Reference no: EM133280638

Question 1: To what extent was this time period one of progress or decline for the Canadians featured in this activity?

1. Mae Belle Sampson, Katherine MacDonald, a nurse overseas: from what I read, I understand that the world war had a significant impact on the lives and future of Women. Since they proved their worth as nurses as they were not allowed to enlist themselves for combat roles. Nevertheless, their task was as risky as that of the combatants as they worked hard overseas far away from their homeland in perilous and dangerous conditions and had to treat thousands of soldiers with very little medical aid. Katherine MacDonald and Mae Belle Sampson are examples of such nurses who risked their lives and worked overseas to save the lives of thousands. Both Sampson and Katherine died as the hospital and ship they were working on were attacked by enemies, respectively. Nevertheless, they served as an inspiration for women and challenged the traditional notion which said that women were fragile, helpless creatures.

The war changed the way women were viewed. But it was not until all the sacrifices and sufferings they went through that the perception changed for good.

Therefore, though the characters mentioned suffered personally, their perception of them changed for good. Hence it was progressing (+2)

2. Billy Bishop and the war in the Air: Canada had no air force of its own until the final months of the war, however, there were Canadian pilots like Billy Bishop who advanced the reputation of Canada through their exploits. Though the lives of these pilots are glorified, their life was terrible and life expectancy was short.

I think that often what we consider a successful, colourful life is not as colourful as it looks and life can be terrible for the person experiencing it, even while others admire and cherish their memories.

Therefore, though it seems as if the characters achieved enormous success, their life experience was miserable. Hence worse.

3. Jeremiah Jones and other Black Canadian Soldiers: from what I have read, I understand that the discrimination against Black people had not restricted them from joining combat roles during World War 1. And men like Jeremiah Jones and the sixteen Black soldiers assigned to the Royal Canadian regiment played a significant role in the battle of Vimy Ridge which resulted in Canadian victory. However, they continued to face discrimination from their white colleagues and officers.

The opportunity afforded to Black people was not to uplift them nor were they considered equal or worthy to fight alongside the White. But it was a critical situation which allowed for black participation and the whites was not ready to compromise on their attitude toward Black people.

Therefore, Black people did not benefit from this war (0).

4. Leo le Boutillier, Thomas-Louis Tremblay, and French-Canadian Soldiers: I read that there were French Canadian citizens who were sent to Britain and had to fight the war along with the British troops. The Canadians felt isolated amongst the Brits as they did not know English and were not granted promotions for this reason. Moreover, the battle of Somme which they partook was disastrous with many casualties.

The war tested soldiers' loyalties, and it was very hard for them to fight for different nations while being loyal to their country. The mental trauma, logistical issues and combat failures made the soldier's life difficult.

Therefore, life is not good for the people mentioned (-1).

5. I read, the First World War created opportunities for Canadian Photographers and painters to hone their skills and get their names recognized. The war paintings were in huge demand as the state sponsored the art and it served as an inspiration and moral boost for the public.

The painters and photographers had a good time during the war. There are beneficiaries and sufferers during any crisis and the photographers were clearly the beneficiaries here.