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History Lesson COMPLETE NOTES

The poem "History Lesson" by Jeanette Armstrong describes the negative impacts of European colonization on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It depicts how white settlers dismantled Indigenous culture, exploited natural resources, and asserted dominance through violence and racism. The settlers destroyed the land, culture, and lifestyle of Native peoples. They killed animals for fur and meat, destroyed forests to build cities, and mined the land. All this destruction was justified as "colonization," but the colonizers in fact brutally suppressed Indigenous freedom through murder, cultural erasure, and oppression.

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9K views3 pages

History Lesson COMPLETE NOTES

The poem "History Lesson" by Jeanette Armstrong describes the negative impacts of European colonization on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It depicts how white settlers dismantled Indigenous culture, exploited natural resources, and asserted dominance through violence and racism. The settlers destroyed the land, culture, and lifestyle of Native peoples. They killed animals for fur and meat, destroyed forests to build cities, and mined the land. All this destruction was justified as "colonization," but the colonizers in fact brutally suppressed Indigenous freedom through murder, cultural erasure, and oppression.

Uploaded by

Sandra Satheesh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Readings from the Fringes

14
Poem

History Lesson
Jeannette Armstrong

INTRO

Jeanette Armstrong is a Canadian award-winning writer.


In “History Lesson”, she writes about the Indigenous people’s first encounters with
the European settlers. She tells us how the white colonisers dismantled the culture of the
Indigenous people, exploited nature, and maintained dominance over the Natives through
violence and racism.

SHORT ANSWER
1. What did the whites bring as gifts?
The whites brought smallpox, alcoholic drinks and processed food such as rice
krispies as gifts.

2. "Civilization has reached the promised land." Explain.


It refers to the white European settlers reaching North America. They thought they
were doing good to the native people. In fact, they ruined everything and destroyed a
civilisation to create a new one.

3. What is the green paper mentioned in the poem?


The green paper is money, the dollar bills with the smiling picture of the Queen on
them.

4. Explain "farmers sowing skulls and bones".


The skull and bones refer to the sacrifice the Indigenous people have made against
their will. When they resisted, the white settlers killed them mercilessly and the farms were
littered with skulls and bones of the natives.

5. What does "skinless animals" signify?


The indigenous people have been stripped of their human rights, and they were forced
to change to fit into the beliefs of the Europeans. This is the result of the brutal colonisation.

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PARAGRAPH

1. What is the theme of "History Lesson"?


In “History Lesson”, Jeanette Armstrong portrays the Indigenous people’s first
encounters with the European settlers. The poet tells us how the white colonisers ruined their
culture, exploited nature, and maintained dominance over them through violence and racism.
The white settlers destroyed the land, culture and life style of the natives. They killed their
animals for fun and for their fur, skin and meat. They destroyed the forests and farmlands to
build new cities. They mined the land for minerals. When the natives resisted, they were
mercilessly killed. All this destruction was justified under the word "colonization."

2. Comment on the use of irony in the poem.


In "History Lesson," Armstrong tells the story of colonization from the perspective of
Native Americans. She describes how European settlers destroyed the Native American land,
life, and livelihood. All this destruction was justified under the word "colonization." Though
European settlers murdered Native Americans, mocked their culture, raped women, and
suppressed their freedom, they branded it as "colonization." Armstrong points out the irony in
this branding. The word "colonization" has a positive connotation – a partnership of two
different peoples. Here, the European's colonization was not at all civilized. In this way,
Armstrong highlights the horrible irony that surrounds the colonization of the Native
American peoples.

3. Explain the significance of the title "History Lesson".


The title "History Lesson" is very significant. The poem depicts how the white
colonisers dismantled the culture of the Indigenous people, exploited nature, and maintained
dominance over the Natives through violence and racism. The European settlers came in
ships and ran in all directions killing animals for their fur, shooting buffaloes for their meat
and hides. They mined the land for minerals. They destroyed the forests to build their cities.
They brought gifts in the form of smallpox, alcoholic drinks, and rice krispies. All this
destruction was justified under the word "colonization." This is a big history lesson.

ESSAY
Q.1. Analyse "History Lesson" as a poem of colonisation.

Jeanette Armstrong is a Canadian award-winning writer. In “History Lesson”, she writes


about the Indigenous people’s first encounters with the European settlers. The poem
describes the arrival of the Europeans to North America. It also tells us how they destroyed
the natives’ culture and land.

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Page |3

The European settlers came in ships and ran in all directions. They killed animals for
their fur, meat and hides. They mined the land for minerals. They destroyed the forests to
build their cities. They brought gifts in the form of smallpox, alcoholic drinks, and rice
krispies.
The white colonisers dismantled the culture of the Indigenous people, and exploited
nature. They maintained dominance over the Natives through violence. They destroyed the
land, culture and life style of the natives. The whites killed their animals for fun and for their
fur, skin and meat. When the natives resisted, they were mercilessly killed.
All this destruction was justified under the word "colonization." Though European
settlers murdered Native Americans, mocked their culture, raped women, and suppressed
their freedom, they branded it as "colonization." The word "colonization" has a positive
connotation. Here, the European's colonization was not at all civilized. Armstrong points out
the irony in this branding. The poet shows how colonization made the life of the natives full
of misery and pain.
It is in this way that the poem describes the negative aspects of Imperialism and
colonization of the Indigenous people of Canada.

Prepared by:
Prof. MURUKAN BABU C.R.
(formerly) Associate Professor of English
Panampilly Memorial Govt. College
Chalakudy

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