An Overview of the Poems of the Canadian Writer Al Purdy

Canada is a country of vast landscape with distinct natural configurations .The Canadian society is a mosaic rather than a melting pot, in the sense that, its citizens come from different parts of the globe and still retain their distinctive heritage. This multicultural mosaic of Canada, matches the immensity of the land. Canada reflects a diverse and multicultural society which retains a unity among the diversity. In spite of all the proclaimed unity, there often arises controversial questions like, "which is the best culture?, the foreigners who settled in Canada or the native culture? ". These queries are dealt by Katheri Damm in her essay "Says who? : Colonialism Identity and Defining Indigenous Literature" ,she deals with the issues relating to the genuineness and the "true" identity of Canadian literature.

The main component of Canada's multicultural mosaic is made up of the members of the founder nations France and England. The bi-lingual framework of Francophone literature and Anglophone literature demonstrate the tension and their relationship with the natives.

The immigrant population had three choices to decide, whether to assimilate themselves into their new land or such that each ethnic race to preserve its own identity, living in Canada or to put all their communities in a huge 'melting pot' and have a new race. When immigrant literature is evolved, we find in it, the values of that culture finding expression in the literary forms. The process takes place unconsciously as of when a writer, particularly an immigrant writer dives into the world of creative writing, s/he becomes oblivious to his/her surroundings, religion, identity etc, though elements of personal preferences may penetrate into their works.