Sunday 16 November 2014

The Rez Sisters: Should it stay or should it go?



My opinion on The Rez Sisters changed progressively as we continued reading it in class. When we first started the play, I found it difficult to understand, weird, and I wondered why the heck we were studying such a strange play. But as we got more in depth to the storyline it made sense why this play in particular was chosen. The play focuses on many issues that are not usually talked about in class. The main focus of the book is learning about First Nations people (women in particular) and the issues they face on the reserve. Not only did the play teach us about First Nations people, but it was taught in a humorous and enjoyable way. The women in the play have very diverse personalities which keeps it interesting to continue reading. It strikes discussion with others about the material inside. The play also uses a lot of profanity which makes the people in the play seem more realistic and relatable. I really enjoyed that you can find hidden symbols and metaphors repetitively through out the book (if you look hard enough for them).  For all of those reasons I enjoyed the play very much.
Before we started reading the play I did not know a lot about First Nations people, but now after I have read it I have a much better idea of the rough conditions they have to deal with in their daily lives.
I think The Rez Sisters is not a play that would be peoples first choice to read when picking out a new book, but after reading you would not regret it. You will learn a lot and gain a new perspective on how First Nations people are treated.
Photo: Mark Dusseault

4 comments:

  1. I'm glad you got some perspective on Native issues using the play. Do you think this is something we should study further in secondary school?

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    1. Well I think we covered a good basis on First Nations people and people on reserves, I think students have the basic understanding which is very important. We should definitely keep it in the curriculum, but this is the perfect time frame. We want to have room to focus on other issues that students are ignorant about.

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  2. It sounds like you really enjoyed this play, and learned a lot about First Nation's lifestyle, and that's great! Would you be interested in also studying the second play Thomson Highway wrote about the men on the reserve?

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    1. Yes, that way we could get the males perspective on how life is for them on the reserve, because I'm sure it's very different and interesting!

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