Book Review of the Killer Angels Essay Example

Book Review of the Killer Angels Paper Between the days of July 1, 1863 and July 4, 1863, the Civil Wars outcome was decided. These four days have been known as the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the war. In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara brings us a vivid image of what the battle was like. Shaaras work is very impressive. He is able to capture how things were during the Civil War. The fate of the country was resting on that war so the novel adds a great deal to the readers mind. Shaara was able to bring to the reader a little of the war. The book also gives you a feel for some of the important characters of the battle, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. He led the 20th Maine regiment of volunteers who held the Unions left flank on the second day of the battle. The Killer Angels gives us an idea on how war affects people. The characters could have been anyone. The author focuses in on universal em otions, not great figures. For example, everyone has always heard of Grant and Lee because of their importance. But few have heard stories about the common soldier. The book centralizes on the actions of the common soldier, even though it is from the leader;s point o view. Emotion in the story affects even generals. Several times in the book you can see that they feel for those lost in battle. Usually, generals are often portrayed as being larger than life. Shaara adds a human touch to them. One conclusion that could be drawn from the book is that the Confederates quick start had some effect. Outnumbered, the Union forces managed to hold until afternoon when they were overpowered and driven back. In the confusion, thousands of Union soldiers were captured before they could rally on Cemetery Hill.

The Naivete of Candide essays

The Naivete of Candide essays The Naivet of Candide as Exemplified by His Experiences in El Dorado Innocent, inexperienced, ingenuous. Candide is the personification of naivet. Amidst his travels and adventures Candide represents the folly of optimism. Upon his arrival in the clandestine utopian country, Candide is in awe of El Dorado. A place that not only is aesthetically beautiful, but also provides its citizens with endless foods, jewels and pleasures. Pleasures that are otherwise the cause of unending terror and disaccord as experienced by Candide and his cohorts throughout the rest of Europe. As displayed by his reaction to El Dorado and its people, Candide floundered with the philosophy of Pangloss that this world is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire created El Dorado as a contrast to a number of fallacies within European scoiety at the time. Fallacies including the imperfections of European governments, the hypocrisies of religion, and the inability for Candide to be content with the utopia that was El Dorado. After Candide and Cacambo arrived in El Dorado, they instantly were shocked by the citizens apparent aloof attitude towards jewels and gold. They stood agape as a group of children and their headmaster casually left the seemingly prized riches on the ground. Candide made the assumption that the children playing with these riches must be children of the king. However, as he quickly learned, the people of El Dorado had no attachments to material items nor were they ruled by a king of extreme wealth and power. Throughout the rest of Europe, many countries were ruled by monarchies or other government systems that maintained a state of superiority, wealth and power. Candide was accustomed to living within a class system where ones status dictated the potentials of their lifestyle. Voltaires El Dorado was the antithesis of these practices. When Candide and Cacambo were receive...