Wells, Peter. Barbarians to Angel: The Dark Ages Reconsidered. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2008…
1776, a brilliant book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough, retells the story of America’s brutal battle for independence throughout the American Revolution. In an informative tone, McCullough brings the American Revolution to life as he reiterates America’s history through the incorporation of details pertaining to each of the important figures of the war as well as the story format of his well-researched book. Through the use of visual aids such as maps and pictures depicting battles as well as the inclusion of personal and formal letters, McCullough is able to portray a vision of American hardship and success on a more personal level than most historic writers.…
In his book Grace Matters, Chris Rice reflects on the close of his nearly 17-year investment into transformative friendship with Spencer Perkins. He writes, “From Mississippi, I would take the hope that people can grow and change, that descriptions of pain or joy at any one moment are only snapshots that only history really counts.”…
Get the Band-Aids out because you will be turning the pages so fast you will be getting paper cuts.…
The novel I chose for the historical book review is called The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara. This novel is about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, and it is written from the perspective of the people fighting while sharing their thoughts and feelings about the battle as it goes on. Although it is historical fiction, The Killer Angels centers around the Battle of Gettysburg, which, of course, really took place. While the strategy of the battle is factual, the dialogue is fictitious. The book starts with a Foreword that gives details of the armies and people involved. Four main chronological sections cover the days of Monday, June 29, 1863, through Friday, July 3, 1863, while switching between viewpoints Union and Confederate participants. An Afterword tells the reader what happens to several of the key characters. Even though a chapter is written from one commander's perspective, the author still allows you to see what some of the other characters in those scenes are thinking. Without this way of writing the novel, the reader wouldn’t truly be able to understand thoughts and opinions of the soldiers, so some of the choices wouldn't have made as much sense. Shaara included the arguments between characters about how to go about the attack, which gives the reader much more details about how complicated the few days of the battle were.…
Man. The killer angel. [1] Since the dawn of civilization humanity has fought to protect what they hold dear. Whether that be freedom, religion or land, the body politic has been at war, even within their own borders. Civil War is defined as a war between regions of the same country.[2] Throughout the course of the four and a half year Civil War, many battles were fought, but none quite as pivotal as the Battle of Gettysburg. Had Lee obliged Longstreet in his persistence of a defensive strategy, the Confederate Army very well could have won the war. Instead, the Union succeeded in holding their ground atop a hillside and thus defeating the Confederate Army and ultimately winning the war. One contemplates the motivations of both the Confederates and the Union soldiers in the United States Civil War. Was it money? Power? Dominance? Michael Shaara, author of The Killer Angels suggests alternative motives. In his novel about the pivotal battle, he suggests that even though it was commonly perceived that soldiers were fighting solely…
“Our America” is a philosophical and political essay that was written by Jose Martin in 1891. Martin discuses were to fight for independence from the Spain Empire. Also, the threat of the American imperialism. Martin references to the new America as the union of Latin America countries. This essay is showing us in a metaphoric manner the way to understand Latin America at that time. Through the essay Martin gave a comprehensive analysis on continental issues and offered the prospects for solutions. He focuses on the findings and evaluations of the autochthony of the population, and/ Our America is, form beginning to end, a dramatic call for continental unity, which bases undoubtedly the consideration of this text as an essential contribution…
For this week’s post the poem I focused on is “Next to of course God America I” written by E. E. Cummings. E. E. Cumming is becoming my new favorite poet, I like his use of words both stylistically and for meaning, the way he makes them play together. This poem is not very forth coming with the 5w’. It’s only after reading it multiple times and looking up definitions that you start to have a slight sense of what is being illustrated. The poem is written in a way that it can carry multiple interpretations, and scenarios that make sense.…
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers is about a young black male named Riche Perry from Harlem who enlists in the Vietnam war to try to help his single mother with bills. But due to misfiling he is sent into combat which he is not mentally ready for and does heavy soul searching into the meaning of life and why he is here. The story takes place in Vietnam several months between 1967 and 1968 during the Vietnam war at an American base at Chu Lai in South Vietnam. The narrator of the story is Richie Perry. Richie struggles to come to terms with the grim reality of war, which contradicts the myths about war that he believed going into it.…
Kushner, Tony. Angels in America, A Fantasia on National Themes. New York City: Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 1995.…
Oney Judge, Lady Washington’s “personal girl”, had a life of splendor and riches even though she was a house slave. Then her life is drastically changed when she realizes her choice. Oney always thought that she had an easy life, but when the chance of freedom comes she doesn’t know what to do. Will she spend the rest of her life as a comfortable slave, or chance the real world as a free woman? With characters that touch your heart and a plot that teaches you to never take for granted what you have, Ann Rinaldi’s Taking Liberty is an unforgettable and worthwhile read for those who care to know why we have this incredible gift of freedom.…
The recent hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, along with global warming amplify Jared Diamond's thesis in "The Last Americans" that humans are responsible for the downfall of civilizations. Throughout history, many civilizations have collapsed due to numerous reasons such as incompetent leaders and environmental negligence. Many people view the United States' current environmental crisis with apathy. These people feel that the environmental collapse of ancient societies such as the Mayans is only pertinent to the present day decline of distant countries such as Somalia and Afghanistan; but in fact the United States is being equally affected. Diamond suggests that the future of the country lies in our hands and not in some intangible force that surrounds us.…
There were some things that I didn’t like about the play. One of the characters portrayed a rebellious girl who wore dark clothes and heavy makeup. She was the one who was hooking up with the professor and her friend. She kept blinking her eyes too much and moving her head to try to look as if she was being seductive. I understand that in order to portray a seductive character some of those gestures would work well. I think the actor over did it, and I found it distracting to watch her keep doing the robotic gestures even when…
Being an American means having the freedom of expression, the means of going places wherever and whenever. People here have the choice to go to any school, play a sport, go to church, and pursue their goals. Government is chosen “by the people, for the people,” as written in the Gettysburg Address. Americans have a say in how they live. Leaders come from elections, not appointments; therefore, all people have the opportunity to be heard and contribute to the way that the country runs.…
In Dave Barry’s, “Lost in America”, I feel the narrator was not only expressing his regret for having missed the signs of how deep his mother’s grief ran but, also for a chance to relive those final memories with her as a way of making it seem as she is still alive, even if only for a moment. I also feel he intended for his words to act as a warning to others to watch their own loved ones for signs of depression, especially someone who has gone through a tragedy like Dave’s mother. His mother’s inability to move on or make a commitment to anything after her husbands death were all signs of a deep depression hers sons missed, probably due to their own grief. She was silently telling them she needed help in different ways, unfortunately Dave and his…