Taylor and Hill

The authors Drew Hayden Taylor and Lawrence Hill present the topic of self-definition very differently in the essays "Pretty Like a White Boy: The Adventures of a Blue-Eyed Ojibway" and "Don't Call Me That Word". Taylor presents his definition in a more casual way and with a sense of humour. He leaves the readers with a deep impression of his self-definition by creating a new Nation for himself and other individuals with similar background. Hill, on the other hand, remains serious throughout the essay. His approach allows readers to know that discriminating someone with the use of a particular word is painful, like sprinkling salt on a wound. Taylor and Hill illustrate their different self-definitions of identity in their writing through contrasting tone and attitude.

In Taylor's essay, he shows readers how he is defined by his appearance rather than his heritage by others. Taylor presents his self-definition in a casual way; one commentator, Carole Levine, feels that "[he] writes how he talks [or] maybe he talks how he writes" (2008). There is a sense of humour in his writing; while it shows signs of self-depreciating, it may be "a way of coping for Aboriginals" (Levine). Although there is a wide number of identities in the English language, Taylor finds he unable to associate with any of these identities due to his unique background. He defines himself as a "Pink Man" in a joking manner by saying "I have both white and red blood in me...I am a 'Pink' man" (303). By the end of the essay, he humorously and proudly announced that he is the creator of a new Nation called the "Special Occasion" - a mixed identity of "half Ojibway and half Caucasian" (306). However, Taylor changes the tone of his writing when he was misunderstood as a Métis or when he was challenged by a non-status Indian girl. The changing of tone indicates that Taylor is "frustrated and a little hurt" (305) even though he does not have a clear definition on who he really is for his entire life. Ultimately, Taylor uses humour as a way to express his confused self-definition of identity, perhaps because talking about it seriously brings emotional frustration. Taylor adapts to having a sense of humour in his life and writing because "[it] is a form of survivor humour" (Levine).