ENGL 112 Essay: Analyzing Racial Bias in Canadian Historical Texts

This essay analyzes Daniel Francis's article "Your Majesty's Realm: The Myth of the Master Race," which examines racial discrimination in early 20th-century Canada, specifically focusing on the biased portrayal of Indigenous peoples in historical texts and textbooks. The essay highlights how Canadian authors perpetuated stereotypes and promoted the idea of Western racial superiority, portraying Indigenous people as inferior, uncivilized, and obstacles to colonization. It discusses the Eurocentric view that dominated the period, where British Canadians were seen as superior and the Indigenous population was marginalized and dehumanized. The essay underscores the impact of these biased representations on the education of Canadian students, who were taught to believe in the inferiority of Indigenous cultures and the justification of colonialism. The analysis critiques the deliberate omission of Indigenous perspectives and the suppression of their struggles, ultimately revealing the historical context and the enduring effects of racial prejudice in Canada's past. The essay emphasizes the importance of recognizing and challenging these biases to foster a more inclusive and accurate understanding of Canadian history.

Running head: ENGLISH
English
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Rana Pawar
ENGL 112-03
March 9, 2020
PROF: Emel Tastekin
The article “Your Majesty’s Realm: The Myth of the Master Race” is an extract from the book of
Francis Daniel who is talking about the racial discrimination that was prevalent in the early
twentieth century. He is focusing on the superiority of the Western races like that of the
Canadians over the Indians. It must be noted that in this book, the author is mainly trying to
focus on the idea that how the young students in Canada were being taught to learn racism and
were also developing a kind of hatred over the Indians (Francis). It must also be noted that
Indians have always been portrayed as a group of people having no culture and the ones who
always try to create some kinds of obstructions in the path of colonization. However, in this
book, the author is also trying to say that most of the earlier writers have tried to safeguard the
emotions and sentiments of the Western regime saying that they have done nothing wrong in
killing or removing the Indians from their path of colorizations. Indians have been always

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depicted as alien-like and also the British born Canadians, on the other hand, are the elect of the
earth as they have racial superiority. At the same time, the author is trying to talk about the
unjust treatment of the different British or Canadian authors towards the Indians while they
composed their literary pieces (Francis). Apart from this, they have also represented the
Aboriginals in a very inferior’s manner. They have painted them as backward and the inferior
people. Apart from this Indians have always been represented as the pagans and also as the wild
beats (Francis).
It must be noted that throughout all these textbooks, Indians have been painted in the light of
wilderness and backward savages. This is evident in the superiority complex that was present
within the minds of Canadian authors. They had no sympathy for the Indian students or the
Indian readers and at the same time wanted to discourage them. The other important point to be
noted is that till the 1960s, the Canadian students and youngsters, including the author himself
were taught to believe that Indians are uncivilized and that colonialism by the British was not a
process to meet with each other and interact. However, the term context had a different sense and
meaning during that time (Francis). It was taught to the Canadian students that the arrival of
Europeans was the method through which they will conquer and not establish any contacts. This
is because, in the Textbook Indians, they were always dehumanized. India was also portrayed as
a land devoid of any culture and civilization that is in the dire need of exploration. It is a land
that must be explored and later subdued. India was depicted as a forest with Indians as the wild
animals living in this forest.
The books of this time have a layer on focused light on the issue Louis Riel, the leader of the
Metis population. He has also been depicted as someone who is unstable and also not capable of
following any decorum or any rule. However, even in the 19560s, these authors were focusing on

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all the other issues except that of Indians. Indians were always decocted as the insignificant ones
and they were always marginalized. Any issues that would be talking about the pain of Indians or
their struggles were subsided and never got a mention in the pages of these textbooks. In some
instance, the book is talking about the culture of the Aboriginals. It is evident from the book that
the early Canadians were much hateful towards the Aboriginals. The books were designed in
such a way to teach the Canadians on how to prove their supremacy over others and to know that
the Indians or any other community groups apart from them is worse and needs to be colonized.
It is evident from this book that the author is trying to focus on the mindset of the 20th-century
people in Canada. They were taught to look down upon the other people who are not from their
communities. In particular, the author in this book is trying to focus on the art of the Indian
students regarding their emotions when they would be studying these books. In other words, an
author must be rational enough while writing his book and must not portray any particular group
or any particular community in a negative or a bad way. However, the opposite aspect is seen in
this book. This is because most of the other writers in the early 20th century in Canada were
biased towards their community and hated Indians. They thought that Indians are pagans and
their land is devoid of any developments. They are like wild animals who keep on wondering in
the wild forests. However, this is a very harsh way of portraying any culture, any country or the
people that belong to the same. This would surely have a very bad and hurting impact on the
minds of Indians or any other native students when they would be studying this book.

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References
Francis, Daniel. National dreams: Myth, memory, and Canadian history. Arsenal Pulp Press,
1997.