LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 18:7 July 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
         Dr. S. Chelliah, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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A Study on Al Purdy’s Lament for the Dorsets as an Elegy of Unique
and Extinct Civilisation of the Dorsets

Masilamani C.


Abstract

Al Purdy’s Lament for the Dorsets explores the culture and the historical background of the Dorsets who were the inhabitants of the southern coast of Baffin Island, also known as the original Canadians. This article speculates the effects that lead to the extinction of the unique culture of the Dorsets and it brings out the elements of elegy existing in the poem, which further classifies the poem as an Elegy. These aborigines face problem with the changing environment and as the invaders were more technologically advanced, they were unable to survive. The theme of alienation and loneliness represent by different symbols in the poem also represents this poem as an Elegy. Purdy has explored the role of concrete evidence in formulating social-ecological knowledge as well as role of imagination and close observation of the natural world in the development of mythological theories of origin.

Keywords: Dorsets, Swan, Extinction, Lamentation, Death, and Culture.

Introduction

Purdy is known as the Canadian poet of the underdogs as his writings mainly portray the lives of the minorities and the underprivileged population of Canada. His style of writing is simple, colloquial and erudite which describes the ordinary lives of the native Canadians. He has written his poems in his own unique style that made him one of Canada’s most beloved poets. Lament for the Dorsets was written based on the experience of Al Purdy’s visit to the Baffin Island during the summer of 1965, Northwest Territories of Canada. Purdy was very much advanced in his poetic career during this time. The poem was published in Purdy’s 1968 collection, Wild Grape Wine. It portrays the lives of the early inhabitants of Inuit village on Baffin Island known as the Dorsets. Dorset civilisation was spread over panoptic area of Northern Canada and is believed to have existed for approximately two thousand years.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Masilamani C.
Assistant Professor of English
Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous)
Bengaluru 560077
masilaa7@gmail.com

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