The Killer Angels Group at eNotes

On the surface Kilrain is an Irish immigrant fighting for the Union...

Sat, 6 Jun 2009 13:01:06 PST

On the surface Kilrain is an Irish immigrant fighting for the Union Army, however I think your question can be better answered by digging deeper into the 'why' of Kilrain's fighting. Kilrain is fighting the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR for his right to be 'treated as he should be treated'. He is not fighting for a side be it north or south, he is fighting for justice...in essence human justice. What is ironic about The Killer Angels is how the insight...

Killer Angels

Tue, 5 May 2009 15:59:02 PST

Who is kilrain fighting?

Who is Kilrain fighting in The Killer Angels?

Tue, 5 May 2009 15:43:58 PST

Who is Kilrain fighting in The Killer Angels?

What is the thesis of The Killer Angels?

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:03:49 PST

What is the thesis of The Killer Angels?

One of the main themes of “The Killer Angels” is the different...

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:41:12 PST

One of the main themes of “The Killer Angels” is the different beliefs about the cause of the war. Both the North and the South believed they were right in the beliefs that they fought for. The Northern Army believed they were fighting to free the slaves. The Southern Army did not think the war was about slavery they were fighting for state's rights. “We established this country in the first place with strong state governments ....

What are two major themes in "The Killer Angels?"

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:09:05 PST

What are two major themes in "The Killer Angels?"

How does the theme of loyalty to commanding officers appear throughout...

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 11:13:49 PST

How does the theme of loyalty to commanding officers appear throughout various wars in US history?

Describe Chamberlain's feelings about the carnage and all the deaths...

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 08:23:27 PST

Describe Chamberlain's feelings about the carnage and all the deaths sustained at the battle.

This is true for all groups of people. I am a white woman who spent a...

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:16:11 PST

This is true for all groups of people. I am a white woman who spent a year teaching English in South Korea, and I can't tell you how many times I was victim of spitting or some other assault simply because I was white and/or American. I have friends from all walks of life--colors, creeds, religion--yet, I have been judged by black people to be racist just by means of my skin color alone. Once they got to know me personally, they admitted...

Have to take people one at a time......

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:41:54 PST

Definitely one of the most powerful points in the novel follows.... How does one judge a race???? For me it is simply not logical. If we (and by that I mean humanity) are going to survive on this planet we had better somehow see bad apples as bad apples. Killrain speaks an unpopular truth, however the truth.The fact that he is an Irish immigrant fighting in The Civil War only adds to the power of his truth. Historically, the Irish...

Why did the author write the book The Killer Angles?

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:48:16 PST

Why did the author write the book The Killer Angles?

The constant change in command presented the idea (and fact) that the...

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 04:56:15 PST

The constant change in command presented the idea (and fact) that the government did not have a sharp focus on its goal for winning the war (hence, it went from saving the Union to freeing the slaves). The government's lack of confidence in its generals was interpreted as a lack of confidence in the army as a whole. The soldiers felt they were on a losing team, even though they had a winning cause.In the government's defense, however, it...

In "The Killer Angels," how did the continual changes in Union...

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 18:45:17 PST

In "The Killer Angels," how did the continual changes in Union comand structure affect its army's performance?

The Northern army believes that the Civil War is about freeing the...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:09:26 PST

The Northern army believes that the Civil War is about freeing the slaves. While the Southern army sees it as a cause for state's rights. "Chamberlain, who is probably the most idealistic character in the novel, believes he is fighting for freedom, the right of every individual to “become what he wished to become,” free from oppression by tradition or the old European-style aristocracies and royalties." While the South feels...

What are the differences and similarities in the attitudes of the...

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:22:40 PST

What are the differences and similarities in the attitudes of the Northern Leaders with those of the Southern leaders?

I don't think the author's intention was so much to show their reasons...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:14:55 PST

I don't think the author's intention was so much to show their reasons for fighting the war, as much as to show the soldiers as individuals. Often, history textbooks dehumanize or impersonalize history, meaning that they show it from such an objective point of view that the experience itself is not made available to be understood by students/readers, etc. The author here gave life to the events and to the individuals involved in it, thus...

Is the main thesis of "The Killer Angels" to show the reader what the...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:59:09 PST

Is the main thesis of the book to show the reader what the soldiers/generals real reasons are for fighting the war? If not what do you think?

This is really more of an individual character question rather than a...

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:17:07 PST

This is really more of an individual character question rather than a general one. Whether or not a soldier was religious depends on a soldier's personal situation, or life, before, during, and after the war, and as such it is difficult to say that there is a general stereotype. However, most war books do treat the idea of religion and god, or at the least faith, to some degree. This is typical in novels where we see characters...

Just as you stated yourself, the North vs. the South is definitely a...

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:09:57 PST

Just as you stated yourself, the North vs. the South is definitely a significant example of opposing points of view (or the Union and Rebel). Another example would be the opposing points of view of the generals and leaders, for example, Lee and Reynolds. Finally, another example would be the difference between the viewpoints of the leaders vs. that of their men, most of which were civilians before this war.

What are two opposing points of view in "The Killer Angels" by...

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:50:34 PST

What are two opposing points of view in "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara? ex: salt vs. pepper, North vs. South