“The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson: A True Story of Love and Murder” is studied as a historical non-fiction novel, in which Lois Simmie shows the reader the actions of a man who sets his life up in a series of lies and betrayal. Her purpose is clear, to intrigue the audience with a true story of the murder of Polly Wilson, which had not yet been heard. Though not a lot of people had ever heard of John Wilson, the first ever Saskatchewan RNWMP officer who was found guilty of a crime, being that he killed his wife, and hung to his death. She writes her novel that is not only entertaining to her audience but also serves the purpose of educating fellow Canadians about the true life events that followed John Wilson and his fellow RNWMP officers. …show more content…
Years after he had not returned and Polly was left without answers of his whereabouts, her love for her husband led her to travel blindly to find him and be by his side. Soon after she arrived in Canada a series of fateful events unfolded that led her untimely death. John Wilson had murdered his wife to be by the side of his young, unsuspecting mistress. Simmie states that “And as I wrote about Polly Wilson I thought often of my grandmother, Annie Thomson, who came to Ontario from Scotland as a young woman ----She was a courageous, resourceful woman with a strong faith and like Polly Wilson, she worked as a seamstress.” (p 216). This connection to her grandmother sparked a passion for the story and led her to begin her research into the Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson. John Wilson led a life of lies, much to the point that he no longer knew the truth. Simmie took every accurate detail of his recorded life, personal and professional, and used her knowledge to tell the story of a man so desperate and broken, no boundary was too far, the act of murder nothing but a means to an …show more content…
No one is investigating her death.” (p 2). She takes the audience through detailed real life events, she keeps the story flowing while educating the audience on Canadian, particularly Saskatchewan, history. From the history of the RNWMP (which developed into the RCMP), the building of the Canadian Railway, the dreadful war that led to the spread of the Spanish Flu and so much more. She engages the audience with the lives of the people surrounding John Wilson while continuing to focus the attention on the trusting wife, Mrs. Polly Wilson. Entertainment flows thickly throughout the entire read as we engage in every love letter written, and every dirty secret
Robert Ross’ is introduced to characters with varying outlooks on the world, based on their own social and economic backgrounds. The soldiers around Robert Ross differ greatly,...
The following review will focus on “The Secret Lives of Sgt John Wilson”, written by Louis Simmie. This review will elaborate on three particular components. Firstly, Louis Simmie’s purpose inn writing “The Secret Lives of Sg.t John Wilson” was to provide an accurate depiction of Saskatchewan history. Secondly, this review will ascertain whether the book “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson is of any monetary value. Lastly this review will discuss whether the author Lois Simmie accomplished her overall goal in writing “The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson”
Many war stories today have happy, romantic, and cliche ending; many authors skip the sad, groosom, and realistic part of the story. W. D. Howell’s story, Editha and Ambrose Bierce’s story, An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge both undercut the romantic plots and unrealistic conclusions brought on by many stories today. Both stories start out leading the reader to believe it is just another tpyical love-war senario, but what makes them different is the one-hundred and eighty degrees plot twist at the end of each story. In the typical love-war story the soldier would go off to war, fighting for his country, to later return safely to his family typically unscaved.
In the true crime/sociology story, “Best Intentions: The Education and Killing of Edmund Perry” the author, Robert Sam Anson had provided an immense amount of information from reportings about Edmund Perry’s death and life before he died. Anson has developed Edmund’s character and experiences through reporting that I have related and connected to. Information reported by Anson has helped me find a deep connection towards Edmund Perry’s home environment, junior high experiences, and personality at Philips Exeter. Themes such as hopes and dreams, loyalty and betrayal, journey, and family ties are intertwined in the story and becomes blatant. The congruences between our lives have better my understanding of the story and Edmund’s life.
Young journalists can learn a lot from Malcom’s book because it presents some troubling issues. A main issue would be the author-subject relationship and where the writer-friend line exist. The Journalist and the Murderer tells the story of Joe McGinnis and Jeffrey MacDonald. McGinnis is an author looking to write a book on MacDonald who is convicted of murdering his wife and two daughters. MacDonald wanted his voice to be heard, and he wanted to get his side of the story out to the world.
In the article Suicide of a Dishonest Officer Charles Blow’s word choice showed his tone. Charles Blow, The tall, veteran author, chose to use some very harsh words which made the tone of this article come off as negative. He used the word betrayal in several forms five different times in the first two paragraphs of the essay. The use of the word stealing definitely helped
Louise, the unfortunate spouse of Brently Mallard dies of a supposed “heart disease.” Upon the doctor’s diagnosis, it is the death of a “joy that kills.” This is a paradox of happiness resulting into a dreadful ending. Nevertheless, in reality it is actually the other way around. Of which, is the irony of Louise dying due to her suffering from a massive amount of depression knowing her husband is not dead, but alive. This is the prime example to show how women are unfairly treated. If it is logical enough for a wife to be this jovial about her husband’s mournful state of life then she must be in a marriage of never-ending nightmares. This shows how terribly the wife is being exploited due her gender in the relationship. As a result of a female being treated or perceived in such a manner, she will often times lose herself like the “girl
In Harry Mulisch’s novel The Assault, the author not only informs society of the variance in perception of good and evil, but also provides evidence on how important it is for an innocent person experiencing guilt to come to terms with their personal past. First, Mulisch uses the characters Takes, Coster, and Ploeg to express the differences in perspective on the night of the assault. Then he uses Anton to express how one cannot hide from the past because of their guilt. Both of these lessons are important to Mulisch and worth sharing with his readers.
I keep my journal hidden; the script, the drawings, the color, the weight of the paper, contents I hope never to be experienced by another. My journal is intensely personal, temporal and exposed. When opening the leather bound formality of Alice Williamson's journal a framework of meaning is presupposed by the reader's own feelings concerning the medium. Reading someone else's diary can be, and is for myself, an voyeuristic invasion of space. The act of reading makes the private and personal into public. Yet, for Alice Williamson and many other female journalists of the Civil War period, the journal was creating a public memory of the hardship that would be sustained when read by others. The knowledge of the outside reader reading of your life was as important as the exercise of recording for one's self; creating a sense of sentimentality connecting people through emotions. (Arnold)
The coldness felt in the house as the sheriff and court attorney entered the house symbolized the same coldness brought about by Mr. Wright. For the house to be cold and gloomy and everything else outside the total opposite, was much more than just coincidence. It was as if when you entered the house a cadaver, cold and clammy, had embraced you in its arms. “ I don’t think a place’d be any cheerfuller for John Wright’s being in it”, Mrs. Hale told the court attorney (11). Mrs. Hale knew perfectly well what kind of personality Mr. Wright had, which is why she specified that she wished that she had gone to visit Mrs. Wright when only she was there. “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm”, says Mrs. Hale, yet they are seen as mere trifles because it is the women who take on these tasks.
The author uses a lengthy exposition to explain how he lost his innocence many years ago. When his daughter ambushes him with her statement, “…I guess you must’ve killed somebody,” he simply replies with, “Of course not” (131). However, he then details for the reader his experience of throwing a grenade and killing an enemy soldier from back when he was in the military. This story is Ambush’s exposition – when an author provides the reader with necessary background information. Tim O’Br...
In Mary Chesnut’s diary, she tells of a wealthy Politian’s wives view of the American Civil War. She talks about a female Union spy that she is polite to her because they are having a sociable dinner. This female spy asks her many questio...
The author of The Secret Live of Sgt. John Wilson, Lois Simmie has produced an incredible piece of art that both captivates/repulses the reader; Her purpose for writing The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Willson is to tell the tale of an incredible true love story, with the hard hitting betrayal that comes with it. Her work is worth more than a few hours, it’s worth a lifetime; making an incredible impact that will leave the reader questioning their own actions in life, forcing the reader to compare themselves to John himself. Now finally does lois accomplish her purpose; it comes across like an array of hearts, hitting with such emotion and fiery passion that it’s immpossible not to be struck down by the volume of this novel that weighs heavily
In Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, an officer in the Special Operations Executive known by her code name Verity is captured by German forces in the town of Ormaie, France. Also known as Julie and Queenie, Verity deserves the “Most Vivid Character Award” because of her passion and unreliability. The first half of the novel is set in Julie’s point of view as she writes about how she came to be captured in a manuscript to give to the Germans. Even though she narrates the story in 3rd person point of view, there are enough interludes of her dilemma in Ormaie that her personality and passion shines clearly. An example of this is at the beginning of the book when Julie proclaims in all capitals that being interrogated in her underwear is “SO
...it may help us arrive at an understanding of the war situation through the eyes of what were those of an innocent child. It is almost unique in the sense that this was perhaps the first time that a child soldier has been able to directly give literary voice to one of the most distressing phenomena of the late 20th century: the rise of the child-killer. While the book does give a glimpse of the war situation, the story should be taken with a grain of salt.