson Highway is worth reading because it educates the reader on the culture and conditions that people on the reserve(s) live like. Also, the vocabulary helped to keep readers intrigued because it was funny, unique, and interesting- also showing the personalities of the characters. Continuing, the play constantly sparked conversations between readers, as well as class discussions because it was a text in which was uniquely written. Lastly, this play demonstrated an important message throughout it because it taught you that people on reserves aren't unmotivated people, and that they strive for more than what they have, crushing the stereotype most people believe, which is that Natives are unmotivated.

Rez Sisters Play.
Rez Sisters Book.

Why the rez sisters is worthy of study

Why The Rez Sisters Is Worthy of Study


I personally believe that the play The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway is worthy of study. In class we discussed what we believe makes a text worthy of study and we created a list of qualities. I believe that The Rez Sisters posses all of these qualities but i will only talk about some. One of the points we made was in order for a text to be worthy of study it must teach the reader something or educate someone on an issue. The Rez Sisters does in fact do this, it teaches readers about the lives of Aboriginal people. I think it is very important for people in Canada to learn about the lives of these people because the mistreatment of native people is something that is still present in our society and is often ignored. Swept under the carpet if you will. So i believe it is important for students to read a story about these people, and to follow their experience. In that way these people stop being a topic of conversation every now and then and instead become real in the readers mind. The same thing can be said about the fact that all of these characters are female. It's not often you get the female perspective so clearly in things. There is a test known as the bechdel test used in movies, though it could be used for all media. In order to pass this test the movie must have two female characters who speak to each other about anything other than a man. Simple right? Really a monkey could preform a task let alone accomplished writers. Yet only 57.3% of movies have all three requirements and in the this year alone only half of the movies have passed.

 So it is very good to read a book with such incredible and well written women. On that note one of the other requirements for a text to be worthy of study was that the text have well developed characters. This women are extremely well developed. They all have their own beliefs and dreams, all of them have a past of some sort and all of them are diverse and interesting. This women are written like real women. They are all so different and they all bring so much to the table. Therefore yes I believe The Rez Sisters is worthy of study.


Saturday 15 November 2014

Q: Is The Rez Sisters literature that is worthy of study?

A: Yes, I think The Rez Sisters literature is worth of study, because it informs the readers about the important message of the mistreatment First Nations face on reserves in Canada. This play is also worth study because each character is differently developed, bringing something specially unique to offer during the course of the play. It is also interesting how the different personalities of the women clash amongst one another in time of argument, as an abundance of profanity is used to show expression and to add a whole level of realness to the play. I personally think the use of profanity helps improve the play, as it becomes more relatable to the readers from their own past personal experiences. This helps expose the real, raw emotions that come out during times of arguments, creating the complete opposite of another superficial, sugar-coated play. So once again, yes, I personally think this play is not only worth looking at or studying, but should also be looked forward to being read.



Studying: Is It Worth It?

In my opinion, studying The Rez Sisters is worth it. It is entertaining through the swearing and suggestive conversations that the women have, resulting in constant outbursts of laughter in the classroom. The swearing and suggestive conversations make the play more realistic and entertaining because most texts that students study in an English class do not contain those things. The play brings topics to life that are not necessarily part of a students everyday thinking, such as the pros and cons of First Nations living on reserves, or the importance of unity within your family. Most times when we hear about First Nations it is from an outsiders perspective, but the play gave us an opportunity to see things from a First Nations perspective.


Friday 14 November 2014


Studying The Rez Sisters

In my opinion The Rez Sisters, by Tomson Highway, is literature that is worth studying. The play deals with significant topics that relate to bigger themes that relate to living on a reserve. Although each character is going through their own issues, they all connect to a common issue and the characters work together to improve their lives. Highway develops various character personalities through the issues that they are facing, and the relationships they share. The variety in characters makes the play relatable to a wider audience. In addition, the play deals with mature themes such as drug abuse, poverty, sexual abuse etc. but they are presented in a way that captures the audience's attention and makes the characters more real and connectable. The play is set on a reserve and includes many issues that Native Americans may encounter when living on a reserve. This educates and readers that may not be aware of these issues and shows them from an insiders point of view. Also, Highway adds profanity in his play to emphasize theme and character relationships. The language used also helps to develop character and keeps the play unique which makes it an interesting read. Overall, The Rez Sisters is a play worth studying in school but is also literature that I would recommend as a personal read if you are looking for an interesting, spunky, and mature read.         




Rez Sisters = worthy of class time?

I think that the Rez Sisters is a worthy text to study because makes the reader think deeper about what is happening to get the implicit message of the play. The deep thinking will help the reader to create a response that he/she believes is right and will help them become a better writer. Also the play follows the live of more than one person so all people can connect to at least one character.  Over all i think that this play should be tought in class because it helps kids open their mind to interpret the play as how they would like.


The Rez Sisters, is it worth the read?

          I think that the rez sisters is worthy of study because everyone who has read it can find their own meaning of what the play is about.  People can also connect with the characters of the play based on how they interact with each other and on how they say what they are thinking.  The play also teaches about being able to fight with all of your friends and still be able to hold together as a family.  Even though the play doesn't have the most developed vocabulary, it helps to develop the setting of the play and the development of the characters.