Summary of Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Essay

The author, Tim O'Brien, is writing about an experience of a tour in the Vietnam conflict. This short story deals with inner conflicts of some individual soldiers and how they chose to deal with the realities of the Vietnam conflict, each in their own individual way as men, as soldiers.

The Killer Angels is a very interesting and intriguing novel about The Civil War and gives us day by day actions through out it all. That is what really interested me in the way this book was set up. Every day, there was a diary from different characters. Because of this, we get to see different views from different characters and how each one of them have their own stories in the war and how they got through the war. At the very beginning of the story, we meet a spy named Harrison, who loves his Shakespeare. He sees that the Union Army is coming, because he sees about twenty thousand men all at once. He is so scared and surprises and runs to tell the two generals, General Longstreet and General Lee. This is our introduction to the character I will talk about

During war, many people change physically, mentally, and socially. War itself is disturbing to the mind. In Walter Dean Meyer’s Fallen Angels, the characters undergo many changes as they learn the true meaning of war. Perry, Peewee and Johnson all change in the sense of their personalities and their outlooks on life. In the beginning of the novel all the characters have very distinct characteristics. As the story progresses they start to see how war can have a huge impact on your life.

One character is obviously the comic relief, another the beloved hero. The rest, valiant men fighting for their country, their lives, their freedom. The scene ends and the curtain rises, all of the pseudo soldiers take a bow and go home to their normal lives, far from the hands of death that grasp at the men forgotten in Vietnam, the real soldiers. They, who saw the hardships of war as more than just a script, beyond the glamorized versions that are seen by the American eyes. They saw the death and the tragedy, slowly becoming worn down into less of a human and more of a desensitized killing machine because that 's what war does. It permanently scars the soldiers, tearing away the feeling of loss and inappropriately replacing it with comedy, showing that war is destructive, stealing away an ounce of humanity with each bullet. As seen in The Things They Carried, written by Tim O 'Brien, the Vietnam War destroyed the minds of soldiers, causing them to lose their human emotions in an unglamorous setting, devaluing death as they lose their ability to appropriately handle situations.

     Richie, the narrator and protagonist, and the members of his squad fantasize of their first sexual experiences. Peewee, a member of Richie’s squad, even sets goals for himself. He says he will “drink wine from a corked bottle, smoke a cigar, and make love to a foreign woman. These are all immature ideas the boys have but they are soon taught that the real things that must focus on are not alcohol and sex, but the virtues and values they will learn as a soldier.

The book is a war novel, specifically about the Vietnam War. The book realistically describe what it was really like during the Vietnam War from 1955-1975. The realism, humor and intensity attract even reluctant readers and keep them reading and thinking about the cost of the war. The book won the 1988 Coretta Scott King Award. Fallen Angels is listed as number 16 out of 100 in the American Library Association’s list due to its use of profanity and realistic portrait of the war. Despite using profanity in the book Walter’s grammar was on point, this goes to show how talented he is as an

     Michael Shaara’s fictional novel, The Killer Angels, is based on the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The novel allows the reader to recognize the heart and courage of the more than two million men that fought in the war. Shaara focuses the reader to better understand the reason why these men fight and the meaning of the war. Ultimately, the reader observes that the war is fought on an individual level as much as a governmental level. These men are there to fight for what they believe is truly right. The Confederates fought for their rights to hold slaves, their freedom tyranny of the Federal Government, and their

Wars have been fought for many different reasons through the years, and that holds true for the American Civil War (1861-1865). In Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Killer Angels, the reasons for fighting the war are brought about through the officers and soldiers at a famous battle site of the Civil War, Gettysburg. Gettysburg was one of the most documented battles of the whole war. It took place over a span of three days and can be viewed as a turning point from Confederate prominence to Confederate demise. As in any conflict, there are two sides to the story. The Union and the Confederacy each had their own views as to why they were fighting the war. Victors write the history so too often only the Union side is

Honor played a major role in novel, Killer Angels. Throughout the book, Honor was a concept that remained important to members of the armies, regardless of whether they were supporting the Union or the Confederacy. Every action and decision was made with the intention of being heroic and as honorable as possible.

Walter Dean Myers historical novel, Fallen Angels takes place in Vietnam during the war. The main character Perry, recently enlisted in the army, to fight in the Vietnam war. Perry could not afford to go to college because of his rough childhood in Harlem, also growing up with no dad. He faces many problems throughout war even when he is homesick for his family in the beginning. One of the closest warriors and his bestfriend he finds in the army is Peewee a very experienced veteran who is a great leader. Perry and his fellow warriors have to fend off the Vietnamese and use determination to win the war. The theme expressed in this story is that personal experiences enable people to mature.

Killer Angels is a 1974 historical novel by Michael Shaara. The book tells the story of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The novel is told through the voices of both Union army and Confederate Army of Northern Virginia leaders who were in battle there. The novel is laid out in days and each new chapter for the day gives a number and the name of the man who is the focus of the chapter. In Killer Angels, the Army of Northern Virginia’s demise is highlighted by a few different features. The failing health and age of Robert E. Lee served to distract him from military obligations, the advantage point the Union side had over Confederate Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, and the most significant reason for demise, was the

The Vietnam war was a horrifying experience for not only the soldiers that were shipped away, but for the families involved. Many people go to war because they want to fight for their country and imagine that they are capable of being able to survive the entire tour of duty. For some people survival is much harder than others, but by keeping a good mental state, being able to handle death, and creating friends are beneficial to anyone. In the book, Fallen Angels, Richie and the other men on his squad have to learn how to survive the war and be able to find a balance within their lives to do so.

The Killer Angels is a historic backstory of the days leading up to the Civil War. The story is told from multiple viewpoints including Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, George Meade, and Winfield Scott Hancock. It is mentioned the Army of Northern Virginia is moving behind the Blue Ridge Mountains, and that the Army of Potomac is also moving, but is traveling very slow. This is one of the characteristics which plagued them throughout the war. Shaara gives insight to the background of both Armies. He described the Confederates as a unified group with soldiers of the same background, while the Union is the exact opposite. Its men are very divided soldiers fighting for unification. There is one similarity between the two sides which stands out more than all the others; both sides are ready for the final showdown. Shaara gives insight into this by hinting towards the conflict, yet never telling the reader directly. This causes the reader to be drawn deeper into the story anticipating what will happen next.

Americans do not understand that the Vietnamese are people too. Adrian is beyond frustrated and confused because his best friend turned out to be part of the Vietcong. Adrian decides to leave, and not talk to Tuan anymore. On their way home, Adrian, Tuan, and two other soldiers make a pit stop to play a game of baseball with the English students that Adrian taught during his time in Vietnam. He says goodbye to them all, and that is the one thing he will miss once he returns home.

Banning or challenging is an attempt to remove a book from the public because of content, or because of objections made by a group or individual. Reasons books are banned or challenged are: homosexuality, “new age”, philosophies, “politicly incorrect”, profanity, racist/sexist language, sex, sex education, violence, witchcraft, etc… (Mullally). Challenged in Arlington junior high school in Texas, 2001 for having too strong of content, and for being not suitable for younger students, challenged on the Danbury middle school reading list in Ohio in 2014, challenged on the accelerated reading list at Chinquapin elementary in North Carolina, 2009, challenged in Coeur D’Alene (ID) school district in 2008, challenged on the NorthWest Suburban HS district 214 reading list in Arlington Heights in Illinois