History and Political Science:
Historical Novel: The Killer Angels (The Classic Novel of the Civil War)
Project description
The goal of this assignment is to produce a well-researched analysis of the historical novel, “The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War.”
This is NOT a book review. Avoid irrelevant plot summaries. Base your paper on specifics from the book, using other sources to support your written analysis.
Your paper needs to address the following five (5) questions:
1) One of the major conflicts in the novel is the disagreement between Lee and Longstreet on how they should fight the battle. How much do your sources support this portrayal? Should Longstreet have acted differently? Explain.
2) According to your sources, how accurate is the portrayal of Colonel Chamberlain? What qualities made Chamberlain an effective leader?
3) According to the novel, why did the Confederate Army lose the Battle of Gettysburg? To what extend do the sources support or refute this theory? Do you think the Confederate army could have won? Explain.
4) Which aspects of this story make the book useful as a supplement to the study of American social history? Use sources to support your answer.
5) Defend or refute the following statement: Putting some of the obvious fictional aspects aside, The Killer Angels presents a believable and compelling view of American History. Support with sources.