These are essays I have written (mainly for school) which I hope you can use as a source of information or inspiration. These are absolutely not to be copied or passed off as your original work. Of course you can cite them as a source in any work of your own as long as you mention where you got the info.
The Conscription Crisis- a short essay on the conscription crisis in Canada during the first world war
Canada in the Second World War- my ISU essay from grade 10 history
Savage Macbeth- a comparitive essay of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness
The Quest for Magic- an illustration of the Heroic Quest Cycle as displayed in the book Magic Kingdom...For Sale, Sold
World War I and the Conscription Crisis
In the year 1914, Canada was settled into a calm and happy period. English and French relations were at a point where both cultures accepted each other to a point and things were generally relaxed. This would not last very long however. Britain soon declared war on Germany and the entire continent of Europe was up in arms attempting to stop the German armies from taking over all countries in its path. Canada, being a British Colony, was part of the British Empire and as such, was also at war.
In the early days of the war, military service was voluntary. 184 000 soldiers from Ontario alone went to war in Europe in the British army. The French province of Quebec however, supplied only 47 000 soldiers when the populations of the two provinces were about equal. The war against Germany raged on in Europe, and because of the obsolete weapons and warring techniques and strategies employed by the British and French armies of the time, thousands of soldiers died in each battle. As Canada had no real army of its own at the time, Canadians served under British Generals, and very few ever rose through the ranks as British officers were thought of first when promotions were handed out.
By 1917 the issue of conscription could not be ignored by Prime Minister Borden. Conscription was the mandatory service of Canadians in the army. A much greater number of soldiers were needed in Europe. The former policy of allowing citizens to enlist of their own free will was not producing enough soldiers to meet the demand, the Prime Minister sought to force Canadians to fight. Although most of the Members of Parliament from Quebec voted against it, conscription passed. The reaction to this action on the part of the government was mixed. The French citizens of Quebec were totally against it. They believed that the war in Europe was far removed from them in Canada and they really had nothing to worry about. They also felt that the war was just an excuse for Britain to expand its territory and they wished to have nothing to do with this as they felt that they were more closely related to France. They did not want to fight in an army of English speaking people who disliked them and couldnt speak their language. It appeared as though the Canadian government was taking away their rights to chose how they lived and to chose whether they serve or not. The people of Quebec resented that the rest of Canada didnt respect their differences, and many provinces eliminated French language schools. It was a common belief that because of the poor leadership of the British, they would be used as cannon fodder (expendable resources), and they would never return home.
The anglophone population of Canada supported conscription. They believed that they had a responsibility to Britain, and that they must fight against Germany in order to save the world. They were ashamed of the cowardly francophone Quebecers who refused to serve their country. They felt pride in their past and present relationship with Britain and felt it their duty to help.
Conscription created a rift between the two distinct cultures of Canada. Violent protests in Quebec created chaos from which a recovery would be extremely slow. In the end, Canadian soldiers played an important role in the defeat of the Germans in Europe which ended the First World War.
Canada in the Second World War
In the Second World War, Canadas army joined the Allied forces and defeated the Germans in Europe. Political policies in Canada concerning the war provided support and a guideline for other Allied Nations during the war. Canadas army provided much needed support for other armies in the early days of the war. In the closing days of the war in Europe, Canadian forces joined together to drive back and defeat the German army in occupied Europe. Canadas army played an integral part in the defeat of the German forces in the Second World War.
In Canada during the War, political policies were formed creating strife at home while supporting the War effort in Europe. On September 10, 1939 Canada declared War on Germany . Prime Minister King supported the war against Germany and soon the growing numbers of Canadian soldiers were sent to England after a hurried training at home. The number of people signing up for voluntary service was great, but it simply was not enough. As in the Great War, French Canada felt that the war had nothing to do with them and that they did not wish to fight. King felt that forcing the nation to fight would tear it apart as it had in the past. So he introduced compulsory military training," mandatory army training to ensure that Canada was ready to defend itself against the German forces .
By this time Canadian ships were being destroyed in the Atlantic by German U-boats while on their way to give aid and supplies to Britain . In 1942 the Canadian government adopted a policy of total war ensuring that all resources be used to aid in the war effort. Ration cards were given out to ensure that people used only what they needed to, and all else would go to help those at war . The people of Canada provided weapons and other military supplies for the Allied forces in Europe and by the end of the war was 4th among Allied nations in production of sinews of war . In 1944 the citizens of the nation voted in conscription. It was now mandatory for people to serve in the war. The reaction to this was good though there were those who disagreed with the decision. Canada provided much needed aid to the Allied forces in World War 2.
In the beginning of the of the war in Europe, Canadas army acted in an important supportive role for other nations. In 1939 the army was ill equipped for the confrontation at hand. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division was the first company sent to Britain. It arrived wearing the uniforms left from the previous war, and bearing the weapons used in that war as well . With the aid received in Britain the troops were soon ready to fight.
By 1942 Canadian troops had participated in missions by the British by this time and had proven themselves in battle many times. At 0450 hours on August 19, 1942 Canadian troops landed on the shores of Dieppe, France , a total of 5,000 Canadians in all participated in this raid on the German occupied land. Troops were sent to test German forces on the coast of France and to gather information for the planning of future attacks. The battle between the Canadians and the Germans lasted only 9 hours. Some 907 soldiers died in battle and 1874 were taken prisoner by the Nazis. Out of the 5,000 sent to Dieppe, only 2,200 returned to Britain .
In September of 1943 Canadian troops participated in the attack of Ortona Italy. The 1st Canadian Division fought against the Nazi forces for months until it fell under the Allies on December 28 of that year . The Sicily campaign of 1943 would provide Canadian officers with real combat experience to train future Canadian forces on their ways to fight the Germans in the coming months. With the support of the Canadian forces, the Allies turned the tide in German occupied Europe and began to emerge triumphant in their many attacks on German armies.
Canadian forces emerged from behind other Allied nations to take a prominent role in the final defeat of Germany in occupied Europe. On June 6, 1944 the invasion of Normandy began. The coast of Normandy was very close to Britain and it was decided that a full out attack on German forces in this area would best allow the Allies to gain a foothold on France. The 7th, 8th, and 9th Brigades lead the assault, landing on the beaches just west of the Orne River . Coming in by the sea the troops met with much resistance and many soldiers died before even reaching land . Many Canadian tanks were destroyed before arriving on the shores and Canadian divisions were left without their help to destroy German fortifications . By 1200 hours Canadian troops occupied the city of Revieres, and soon they held the beaches of Normandy for the Allies.
March 15, 1945 the final advance against Germany began. In Operation Goldflake the Canadian army moved through Europe to take the Rhine . The Canadian Scottish and Regina Rifle Regiments cleared villages and on March 23, the village of Speldrop was taken after a fierce battle with Nazi soldiers. On the 1st of April, 1945 troops opened the first bridge across the Rhine . The Canadian army forged a path for Allied forces to take Germany soon after, and with that the war was over. By the end of the war, 1,086,771 Canadians had worn a uniform. A total of 41,992 Canadian soldiers died in the Second World War .
The Canadian Government implemented many policies during the war such as the creating a war economy, conscription, and turning all resources over to the war effort. These policies aided greatly the defeat of Germany in the war. The small Canadian forces at the start of the war helped the Allies to hold off the Germans and begin the liberation of Europe, fighting the Germans in Dieppe France, and invading Italy. By the end of the war, Canada had become a strong force and played a major part in the liberation of Normandy, and the taking of the Rhine. The involvement of Canada in the Second World War allowed the Allied forces to defeat Germany and create a financial and political base at home which would create a period of security and happiness in Canada that lasted long after the war ended.
Bibliography
Bothwell, Robert. Years of Victory 1939-1948. Canada: Grolier Limited, 1987.
Cruxton, J. Bradley, W. Douglas Wilson. Spotlight Canada. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Roy, Reginald H.. 1944 The Canadians in Normandy. Canada: Macmillan of Canada, 1984.
Williams, Jeffery. The Long Left Flank. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited, 1988.
In William Shakespeares Macbeth and Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, the message that is conveyed is one that is common to many works in literature--that with great power comes great responsibility to control that power. The characters Macbeth and Mr. Kurtz become the vessels carrying the message of corruption to the reader. When man is offered a chance at power, only the conscience of the individual can control the dark impulses that lead one to act in a savage and brutal way.
Greed is brought to the surface by the dark ambitions and lust for power of the two characters. This leads them to act against their moral beliefs. Kurtzs motivation for leaving for Africa is his desire to attain a higher place in society and gain power through great wealth. Marlow says that it was his impatience of comparative poverty that drove him out there. (p. 128, Conrad) Because he is not satisfied with the life of love and lack of material things that was his with his Intended, Kurtz gives in to ambition and greed to earn a better placement in society. This is the turning point in the mans life, for with this decision to leave behind love and go out in search of riches becomes the path that he is destined to follow into the jungle and then to his death. Kurtzs ambition was so great that he would do what others would not to secure his power in Africa: He is an emissary of pity and science and progress, and the devil knows what else. (p.41, Conrad) The man at one of the stations along the river, discusses with Marlow how Kurtz is fast becoming the most powerful man in Africa. By becoming cold and scientific, he has placed himself above the human beings who surround him and is answerable only to the devil; thus Kurtz is shown to be a man of power and vision who will do anything he has to if it will aid him in acquiring more control. In the same way, Macbeth is lured away from his heroic path in the service of the crown, towards more self-serving deeds when he first contemplates killing Duncan. Macbeth asks of himself: If good, why do I yield to that suggestion | Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair | And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, (I, iii, 134-136) Macbeths dark desires come to him, shocking him with the brutality that he sees within himself. He does see the evil in his thoughts but he considers making those thoughts into deeds. Unlike Kurtz, Macbeth has more of a struggle with his conscience before devoting himself to the path shown by his heart of darkness. Upon seeing a dagger before him, Macbeth understands it to be a dagger of the mind, a false creating, | Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain. (II, i, 38-39) and thus shows that he knows that what he does is wrong but like Kurtz, he follows his ambition instead of his nobler values. Both men want more power than they have hope to attain by being true to themselves, and so they lose themselves to the darkness to gain power.
When the two characters attain the great power they search for, they elevate themselves beyond the rules of society. This allows the savagery deep within them to gain dominance and cause them to act in a thoughtless and brutal manner. When Kurtz becomes all powerful over the savages and men in the jungle he takes this opportunity to follow his darker impulses and carry out acts that would not be acceptable in the civilized world. Conrad most effectively shows how
Kurtz has left behind civilization and wishes to be a god by saying:
He had been absent for several months - getting himself adored, I suppose - and had come down unexpectedly, with the intention to all appearance of making a raid either across the river or down stream. Evidently the appetite for more ivory had got the better of the - what shall I say? - less material aspirations. (p. 96, Conrad)
This passage tells many things about what Kurtz has become. He feels the desire to turn his great power against the people around him, seeing the savages as lesser beings and forcing them to worship him as god. In addition, he cares only for his own desires and needs; raiding and killing innocents for the ivory that he so covets. By placing wealth of ivory and control over others above love and kindness Kurtz becomes one with his heart of darkness. In this same way, Macbeth gives in to impulse and uses his power to have Banquo killed out of fear and jealousy that Banquos sons will be kings. Instead of having Banquos descendants become king after him, Macbeth would Rather than so, come fate into the list, | And champion me to th utterance! (III, i, 71-72) and so he will have his only obstacle removed from his path. Banquo is cast aside in the mind of Macbeth as though he were vermin and not a human being, this is what truly demonstrates the atrocities that the man is capable of when he has the power to have every whim fulfilled without having to account to an outside force. The power that he gains by becoming king allows him to do anything his black heart wishes. Macduff says that Not in the legions | Of horrid hell can come a devil more damnd | In evils to top Macbeth. (IV, iii, 56-57) showing that Macbeth has become so dark and demanding of those he commands that there could not be any man who could hurt the people of Scotland any greater. When Macbeth gains the freedom from having to answer to anyone, he fails to impose the rules of his heart on his actions and this is what gives his heart of darkness power to guide what he does. Malcolm best describes this when he says A good and virtuous nature may recoil | In an imperial charge. (IV, iii, 19-20) for it is only when he knows that he has the power to do what he wishes that he becomes evil.
The power to control others, can only be used responsibly by someone who can control themself. If a human being is given power, they will use it to fulfill the wishes of that dark part of the soul that hides within all. Shakespeare and Conrad both say the same thing: that it takes more power to work for good, than it does to act for evil.
The story Magic Kingdom: for sale....sold is a tale connecting back to several ancient stories such as The Legends of King Arthur, and The Iliad and The Odyssey by the Greek poet Homer. Most stories in modern times relate directly or indirectly to Homers epic poems about ancient myths of Greek gods and heroes.
The stories told by the ancient Greeks are the first examples of what we now call the Quest Cycle, which was the outline of events involving heroes in all adventure stories. The connections between the stories of Homer and Magic Kingdom will now be looked at in relation to the Quest Cycle which is the foundation for them both.
The first step in the Quest Cycle is the unique or special birth of the hero. In Magic Kingdom the hero Ben Holiday is born into a very rich family whose class status is above average; relating to that, In the Iliad Achilles is the is the son of a god, and has superhuman strength and power. This special birth sets the hero apart from others by divine birth right to be the champion of the weak as they have always been better than normal people.
Both Magic Kingdom and Homers epics do not adhere to the Quest Cycle exactly as it is written. These stories skip the earlier stages of Childhood Initiation and in the Iliad and the Odyssey the step of Preparation/Meditation and Withdrawal are skipped to spend more time on the quest itself. In Magic Kingdom though, this step is explored in the beginning of the book. Ben Holiday lost his wife, and withdrew from his past life to avoid the despair of life without love. This gave him time to think about what his life meant to him, and wishing for something like the Magic Kingdom to come along.
The Acceptance of the Quest is the fourth step in the Quest Cycle of the Hero. In the Magic Kingdom Ben accepts the quest because he is convinced that there is nothing left for him in his world. The death of his wife and the absence of challenge in his job lead to the taking of this ultimate challenge of taking on the responsibility of being King of a strange new world. In the Iliad, Achilles is a Greek warrior who must battle at Troy because his King orders him to do so. There is really little choice or acceptance of this quest. In the Odyssey however, Odysseus is held by the goddess Calypso and is offered the choice from this god: he can take upon himself the quest to return home and be with his family though there is no guarantee that he will make it there; or he can stay with her and become an immortal god himself. Odysseus takes the quest knowing that he may die, if only to see his family again. A hero accepting the quest begins the quest cycle, and defines the character as a hero because this acceptance of the quest displays the heroic characteristic of selflessness and consideration for those people less able to fight for themselves. Both Odysseus and Ben Holiday display this quality of the classic hero as defined in the Quest Cycle.
Step 5 of the Quest Cycle is the facing of Death and Chaos. Ben faces spiritual death and physical death when he confronts Nightshade in the Deep Fell, and faces the possibility in the fairy realm that he has let down all the people he has ever loved and destroyed the lives of all of his friends. He is forced to conquer this doubt to fight Nightshade and make sure that all that he has seen never comes true. This victory over his own doubt and the defeat of Nightshade when he returns fulfills this part of the cycle and makes his determination strengthened by the ordeal. Achilles faces death when he angers the river god by depositing dead bodies in the river and then attacks him. This god is much more powerful than he so the only way that he can defeat death is by calling for his mother to defeat the god for him. Thus facing death and winning. Odysseus faces death many times, the battle with the Cyclops, ship wreck, but the facing of spiritual death comes when he is faced by the sirens on his voyage home. The song of the sirens would have forced him to give up his quest so he defeated them by tying himself to the mast of the ship and plugging his ears so that he would continue past them and win.
A descent into the underworld is the 6th step in the Quest Cycle. This is a physical of mental journey into the darkness of death or nightmares. Ben Holiday tricks Strabo the dragon into taking him into the underworld of Landover by using magic to enslave his mind. This underworld is a physical place which exists by magic in Landover where Ben must rescue his friends and prove that he can win this quest. In the Odyssey, Odysseuss entire voyage on the ocean to return home is a journey into the underworld as the many evils of the world are present and are trying to stop him. The ultimate underworld is the island of Calypso where he faces the goddess herself and must decide whether immortality is worth giving up his past life.
Rebirth and the conquering of Death is the fifth step in the Quest Cycle. In this step the hero is reborn and faces death for the last time where he defeats death and concludes the quest. In Magic Kingdom Ben Holiday is reborn when he leaves the fairy mist after learning that he must have more courage if he is to defeat the Iron Mark and save his Kingdom. The defeat of death comes when Ben as the Paladin faces the Mark and wins the battle with him to defeat the forces of the demons and save his new land. Achilles faces is reborn when he puts on his new armour and realizes that he must fight against the Trojans and he has been selfish not to do so before. He faces death when he battles Hector who killed his friend, and kills Hector outside the city and ends the war. Odysseus faces rebirth when he returns home and after being transformed into a beggar by the goddess Hera, returns to his natural form and defeats death by killing the suitors of his wife, thus ending the quest.
The final step of the Quest Cycle is the reward of the hero. This reward for Ben is the alliance of the people of Landover, the hand of Willow, and the knowledge that his kingdom will be healthy again. Odysseuss reward is the return of his family to him and the land which he owned before going to war.
These common elements in all fantasy books binds these three stories, though they were written over two thousand years apart. The similarities between these books is what makes the story truly universal and enchanting to readers throughout time.
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