Part 1 (1000 Words):
Create two historical characters from Canada. One of them must be someone who has served in a Canadian uniform on the front lines, such as a soldier or a nursing sister. The other character must be a civilian who stayed behind in Canada.
You must create a background for them and be specific. For example, how old are your characters? What is their cultural, racialized, educational, religious, geographic, linguistic, economic, or social background? Are they Indigenous or non-Indigenous? Are they pro-war or anti-war? Are they male or female? If they are soldiers, what is their rank? Are they married? You can even name your characters if you choose.
The time is 1919 right after the end of the war. You get to decide where or how they are discussing the war. For example, a well-educated son of a wealthy Anglo-Canadian family had just returned from Europe where he had served as a respected Captain and his sweetheart are writing to each other. His sweetheart is also a wealthy Anglo-Canadian woman who spent the war volunteering. You can be creative, but your scenarios have to be historically possible. For example, make sure that your characters are not texting each other or finding each other on Facebook!
You can even decide on the format. This can be a letter, story, letters, entries in a diary, a memoir, or two discussants on a radio show. Make sure you give approximately equal space to both characters.
You have a lot of flexibility with this option in terms of structure. You can present the first character’s thoughts first followed by the secondary character’s thoughts or you could structure this as a series of exchanges. You can write using “I” or be more objective. Your writing can also be more informal.
Be precise and detailed. Include dates when discussing events and ground your discussion in time. Support your narratives with rich historical details. Mention names of relevant historical events, policies, people, and changes. Be comprehensive and cover the entire war and not just a part of it.
Most importantly, get into your character’s heads! Instead of merely describing a series of events in your characters’ lives, how did they feel as they were experiencing them? How did these larger historical changes affect them and their families personally? Create an interesting story using what you have learned.
Part 2 (200 Words): Reflections
Share your thought process for creating these characters. Why did you choose these two characters? What did you learn from creating them? Why are their stories still relevant today?
Citation Guide: CMS is preferred, but MLA is acceptable. (APA is NOT accepted.) At least one in-text citation is required per paragraph.
If using CMS and footnotes, there is no need for a bibliography. For examples of how to cite using CMS footnotes, see the 1b: Intro to Turtle Island Lecture. For CMS footnotes, see the “Sample CMS Footnotes” section below.
If using MLA and parenthetical citations, include a work cited page.
Please include a plagiarism report, please