Remebering Vimy Essay - 2496 Words

Whether it be depictions of the â€Å"noble savage† or a red-clad, horse-riding Mountie patrolling the northern nation, Canadians have a knack for creating a mythical element to their past. Deconstructing national myths has become a burgeoning field of academic inquiry as evidenced by monographs such as Daniel Francis’ in his book National Dreams: Myth, Memory, and Canadian History. A central event in the Canadian consciousness, with much national sentiment attached to it, is that of Vimy Ridge. On April 9, 2007 over thirty-five hundred high school students from across Canada congregated at the newly restored Canadian National Vimy Memorial near Vimy, France. Their presence marked the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and†¦show more content†¦This essay examines the myth formation of Vimy Ridge in the English-Canadian myth-symbol complex. Through an examination of the military achievements upon which the â€Å"Vimy myth† is based, global and local views of the success at Vimy, the foundation of Vimy as national myth will be examined. The cultural aftershock shown through the magnitude of published poetry and construction of a National Monument, and how the Battle of Vimy Ridge is taught in English-Canadian secondary education systems will divulge an analyse of â€Å"Vimy Ridge† as an active part of the English-Canadian ‘imagined community’s’ myth-symbol complex ninety years after its conception. Although among Allied powers, the Battle of Vimy Ridge remains only a part of the much larger British offensive, the Battle of Arras. For Canadians, however, Vimy is perpetuated through Canadian history as the birthplace of English-Canadian nationhood from a time when it lacked a strong global presence on the international stage. Before an examination of the perpetuation of Vimy as a national myth within Canadian society can occur, the term â€Å"myth† itself must be clarified. Myth will neither be viewed as a pejorative or positive term, nor as quaint stories or falsehoods. Rather, in accordance with the definition of myth provided by Clarence Bolt, myths are â€Å"deeply (often unconsciously) held beliefs and values that provide people with meaning and purpose...help[ing]