sixties scoop essay
Varga 1
Hunter Varga
Mrs. Ell
ELA A30
October 15, 2014
The Effects of the Sixties Scoop
The Sixties Scoop is one of the most depressing moments in the history of Canada as a country. What Canada did as a government was selfish, an act of cultural genocide “…, and by reason of, the aforesaid acts, omissions, wrongdoings and breaches of legal duties and obligations of Canada"(Shari Narine), they should feel guilty for what they put those kids through. In Drew Hayden Taylor 's Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth, Janice Wirth is faced with the challenge of her mother passing away, and her having the pressure to go back the reserve she had been taken away from for no reason. Also going back there after she walked away from thanksgiving dinner because she couldn’t handle all of the information she missed while she was gone. Hayden Taylor writes his play to demonstrate the negative views on the government’s decision to try and take away the aboriginals culture, all the children losing their real identity either internal or external because of the sixties scoop, and then dealing the depression that followed.
It is important to realize, the Canadian government tried to strip the aboriginals of their culture, so eventually all the aboriginal cultures could be lost if it were not passed down from generation to generation. Even though Janice’s living conditions were in no harm, she was taken under the false assumption that, "…, one Janice Wirth was taken into custody by the Children 's Aid Society 1955 under the false belief that her mother, Anne Wabung, was not maintaining a
Varga 2 proper and adequate home environment for the infant"(Hayden Taylor 89). In Janice 's case, the only culture she has ever known is her white culture. She was not yet old enough to learn or even understand what her aboriginal family tried to teach her. Also, when she comes to visit her aboriginal family for the first time after being taken away, she could not take all the
Hunter Varga
Mrs. Ell
ELA A30
October 15, 2014
The Effects of the Sixties Scoop
The Sixties Scoop is one of the most depressing moments in the history of Canada as a country. What Canada did as a government was selfish, an act of cultural genocide “…, and by reason of, the aforesaid acts, omissions, wrongdoings and breaches of legal duties and obligations of Canada"(Shari Narine), they should feel guilty for what they put those kids through. In Drew Hayden Taylor 's Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth, Janice Wirth is faced with the challenge of her mother passing away, and her having the pressure to go back the reserve she had been taken away from for no reason. Also going back there after she walked away from thanksgiving dinner because she couldn’t handle all of the information she missed while she was gone. Hayden Taylor writes his play to demonstrate the negative views on the government’s decision to try and take away the aboriginals culture, all the children losing their real identity either internal or external because of the sixties scoop, and then dealing the depression that followed.
It is important to realize, the Canadian government tried to strip the aboriginals of their culture, so eventually all the aboriginal cultures could be lost if it were not passed down from generation to generation. Even though Janice’s living conditions were in no harm, she was taken under the false assumption that, "…, one Janice Wirth was taken into custody by the Children 's Aid Society 1955 under the false belief that her mother, Anne Wabung, was not maintaining a
Varga 2 proper and adequate home environment for the infant"(Hayden Taylor 89). In Janice 's case, the only culture she has ever known is her white culture. She was not yet old enough to learn or even understand what her aboriginal family tried to teach her. Also, when she comes to visit her aboriginal family for the first time after being taken away, she could not take all the
Cited: Hayden Taylor, Drew. Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth. Burnaby, B.C.: Talon, 1998. Print. Mehta, Diana. "Government Lawyers Argue 60s Scoop Class Action Isnt a Matter for the Courts." The Canadian Press [Toronto] 4 Dec. 2013: n. pag. ProQuest International Academic Research Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2014. Narine, Shari. "Class-action Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of ‘60s Scoop’ Children." Saskatchewan Sage [Regina] 2011, 16th ed., sec. 1: n. pag. Saskatchewan Sage. Shari Narine. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.