Let me preface this by stating that I am Native American, and that the notion of canadian media being focused around survival is a very interesting concept to me. Most of my teachings have been given orally, most of them further cementing the fact that my people are a culture that has an intimate relationship with survival, be that physically, spiritually, or culturally. I cannot deny the fact that canadian literature, & perhaps even going as far as to imply our society, is highly focused on survival vs success. Is survival not human instinct whereas success an intentional choice? Regardless, living in a country with people of such diverse backgrounds, we all seem to manage to find one thing in common; our media is host to unusually grim and morbid representations of human life and the struggles that come with …show more content…
Two off the most recent and impactful examples are Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Let me disclaim this by stating beforehand that I have not read the novels, but the movie of Life of Pi was not the interesting, action packed adventure or even the heartwarming tale of a friendship between man and beast that I’d originally signed up for. The subject matter is very dark as one man and one beast are the two remaining survivors of a tragic accident and how he must come to terms with this while also having to, even if unwillingly, help this tiger who relies on him for survival. Whereas The Handmaid’s Tale is a series that deals with an extreme, if unrealistic, totalitarian society where fertile women are forced into servitude due to declining birth rates. In my opinion, both sharply contrast what we usually see in media today. Both deal with issues and the harsh realities that comes with being human, even if to an extreme extent, that isn’t usually witnessed well or even that often