Canada

     Margaret Atwood (b.1939)

     Margaret Atwood is one of the most successful and popular writers in Canada, and is well known in the USA, Europe, and Australia. Her second collection of poems, The Circle Game won the Governor General's Award for poetry in 1966 and her recent novel, The Blind Assassin won the Booker Prize in 2000.

     Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1939. Her father was a biologist and the family spent many summers in the northern bush. She studied at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, then Radcliffe College and Harvard University. She began her career by publishing poetry. After The Circle Game she produced The Journals of Susanna Moodie (1970), and Procedures for the Underground (1970) followed by Power Politics (1971). In You are Happy (1974) she explored the oppression of women and became a recognized feminist writer. In Two-headed poems (1978) Atwood explored the national conflicts of Canada divided by two official languages and cultures. These social concerns are expanded in True Stories (1981), Interlunar (1984) and Morning in a Burning House (1995).

     Northrop Frye (1912-1991)

     Herman Northrop Frye was a Canadian literary critic, one of the most distinguished of the 20th century.

     Born in Sherbrooke, Quebec but raised in Moncton, New Brunswick, Frye studied for his undergraduate degree at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He then studied theology at Emmanuel College, at Victoria University, and was ordained as a minister of the United Church of Canada. After ordination, he studied at the University of Oxford, before returning to Victoria College for his entire professional career.

     He first rose to international prominence when still a student. The prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been considered delusional ramblings that could never be understood. Frye found in it a systematic system of metaphor derived from Paradise Lost and from the Bible. He published his findings as Fearful Symmetry in 1947.

     Ten years later he expanded his vision, arguing in Anatomy of Criticism that there are certain archetypes and symbols used throughout literature.

     His The Great Code looked at how scenes and images from the Bible underpin all of western literature. He also engaged in cultural and social criticism and was the recipient of some 39 honorary degrees. Anatomy of Criticism remains one of the most important works of 20th Century literary criticism.

     Frye was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Lorne Pierce Medal in 1958. In 1972 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

     Frye died in 1991.

     Stephen Leacock (1896-1944)

     Born in Swanmore, England in 1896 Stephen Leacock is one of Canada's great writers of humorous fiction. After many failed attempts at farming in England, South Africa and the United States, his father took the family to the Lake Simcoe area of Ontario. Leacock's father eventually abandoned the family, leaving his mother in charge of eleven children. Leacock was educated at the University of Toronto, and then went to the University of Chicago where he studied political economy. In 1903 he took a position as lecturer at McGill University, where he eventually became head of the Department of Economics and Political Science.

     Leacock wrote much non-fiction, but he is best known for his humorous fiction. His first collection of humorous stories appeared in 1910, Literary lapses. They were musings, parodies, satires, funny anecdotes and conversations. Since they were collected from various sources, the stories shared very little in common other than Leacock's sharp sense of humor. His two most important books of humor are Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912) and Arcadian Adventures with the Idol Rich (1914). In the former, Leacock takes us to small-town Ontario, and while the people| and practices of this town are clearly satirized, it is done with a great deal of affection. The latter takes J place in a large American city and is much more scathing in its criticism of what Leacock saw as a hypocritical, self-serving and ultimately destructive economic upper-class.

     Leacock also wrote extensively about humor, which he saw as the ultimate expression of human kindness and progress. He wrote about Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and others, and his thesis is most fully developed in Humour and Humanity (1937). While some critiqued his reliance on a "lesser" genre, Leacock remained dedicated to his first love, humor.

     CANADIAN MUSIC

     Canada has developed its own brands of traditional music, including the French, Irish and Scottish-derived Cape Breton Fiddle Music of the Maritimes, the Franco-Celtic styles of Quebec that often include foot percussion and a scat style called turlutte; and other national styles from the Ottawa Valley to the west.

     In the realm of popular music, Canada has produced a variety of internationally successful performers, such as (alphabetically): Bryan Adams, Paul Anka (photo 1), The Band, Barenaked Ladies, BTO, Bruce Cockburn, Delerium, Celine Dion (photo 2), Maynard Ferguson, Nelly Furtado, Robert Goulet, Guess Who, Avril Lavigne, Bif Naked, Holly McNarland, Gordon Lightfoot, Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell (photo 3), Alanis Morissette, Anne Murray, Nickelback, Our Lady Peace, Oscar Peterson (photo 4), Rush, Hank Snow, Three Days Grace, The Tragically Hip, Shania Twain, and Neil Young.

     Glenn Gould

     Glenn Gould is Canada's best-known classical musician. The overwhelming truth is that almost 20 years after his death, Gould is still regarded with reverence, even awe, around the world. With his brilliant recordings of Bach, Beethoven and Schoenberg, his wide-ranging thoughts and writings about music, and the radio and television documentaries he created when he forsook the stage for the recording studio, Gould was instrumental in changing the way people listen to and think about classical music.

     Leonard Cohen

     Leonard Norman Cohen (bom September 21,1934 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian poet and novelist, and a well-known singer/songwriter. Cohen's lyrics are often emotionally heavy and lyrically complex, owing more to the metaphoric word play of poetry than to the conventions of folk music.

     His early songs are in a folk-influenced style; beginning in the 1970s his work began to be influenced by various types of rock music and cabaret music. Cohen typically sings in a deep bass register, with female backing vocals.

     Cohen's music has become very influential on other singers/songwriters, and more than a thousand cover versions of his work have been recorded.

     THE CANADIAN WAY OF LIFE

     Many people in Canada find that it takes two incomes to raise a family, even though parents are having fewer children. Most mothers have a job outside the home, and in many families, both parents share the work of shopping, cooking, cleaning the house and looking after the children. Because divorce has become more common, there are many one-parent families in Canada. Most single parents who raise their children on a full-time basis are women. There are also same-sex couples with children.

     When children arrive in Canada, they usually learn about Canadian life quickly through schools, television, movies and music. If they need to learn English or French, they often learn it quite quickly. Parents find out about Canadian life differently, as they search for housing and work. They too may need to learn English or French, but often need more time than their children to do so.

     If you have children, you will know that you see the world somewhat differently than they do, because you are older and have more life experience. After immigrating to Canada, however, you may find that these differences increase, because you are having different experiences of Canadian life. These differences affect the behaviour of all family members and can lead to tension in the family between parents and their children.

     Discussing concerns with teachers, doctors, public health workers, social workers, settlement workers, and friends and relatives who have already settled in Canada will help you and your children understand your experiences and make good choices about your future.

     SPORT

     Sports History

     Canadian sport is indebted to Indian culture for the toboggan, snowshoe, lacrosse stick and canoe. The coureurs de bois and the voyageurs, through their close contact with the Indians, helped introduce into European settlements the activities that resulted from the use of these pieces of equipment. Many Indian games had utilitarian purposes related to survival (eg, wrestling, jousting, archery, spear throwing, and foot and canoe racing). The Indians also developed a great variety of games, such as awl games, ring and pole, snow snake, cat's cradle, dice and birchbark cards, partly for the sheer love of play and sometimes for the purpose of gambling. The games of the Inuit were similarly related to preparing youth for cooperative existence in a harsh environment where one also needed to know one's tolerance limits. Blanket toss, tug-of-war, dogsled races, drum dances, spear throwing and ball games, as well as self-testing games such as arm-pull, hand-wrestling and finger-pull, helped to fulfil this purpose. The ubiquitous Scots played a major role in transporting British sporting traditions to North America, Golf was played by some of Gen Wolfe's Scottish officers. Curling, by contrast, after-its Introduction under similar circumstances, thrived in Canada; the first sporting club, founded in 1807, was the Montreal Curling Club. In 1865 curling became one of the select group of sports to enter international competition. This was a time when sport was intensely creative and exciting Canadians were at the forefront of the development and popularization of 3 sports: lacrosse, hockey and basketball. In 1874 in football, Canadians introduced to their American neighbours' the oval ball and the rules of rugby.

     Sports Variety

     Warm-weather sports in Canada include swimming, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, track and field, tennis, soccer, rugby, field hockey and golf.

     Swimming is not only one of the most popular recreational sports in Canada, it is also a powerhouse event for Canadian athletes in international competition.

     After years of gradual development, soccer, the world's most popular sport, is now entrenched in Canada with a large base of young competitors and a professional national league. In 1986, Canada achieved a major breakthrough in international competition, qualifying for the World Cup for the first time.

     In terms of spectator appeal, professional baseball and football rank with hockey at the top of the list.

     Sports on Ice and Snow

      More than 150,000 youngsters are in organized hockey leagues and many more play on the outdoor rinks found in nearly every Canadian community. Many dream of joining the National Hockey League (NHL), a professional league comprising 21 North American teams, including 7 Canadian-based teams in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Although many teams are located in the United States, the majority of the league players are Canadian. The NHL hockey season is concluded by a playoff among the top teams for the Stanley Cup, a trophy symbolic of hockey supremacy in North America. Canada also participates in the popular World Cup of Hockey, a seven-team international hockey tournament held every four years with teams from Russia, Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, the United States and Finland. Skiing - downhill and cross-country - is a sport that has captured the imagination of Canadians. The country boasts hundreds of ski areas, including world-renowned resorts in Banff, Alberta, and Whistler, British Columbia, as well as an abundance of crosscountry ski trails. Canada has hosted almost every major international sport com-petition: the Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games and the World University Games. Sport has always played an important role in the life of Canadians, but only recently has Canada come into its own as a sporting nation, ranking among the top 15 nations.

     EDUCATION

     Education in Canada comprises 10 provincial and 2 territorial systems, including public schools, "separate" schools, and private schools.

     Public education in Canada is co-educational and free up to and including secondary school. The law requires children to attend school from the age of 6 or 7 until they are 15 or 16 years old. In Quebec, free education is extended to include attendance at the general and vocational colleges which charge only a minimal registration fee. The student pays tuition for most other post-secondary education.

     In 1993, Canada spent $54.2 billion on education, which represents 8 percent of its gross domestic product. This percentage is among the highest of the industrialized countries.

     A Provincial Responsibility

     There is no federal educational system in Canada: the Constitution vested the exclusive responsibility for education to the provinces. Each provincial system, while similar to the others, reflects its specific regional concerns and historical and cultural heritage. The provincial departments of education - headed by an elected minister - set standards, draw up curriculums and give grants to educational institutions.

     Responsibility for the administration of elementary and secondary (or high) schools is delegated to local elected school boards or commissions.

     Post-Secondary Education

     Until the mid-1960s, post-secondary education in Canada was provided almost exclusively by its universities. These were mainly private institutions, many with a religious affiliation, During the 1960s, however, as the demand for greater variety in post-secondary education rose sharply and enrollment mushroomed, systems of publicly operated post-secondary non-university institutions began to develop.

     PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN CANADA

      There are a number of holidays in the Canada which is celebrated every year. Here are some of them.

      The 1st of January is New Year's Day. People do not go to bed until after midnight on December 31. They like to see “the old year out and the new year in”. New Year’s Day has a long tradition of celebration. New Year’s Eve in French Canada was marked by the custom of groups of young men, to dress in colorful attire and go from house to house, singing and begging gifts for the poor. New Year’s Day was a time for paying calls on friends and neighbours and for asking the blessing of the head of the family. The early Governors held a public reception for the men of the community on New Year’s morning, a custom preserved down to the present day. While New Year’s Day is of less significance in English Canada than in French Canada, it’s a public holiday throughout the country. Wide spread merry-making begins on New Year’s Eve with house parties, dinner dances and special theatre entertainment.

      Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, is dedicated to those who fought in the War of Independence, in World War I or in World War II.

     On the 11th of November there is Veteran's Day. It is dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars.

     Thanksgiving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November. In the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrim Fathers celebrated their first harvest festival in America and called it Thanksgiving Day. Since that time it has been celebrated every year.

     Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. People usually stay at home at Christmas time, and spend the day with their families.

     St. Valentine’s Day. It’s here again, the day when boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours, and even the office staff will exchange greetings of affections, undying love or satirical comment. And the quick, slick, modern way to do it is with a Valentine card.

     There are all kinds, to suit all tastes, the lush satin cushions, boxed and beribboned, the entwined hearts, gold arrows, roses, cupids, doggerel rhymes, sick sentiment and sickly sentimentality – it’s all there.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     CONCLUSION

     Despite of being ruled by the British for so long, Canada emerged as an amazing country, together with a miscellany of characteristics, in a short notice. It is known not only for its peaceful atmosphere but also for its cleanliness; even river waters are so clean that you can actually drink water without any requirement of filtration. Located in the continent of North America, Canada stretches between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Today Canada, amidst opulence of tourist attractions, rules the charts of top tourism destinations around the world. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     THE LITERATURE

     The editor-in-chief A. Gromushkina English language // 1 September. – 2005. – 1-15 July.