Critical Essay on From Bear Rock Mountain: Reflections of a Man's Life, Adventures, and Outlook

Introduction

Since time immemorial, individuals have developed a tendency of writing memoirs basing on their knowledge. As such, their story unfolds from a personal angle, enabling others to understand what the person's life was like. As such, Mountain follows a similar approach by deeply orienting his own experiences in his memoir, From Bear Rock Mountain. In the memoir, Mountain reflects on his past adventures on all spheres of life and how they shaped his entire life and outlook. Through the biography, the reader can interconnect and interrelate with the actual events in Mountain's life and gains a better understanding. Mountain's primary purpose of writing the memoir is to generally expose the transgressions of cultural loss and identity crisis as well as the harsh realities of challenges existing towards reclaiming the lost identity. The paper, therefore, is a reflection of the memoir that details the book's vision regarding human rights and equity issues in Canada as well as highlighting the general book structure and focus.

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Book Summary

Mountain is stolen at the age of seven from his home and sent to a residential school run by the Roman Catholic Church that colludes with the government and is approximately three hundred kilometers away. During that period, he encounters a lot of problems during the transition period from his primary roots to the new context that he has no choice but to live with. In the next twelve years that follow, the school he was sent to categorically works to erase his native language and culture, critical phenomena of his identity. As such, Mountain, through the memoir, shares his epic story of healing and reclamation of his real Dene Identity. In an attempt to reconstruct the cultural materialism that had been snatched from him, he unleashes a disturbing revelation concerning colonialism at the time and its harsh decimation on cultural phenomena. As such, Mountain, through his poignant memoir, exposes the hurdles of reclamation of a lost identity.

The memoir is structured predominantly in chronological order. By this, it implies that Mountain arranges his ideas from his earlier stages of life as a Dene. He deeply describes the culture and setting of the Dene people using his family as a case. As the story progresses and contexts switch, Mountain creatively switches with events as they progress. As such, the events unfold, providing a deeper understanding of the contemporary issues he undergoes at the time due to effects by colonialism and cultural clash. The author, therefore, seems to be focusing on unearthing the challenges of identity loss and savagely attacking the issues of imbalanced human rights and equity issues in Canada at the time.

Critical Review and Analysis

Mountain aesthetically molds his memoir to reflect some of the contemporary issues affecting modern Canada. His unique art is camouflaged behind deep creativity, using a vivid description that foregrounds these contemporary issues hidden behind social structures in Canada. It is through the use of such form and style that defines Mountain's memoir as being one of the greatest works in the history of biographies and literary works.

The Issue of Equity

Equity is one of the primary issues affecting many human societies. It is due to centering social norms and structures under gender stereotypes and roles that define masculinity and femininity. In From Bear Rock Mountain, Mountain provides a mixed reaction-like approach that consequently reconstructs and uplifts equality as well as decenters the notions that attempt to segregate individuals and decline the spirit of equality in Canada. Nonchalantly, Mountain achieves such feet by poignantly and beautifully foregrounding these issues in his memoir. His direct attack and approach on the subject are one of the many accolades that literary critics praise and model. His style not only foregrounds the issues but also digs more profound to the transition between the old form of logic and practice surrounding the problem, as well as the contemporary way thus showing differences and connections. For instance, the author reflects on his childhood circle and memories. Through the memories, the author rhetorically highlights an equal degree of treatment is one of the highly valued virtues in the land (Mountain 343). Sharing of chores at the domestic level regardless of gender is one of the accolades that Mountain achieves to show the root of instant equity and equality in Canada.

However, Mountain proceeds by giving a vivid description of the Dene culture, which categorically is his culture. The author presents a framework that deconstructs equity by use of gender roles. His description echoes around fishing. The females are restricted from tending to specific chores, a similarity to males who are restricted from doing 'feminine' duties (Mountain 368). As such, the author authoritatively attempts to paint a picture of a Canadian society that still lives in the echoes of imperialism that ultimately quelled equality with a harsh regime. Through such a poetic poignant, the author indirectly voices his concerns regarding equality in modern Canada. Stylistically, the memoir is quite intriguing in how the author shares his thoughts into exploring one of the most critical issues in human societies. It is worth noting that the author has employed a lot of childhood memories that have a high ability to connect one with their memories, and by use of several instances of humor give one solace that is worth embracing in the contemporary society.

As such, the author attempts to showcase an experience that reflects on how imbalanced equity is in Canada. Through his aggressive but humorous diction, the author highlights that equity in Canada exists but to the entire population. As a country full of immigrants, some races still experience certain inhuman inequities that un-define their true identities. From a critical point of view, Mountain romanticizes his childhood experiences by unearthing the hypocritical colonial education that impaled segregation. To him, the Dene's were but savages who did not deserve equal treatment as the 'contemporary civilized people' (Mountain 908). As such, it points out that Canada is indeed under anarchy of inequality, even though there exist some instances of equality hidden in social dogma.

The Issue of Human Rights in Canada

The memoir reflects on the issue of human rights. The author models his thoughts and views concerning human rights via his past experiences. Although Canada is a developed country undergoing extensive modernization, Mountain provides some negative perspective regarding human rights. While reading the memoir, it is worth noting to realize that the author, in particular, tends to switch the mood and atmosphere from excitement to tense and sad by exposing the irony behind the dehumanization of people in Canada at then. One finds it intriguing and saddening at the same time by presenting the chaos and politics of imperialism to specific figures; these are instances that consequently exist in supposedly modern Canada that is an epitome of beauty and peaceful coexistence for human society. For example, at the mission school, the author refers to the case of the nuns and missionaries prohibiting them from speaking the Dene language. It is such a case that decenters the freedom of expression, which is fundamental to all human races. Such a case rhetorically highlights the hypocrisy behind social structures in dehumanizing individuals based on race and consequently denying them their rights. Thus, one feels obliged to question the present social systems and structures regarding the provision of rights in Canada as per the United Nations.

Consequently, Mountain also attempts to suggest that human rights are recognized and acknowledged in Canada. Such ecstasy unfolds gradually as the author narrates his escapades. Many memoirs tend to address issues directly and arouse a lot of sorrow from the reader. From a personal perspective, Mountain majorly provides a cathartic beauty in eliciting diversity and autonomy of life in Canada. It is to be noted that the author's transition also involves his people disposing of barbaric practices that violated human rights. Such include wife-beating, which had been common before civilization via missionary education (Mountain 696). Similarly, the author retells his childhood plays and sport that created a sense of cohesion and unity (Mountain 996). As such, the provision of autonomy to play and participate in sport significantly shows Canada's keen interest in provisioning human rights to the people.

Accomplishment's and Shortcomings

Mountain's memoir is, therefore, one of its kind. Its primary strength is its rich use vivid description to merge both past painful experiences and memories with the then present predicaments and slowly adjust to the later new developments, before reclaiming the lost glories. Although it is long, Mountain has structured his ideas in such a chronological and entertaining manner to the extent of arousing mixed reactions and emotions. It, therefore, has a rich catharsis impact, and its issues and thematic issues closely relate with present Canada. Such an artistic creation is, therefore, worth reading.

However, Mountain's major shortcoming is his view on the 'foreign culture.' He attempts to put so much effort into describing his Dene culture to the extent of highlighting the new culture more in a negative dimension than in a positive dimension. Although it is bad to censor and shun one's culture, there are some aspects of a new culture like modern education which should be appreciated. Sadly, Mountain limits his appreciation of the 'foreign' culture.

Reference

Mountain, A. (2020). From Bear Rock Mountain: the life and times of a Dene residential school survivor. Victoria, British Columbia: Brindle and Glass, an imprint of Touchwood Editions.