The following review will focus on “The Secret Lives of Sgt John Wilson”, written by Louis Simmie. This review will elaborate on three particular components. Firstly, Louis Simmie’s purpose inn writing “The Secret Lives of Sg.t John Wilson” was to provide an accurate depiction of Saskatchewan history. Secondly, this review will ascertain whether the book “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson is of any monetary value. Lastly this review will discuss whether the author Lois Simmie accomplished her overall goal in writing “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson” Louis Simmie utilizes an autobiography style of writing to depict our Saskatchewan history. Even in the prologue the author Louis Simmie engages the reader in the life of Sgt John Wilson and foreshadows the upcoming events without revealing the plot in the beginning. In the subsequent chapters the author uses …show more content…
Many items, including book are often hard to appraise or many be invaluable, the book “The secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson costs $21.95. IT is difficult to purchase anything in today’s economy for this price. This book has never made it to the movies if it had I would expect it to be worth a lot more. Just on the fact alone that this book is based on a true story is a seller alone. This book should be a number one best seller getting five star reviews. The publicity of this book was nowhere near enough. With more publicity the author probably could’ve sold more copies and lower the price interesting even more buyers. The book should have as much publicity as “Don Quixote”. Because the more people that read a book or film the more a book is worth purchasing. Then you can talk to everybody about the book your reading and other people can join in on the subject with you. Since the book is a book in the schools definitely means it’s a worthwhile buy. Lots of people have read it and it’s a great topic to start or continue conversation
The book Outlaw Platoon written by Sean Parnell is a soldiers’ tale of his platoon in one of the most dangerous places on earth. This book is a non-fiction riveting work that tells the story of a platoon that spent sixteen months on an operating base in the Bermel Valley, the border of Pakistan. This mission the men were sent on was part of a mission called Operation Enduring Freedom. This book is extremely relevant to the war that we are still fighting in Afghanistan and the humanitarian work that continues. We still have men in this area fighting and losing their lives everyday. It is the focus of ongoing political debates and the purpose of our involvement there is an ongoing question in the minds of many Americans. In writing this book, Parnell makes it clear in his author’s notes that he indeed was not trying to pursue one political agenda over another. His goal as not to speak of all members of the platoon and expose their identities and the types of soldiers they were but instead to showcase some of the men’s bravery and abilities during the war. Parnell believed that he owed it to the men to write something that would show the world what these men go through during combat in an honest and raw account. Another purpose of Parnell’s in writing this book is an attempt at making sure these men are given a place in American war history.
Struggling with the woes of poverty and added responsibilities, Alvin York, discovers himself fleeing from religion with Satan dangling securely to his shirttail. York is a round character that is a rabble-rouser in the beginning, yet evolves into an extraordinary spiritual man. “Sergeant York” is a 1941 film portraying the trials and triumphs of Sergeant Alvin York. Based on real situations, the aforementioned flick depicts the life of a boy who grew up in the Tennessee Hills, then went off to fight in a war that would mold him into an American Hero.
On October 5, 1970, British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in his Westmount home by members of the terrorist group Front de liberation du Quebec. The FLQ Manifesto called for non-democratic separation to be brought about by acts of terror. From 1963 to 1967, the FLQ planted 35 bombs; from 1968 to 1970 they planted over 50 bombs. By the fall of 1970 the terrorist acts of the FLQ cells had claimed 6 lives. The kidnappers' demands included the release of a number of convicted or detained FLQ members and the broadcasting of the FLQ Manifesto. The Manifesto was read on Radio-Canada. Then, on October 10th, the Quebec minister of justice guaranteed safe passage to anywhere in the world for the kidnappers in exchange for the safe release of Cross. That same day Pierre Laporte, a famed Quebec reporter, author of The True Face of Duplessis, and the minister of immigration and labour in the Quebec government, was kidnapped by a different FLQ cell on the lawn of his suburban home. Laporte's kidnapping triggered a phone call from Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa asking Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to prepare the Canadian Armed Forces for action in Quebec and to declare War Measures. Two days later, October 12, Trudeau summoned armed troops to guard potential targets in Ottawa and Montreal such as cabinet ministers, John Diefenbaker, who was on the FLQ hit list, and federal buildings. On the following day, October 13, Peter Reilly of CJOH and I were at the west door of the Centre Block of the House of Commons. Reilly was asking Trudeau some basic questions in a laconic, unemotional style about the army and tanks being in Ottawa. Suddenly we were joined by CBC reporter Tim Ralfe who asked Trudeau a very emotional question about his decision to invoke the War Measures Act. Pierre Trudeau interview
It is often astounding how secrets can tear lives apart. The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson gives testament to this fact. This story is the ultimate portrayal of deception and betrayal set amidst the serene, isolated canvas of the Saskatchewan prairies. What makes this story seems unbelievable is the fact that this is a true story which actually occurred as opposed to being fiction. John Wilson killed his loving unsuspecting wife Polly and hid her body in an isolated culvert in 1918 near Waldheim, Saskatchewan. Some years later he would be tried in a court of law, convicted and hung for his crime in Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan. He was the first and only Mountie to be hung in Canadian History. Once again, providing that the Mounties did get their man after intense justifying
... Winning the Second Battle: Canadian Veterans and the Return to Civilian Life, 1915-1930: 197.
During the Bannock War of 1878, Sarah Winnemucca served as a messenger, scout, and interpreter for General O. O. Howards. Her familiarity with the military dates back to when she was just a child. Her Grandfather Truckee initiated contact between the Piutes and the Whites through what he called a “rag-friend,” which was in fact a letter signed by a General documenting Chief Truckee’s service in the Mexican War (Winnemucca 27). The idea of this “rag-friend,” as Groover Lape Noreen explains, “represents within [their] oral community the possibility for open communication that defies time, space, and cultural prejudice” (259). This affiliation with the
For example, the book's discussion of Fort William notes the site's role in reinforcing Ontario's self-image as the largest and most central player in Canada's federation due to the sites historical status as the epicentre of Canada's fur trade and as the “buckle” of Canada's east and west (77). Moreover, the book notes fear of American cultural encroachment and commercial competition from similar American historical sites were also motivating factors in the government's decision to reconstruct Fort William and designate it a national historical site. The theme of Canada's multicultural and often fractious national identity surfaces often in Campbell's book, and the countries dilemma is perfectly captured in the following
The movie Soldier’s Girl is about a young man named Barry Winchell, who is a new recruit in the 101st Airborne. Once settling in, he befriends his roommate Justin Fisher who suffers from some medical problems, which he abuses prescription drugs to deal with his emotional problems. One night, Justin feels the need to take Winchell and a few others to Nashville, to a local bar that performs drag shows. At the bar, Winchell becomes fascinated by one of the drag performers, Calpernia Addams, which they hit it off and begin a relationship with one another. Justin does not like this at all, and recruits other soldiers to harass Winchell about his private life, as well as, spreading a rumor about Winchell’s affair. This is very dangerous for Winchell,
Sgt. John Wilson of the RNWMP abandons his family in Scotland only to find his past is not as easy to leave behind as sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. His past history of lies start to catch up to him and soon he finds himself on the wrong side of an interrogation. The secret lives of Sgt. John Wilson is a biography researched and written by Lois Simmie. What follows is an examination of the authors purpose for writing this biography, whether or not the purpose is worthwhile in regard to time and money spent by the author and reader, and whether her purpose for writing this biography is accomplished or not.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
On the night of March 5th, it is believed that a small group of boys began taunting a British soldier. Over the boys’ nonsense, the soldier battered one of his oppressors with his musket. Soon after the alleged incident a crowd of about fifty or sixty people surrounded the frightened solider. The enraged crowd of people sounded the soldier, encouraging him to call for backup. Soon after calling for help, seven soldiers along with Captain Preston...
Mackenzie King, Canada’s Prime Minister who served during the Second World War, once said during a speech: “Let it be remembered, too, that at a time of war, nearly everyone is under great strain.” This single comment directly reflected on Canadian experiences during the Second World War. The straining events of the war stretched to the highest rank in Canada when the Prime Minister dealt with the Conscription crisis, and even to the lowest undesirable rank in Canada’s wartime society, enemy aliens with their struggles. It was also during this global conflict that Canadians witnessed change in their ideologies and methodologies as well as new introductions in these areas. Attitudes towards women matured to higher statuses, and the high demand
In June of 2010, commonplace items of John Steinbeck, the famous writer of almost thirty novels, were put up for auction. These items came from his apartment of 13 years, and ranged from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech to his outline of papers on yellow lined notepads. The auction was originally projected $200,000 to $250,000, but the final amount was only about one-third at $73,950. I am not sure why the amount was so low, but if I had to guess, I would say it is because of its outdated material. Yes, Steinbeck was a great writer, but he died in 1968 and the auction occurred during 2010. I think that if the auction had come about in the 1970’s or 1980’s that more money would have been more money. When death is most recent of a beloved individual
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...
“And just like that, my life became interesting.”(pg. 1) Spy School, by Stuart Gibbs, was an amazing book. It talks about the theme of always believing in yourself, and never give up. It shares a really good message and I learned more about the life and hard work of secret agents.