We+are+more

WHat does this poem mean to me?

In poetic terms, to me this poem means "Canada" it means what makes me proud to be a canuck. It means the traditions of past and present to today, it means to me the pride and joy of Canada the kind of pride that makes me know i live in the best place. It means patriotism, it represents what makes Canada the things that make Canada beatiful and amazing, to me the poem screams Canada, and i wouldn't change it if i could. In my mind an example of this is in the 18th line where it states that "We are the true north strong and free" this is taken from our national anthem which to me screams patriotism and pride. This poem represents what makes Canada individual and unique it represents all the things that defines Canada as Canada and not just another country. To me this poem is a sample of Canadas pride and joy ranging from hockey stars and snow to the diverse background and history of our great nation. This poem also to me means that although hockey, snow, beautiful landscape and the diservsity among cultures represents what Canada is as the title suggests we are more. We are more than the great one, we are more than just people to see and places to go, more than just an anthem or flag. Canada is more than words to describe we are more than average and we will never stop exploring. This poem means we are more and everything in between what the poem says. The reason I think the poet is trying to say that Canada is more than all the things that he listed is beacuase in the 2nd and 4th line he says "But we are more than..." he states what Canada is typical represented by and then states that Canada is those things and more. I beleive this poem also represents people in Canada in the way that they feel in the ways that they act. An example of this is in the 9th line where he says "We dream so big that there are those who would call our ambition an industry". This represents the attitude of Canadian people in the way that it show that Canadians are ambitions and also I think couragous.

How does the impact of the poem change when you hear it as apposed to reading it?

The very first thing I noticed when I first heard the poem was that it rhymed much more than I had noticed, in fact I had not clued in at all that this poem rhymed. An example of this is line 2 when the poet says "But we're more than just hockey and fishing lines off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes." That made the poem easier to follow and made me want to hear more of the poem. The second thing I noticed was in the way he told the poem. He started out calmly but quickly changed the pace of the poem. He read his poem faster and faster which meant to me that he was proud of his poem, proud of his country and filled from head to toe with passion. Not only did he change the pace but he changed the tone in which he read the poem aswell. He began by reading the poem in a calm and controlled manner but as he read on he got more and more into his poem and read more entheusiasticly. A great example of this is the last 2 lines where Shane says "we are the true north strong and free" with a sort of conviction and purpose behind his words that honestly inspired me. As if he was not only saying the words but living them, he truely beleived in what he was saying and that made it all the more captivating for me to listen and enjoy. The longer than Shane read the more I beleived in the poem aswell, because the way he read it was so entheusistic and proud that it made me beleive in it too, it made me proud to be Canadian. I found the impact of hearing the poet read it was much more substantial then when I was reading it. I really got what the poet was trying to say when I heard rather than reading it and also his passion and exeburance while reading was captivating and mesmerized me whereas; while reading the experience was not as infleuntial.

WHat poetic devices were used in the poem and why were they effective?

The first literary device that the poet uses in his poem that i had noticed was the use of syntax. The poet used catchy phrases and an easy to read structure which made the poem just that much better. An example of this is in line 2 when the poem reads " But we're more than just hockey and fishing lines off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes". The use of syntax in my opinion is succesful and the arrangments of words are very catchy and makes the poem even more attractive to read. The second poetic device that I noticed the poet using was the use of motif. The poet used the poem's tittle as a starting place and kept repeating the main point that Canada and Candaians are more than just what people stereotypically think is Canada/Canadian. Examples of the use of this literary device is all throughout the poem in lines 2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11 and 13. The majority of these lines saying either "We are..." or "Because we are more..." The central theme used by the author was that Canadians are not ordinary but extra-ordinary and he repeated this main theme with diffrent points to prove it. Another poetic device that I thought was especially well done by Shane was the use of tone and mood in his poem. The tone of the poem shifted from relaxed to enthralled and entheusiastic. Although his mood and tone are hard to distinguish in the text when it is read the mood and tone of the poet really stands out. The poet's tone suggested in my opinion that he was also very proud, passionate and opinionated about and of his poem and of his country. Another poetic device that I thought that he put to use well was point of view. He told the poem from his point of view which being one that is very strong and passionate about the subject made this use of poetic devices smart as it added an x-factor to the poem. Another reason the point of view device was very effective was because as a Canadian I am also very proud of my country and share similar feelings to his. Because I share his opinion it is easier to get behind his poem and support him.

6/6