Homework Help: to Damon

Posted by Emma on Monday, May 30, 2011 at 8:24pm.

Sorry had to adress this to you as you're the only tutor online right now, and I really need help. My teacher looked at my answers. And she said she still wants me to add more information, so Im having some troubles.

Here is a Louis Riel Summation to the Jury

When I came to the North West in July, 1884, I found the Indians suffering. I found the half-breeds eating the rotten pork of the Hudson Bay Company and getting sick and weak each day. Although a half-breed, and having no pretensions to help the Whites, I also paid attention to them. I saw they were deprived of responsible government. I saw they were deprived of their public liberties. I have directed my attention to help the Indians, to help the half-breeds and to help the Whites to the best of my ability. We have made petitions, I have made petitions with others to the Canadian government asking to relieve the condition of this country. We have taken time; we have tried to unite all classes, even if I may speak, all parties. The only things I would like to call your attention to before you retire are:

1st That the House of Commons, Senate and Ministers of the Dominion, who make laws for this land and govern it, are no representation whatever of the people of the North West. 2nd That the North West Council generated by the Federal Government has the great defect of its parent. 3rd The number of members elected for the Council by the people make it only a sham representative Legislature and no representative government at all.

British civilization which rules today the world, and the British constitution, have defined such government as this is which rules the NorthWest Territories as irresponsible government, which plainly means that there is no responsibility, and by all the science which has been shown here yesterday you are compelled to admit that if there is no responsibility, it is insane. [Riel is referring to Crown witnesses who testified that he was insane.]

Good sense combined with scientific theories lead to the same conclusion. By the testimony laid before you during my trial witnesses on both sides made it certain that petition after petition had been sent to the federal government, and so irresponsible is that government to the North West that in the course of several years besides doing nothing to satisfy the people of this great land, it has even hardly been able to answer once or give a single response. That fact would indicate an absolute lack of responsibility, and therefore insanity complicated with paralysis.

If you take the plea of the defence that I am not responsible for my acts, acquit me completely since I have been quarreling with an insane and irresponsible Government. If you pronounce in favour of the Crown, which contends that I am responsible, acquit me all the same. You are perfectly justified in declaring that having my reason and sound mind, I have acted reasonably and in self-defence, while the Government, my accuser, being irresponsible, consequently cannot have but acted wrong, and if high treason there is, it must be on its side and not on my part. The agitation of the North- West territories would have been constitutional, and would certainly be constitutional today, if, in my opinion, we had not been attacked. Perhaps the Crown has not been able to find out the particulars, that we were attacked, but as we were on the scene, it was easy to understand. When we sent petitions to the Government, they used to answer us by sending police.

What is Riels purpose in making this speech?

His purpose in making this speech is to explain to the Jury that they should do somehting to help the Metis live a more sustainable life.

-Need more info

What is Riel's tone while giving this speech?

He has a serious and strict tone.

Please add!!

What information is presented?

Information that is presented is that the Indians are suffering from eating rotten food of the HBC company, from which they are getting ill, and that his people are deprived of responsible government.

Anything else?

Is this information reliable?

Yeah I think this information is reliable, cause Riel is not a liar, and he's saying all this since he's experienced it.

Is this good?:S

What information is left out?

Info about Thomas Scott getting executed is left out. IS there anything else?

What generalizations could you make?

I would say that that Canadian government did not let the Metis live a peace and comforting life. They had to suffer. The Canadians disliked Metis and their leader Riel. His execution left his leaders disheartened. -Can you add more please?

to Damon - Ms. Sue, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 8:53pm
What is Riels purpose in making this speech?

His purpose in making this speech is to explain to the Jury that they should do somehting to help the Metis live a more sustainable life.

-Need more info

Go through each paragraph. What else did Riel say? He had many more points than just helping the Metis.

What is Riel's tone while giving this speech?

He has a serious and strict tone.

Please add!!

Didn't he use emotions? Wasn't he pleading for his life as well as the lives of others?

What generalizations could you make?

I would say that that Canadian government did not let the Metis live a peace and comforting life. They had to suffer. The Canadians disliked Metis and their leader Riel. His execution left his leaders disheartened. -Can you add more please?

You can add more details from the speech.
to Damon - Damon, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 8:59pm
Your answers look good to me but you know far more about this subject than I do. I never heard of the whole affair until you started posting questions about it.
I do think the government showed a certain preference for the desires of the Hudson Bay Company to the detriment of the others.
Louis Riel - Emma, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 9:05pm
Riel's purpose in Making this speech is to explain to the Jury and to the other Canadians that they should so something to help the Metis live a more sustainable life. His purpose is to point out how his Metis are getting treated unfairly and how that "unfair" behaviour towards them should change. He wants his Metis to earn respect and he wants them to have their rights, which they aren't being given by the Canadians. He wants them to be seen equally as the Canadians.

Umm. I still need more.

Okay. If only I could understand the Paragraphs:\
I have no Idea what this paragraph is saying. It's way too confusing to understand.

1st That the House of Commons, Senate and Ministers of the Dominion, who make laws for this land and govern it, are no representation whatever of the people of the North West. 2nd That the North West Council generated by the Federal Government has the great defect of its parent. 3rd The number of members elected for the Council by the people make it only a sham representative Legislature and no representative government at all.

The other paragraph below just seems to be expressing how the government is irresponsible. I don't understand the other details.

British civilization which rules today the world, and the British constitution, have defined such government as this is which rules the NorthWest Territories as irresponsible government, which plainly means that there is no responsibility, and by all the science which has been shown here yesterday you are compelled to admit that if there is no responsibility, it is insane. [Riel is referring to Crown witnesses who testified that he was insane.]

Same with the other two paragraphs, they use so much vocab that I just dont understand:\

What is Riel's tone while giving this speech?

He has a serious and strict tone. He doesn't seem to be yelling, but he is expressing his emotions in a calm way.
He is begging, and seems to be speaking in a sad pose.

Umm does this make sense? Any other suggestions.

What generalizations could you make?

I would say that that Canadian government did not let the Metis live a peace and comforting life. They had to suffer. The Canadians disliked Metis and their leader Riel. His execution left his leaders disheartened.

I can't think of any other generalizations, this question is really stumping me.
to Damon - Ms. Sue, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 9:11pm
Emma, print out the whole speech. Take it away from the computer and read it one sentence at a time. Underline or highlight the main points. Take notes on each paragraph. Look up any words you don't understand.

If after that, you have a couple of sentences that you still don't understand, post them here, and we'll try to help you.
to Damon - Emma, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 9:13pm
Okay.

But could you please help me with the "Generalization" question.
to Damon - Ms. Sue, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 9:17pm
What does "generalization" mean?
Louis Riel - Emma, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:05pm
Okay I made my own summary of all the paragraphs above. Could you please go through and add any points that I have missed? Thanks.

There are four main paragraphs that I dont understand, the first one basically talks about how the Metis are just not getting respect. And I have added a summary for each one of them in my words.

Paragraph 2

There is no good representation being shown. Everyone is pretending to be something that they aren’t.

Paragraph 3

He is saying that since the government is irresponsible, it is insane.

Paragraph 4

It’s just saying that the government is not responsible, and that he has requested so much for his people, but the government and others have refused to listen. The government has done nothing to help people meet with their needs. The government refuses to listen and answer questions that are being brought out by individuals in need of help. This all shows how irresponsible the government is and the people part of this government.

Paragraph 5

Riel says that if the people think he is not guilty, then they should let him go, because all he’s done is just spoken for his people, to try to fulfill their needs, and for that he had to take wrong steps as the government wasn’t listening to him in other means. He leaves the choice to them on whether to let him free, or to give him a sentence.

"Generalization" means overview of what has been presented.
So yeah basically Riel has said that his Metis have not been respected. The government is not responsible.

Could you add?
Louis Riel - Ms. Sue, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:25pm
"the first one basically talks about how the Metis are just not getting respect."

Riel tried to help both the Metis and the whites. He asked the Canadian government to help everyone in this territory.

"Paragraph 2

There is no good representation being shown. Everyone is pretending to be something that they aren’t."

Eliminate the last sentence. The government has not represented the people of the North West.

"Paragraph 3

He is saying that since the government is irresponsible, it is insane."

Good.

"Paragraph 4

It’s just saying that the government is not responsible, and that he has requested so much for his people, but the government and others have refused to listen. The government has done nothing to help people meet with their needs. The government refuses to listen and answer questions that are being brought out by individuals in need of help. This all shows how irresponsible the government is and the people part of this government."

Good!

"Paragraph 5

Riel says that if the people think he is not guilty, then they should let him go, because all he’s done is just spoken for his people, to try to fulfill their needs, and for that he had to take wrong steps as the government wasn’t listening to him in other means. He leaves the choice to them on whether to let him free, or to give him a sentence. "

Good!

You're right about "generalization." My generalization would be that the Canadian government cared more about business than its people in the territories.
Thank You Ms. Sue - Emma, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:49pm
Thanks a lot for the help Ms. Sue. You have helped me so much, thanks for making me do this, and thanks for giving your ideas at the end. Thanks very much!*HUGS*
to Damon - Ms. Sue, Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:54pm
You're very welcome, Emma. :-)

I enjoy working with you.

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