Assignment #8- The Real Riel

Hey everybody! I'm responding to Assignment #8, which is to create a fictional interview between Louis Riel and yourself.

Introduction: Hello, my name is Sabrina, and I'm going to be doing an interview with Louis Riel, just days into his trial. Riel's trial is due to the leading of the the resistance movement of the Metis and First Nations people of Western Canada. Please give a warm round of applause for Louis Riel!

(Louis Riel enters, audience claps)

Sabrina: Hello Louis, and thank-you for coming today.

Louis Riel: It is my pleasure to be here.

Sabrina: How are you?

Louis Riel: I'm feeling very well, thanks. I was actually just at my trial before coming here, so I'm really quite tired. How are you?

Sabrina: I'm good as well, thanks. Actually, the audience and I have come up with a few questions to ask you. I'll ask the first question. Many of us heard that you wanted to be a priest when you were younger. Why did you lose interest?

Louis Riel: Well, as a child I always wanted to be a priest. I was educated by Roman Catholic priests at St. Boniface. My family was very noted for their strong Catholicism, so I wanted to learn more. But after my father died, I lost all of my interest in becoming a priest, and withdrew from college in March 1865. After I dropped out, I started working in Illinois, Minnesota, and many other places before returning to the Red River Settlement. So basically, I didn't become a priest because of the tragedy of my father's premature death.

Sabrina: I'm sorry to hear that. Let's go on with our next question. Does any audience member have one? Yes, you in the back.

Audience Member #1: Hello, Louis. I was wondering if you enjoy being named after your father?

Louis Riel: Interesting question. Well, my family was a very well-respected French Canadian-Métis family due to my father, who organized a group that supported Guillaume Sayer, a Métis imprisoned man. My father was a very strong man who was devoted to our our religion and to our family, and who always wanted peace. So yes, I feel honoured to be named after him.

Sabrina: Was your father named after his father?

Louis Riel: No, my grandfather's name was Jean-Baptiste Riel.

Sabrina: Oh. Well I'm going to ask one more question. Where is your trial taking place, and would you like to say anything to us about your trial?

Louis Riel: Yes..Well, first of all, my trial is taking place in Regina. Next off I would like to say thank you to everyone who supported me, no matter what happens. I would also like to say that I am sorry to the family of Thomas Scott, a man that was executed partly due to me. The last thing I would like to say is that I appreciate everyone's efforts to try to keep me innocent, and I thank you greatly.

Sabrina: Excellent. Well, thank you for coming to my show!

Louis Riel: Thank you for having me.

Sabrina: Please give it up for Louis Riel everyone!!

(Audience claps, Louis exits)

Assignment #7- Canadian History Makers

Hey readers! I'm responding to Assignment #7, which you can view here. The assignment is about choosing influential Canadian personalities and writing about how they contributed to Canada.

4 a.)Which category of Canadian Personalities interested you the most? Did you like the "we inspired", "we founded", "we fought", "we built" or "we governed" section the most?

The category that interested me the most was the "we inspired" section because many of the Canadians in that section changed the way many people viewed everyday things. For example, Arthur Lismer inspired people to see everyday Canadian landscape as something beautiful and something special. Someone else that is very inspirational in that section is Peter Pitseolak, a Native man who changed the way everyday people see the North of Canada, and life at the intersection of past and present.

b.) Which personality interested you the most? Why? Write, in your own words, a short description of what he or she did and why he or she is your favourite. If you get information from any source, you must credit it by creating a link to it.

The personality that interested me the most was Gabrielle Roy. Gabrielle was a woman who grew up in poverty in Manitoba, and took her experiences and observations from the and wrote a book about her vivid depictions of urban misery in Manitoba. Even though she has become very famous, she never let fame get to her head and still considered herself as a permanent outsider. She was my favourite because she took everyday things about living in poverty and inspired many people to share their thoughts and feelings with each other.

c.) In your post, suggest three more influential Canadian personalities that could be added to this site. Why did you choose these people? Which categories would they fit into? Link to information about each of them.

One influential Canadian that I thought could be added to this site was Terry Fox. I chose him because he fought so hard to raise money for cancer research, with his own charity, "Marathon of Hope". He ran across Canada with a prosthetic leg, to help other people overcome cancer and tumours. He is considered by many people to be a hero. He would definitely be in the "we inspired" section because he inspired so many people to contribute to cancer research, and he also inspired them to run with him across many provinces.

Another influential Canadian that I chose was Rick Hansen. Rick Hansen was a man who was inspired by his friend, Terry Fox, to create a fundraiser for spinal cord injuries. He created the "Man in Motion" marathon, which was a tour that took him on a 26-month trek to 34 countries, and he did the whole tour on his wheelchair. He would be put in the "we inspired" section because he too inspired many people to raise money for spinal cord injuries, and to help him support the cause.

The last inspirational Canadian that I chose was David Suzuki. i chose him because he is an environmental activist who tries "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." In 1990 he created the David Suzuki foundation, a foundation whose priorities are oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and David Suzuki's Nature Challenge. He could be in both the "we inspired" section or the "we founded" section because David inspired many people to care for the environment and the world around us, but he also founded the "David Suzuki Foundation".

5. Vote on your favourite Canadian personality. (Click on the link to vote)

The person that I voted for was Gabrielle Roy because she inspired so many people to express themselves more, both to themselves and to others.

7. Which History-Maker did you have the most in common with? Were you able to figure it out from the clues given? What do you share with that person? What are some things that are different between you and that person?

The person that I had the most in common with Emily Carr, a Canadian painter who was born on December 13th, 1987 in Victoria, British Columbia. She has artwork in many galleries around the world, and has had many things named after her like scholarships, schools, libraries, streets, parks, and stamps.After I played the game, I read the clues but I couldn't figure out who it was. But while I was reading the clues, I noticed that we had a lot in common. For example, Emily had a lot of sisters like me, and she has a nickname that she gets called by her parents, like me. She also likes to travel to Europe and around places in Canada, like my family and I. Another thing that we have in common is we both like to read and write, and she paints a lot. She paints pictures about the importance and beauty of nature. A different thing about us is that she had a lot of pets, like a monkey.

8 e.)One hundred years from now, imagine that students are learning about Canadian History Makers and they discover you. What will you be remembered for? How were you a Canadian History Maker? You are using your imagination, so think about some things that you would like to accomplish in your life and imagine that you have all the accomplishments of your life to look back on. Write a short profile of yourself, imagining the contributions you have made to the future of Canada.

Sabrina H. was born on May 31st, 1996 and had a very accomplished life. She was a brain surgeon, who was best known for curing dementia and Alzheimer's disease. She saved many people, all of whom were dying of this incurable disease. She starting researching when she was 31(after she was done medical school), and people were so inspired by her that many people started a campaign to help her raise money, called "Fight to end Dementia", which was very successful. She has had a university , a medical clinic, and many awards named after her. She won many awards herself, including a Nobel prize for her invention of a machine that helps people in wheelchairs walk freely and on their own. She has her name in many medical school textbooks, and there is a statue of her in front of Harvard Medical School for her many great accomplishments.