Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" Book Review by Nicky
Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels"
A review of the book "The Killer Angels: A Novel" by Michael Shaara.
# 151502
| 1,038 words
| 1 source
| MLA
| 2012
| 
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Description:
The paper describes how "The Killer Angels" tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg from the viewpoints of two of the generals fighting there - Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet. The paper outlines how this work looks deep inside the characters and their motivations in the battle. The paper posits that this book is extremely effective and notes that critics have called it one of the best historical novels ever written.
From the Paper:
"The book covers four days, June 30, 1863 through July 3, 1863, when the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. The Killer Angels of the title are the men from both sides who died on the battlefield. They were intent on killing, and became angels as a result. Shaara writes, "He did not understand it: a mile of men flowing slowly, steadily, inevitably up the long green ground, dying all the while, coming to kill you, and the shell bursts appearing above them like instant white flowers" (Shaara 362). There were Killer Angels on both sides of course, because Gettysburg was one of the battles with the heaviest casualties of the Civil War."The confederates succeeded from the Union and began the Civil War mainly over slavery. The Union wanted to outlaw slavery, and the South felt it was not only a way of life, it was necessary for their way of life. The South's economy depended largely on agriculture, and most of the crops they grew were labor intensive, like tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane. They relied on slaves to work the fields and harvest the crops, and felt they would lose their way of life if the slaves were freed. Shaara continues, "'Thing I cannot understand. Thing I never will understand. How can they fight so hard, them Johnnies, and all for slavery?'" (Shaara 364)."
Sample of Sources Used:
- Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels: A Novel. New York, Ballantine Books, 1974.
Cite this Book Review:
APA Format
Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels" (2012, June 11)
Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/book-review/michael-shaara-the-killer-angels-151502/
MLA Format
"Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels"" 11 June 2012.
Web. 28 May. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/book-review/michael-shaara-the-killer-angels-151502/>