Company Aytch is a book that depicts the idealistic memory of a young confederate of the Civil War named Sam Watkins. Some historians articulate towards Watkins having insufficiency of precise facts and sometimes alteration or exaggeration on certain issues. (Watkins & Inge, Introduction) However, it is important to appreciate that Sam Watkins was a survivor that has revealed his recollection of the battles as he has experienced them, and although some may believe his memory has some deficiencies he has a real life testimony that cannot be too farfetched from the reality of the life of a soldier during the Civil War. Sam Watkins was born on the 26th day of June on his father’s farm in Columbia Tennessee where he worked during his youth. There is not much told about other work experiences other than Sam working as a clerk in a local store until he enlisted with Company H of the First Tennessee Infantry in the year of 1861. Sam was only 21 years old, a young confederate, and at this time many signs of war were uprising between the North and the South. (Watkins & Inge, Introduction). His entry is the beginning of the memoirs told by Sam Watkins, an ordinary soldier, not of any high rank, which indeed gives the reader another perspective of the reality of the battles faced during the Civil War. Furthermore, it broadens the view of the emotional triumph a frontline soldier and what they went through rather than focusing on the higher ranking officers. Watkins tells in great detail his experiences and writes of his historical remembrances years later, but he never hides the fact that he is writing solely on his memory and what he saw. In addition to him repeatedly reminding the reader that he writes of his recollections only, he also reminds the reader that what he writes is true. Furthermore, he encourages the reader to refer to history for other historical facts. Later in the report I will tell of an occurrence that…
Stephen Ambrose, known for his works as a historian and biographer, had a keen interest with World War II. His research led him to serve as the President of the National World War II museum in New Orleans, Louisiana, write many books detailing accounts of several divisions involved in World War II, and several biographies based on the lives of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. Band of Brothers is the exhaustive work by Ambrose which contains first person accounts of soldiers who fought in the E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne of the United States Army. In this work, Ambrose chronologically records the recollections of several soldiers and writes about their times in the European leg of World War II starting from the training camp in Toccoa, Georgia, all the way to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden, Germany. In Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose means to inform those who read it about the remarkable adventures of one of the best divisions in the armed forces during World War II.…
Theodore Robert Cowell was born in a Vermont home on 24 November 1946. . He was raised in a middle class family environment. His mother was a department store clerk. During Bundy’s early childhood, he and his mother resided with his psychologically challenged grandfather in Philadelphia. He was raised initially by his grandparents. Teddy, as he was known, believed that his grandparents were his parents, and that his mother was his elder sister. When his mother married Johnnie Bundy in 1951, her son took his stepfather’s name, and was known thereafter as Ted Bundy. On 4 January 1974, Joni Lenz became one of the few women to survive Bundy’s brutal attacks, but her vicious rape, with a bedpost, caused her massive permanent damage. 21-year-old Lynda Ann Healy, a slender, pretty, long haired law student, was not as fortunate, and her disappearance on 31 January 1974 did not initially alarm the police. Bundy moved on to Utah, taking another four victims during October and November, one of whom turned out to be the daughter of the local police chief, and no effort was spared to track down the killer. Bundy went on trial in Utah on 23 February 1976, for the aggravated kidnapping of Daronch. Ted confessed to over 30 murders, but the actual number remains a mystery. It is estimated that the number of people could be from 26 up to 100. His reign of terror lasted from 1973 to 1978.…
It almost seems as though the Confederates were the victims, left with nothing but a thousand dead men and completely demolished hometowns. Building upon their “heroicness”, Grady speaks of how they got passed their hardships and came home inspired to start life over, with open and accepting arms to all. He does not seem apologetic at all of the way the South had acted during the war, giving the impression that they fought only to promote positive changes while still being the good guys in the end. All this only makes the South seem like it’s bad at handling loss. Not only do they refuse to admit that the war was based around the topic of slavery, but they are now trying to give themselves credit for being valiant people, while in reality they were still acting on their old viscous…
War forces young soldiers to grow up quickly in Stephen Crane’s immortal masterpiece about the nightmare of war was first published in 1895 and brought its young author immediate international fame. Set during the Civil War, it tells of the brutal disillusionment of a young recruit by the name of Henry Fleming who had dreamed of the thrill and glory of war, only to find himself fleeing the horror of a battlefield. Shame over his cowardice drives him to seek to redeem himself by being wounded; earning what he calls the “red badge of courage.” Praised for its psychological insight and its intense and unprecedented realism in portraying the experience of men under fire, The Red Badge of Courage has been a bestseller for…
Matt Fowler and Abner Snopes are both male characters that possess a motivation for revenge. Some people can only feel better about an unfortunate situation or circumstance by seeking revenge. Such a person would believe that until the other party feels the same pain as they have, only then would justice have been served. We live amongst a society where acts of revenge are quite common and most perceive them to be of a "natural human emotion." People feel different emotions and think different thoughts on a daily basis and throughout life as we grow and change. Things do not always work out in our favor or the way we have planned for them to. While both men are in two completely different circumstances; the motivation for revenge is mutual.…
The main characters of both stories are similar because they both take risks. The author doesn’t directly explain Rogers life, So the reader must infer it through his actions. For example, roger tries to steal Mrs. Bates purse about ¨11 at night¨, Roger goes for the risk of stealing her purse. A boy who comes from a responsible family doesn´t go around stealing peoples purses. Similarly, the Sniper is smoking a cigarette in the middle of war "Placing a cigarette between his lips, he struck a match, inhaled the smoke hurriedly and put out the light" (Flaherty). The man is making a bad decision. He doesn’t care that he is at war he still does…
Though believed to be caused by ancestry, it can be argued that mental disorders are developed over time. According to the website medicinnet.org, “ Mental illness can be triggered in people who are exposed to psychological trauma, such as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.” One such case would be Harvey Dent, or Two-Face, from DC Comics. Dent is a comic book villain with several mental disorders. Dent’s illness was caused by years of abuse from his father, said abuse was determined by the flip of a coin. In his adult years Dent would discover that the coin that his father used was rigged. This was the trigger that would lead to the development of his disorders, which include, bipolar disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and schizophrenia.…
Historians debate as to what the motives were of Dr. Harvey in campaigning for the 1906 laws and what purpose of the Pure Food and Drug Act was. Hunter Dupree stated that Wiley’s motives weren't to act out of pure selflessness, and loyalty to the public. Wiley pushed for reforms in the food and drug regulation via his adulteration of foods to save his Division of Chemistry, which Wiley thought was going to come to an end due to the large government agencies that were hiring their own private chemists (9, 277). Richard Hofstadter thought that the act was an example of the shift from the concern of the producer, to the concern of the consumer. Robert Wiebe saw the act as an example of experiment in bureaucratic reform. Conflict also arose about…
It could be argued that the realistic way the horrors of life in a First World War trench are depicted in "Journey's End" leads us to feel sympathy for all the soldiers, including Hibbert, an officer in the company led by Stanhope. We see how soldiers had to deal with physical hardships like rationed food, rats, extreme discomfort and the emotional traumas of terror and almost inevitable death.…
Horwitz begins his journey in the South, coinciding his trip with the dates of specific battles. After coming across many Civil War enthusiasts, he finds that the South has a very different perception of the battles and overall meaning of the war. There is still an "us against them" sentiment, as southerners continue to feel their way of life is threatened.…
Crane accurately depicts the Civil War for what it is: the bloodiest war in American history. Unlike common Romanticist writers, he employed Naturalism in his work, earning him notice and praise. This novel has proven to be an important piece of literature, as it speaks of serious issues pertinent during the life of Stephen Crane and in the modern world. His writing helped achieve a strong, lasting position for Naturalism in literature. The success of Crane’s writing has since secured him a lasting standing as one of America’s greatest authors. The life Stephen Crane lead influenced the path his novel took, and the American people are all the more grateful for…
Picture a short, round, confused man, standing next to someone tall, slick, and intellectual, and you have a duo that brought laughter to numerous audiences. Together Bud Abbott and Lou Costello formed a team with great chemistry; by using their natural abilities and deep backgrounds they produced a successful career that carried on throughout three decades. Steve Allen agrees, "Only a very talented team like Abbott & Costello could have survived the transition from burlesque and vaudeville to radio to films to television to night clubs, over a period of twenty-two years" (qtd. in Costello xii).…
The 2000 film The Legend of Bagger Vance tells the story of a man named Rannulph Junah, who was a very talented golfer when he was young. He had planned on playing his whole life, until he fought in World War I and became traumatized. Years later, his old lover Adele decides to hold a four-round, two-day exhibition match in order to recover her family’s lost fortune. The match consists of two talented golfers, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. In order to gain local support, Adele asks Junah if he’d be willing to play. With some soul searching and help from a caddy, Bagger Vance, Junah is able to fight his demons and play his best in the match. The film is loosely based on the sacred Hindu text called the Bhagavad Gita. The warrior in the story, Arjuna (whom Junah was based upon) refuses to fight in a battle. The god Krishna (whom Bagger Vance was based upon) appears to him during the battle and leads him to becoming the great warrior that he was meant to be. Both stories are based upon themes of self-actualization and becoming the best version of yourself you can be. The Hindu principle of Varna, which means duty, is also an important theme in the story. Varna is the idea that your duty is what should lead you in life and you should not worry about the results of your actions, just try the best you possibly can.…
War is cruel and war is kind. One one hand, lives are ended pointlessly and cruel regimes have no mercy; but on the other, there is an odd sort of kindness, contrary to the cruelty that war can bring, people putting themselves in danger selflessly and the war itself brings about these sudden and extreme acts of generosity. Albert’s struggle to find his horse Joey in the trenches of World War I and Liesel’s hardship as she understands and use literature to combat the issues in the world in World War II show that some people can still be kind in the cruelty of war. These are stories that are set in wars that show the relentless cruelty people, and at the same time, the heartfelt kindness of people.…