1. Earlier, in "The First Day, Chapter 4, Chamberlain," Chamberlain remembers Ames saying that to lead men, "You must care for your men's welfare. You must show physical courage." Do you think Chamberlain exemplifies these qualities? Explain, including reference to "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 4, Chamberlain,".

2. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 4, Chamberlain," what is the result of Vincent telling Chamberlain that his men cannot withdraw under any circumstances?

3. In "Friday, July 3, 1863, Chapter 2, Longstreet," why does Longstreet say the assault will be especially hard on Armistead?

4. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 6, Lee," how does Stuart respond to Lee's reprimand? Do you think Lee is right to reprimand him rather than court martial him?

5. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 2, Chamberlain," what does Kilrain think the war is about?

6. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 3, Longstreet," what does Hood want Longstreet to give him permission to do? What is Longstreet's response? What do you think the outcome of that decision will be?

7. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 1, Fremantle," how is Hood described? What does Fremantle try to sense about Hood when he meets him?

8. In "Friday, July 3,1863, Chapter 3, Chamberlain," the word "dreamyly" appears several times. Explain its significance.

9. In "Thursday, July 2, 1863, The Second Day, Chapter 1, Fremantle," describe Fremantle's thoughts toward the Southerners.

10. In "Friday, July 3, 1863, Chapter 1, Chamberlain," what does Tom say about the bayonets?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a character from The Killer Angels that you particularly identify with or admire. Using specific citations from the text to support your ideas.

1) Explain why you identify with or admire that character.

2) Describe how that character represents your personal beliefs.

Essay Topic 2

The Killer Angels presents points of view from both sides of the Civil War. In stories like this, it might be easy to present one side as the heroes and the other side as the villains. Does the author do this? How does the author characterize the people involved in this battle? Did the author's portrayal of the characters change your opinion about the people involved in the Civil War? If so, how? If not, why not? Make sure to support your answer with the text.

Essay Topic 3

There are several minor characters that appear throughout The Killer Angels, with varying degrees of influence on the action or on other characters. Choose three of the following minor characters and describe how the author characterizes them, and what influence they have on either other characters or the action of the novel.

1) Tom Chamberlain

2) Kilrain

3) John Buford

4) Jubal Early

5) J.E.B. Stuart

(see the answer keys)

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