Sir John Franklin Response

WHAT CAN BE LEARNED OR INFERRED FROM THIS HISTORICAL STORY OF CANADA’S BEGINNINGS?

There were many struggles accompanied with traversing through Nunavut’s icy landscapes, which resulted in numerous casualties and failed expeditions.
Due to their hardships, it was difficult for early Europeans and other explorers to truly explore and find out more about the Arctic and Canada.
How can we link this historical event to modern Canadian society?

The European’s blame towards the Indigenous people for sabotaging their expeditions parallels the unjustified prejudice people have against the First Nations. Instead of trying to learn about their mispreparations, they just accused the Indigenous for their unsuccessful attempts, much like how people may look down on the Indigenous for having poor academic statistics without taking residential schools and other mistreatment into factor.

List two reasons why Franklin and his men were not able to survive the Arctic conditions?

They wrongly assumed that the ice would be more manageable come spring time, which resulted in their underpreparedness for dealing with the arctic’s terrain
They should have brought more food rather than beer and liquor, and barely making any adjustments to their approach just made history repeat itself

They have been forced to live in the Arctic, so their bodies and lifestyles have accomodated to best help them survive such freezing climates
Their knowledge of their environment allows them to locate the necessary resources for survival

Through details such as the lifeless corpses and the menacing polar bears, the picture helps illustrate the dire and catastrophic conditions the explorers found themselves in. Fortunately, the quote paints an optimistic and honorary view for the people who have sacrificed their lives on the Franklin expeditions. The explorers were willing to put themselves in such hopeless situations, solely for the advancement of human kind. Although many people will fail to recognize them for their sacrifices, God acknowledges their bravery.

References:

John Mavrick's Garden