First Death in Nova Scotia

The poem’s inclusion of British royalty alludes to the history between Canada and England. The Italian explorer John Cabot worked for King Henry VII of England, and Cabot visited the territory near the end of the 15th century. France already had many colonies in Canada, and in the 1700s, France and England fought over Canadian territory. England prevailed.

Not wanting to face another uprising like in the United States, Britain turned its three major Canadian territories, Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, into a federal union in 1867. While the new geopolitical entity remained a part of the British Empire, the country was independent and had its own governing bodies and laws.

The poem marks the new configuration of Canada. “The Maple Leaf (Forever)” (Line 36) refers to a patriotic song created by Canadian Alexander Muir in 1867. Canada remains a member of the British Commonwealth, but in 1982, it created a separate constitution.

The focus on the relationship between Canada and Britain mirrors the fluctuating relationships in the poem. The composition of countries and empires can change, and so can people and their identities. In the poem, Arthur is the speaker’s younger cousin, but he’s also “like a doll” (Line 32). The loon is a dead bird, but Bishop uses anthropomorphism—where human qualities are ascribed to nonhumans—to give the bird human traits. The speaker creates a bond between the loon and Arthur and links Arthur to the British royals. The poem indicates that people, animals, and objects contain histories and associations that are as jarring and complex as nations and empires. Both experience transformations like life and death.