The poem is:

Canada Day Love Match

My mother stalked her future
son in law, convinced he was the one
for me. Through the crowd at the Forks Market, she kept behind him like a cat ready to pounce.
I kept out of his line of sight. Blind
to us, he watched other women.
Red turban, sunglasses, shorts, and T-shirt,
a kara on his right hand- a true Canadian.
When I was a teenager, my mother
was much too strict. She kept me in the closet, but I learned from friends with older sisters as my mom did when she grew up in the heat of africa.
My grandmother married at fifteen, did not know desire, and could not share it with her daughter.
I watch my mother, following him to the parking lot to see what he drives.
She races after him, but he vanishes in a sea of red and white hats. She says, "next time we'll get his phone number." We leave empty-handed and walk to the bridge to watch the fireworks. I close my eyes and feel the eruption of silver sparks electrify the sky.

The questions are:
1. Describe the persona speaking in "Canada Day Love Match", referring to details in the poem that support your view.

2. What idea about assessing others does the author of "Canada Day Love Match" convey to readers? Support with references from the poem.

Please help and thank you

1. The persona speaking in "Canada Day Love Match" appears to be a young woman reflecting on her mother's actions and experiences. This can be inferred from various details in the poem. The speaker mentions their mother stalking a potential son-in-law at the Forks Market, indicating that the speaker's mother is actively involved in the pursuit of a relationship for her. The speaker also mentions being kept in the closet by their strict mother during their teenage years, suggesting a controlling upbringing. Furthermore, the speaker references their grandmother's marriage at a young age and her inability to share desire with her daughter, hinting at a generational pattern of limited emotional expression and potentially unfulfilled desires. Overall, the speaker's reflections on their mother's actions and personal experiences indicate that they are recounting their own observations and emotions.

2. The author of "Canada Day Love Match" conveys the idea that assessing others based on superficial appearances or assumptions can be misleading. The poem highlights this notion through the actions and perspectives of the speaker's mother. The mother believes that the man she is pursuing is the right match for her daughter, yet her judgment is primarily based on external factors such as his clothing (red turban, sunglasses, shorts, T-shirt) and the presence of a kara (a Sikh religious bracelet) on his hand. This focus on surface-level characteristics is emphasized when the speaker mentions that the man watches other women, indicating that he may not align with the mother's idealized perception. Furthermore, the poem portrays the mother's persistent pursuit, her desire to obtain the man's phone number, and her disappointment when he disappears. These events suggest that the mother's initial assessment was flawed or incomplete. Ultimately, the poem underscores the idea that true understanding and connection require looking beyond appearances and delving into deeper aspects of a person's character and desires.