Soldiers of Fortune

Josephine asks...

1. "When the coup, organized by corrupt politicians and generals, threatens the American-owned Valencia Mining Company, Clay organizes his workers and the handful of Americans visiting the mine into a counter-coup force" (www.amazon.com).  It's also been stated that Clay is a mercenary and out for whoever pays the most.  Which side is Clay on?  He talks about paying the workers when they were never paid before, yet he leads a revolt against the people. 2. We've talked about manifest destiny and imperialism in class.  In the 2 chapters we've read, how is this shown in Soldiers of Fortune? 3. What have we seen so far that would help promote the Spanish-American war.  This novel was written right before it started.   4. We have looked at primary documents in dealing with transnationalism.  This is a work of fiction.  What is your feeling about this story?  Do you find it more interesting?  Do you believe we can learn just as much about the history of America from a novel like this?