An Autobiography

Odellia Mogani Mar. 29, 04

My Shoe:

An Autobiography

My story begins the spring of 1820. William Lyon Mackenzie, a young Scottish immigrant, newspaper writer, politician, and champion of democracy came to Canada. It was a terrible time to be a politician, because voting was so risky. There was no secret ballot, so bribes, threats, and violence were common.

Yet William was a fighter by nature, and took on the British Empire as his opponent. He worked in business in Dundas and Queenston before starting a newspaper, The Colonial Advocate. He wanted to influence voters in their choice of representatives in the approaching elections, but his paper angered Rev. Strachan’s supporters, and in June 1826, a gang of men broke into William’s newspaper office, took his press, and threw it into Lake Ontario.

This was the beginning of an unsuccessful campaign to silence William. During this time, William found comfort in animals, and raised some cattle. He tenderly cared for them, and their generation lived on through hundreds of years. Only a few years ago, a descendant of William’s was found with relatives of William’s cattle.

And this is where I come into play. One of the cattle was sold, to be made into leather. The leather was the transported to China, where it was taken to an Exit LA manufacturing company, where I became who I am. A thirty-two year old Chinese lady sewed me, and would sing softly as she put me together. My finishing touches were added, and I was loaded into a ship with thousands of other pairs of shoes.

We were headed back to Canada, my native land. I was carefully inspected upon arrival, and taken, by truck, to a warehouse. I was then placed with a new group of shoes, which looked like me exactly, and brought to Winners. I sat on the rack for the longest time, before a kind lady picked me up and bought me for $29.99. I went off in a shiny blue car, where an eleven-year-old girl tried me on, and pit into me perfectly. I was so excited! I had finally found an owner, who for one year, wore me, cleaned me, and cared for me.

Yet only a week ago, I underwent an enormous transformation! I was sketched, measured, and poked at, before I was coated in plaster cast strips, with a cave on top of me, and painted grey. A dragon and a pile of treasure were placed inside of me, and I was displayed in a classroom.