Name(s): Sara Al idrissi and Olivier Gingras

______________________________________________________________ April

3rd Asynchronous Class

Questions on Essays 5-7 (pp. 43-90) from
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
Instructions:

• You can complete these questions individually, in pairs, or in groups of three. Submit
one copy of your answers per group and put your name(s) on the assignment.
• If you are scheduled to do an oral presentation on one of these essays, you do not need
to answer the questions this week. Use the asynchronous class to prepare your oral
presentation.
• These questions count toward your “Group Work” mark for the semester (5%).
Incomplete answers, answers that do not show that you have read the assigned essays,
or not submitting the assignment will result in a deduction on that grade.
• Assignments must be saved as a PDF and uploaded on Moodle by 11:59pm on April 3 rd.
Note: The questions below ask you to consider how Elliott uses various rhetorical devices. Think
of that device as a tool that has an intended effect. For example, an author might choose a
certain tone, such as sarcasm. The author uses sarcasm to show how doubtful they are about a
government providing a particular service due to prior empty promises. The sarcasm shows
that they mistrust that government.

Questions:
1. For each of the three essays:
a) Identify the main idea of that essay in one sentence (What is the author saying?
What is her message?).
b) Identify an analogy that Elliott uses in that essay to help present her main idea.
Explain how she uses that analogy and what it suggests.

Essay 1:
A) The main argument of the essay “ The Same Space” is that indigenous people in
Canada have been forced to live in the same environment as non-indigenous people,
however, due to a history of colonialism and ongoing systemic oppression, their
expression of the space and the meanings that they connect to it are very different.

B) She used the analogy of their neighbourhood as a treasure map to present her
main idea. She said that there were told by outsiders that their achievements in this
 space were not enough and that they haven’t used the space properly. She added that
they already see the neighbourhood as their home and do not care about Indigenous
people's lifestyle. Overall, this analogy emphasizes how different groups of people may
obtain significantly different meanings and significance from the same physical space,
based on their past, culture, and lived experiences.

Essay 2:

A) It mostly focuses on the effects of racism on Indigenous peoples' emotional and

mental wellness as well as the generational trauma and sadness that remains
brought on by colonialism and residential schools.

B) She used the analogy of dark matter to explain her main idea. She uses this analogy
to compare racism to dark matter because as she said, it forms the skeleton of our
world, yet remains ultimately invisible, undetectable. It suggests that we must be
aware of what surrounds us and must act if something bad happens.

Essay 3:
A) The article examines how systemic issues of racism, poverty, and mental illness are
frequently especially harmful to Indigenous peoples.

B) She uses the analogy of head lice. The head lice infestation becomes a representation of
the ways that Indigenous peoples experience discrimination and inferior treatment,
even from their own family members.

2. Elliott engages with the reader by posing questions in her essays. Identify two questions
that she asks in any of these three essays. For each question, state the answer that she
implies or provides and explain how she uses that question in her essay.
First question: "What if it is possible to see ourselves in each other, to recognize that
we are all human beings capable of doing both good and bad things?"
Answer: She implies that it is possible to discover our shared humanity and perceive
ourselves in one another.
Explantation: She contests the notion that "us" and "them" are naturally distinct from
one another. Elliott also argues in favour of a more sympathetic and open-minded
approach to understanding and interacting with others.
 Essay: The same space
Second question: "What about those who had never chosen not to be there?
Answer: Elliott implies, that as a result of colonization and other forms of structural
oppression, some communities have been thrown out by force from their homes and
territories.
Explanation: By reflecting on her own experiences of living in different places as an
indigenous person, she uses this question in her essays to highlight the relationships
between individuals and the environment in which they live, and how these relationships
can be damaged or destroyed by outside influences.

3. Identify a topic or a point that Elliott addresses in at least two of the first seven essays.
a) State the point clearly and name the specific essays where she discusses this point.
b) Explain what she says about it in these essays in a few sentences.
c) Respond by engaging with her point (agree, disagree, somewhat agree). Explain why
you have that response by supporting and defending your position. Your response
may use personal pronouns.

a) The experience of being perceived as an Indigenous person is a topic that Elliott

touches on in at least two of the first seven articles. More specifically in the essays "On
Seeing and Being Seen" and "Scratch."
b) In “Scratch”, Elliott considers how Indigenous people may internalize the gaze of
the colonizer and start to police their own conduct and appearance as a result of this
ongoing observation. In addition, in “On Seeing and Being Seen", she discusses how
Indigenous people are constantly watched and scrutinized, especially in public areas.
She also observes that the experience of seeing Indigenous peoples is frequently one of
objectification, where they are reduced to stereotypes.
c)We somewhat agree with Elliott's observation regarding the perception of being an
Indigenous person. We are unable to completely understand or empathize with this
experience because we are not Indigenous, but we believe Elliott's opinions are well
supported by Indigenous peoples' deep encounters with colonialism and structural
oppression. . In order to understand and address these issues, we believe it is important
to pay attention to and promote Indigenous perspectives and perspectives. We believe
it is important to understand that different people may have different understandings of
what it means to be Indigenous.