The First Five Methods of Development- Good Old Us

Good Old Us by Walter Stewart is a brilliantly written essay that argues that Canadians may not be as good and as reasonable as they believe. Stewart uses example as his method for developing and supporting his claim.
Paragraph's one through eleven of Stewart's essay are all individual examples of Canadian history that does not shed Canadians in a positive light. The reader, presumably a Canadian with much love and respect for their country, or even someone else who sees Canada as a great and fair nation, begins to feel increasingly uncomfortable and embarrassed when they are faced with so many examples of their countries indecencies. Canada is known around the world for its peace making agenda, and general desire for equality. As Canadians, we are not used to being told of our faults. Good Old Us does a fantastic job of giving the reader enough examples of Canadian disloyalty, that by the beginning of paragraph 12, not even the most patriotic citizen could argue that the author does not have a valid point. Stewart, by setting up his essay this way, allows the reader to come to his conclusion on their own before ever hearing his personal ideas. This is of great benefit to Stewart, as people are generally more likely to agree with an opinion if they believe that they came up with it. By the time the reader begins to read paragraph 12, they are feeling fairly disappointed in themselves and their country. Fortunately, Stewart anticipates this and leads into his own opinion with first defending Canada and admitting that, by and large, it is a great country. Thank goodness, we feel. We do have something to be proud of. As the paragraph continues, Stewart begins to hit a nerve. His statement that Canadians relish in the fact that our neighbour often ruins their reputation far more easily then us. Canada and the U.S. are two countries that are very often compared. We are very similar in nature, but as Stewart points out, Canadians are very smug in their opinion that we are slightly better. Many Canadians, I believe, would feel that they, to some extent, take part in this national smugness. Next, Stewart goes on to write, that "We have, however, had major political corruption involving our highest figures". Some further examples of corruption are then listed. Once again, the reader begins to cringe at facts that they know to be true about their country. The author has done an extraordinary job at presenting his claim so far, because he has given examples that Canadians know to be true and can not deny. He has then accused them of being too smug and not concerned enough about their own faults. Again, Canadians can not argue that Canada has not suffered from corruption. This piece is well written, because the author realizes that he is writing about a topic that, if not done properly could loose the loyalty of a patriotic reader from the beginning. Patriotism is a huge barrier for Stewart. He manages however, to present very good supporting claims that insure that the reader has no choice but to agree. This article stays free from truisms, and has been well edited, so that it keeps the readers attention. Good Old Us has a very clear direction form the beginning, and does not try and claim multiple points. I enjoyed this article, as I felt it made me more aware of my country's history, which I feel is incredibly important. As a proud Canadian I was not upset by this article, because I felt that it only stated the facts, and was an important read for anyone who realizes that if you forget your history, you run the risk of repeating it.
Good Old Us used example as a method of development. This essay clearly, uses examples as the main way to prove the authors thesis. All of the examples in this essay are relevant and well explained. They all help to convince the reader of the authors point of view. In Stewart's essay he explains that many Canadians do not know very much about Canadian corruption. For this reason, it is very important that he share examples with the reader. Without the use of specific examples this essay would not be half as affective as it manages to be. Most essays, use examples, and Good Old Us, does an exceptional job of using them to the author's full advantage.