Does the author portray the period properly

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Fiction and Non Fiction

The book the Civil War by Bruce Catton also inspires the reader to learn more about the period. The book was written basically to inspire those who are interested in civil war. The book captures the centre of the tale and when one reads the book, he/she feels that he/she was present during that particular time, watching the battles unfold, listening to the decisions that were being made and later on sent men to their deaths or their triumphs. The book not only comes with great history but also drama.

The book north and south by John Jakes is a historic fiction which has great inspires the reader to continue reading more about the period. The most inspiring part of the book is the periods between 1840s when the two major protagonists are in one class in West point. This tale is well researched and it is very insightful as regards strife and life at the military academy during a pivotal period in the history of America. The book helps the reader to understand the important role played by the West Point in the history of the nation during the Mexican Civil war and maybe today.

The Civil War by Bruce Catton – Non Fiction

Bruce heard about the civil war when he was still a young boy and these stories gave him the urge to want to know more about the civil war. After learning about the civil war, he decided to write the story about the war. The author of the book civil war wrote the book from the experience he had gained as a federal and employee. The author had also developed writing skills from his job as an editor and reporter for the Cleveland news. He majorly worked as a freelance news reporter therefore acquired more knowledge from his job.

The Author wrote about the civil war so as to enable know more about what happened at the period f the civil war. The book is written in a very simple way so as to give the reader more morale while reading it. The methodology used by Bruce to write his book was narrative historian. The book is a public document. This is because the history were only based on papers and these papers were the documents that were used to spread information about the war that occurred at that particular time. Bruce used the public documents so that his work was as accurate as possible.

The book is very interesting to read because unlike other books written by the same author, the book does not only focus on military topics but also focuses on political, economic and social topics.

North and South by John Jakes – Fiction

Despite the use of fictional characters in his work, “North and South”, John Jakes manages to portray most of the events that occurred during the period of the American Civil War. The author’s chronology of the events prior to the Civil War and the factors that eventually led to an all out war are consistent with historical records about the period.

The events portrayed by the author fit with historical accounts that led to the American civil war in the early 1860s. Historical accounts note that among the several factors that led to the civil war, the attacks by John Brown who had been a violent anti-slavery opponent helped in contributing to the war. In “North and South”, Orry and Brett are attacked on their way back to South Carolina and in the book, the attack happens at Harper’s Ferry.

Historical records indicate that Brown and their cohorts actually attacked Harper’s Ferry on 16th October, 1859. John Jakes however does not indicate the fate of Brown after the attack in his work, “North and South”. In the course of the Civil War close friends ended up on opposite sides of the conflict and frequently had to face each other in fights and skirmishes. In the book, Orry Maine, a South Carolinian develops a close relationship with George Hazard and they fight along each other in the Mexican War. The Mexican War is also mentioned in historical accounts just as it is used in John Jakes’ book. In the Mexican War, George saves Orry as a close friend. Their friendship goes on to their families where Brett (Orry’s younger sister) is married to Billy (George’s younger brother). Despite their objection to the Civil War, the friends are unable to change the course of events and eventually find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. Historians note that this was a common predicament for most Southerners and Northerners who lived close together.

Several characters used in the book, “North and south” conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the characters of that time. In the book, Orry falls in love with Madeleine, but she gets married to someone else. Extramarital affairs were greatly frowned upon during the 19th century and this forces Orry and Madeleine to conduct their affair in great secrecy. The reason why Madeleine ends up in a discreet affair with is because even though she loves him, she has to protect her respect as a woman before the society. Respect was a most cherished virtue during the period in the book.

Based on the conduct of the main characters in John Jakes’ book, it would be true to say that the characters are not placed in situations consistent with the time period. For instance, the Southerners were generally slave masters who resisted the thought of abolishing slavery. Due to this fact, anti-slavery crusaders were most likely to attack them whenever possible. In “North and South” Orry and Brett are ambushed at Harper’s ferry by John Brown and his gang, but they are allowed to continue with their journey instead of being beaten or killed. The Southerners were also expected to strongly protect their properties (slaves) yet in the book; a Southerner from an affluent family grows sympathetic to slaves and the Northerners who are against them.

John Jakes wrote the book North and South because of his affection for libraries and librarians. In general, the author says that he loves books and he states that the pillar of any society is a library. So he has no experience that drove him to writing the book but what made him write the book is his love for books.

The main objective the author had was to make the reader understand what happened at that particular time. This book specifically informs the reader about the civil war that took place in America some times in History. The writer is so much informed about history because he was once a research person in the Department of History and he did this research at the University of South Carolina. Apart from writing, the author is also involved in acting, directing and writing original musicals and plays.