Halifax Explosion essays

Halifax Explosion essays Throughout its history, the great nation of Canada has been through many fascinating and sensational cultural changes, which have each helped to mold the way the world views Canada as a whole today. The Halifax explosion of December 6 1917 was a major event in Canadas history, which has helped to shape Canadas identity by influencing literature, architecture, and local culture. First, the Halifax Explosion of 1917 has helped to shape Canadas identity by influencing its national fictional, and non-fictional literature. Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan is the first novel that merits discussion. Written in 1941 at the age of 34, Barometer rising is a piece of fictional text, which follows the character of Penelope Wain who is under the impression that her lover Neil Macrae has been killed under the service of her father overseas. The truth is he fled to Halifax to clear his name of wrongdoing. The story itself is set against the horrors of wartime and the catastrophic Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917. MacLennan draws information both from real experience (he was 10 during the explosion), and the accounts of his father who was involved in the relief efforts. Another novel, also fictional is Burden of Desire. Written by Robert MacNeil in 1998 the story follows the events of the Halifax explosion from the vantage point of a clergyman Peter Wentwort h who finds a sexually explicit diary in the ensuing wreckage. Wentworth and his counterpart Stewart MacPherson spend the remainder of the novel trying to find the girl who wrote the diary. The novel aptly portrays the anguished sensitivity of Halifax during this time of trials and hardships. The last book to discuss is The Halifax Explosion And the Royal Canadian Navy: Inquiry and Intrigue. Unlike the previous two published works, The Halifax Explosion is not a fictional novel based during the time of th ...