74 pages 2 hours read

Margaret Pokiak-Fenton

Fatty Legs: A True Story

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Middle Grade | Published in 2010

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Essay Topics

1.

Why did Olemaun want to attend school? What reasons might other prospective Indigenous students or their families have had for wanting to attend school? Why did the Canadian government want Indigenous students to attend school?

2.

Margaret-Olemaun talks about “the outsiders” throughout the book. Who exactly are the outsiders? How do the outsiders reveal their unfamiliarity with the traditional ways of life in Indigenous homelands? (Hint: Think about what they wear, eat, and prioritize in society.)

3.

The title of the book and central anecdote within the book center on the bright red stockings that the Raven made Margaret-Olemaun wear. We know that Margaret-Olemaun was embarrassed to wear the stockings, but what might the stocking symbolize? Are they just ugly stockings, or are they emblematic of larger struggles?