Michael Shaara's Goal In 'The Killer Angels'
Ahmed Farooq Summer Assignment
Mr. Premliser American History
The Killer Angels
Michael Shaara’s goal in writing The Killer Angels was to write about the men of the Civil War, not the war itself. A take on the war from the inside out, opposed to outside in. Shaara was able to show that there was no good vs. bad, there was just men who had dreams, and the will to fight for their homeland.
One way that Shaara shows that there were no bad side in the war was through the portrayal of confederate general Robert E. Lee. The book portrayed the general as an intellectual whose opinion of slavery was not of a supporter or of an opponent. In fact, the primary reason for Lee’s decision to lead the confederate army was his selfish
loyalty to a state flag. The book also portrayed General Lee narcissistically. His over confidence in his army’s past victory’s compelled him to order his army to charge the North’s army from and unfortified position which ultimately proved to be an ill-advised decision.
Through this novel, the common historical misconception that the north was “good” and the south was “bad” is cleared up. The most prominent feature utilized by Shaara in conveying two separate but pure sides to the war was focusing on the soldiers this enables the reader to see that there was no good vs. evil. In the “To the Reader” section he says that he is writing the novel because he wanted to know what it would be like to have been there. After writing the novel based solely on letters, journal entries, and memoirs of the men who were there, Shaara’s message was that the north and the south weren’t very different. Historically, the south did not want to free slaves, but the encounter that Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had with the runaway slave and his thoughts afterward, the reader is able to see that the South’s view on upholding slavery were not universal.
Through the experiences of select people in The Civil War, and more specifically The Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels successfully conveys the feelings of the men that fought in The Civil War. Michael Shaara achieved his goal for writing The Killer Angels.
Mr. Premliser American History
The Killer Angels
Michael Shaara’s goal in writing The Killer Angels was to write about the men of the Civil War, not the war itself. A take on the war from the inside out, opposed to outside in. Shaara was able to show that there was no good vs. bad, there was just men who had dreams, and the will to fight for their homeland.
One way that Shaara shows that there were no bad side in the war was through the portrayal of confederate general Robert E. Lee. The book portrayed the general as an intellectual whose opinion of slavery was not of a supporter or of an opponent. In fact, the primary reason for Lee’s decision to lead the confederate army was his selfish
loyalty to a state flag. The book also portrayed General Lee narcissistically. His over confidence in his army’s past victory’s compelled him to order his army to charge the North’s army from and unfortified position which ultimately proved to be an ill-advised decision.
Through this novel, the common historical misconception that the north was “good” and the south was “bad” is cleared up. The most prominent feature utilized by Shaara in conveying two separate but pure sides to the war was focusing on the soldiers this enables the reader to see that there was no good vs. evil. In the “To the Reader” section he says that he is writing the novel because he wanted to know what it would be like to have been there. After writing the novel based solely on letters, journal entries, and memoirs of the men who were there, Shaara’s message was that the north and the south weren’t very different. Historically, the south did not want to free slaves, but the encounter that Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain had with the runaway slave and his thoughts afterward, the reader is able to see that the South’s view on upholding slavery were not universal.
Through the experiences of select people in The Civil War, and more specifically The Battle of Gettysburg, The Killer Angels successfully conveys the feelings of the men that fought in The Civil War. Michael Shaara achieved his goal for writing The Killer Angels.