Missing Indigenous Jasper

            On Thursday morning I finished memorizing “Barcelone” by Boris Vian and the third and fourth verses of "Privé" by Serge Gainsbourg. 

            Just before 11:00 I logged onto Blackboard for my Canadian Literature tutorial. 

            We were informed that the survey of online classes is up for us to take before Sunday. Kelly began by inviting comments. I offered a critique of Wharton’s lack of presentation of Indigenous people in his portrayal of Jasper. I pointed out that there was an Indigenous population in the area until 1906 when they were pushed out for the establishment of the national park. Since that year is in the middle of the timeline of the novel it seems extremely negligent that the author didn’t mention it. It could have been easily included in the plot without changing it. 

            Some students agreed with me but others thought that the exclusion of Indigenous people was deliberate to reflect their historical erasure. That seems like a stretch to me. 

            Kelly said that Wharton admitted that he wasn’t a historian but I argued that he’s from Jasper and so he would have known. She said that it isn’t a given that he would have known. He researched a lot of other history of the area, such as famous people that visited there and so it seems odd that he would have left that out. 

            The instructions for our short close reading essay are up under “Files” on Quercus and the themes are “Form" and "The New Woman". 

            What the passage means is the thesis and the rest concerning how the meaning is conveyed is the essay. Get deep into form and find the meaning. Form is everything to do with the written work. Use form as evidence to support the thesis. 

            An example thesis: By the end of the novel Icefields ceases to be the subject of Byrne’s obsession and to become the form of his character. 

            We did close reading of a passage about Byrne and his father working as physicians when the dead body of a young woman is brought in. Byrne’s reaction is clinical while his father is grief stricken over a stranger’s death. One could conclude that Byrne is becoming like the Ice Fields. 

            I pointed out that Byrne doesn’t say "my father” but rather "Father" capitalized as if his father is this large form that he cannot claim as his own. 

            I had time to do the dishes before lunch and tidy up a bit. 

           When I took out my garbage I noticed that the new tenant in apartment one had been too lazy to put the leftovers from his Popeye’s take-out three meters away to the garbage bin. Instead he'd left it in a bag outside his back door and the raccoons that strewn everything all over the deck in that area. Cesar stuck his head out of his window above me to complain about it. He also sad the restaurant should have but their vents higher so tenants don’t have to smell the greasy deep frying smell. I don’t know how they could have made it higher. 

            I had a cold chicken drumstick with hot sauce and some yogourt with honey.

            In the afternoon I headed out to the supermarket. In front of our building Cesar was chatting with Benji about the garbage situation. Cesar says he’s not getting any water pressure on the third floor since Popeye's moved in on the first. He also complained about our next roof neighbour Taro smoking marijuana. I said may be the raccoons are smoking marijuana and getting the Popeye’s munchies. 

            At Freshco the grapes were cheap but too ripe. I got three bags anyway along with two half pints of raspberries, three containers of Greek yogourt, one of raspberry skyr and a pack of paper towels. 

            I got caught up on my journal. 

            I grilled eight chicken drumsticks. 

            I read some poems for my Introduction to Canadian Literature course: The Stone Hammer poems by Kroetsch; The White Judges by Marilyn Dumont; A Cry from an Indian Wife, The Song My Paddle Sings; and Canadian Born by Pauline Johnson; and excerpts from the journals of Knud Rasmussen. 

            For dinner I had a potato, two chicken drumsticks, gravy and yogourt with maple syrup for dessert. While eating I watched The Count of Monte Cristo.

            In this story set in 1835 the plague has struck Paris. The count’s friend Dr Rousse says that the disease is mostly concentrated in Montmartre. The North Well waters Montmartre and not long ago the sewer system broke down. He suspects that the North Well has been contaminated. During the pandemic Perrier, the prefect of police has issued a command that everyone in Paris must by the pills issued by Marcel, the director general of hospitals. Rousse has had the pills analyzed and they are nothing but sugar tablets. The count and Rousse go to see Perrier, and Marcel joins the meeting. The count offers two million francs to the hospitals of Paris on the condition that Rousse is given a free hand to treat the hospitalized patients and that none of the money be spent on the pills that have been issued. The count and Rousse go to inspect the North Well but Marcel has arranged for three city workers to attack them there. The count and Jacopo manage to fight the men off but one of the assassins falls in the well and is infected with the plague. Rousse takes some samples of the well water back to the count’s chalet. He boils some of the water and leaves the other half untreated. Under a microscope one can see the microbes alive in the untreated water but the boiled water is clear. The police come to arrest the count and the doctor but in the next scene the count, Jacopo and Rousse walk in on Perrier and Marcel, explaining that the police have been tied up. Pierre and Marcel are tied up as well and guarded by Jacopo while the count and Rousse go and blow up the North Well. Then Perrier and Marcel are taken to the count’s chateau. The count presents two carafes of water, both from the North Well, but one boiled and one not. He offers Marcel a glass of the unboiled water to drink and to prove that he is right. Marcel declares that he won't drink the water but the count draws his sword and tells him he must either drink the water or confess that his pills are only sugar tablets. He finally admits it and one assumes Perrier has him arrested. 

            This is the first episode of The Count of Monte Cristo in which Robert Cawdron did not appear as Rico. He also starred in the TV series Triton and co-starred in the series Treasure Island and Dixon of Dock Green. 

            Madame Rousse was played by Ruth Swanson, co-starred in "So Big".