Question

What does this mean?: "By discovering the literature of our neighbors, we may also learn about ourselves"

Answer 1

I think the point of the relation of the quote to Atwood's poem is that what we see (or presume) and what we experience can be two totally different things. The poem talks about the striking differences between Canada as tourists see it and Canada as the speaker sees it through her own experience. For the tourists, Saskatchewan is just another lake with "convenient" places to pose and take photos. For her, it is a very personal place of memories and meanings. In relation to the quote, we need to really meet our neighbors, instead of just believing the superficial images. We can really meet them through literature. By doing that, we will meet ourselves too, and realize the deep connection that binds us to other, different people and cultures.