I Can Speak Better Than You, In Your Langauge

"I watch as Elijah helps Gilbert to compose a letter to his wife and children, telling of his latest accomplishments," ( P 151 Three Day Road). Xavier is telling us how he sees that Elijah can help people with his words. Being able to communicate is a huge part of life and just because you speak the same language does not mean you are good at communicating with someone. Elijah has a way with words and the variety of words the English language has for him to choose from is quite amazing. We do not hear a lot about how Elijah communicates in Cree. He may only speak well or communicate well in English because he was taught the language by nuns, and had to speak it well. I think the fact that Elijah can speak English so well bothers Xavier. This could bother Xavier for a number of reasons, Xavier cannot communicate as well as Elijah, Xavier and Elijah always compete with each other, Xavier does not know English well enough to correct Elijah when he exaggerates things. Though his speaking skills have helped the men in a few situations Xavier could do with speaking better English. English is the hardest language to learn. They say it is easier to learn new things when you are young. By the time Xavier got to the residential school Elijah was already able to write English.