Childhood Memories, Cultural Insights, and Personal Reflections

This assignment explores the author's childhood memories in Alert, Nunavut, Canada, highlighting the unique cultural experiences and challenging lifestyle in the Arctic. The assignment is divided into three parts: the first details the author's personal experiences, the second analyzes prose writing by Dylan Thomas, and the third describes a personal Christmas experience. The author reflects on the differences between their childhood and those of their colleagues, emphasizing the development of resilience and adaptability. The analysis includes autobiographical elements, descriptive writing, and reflections on Christmas traditions. The author also provides references to relevant academic papers discussing topics such as global health in the Arctic, mining communities, climate change vulnerability, and permafrost zones.

Running head: ASSIGNMENTS
ASSIGNMENTS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment # 1
When I was a child, I lived in a remote place in the world. It is situated in the
northernmost zone of the world. The name of this place is Alert, which is situated in the
Quikiqtaalluk region, Nunavut in Canada1. I lived with my parents and grandmother. Very
few people lived in this region, as the adverse weather did not permit anybody to spend their
life smoothly.
In spite of challenging lifestyle, this place is very special to me. Many childhood
memories were stored in that place. As I am now an employee in a software company in
Toronto, I miss my childhood place very much. It is becoming special day-by-day for me.
There is no similarity of my childhood memories with the memories of the other people.
Most of the employees in my workplace have come from the towns. When I was seven years
old, my father was transferred to the Toronto city. He was the guard at the Atmosphere
Monitoring Observatory.
After thirty years from now onwards, this place would carry discrete memories of my
childhood, which would be undoubtedly unique. It could be appeared bizarre to an outsider,
as spending life is very difficult here. The temperature remains below thirty degree Celsius
during the month of January2. The warmest month is July when the temperature remains
around three degree Celsius. The rest of the world does not know the lifestyle of the
inhabitants and their way of life in the adverse situation has helped me to shape my
characteristics. I have learnt firmness and tenacity from them, as they know the secret of
living in the temperature below thirty-degree Celsius. When our family shifted to Toronto the
1 Dana, Léo-Paul, and Robert Brent Anderson. "Mining and communities in the Arctic: lessons from
Baker Lake, Canada." International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business22, no. 3 (2014): 343-361.
2 Ford, James D., and Tristan Pearce. "Climate change vulnerability and adaptation research focusing
on the Inuit subsistence sector in Canada: Directions for future research." The Canadian Geographer/Le
Géographe canadien 56, no. 2 (2012): 275-287.

2ASSIGNMENTS
condition of living became far better. However, the few inhabitants who lived permanently in
this region hunted whales, seal, polar bears, birds and fish. They developed their own hunting
technologies, which is suitable for this region.
The distinct feature could be seen in the making of their boat. The boat is covered
with the skin of the seals and it is called qujaq3. The distinct feature is that if the boat is
overturned, the seated person could easily turn it4. The very different features of the lifestyle
of the inhabitants of Alert made me strong, struggling and adjustable in any situation of life.
Assignment # 2
1. I would like to classify it as prose writing. He has used descriptive writing style in
‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’. The writer stated the viewpoint of a young boy telling about
the festive season of Christmas and how as a little boy the author has experienced Christmas5.
The story is written in an autobiographical manner.
2. I can relate completely to the situation, which has been described in this piece of
writing. This writing has brought childhood memories of Christmas. While reading the story,
I went back to my childhood days of Christmas. I became very nostalgic after reading the
story. I identify with the situation when the story states that ‘It was always snowing at
Christmas’6. This line brings some real essence of Christmas as if snow and Christmas are
inseparable.
3 Chatwood, Susan, Peter Bjerregaard, and T. Kue Young. "Global health—A circumpolar
perspective." American journal of public health 102, no. 7 (2012): 1246-1249.
4 Throop, Jennifer, Antoni G. Lewkowicz, and Sharon L. Smith. "Climate and ground temperature
relations at sites across the continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones, northern Canada." Canadian
Journal of Earth Sciences 49, no. 8 (2012): 865-876.
5 Mohr, Manü. "Nostalgic memories. Perspective and perspectival changes in text and film of" A
Child's Christmas in Wales"." (2013).
6 Mohr, Manü. "Nostalgic memories. Perspective and perspectival changes in text and film of" A
Child's Christmas in Wales"." (2013).

3ASSIGNMENTS
3. The author of ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ is Dylan Tomas who was a Welsh
poet. The Christmas is celebrated widely in the Christian households as elaborated in the
story and from this, it can be assumed that the Christian background of the writer. The people
without the Christian background could relate to the story as it experience and symbols of the
Christmas are almost similar for most of the people
Assignment # 3
I spent Christmas with my family members. My neighborhood friends were invited on
the eve of the Christmas. My mom made chocolate cakes and cookies. We all ate lunch
together and then we played hide and seek. We exchanged gifts. My neighborhood friends,
cousins, uncle, aunt, grandpa and grandma were invited. We all had fun together.
Special gifts were arranged for my brother and me on the day before the Christmas.
We used to hang socks where we believed that Santa Cause would come and give us various
gifts. My seven years old Christmas was one of the memorable Christmases as we could not
get out of the room due to heavy snowfalls and we spent the entire day in the home.
Therefore, we made snow-dolls taken the ice from the outside. We took numerous
photographs on that day.

4ASSIGNMENTS
References
Chatwood, Susan, Peter Bjerregaard, and T. Kue Young. "Global health—A circumpolar
perspective." American journal of public health 102, no. 7 (2012): 1246-1249.
Dana, Léo-Paul, and Robert Brent Anderson. "Mining and communities in the Arctic: lessons
from Baker Lake, Canada." International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business22,
no. 3 (2014): 343-361.
Ford, James D., and Tristan Pearce. "Climate change vulnerability and adaptation research
focusing on the Inuit subsistence sector in Canada: Directions for future research." The
Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien 56, no. 2 (2012): 275-287.
Mohr, Manü. "Nostalgic memories. Perspective and perspectival changes in text and film of"
A Child's Christmas in Wales"." (2013).
Throop, Jennifer, Antoni G. Lewkowicz, and Sharon L. Smith. "Climate and ground
temperature relations at sites across the continuous and discontinuous permafrost zones,
northern Canada." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 49, no. 8 (2012): 865-876.