Word List
moratorium: a pause or an end.
unique: special.
minimum wage: lowest legal rate of pay.
recession: decline in the economy.
MP: Member of Parliament.
graduates: students who complete highschool,
college or university.
exhausting: tiring.
ballad: song or poem which tells a romantic
or heroic story.
poverty: being poor, existing without the
basic needs for a healthy life.
Issues for Discussion
- The fishery crisis.
- Age, education and work.
Questions for Discussion
- Elizabeth and Joe both quit school long before they had their grade
twelve. Describe their lives at home. Why did they quit school?
- Elizabeth says she remembers her days at the fish plant fondly.
Why did she like working at the plant so much?
- What happened to Elizabeth and Joe when the cod moratorium was
announced? List the things they did to survive.
- Why did Elizabeth have such a hard time getting work? What did
she have to do to get a job? Describe Elizabeth's job as a dishwasher.
How is it different from her job at the fish plant?
- Would you compare the story of Elizabeth O'Brien to a ballad? Explain
why or why not?
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