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Analysis of Braving the Fire by John B. Severance
I read the book Braving the Fire. It takes place in the year 1863. The book is about a 15 year old boy from Maryland named Jem Bridwell. He lives on a farm with his father, grandfather, and their slaves. Because Maryland was a “border state” during the civil war, it was not considered part of the Confederacy, although most of the people living in Maryland at the time were for the Confederates. Jem’s father, Tom Bridwell, on the other hand had joined the Union Army because he believed in freeing the slaves and keeping the Union. James Bridwell, Jem’s grandfather, was completely against Tom’s being in the Union Army and the Union itself.
After being seriously injured in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Tom Bridwell spent some weeks in a hospital, and then went home to recuperate. Jem liked having his father home, but it seemed that they couldn’t even sit down to dinner without the conversation turning to war. Jem’s grandfather could never understand why Jem’s dad didn’t share his beliefs. Tom suddenly has to leave for the war again. Jem is being torn between the two men he loves. He comes to believe what his father believes in and wants to go fight for Mr. Lincoln, but chores at the farm, his age, and his grandfather is what keeps him home.
A couple days after Jem’s father leaves for the war, their head field hand, Solomon, runs way. So Jem’s grandfather decides to go off for supplies incase soldiers come and take their food. So he departs, leaving Jem in charge of the farm. He supposedly will be back in two days. While his grandfather is gone, Confederates ransacked and burned the Bridwell’s barn house. After a week of watching over the rest of the farm, the house, and doing his chores, Jem’s grandfather still doesn’t come back.
Jem is starting to really hate farm chores. He is being swayed by his best friend, Hank Dawson, into joining the Union Army. He finally decides to runaway with Hank and enlists in the army because he’s so sick of farm chores (He left the farm in the hands of a house slave, Bertie), he wants to be a part of the glory in the war, and he misses both his grandfather and father. They are hardly ready for the true face of battle as they fight the enemy.
They become part of the regiment proudly known as General Barlow’s Boys. The war turned out to be nothing like they expected. All ...
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...as nice to know what the book was talking about when it mentioned places, people, and battles like Cold Harbor, the Battle of Manassas, the Wilderness, Sergeant Evans, General Grant, “Bobby Lee”, etc. I liked the way the author ended the book, the fact that both his friend, Hank, and his father died, made it more realistic. If I were in his shoes, I probably would’ve run away to the army also. It’s sad how their barn house was burned by the Confederates. He must’ve thought there to be a lot of glory in the war to have run away instead of do chores at the farm. I’m sure a lot of young men at that time wanted to be a part of the war just like Jem and Hank. I admire how Jem loved his father so much, and wanted to follow him to the war. He didn’t want to only go into the war for the glory like his friend Hank, but he believed that the slaves should be set free. His family had their share of slaves, but in the book they were treated well. The details of Jem’s daily life as a soldier are interwoven with vivid depictions of actual battles and historical figures in this taut, fast-paced story. And that’s what I like about this book. It brings alive the realities of war and its aftermath.
Jem recognizes a different perspective of bravery from Mrs. Dubose, a vile, elderly woman’s perspective. In chapter 11, Harper Lee uses literary elements such as character, conflict, and setting to establish Jem’s new outlook on life. The use of Jem’s character later leads him to recognize different points of view as he grows up. They saw Mrs. Dubose more as Tom Robinson’s case went into court.
There were many reasons that the Civil War broke out. There were differences in the politics, society, and economies of the North and South. Each side had their own reasons for fighting in the war and for not being willing to compromise. The North felt they needed to hold the Union together and end the institution of slavery, while the South felt their rights were being encroached upon and secession was the only way for them to be free. Through the book I was able to see a variety of viewpoints and examine the battle of Gettysburg from individual perspectives. The Civil War was a low point in American history but many valuable lessons came from the war as well. You can see the importance of compromise and gain an appreciation for those that held our country together.
To support his thesis he uses firsthand accounts on forms of diaries letters that were sent to the soldiers from home. He wanted to make sure that the readers would know exactly what the soldiers were feeling at that exact moment. He thoroughly illustrates what the common soldier was feeling and thinking as they fought the battle of the Civil War. One of the hardest and most important battles for America. I would totally recommend this book to another that is a must read for historian and avid
The book begins with an in-depth explanation of what happened in the latter stages of the Civil War. Major battles like Sayler’s Creek, High Bridge and Richmond are described through detailed language. For instance, at High Bridge, “Each man wages his own individual battle with a ferocity only a life-and-death situation can bring. Bullets pierce eyes. Screams and curses fill the air. The grassy plain runs blood red.” (page 61). All of these iconic Civil War battles led up to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and the inescapable rebuilding of a new nation Abraham Lincoln had to deal with. Next, John Wilkes Booth is introduced and his pro-Confederate motives are made clear. His conspiracy to kill the president is described and his co-conspirators like Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt who also attempted to kill Secretary of State Seward a...
Most war novels center on themes of valor and heroism. Some concentrate on the opposites of these virtues in an attempt to display raw realism. Harrison, right from the beginning of his novel, shows us both. The narrator of this first-person narrative paints a picture of a totally un-heroic bunch of soldiers preparing for debarkation. The drinking and debauchery are followed the next morning by a parade that the suffering soldiers must march through, while the people watch their ‘heroes’ leaving to bravely fight the good fight. While this clearly demarcates the innocent civilians from the savvy soldiers, it also shows the reader that the narrator is going to try to tell the real story.
Overall I honestly enjoyed reading this book. The amount of evidence and truth that was provided in this book really makes it worth reading. It was like stepping into a time machine, which I believe was really beneficial to all of the ROTC cadets taking this class because it allowed us to comprehend what it was like for soldiers during the Civil War. Even though the U.S. Army is completely different than it was back during the Civil War, a lot of the motives, mentalities, and values that were expressed back then are still relevant in the Army of today. I would definitely recommend this book to all soldiers in today’s Army and to people who would like to find out information in regards to the Civil War.
When Jem and Scout found out that their father would be defending a black person, they knew immediately that there would be much controversy, humiliation from the people of Maycomb and great difficulty keeping Tom alive for the trial. It was not long when Atticus had to leave the house very late to go to jail, where Tom was kept because many white people wanted to kill him. Worrying about their father, Jem and Scout sneak out of the house to find him. A self-appointed lynch mob has gathered on the jail to take justice into their own hands. Scout decides to talk to Walter Cunningham, one of the members of the mob.
Jem’s perception of bravery has changed throughout the course of the book. His maturity is a result of Atticus’s actions around him. At the beginning of the book, Jem is dared by his neighbour Dill to touch the door of the Radley’s; the Radley house symbolizes fear in the minds of the children. Jem does so thinking the act is courageous while Scout remarks, “In all his life, Jem had never declined a dare.” This shows that like most children, Jem is often more idealistic than realistic. His reactions are instinctive and often unplanned and reckless.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the main characters: Atticus, Scout and Jem were faced with many losing battles such as Tom Robinson's case, the "mad dog incident" and Mrs. Dubose's addiction to morphine. This builds on the theme of there are things in life that won't go your way. The book takes place in the 1930's or 1940's in a small town in Alabama called Maycomb. The novel takes us through the life and perils that the main characters undergo and teach us about growing up and being mature.
Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.
He ends up getting lost and then is caught up in a battle between the Union and Confederates which he finds to be amusing as he tries to play along with the soldiers. The story ends with the boy running in the direction of a fire that turns out to be his home and witnesses the death of his mother. This story shows the effects the Civil War had on the people in America as people would likely lose their homes to battles. The style this story is written in displays how a child would have seen the scenario of war taking place. At first playing along with the soldiers and then coming face to face with reality as his home and family are gone. Being told through a child, this story explores the dark elements as a child loses everything to
Throughout the story, Jem and Scout experience different people, and grow up in the process, differentiating from the good and the bad. A major character in the lives of the children was Tom Robinson, who was found guilty for no apparent reason. Mrs. Dubose acted very intolerant towards the children, but in the end Jem learned some things very valuable from her. Boo Radley, our “mockingbird”, is revealed to be one of the good guys, like a silent savior. The children learn their lessons, as it can be seen when Scout acts like a lady when Jem is being a teenager, when Dill loses his innocence, and when Jem hits adolescence.
In this scene, Jem comes of age when watching Atticus shoot a gun to save the town from a rabid dog. This was an important scene where it comes to a conflict between Atticus and the rabid dog after Atticus shot the rabid dog. “The rifle cracked. Tim
I felt that O’Brien did a good job causing the reader feel as if they were personally there experiencing the battles and getting to know the soldiers on their own. He made you feel the pain of the reality of the war. O’Brien excels at connecting the reader to the personal trials and tribulations of each of each of the soldiers to help put you in the place and thoughts of them. Though the novel didn 't have a clear storyline, and skipped around, it still came across as a clear, well organized collection. I would highly recommend this book to
Jems naïve views are soon corrupted as he goes through experiences like with Boo Radley, but Jem manages to grow in strength as he sheds his pure qualities and learns to have hope. Jem and Scouts childhood friend Dill represents another killing of a mockingbird, as his innocence is destroyed during his trial experience. Scouts childish views dissipates as she witnesses different events in her life, and she grows in experience and maturity as she encounters racial prejudice, making her learn how to maintain her pure conscience that Atticus has developed without losing hope or becoming cynical. Harper Lee’s novel explores human morality, as she weaves the path from childhood to a more adult perspective, illustrating the evils in a corrupt world how to understand them without losing