The Killer Angles - Essay Example

She was from the South, with family roots going back to Thomas Jefferson and "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. The diversity in his parents brought him in touch with both worlds, North and South, a factor that probably allowed him to understand both sides in the Civil War. Shaara did extremely well in school, winning more awards in high school than any other student in the history of the school. He received letters for basketball and track and excelled as a baseball pitcher. His father also taught him to box, something that remained a passion in his life and figured in his writing.

Important books written by Michael Sharaa include; the killer Angels ,For Love of The Game, The Herald, The Broken place, Soldier Boy, The Noah conspiracy, ,Gods and Generals, Conquest Over Time and THE Book (Biblio.com) The killer angel is a famous book by Michael Shaara. It is a historical novel written in 1974, which won famous prize for fiction in 1975. Novel is about four days of the battle of Gettysburg in the American civil war. Book starts from 29 June 1863 to 3 July. During this time, Union and Confederacy troops moved and fought in the battlefield.

The novel is character driven where many of them talk and openly give their viewpoint. A film basing on novel was also released in 1993, named as Gettysburg. Tone of novel is sad covering era of 19th century. Mainly main gender is covered in the character of infantry soldier with white race. A significant amount of violence has been used. Main characters and adversaries are sensitive to others feelings. Sense of humor is displayed but gently. Setting used is USA with area of northeast- mid Atlantic states with small town.

Michael Sharaa writes in preface ( Michael Sharaa) “This is the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from the viewpoints of Robert E. Lee and James Longstreet and some of the other men who fought there. Stephen Crane once said that he wrote The Red Badge of Courage because reading the cold history was not enough; he wanted to know what it was like to be there, what the weather was like, what men's faces looked like. In order to live it he had to write it. This book was written for much the same reason.

You may find it a different story from the one you learned in school. There have been many versions of that battle and that war. I have therefore avoided historical opinions and gone back primarily to the words of the men themselves, their letters and other documents. I have not consciously changed any fact. I have condensed some of the action, for the sake of clarity, and eliminated some minor characters, for brevity; but though I have often had to choose between conflicting viewpoints, I have not knowingly violated the action.

I have changed some of the language. It was a naive and sentimental time, and men spoke in windy phrases. I thought it necessary to update some of the words so that the religiosity and naivetZ of the time, which were genuine, would not seem too quaint to the modern ear. I hope I will be forgiven that. The interpretation of character is my own”. There are following characters appearing through out the book South Robert Edward Lee (Commanding general, Army of Northern Virginia) James Longstreet (Lieutenant General) George Pickett (Major General) Lewis Addison Armistead (Brigadier General) John Bell Hood (Major General) Isaac