We are taught to differentiate between heroes and villains from a very young age. We watch heroes and villains battle each other as enemies for opposite motives. The villains are often crazy masterminds trying to take over people whereas the hero fights for the freedom and ease of people without any personal benefit. Anytime we have to distinguish between a hero and a villain we can look at his actions and make a judgment. There are some obvious heroes in history like Terry Fox and obvious villains like Hitler. However not all people in history are that easy to classify as hero or villain. A 19th century Canadian Louis Riel has left people scratching their head to this day. The controversial actions of Louis Riel have left us with the question …show more content…
One such event is the execution of Thomas Scott. Thomas Scott was born in Ireland in 1842. Later he immigrated to Ontario, Canada in 1863. He was then employed by the Canadian government as a surveyor. At the end of 1869 Thomas Scott along with John Christian Schultz, Charles Mair and approximately fifty others were arrested by Louis Riel whiles they were attacking the Fort. When in jail Scott proved to be a very difficult prisoner. He made racist comments, acted abusively and did not recognize the authority that Louis Riel possessed. As well as he encouraged people to not vote for Louis Riel. Eventually at the beginning of 1870, Scott had managed to escape for a month and during this time he planned on capturing Louis Riel. Then in February of 1870 Thomas Scott along with forty - seven others were held as prisoners. Scott openly showed his contempt for the Metis people. He did not obey the commands that were given to him but furthermore he provoked his guards by insulting and hitting them. At this point many of the Metis wanted Scott to be punished for his doings. Scott was taken to court and trailed for insubordination. He was convicted as guilty and was executed by a firing squad. Louis Riel said in his defense to Donald Smith, "We must make Canada respect us." This action should not have taken place because considering Riel's motives this is …show more content…
The government did also have their rights. Also if Luis Riel had wanted the situation could have been handled more strategically so that people would not be getting arrested and killed. Louis Riel and his followers did not understand that they were living under a government and that they should oblige to their rules and express their disagreement using more peaceful routes. Also rebelling against the government would not have left a good impression of him and the Metis people, whom he was representing. The government would not want consider the opinion of people that rebelled against them. Also in that time it would be an extreme offense to be challenging the government. This action would essentially be disobeying the law. By rebelling he would not be setting a good example to the people that considered him a hero and looked up to him for
Is Louis Riel a hero or a traitor? Well, some individuals say that he was a hero, and others say that he was a traitor. Individually, I believe that Louis Riel was a hero because he was the forefather of Manitoba, which is a province of Canada. The fact that he was a persuasive politician and spiritual leader made him a hero as well. Lastly, he stood up for Native rights.
One way that Louis Riel changed Manitoba forever was the creation of the Métis Bill of Rights. The Métis Bill of Rights was a revised list of rights that Louis Riel’s provisional government proposed to the Government of Canada. One aspect of this Bill of Rights was “The right to elect their own Legislative Assembly, with the power to pass all local laws,” (Clark and McKay 220). It is clear that this request was granted and still stands today. Without Louis Riel’s effort on this issue who knows when Manitoba would have gotten its own elected Legislative Assembly. Some argue that everything Louis Riel accomplished with the Métis Bill of Rights would have eventually been enacted by Parliament. However, this is untrue for numerous reasons. One of which is how the Métis Bill of Rights consisted of many rights intended specifically for minorities such as Métis or French-Canadians. The federal government at the time did not have minorities on its mind which made it hard for legislation relating to minorities to be passed. Another way that the Métis Bill of Rights still affects us today is how it ensured “The right to have Winnipeg connected by rail to the nearest railw...
If you think Louis Riel was a Hero. You need to assess his accomplishments and what they did for the Metis history. In this life time Riel was named the Secretary for the National Committee of the Red River Metis and people came to him for advice instead of the president. Riel was well aware of about McDougall's approach to the boundary at Pembina. On November 2nd, Riel and 120-armed Metis marched through the open gate at Fort Garry and took power of the ambulant storage of food and the fortress itself. Riel also claimed other fortresses for the Metis and eventually the president of the National Committee of the Red River Metis resigned and gave the position of president to Louis Riel. These are some of the many reasons that society today sees Louis Riel as a hero in Canadian history and they admire him. Although as you read you will see the reasons that society thinks of this man as an embarrassment in our history.
The controversy surrounding the trial and execution of Louis Riel has been debated throughout Canadian history with the French-speaking Canadians firmly planted against the English. Today, the government has recognized Riel as the legitimate leader of the Métis people. He is now regarded as a hero for representing the Métis.
Louis Riel played a big role in Canada and was fighting for the rights of Metis. He was captured and executed by Canadian authorities in November 16, 1885 in Regina. Louis Riel did not receive a fair trial due that he was fighting for the rights of the Metis and people. It was inappropriate to accuse Riel as a traitor. He tried to defend the traditional right of Metis and equal people and dedicated his life to help others like Metis, Native Indians and Western settlers. He gained a lot of respect and was a good leader. Riel was a person who stepped up and was not afraid to tell the government what they needed. He tried to succeed through peaceful methods and bring change into the Canadian government. However, he did not want to take over Canada or start a revolution against Quebec. The Canadian government did not see this and went against him and charged him as a traitor. At this point, English speaking men were against Riel’s beliefs. When Louis Riel tried to get Metis rights and make them equal but the English people did not want to this change and thought that this was obligating treason. Treason expresses someone that is overthrowing the government in power. Many thoughts came up upon the government whether to hang Louis Riel or not. Quebec was concerned that if Riel would be hanged, they would upset the Conservative Party and if they kept him alive, Ontario would be enraged. Many members of the Canadian government believed that Riel was an insane and not responsible but he did not refuse to give up. His plan was equal everyone out and to devise of Canada with many races, such as Catholic and Protestant. Many people respected him and were confident in him. Louis Riel was not a traitor in Canada and did not receive a fair tria...
What makes a hero or a villain? A hero is defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. By this definition, there existed countless heroes in America during the 1800’s in relation to slavery. There were many abolitionists, particularly from the North, that exhibited courageous attitudes. It was these heroes that taught the southerners, who believed their lives could only prevail if slavery survived and expanded westward, what they knew was morally right (3, 92).
Andrew Carnegie, an inventor, philosopher, and entrepreneur, helped create the age of industrialization; also known as the Gilded Age. With his steel, he turned the U.S from an agricultural and commercial nation to an industrial nation. Being one of the forward-thinking men of his time, he helped cities expand bringing urbanization. Although many people consider him a hero, he is considered an antagonist because of his atrocious working conditions coupled with the long hour and the wages. So was he a hero? A hero is generally defined as someone who is admired or idealized usually for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. On the other hand, an anti-hero is someone who lacks the traits of a traditional hero but still has the greater good of the people in mind. Though Carnegie did the best he could for the people of the future, I cannot say the same for the people of his time. Andrew Carnegie is in between a hero and a villain; he is an anti-hero.
When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...
For the interference and defiance of the Provisional Government, Thomas Scott was sentenced to death on 4 March 1870. Guilty of insulting Riel, defying authority and fighting with his guards, Scott was executed by firing squad despite the fact that the crimes were not considered a capital offence. Riel’s justification was that he found it necessary in order to demonstrate to the Canadians and his people that he must be taken seriously, but instead,
...attles. It eventually ended when Louis Riel surrendered on May 15 1885, after the defeat at Batoche. Riel had written a letter to General Frederick Middleton (British general), saying that he didn’t like war and he’d surrender himself only if the Métis were freed. After the rebellion ended, Riel became a prisoner of the Canadian government and was taken to trial for treason in Regina. He was eventually convicted and executed as a traitor. And so lived and died the heroic, peaceful founder of the Province of Manitoba, and defender of the rights of the Métis.
During the late 1860s the Red River Settlement was rapidly changing and along with these changes came multiple causes and conflicts that would subsequently to a resistance called the Red River Rebellion. Many profound changes occurred in the Red River Settlement that had caused problems and hostility among the inhabitants to emerge such as:the arrival of Canadians to the settlement, the economic problems and the decline of the Hudson Bay Company. However, the Red River Rebellion was sparked by the Hudson Bay Company selling Rupert’s Land to the new Dominion of Canada without consulting with the inhabitants nor paying any regards to their interests.The colonists of the Red River Settlement, many of whom were Metis, feared for their culture and land rights under the dominion’s control. In order to ascertain that their rights would be protected, the Metis set up a provisional government under the leadership of Louis Riel to negotiate an agreement with the new Dominion of Canada that the Red River Settlement and the lands surrounding it, could enter Confederation as the province of Manitoba under their own terms.
It was during this time that the first obstacles to the government's progress first surfaced. The Métis people began to fear for their culture, rights and their lands as colonists sta...
However, despite all these flaws, he is known to be one of Canada’s national heroes, as he left a substantial impact on Canadian history as a dominant individual within civilization. Riel was highly looked upon by the Aboriginal peoples, notably the Métis, on account for fighting for their civil liberties in which were being stripped from them systematically by the government. While stationed in the Red River settlement, he was welcomed by the invasion of discrimination brought by Ontario Anglophone settlers; racial tensions escalated. He strived to protect the Métis habitat, customs and values in the Northwest as they were steadily l... ... middle of paper ... ...
Robert Ross’ whole life he grew up in a household where they did what was expected of them, rather than what was right. The type of people that Findley place in Robert’s life is what molds him into the type of character he becomes. Timothy Findley manipulates what a hero is supposed to be, by making Robert Ross a distorted kind of hero. Robert Ross exemplifies anti-heroism throughout the text because of his need to be a savior but inability to do so, his morals and his connection with animals.
For a time, the main characters in a story, poem, or narrative were easily classified as either being a hero or a villain. A hero would be easy to identify by the traits he'd possess, such as bravery, honesty, selflessness, trustworthiness, courage, leadership, and more. The villain would be easy to identify as well, possessing traits such as maliciousness, deceitfulness, immorality, dark, wishing harm upon others, and more. But what if the character lacked the natural heroic qualities but wasn't a villain either? What if the person displayed personality flaws that would traditionally be associated with a villain, but has heroic intentions? These questions were finally answered with the emergence of the anti-hero in literature.