The Slopes of War padlet by Reagan McCoy

Setting

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-11 21:31:22 UTC

Buck the main character was out of ammo and crawling on the ground to get to a dead body that had ammo. The bead body was also that of one of his commanding officers. As this was happening, Buck was taking care of Flynn who was Bucks fellow soldier and friend. As Buck got up and reloaded his musket, the Confederate was closing in on the union line. The Union line was on a hill in Little Round Top. The hill was covered with the blood of both sides and the Union line was getting pushed back as Buck struggled to keep Flynn alive and still be able to fight.

Extra information

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-11 21:44:02 UTC

Map of what was referred to as " valley of death " this is where Buck is for chapter 14.

Themes - The Slopes of War

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-12 00:09:00 UTC

I think that there are many themes in this book, but the three that I pick up the most are Family, Good and Evil, and Coming of Age. Family comes into play relatively early on, we learn that Buck and Becka are brother and sister. In my opinion they are both main characters. Then we see that Custis and Mason are brothers and they are cousins of Becka and Buck. The theme of good and evil is war, specifically the Revolutionary war. The conflict between the Union and Confederacy. The overall experiences that the Summerhill's go through. Buck being at war and having to be in the actual war and fight. Then Becka's view and how she is helping sick and injured men in her house and trying to keep someone alive. And the last theme is coming of age. I think this is true because, both Becka and Buck are going through things in this book that require growth and development whether they admit it or not. They are both changed by things that happen to them and the things they see and experience. I also feel like all three themes go together in a way, the family is at war and vice versa. Buck is on the Union side and Custis and Mason are on the Confederate side. Family and coming of age go together too, the boys are all in war and going through some of the same things whether or not they are on the same side it's still war and we get to see what Custis and Mason have to say a bit in the beginning. Coming of age and family can go together as well, being that Custis and Becka confess being in love with each other. These themes are all core to the book that I read, they all play a significant role in the book as a whole.

Extra information

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-12 00:54:10 UTC

Although the book was published in 1984, it was really good at explaining the female character. I know that it had only been about 10 years after the 70's when the second wave of the feminist movement had come. But the main female character Becka is very opinionated and smart and has intellectual thoughts. She believes that the Union needs to win and that what the Confederates believe is not what the Bible teaches. Readers will know that Becka is someone that has a soul and is more than a girl, she loves and misses her dad and she cares deeply about Tilly this was her good friend. The book does a good job of showing that women have good ideas and are something to look at as more than just an object or something to use.

Main Character

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-12 17:59:29 UTC

The most gruesome image that I saw in my book was when the main character Buck had his leg shot. Buck just explains that he was in a barn and it was filled with men and old limbs and he was crying out for someone not to cut his leg off. He mentions that if the wound was faital like in the chest or head, that they didn't even bother to spend time to try to save those men.

Cover Page and Author

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-13 16:10:44 UTC

N. A . Perez

Important or Memorable quote

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-13 16:23:14 UTC

" Custis, I love you too" pg. 83

This was a really big point in the book, the relationship between Custis and Becka up to this point has been unspoken, other than of course that they are cousins and they care for one another like family should. Their love was just to themselves, the thoughts that were about each other almost like you falling in love with your brothers best friend. In this case it's more than a friend it's a family member. This part of the book is really hard to read, knowing that we dont marry cousins anymore and its not normal or right.

Conflicts

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-13 16:31:47 UTC

The first conflict that I really noticed was obvious, the war between the north and south. But to be more specific, Buck that is fighting for the Union is conflicted with the fear that he might have to fight his cousins. His cousins are Mason and Custis and they are in the Confederate army. The second one is the relationship between Becka and her mother. Becka compares herself to her father who had passed away. She was more like him and spent a lot of time thinking about him in the first half of the book. Becka loved him and missed him a lot, maybe more than her mother missed him.

Summary of the book

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-13 16:35:31 UTC

Buck the main character is a soldier in the civil war, he is a union soldier and his cousins are fighting for the opposite side. The cousins are Custis and Mason they are fighting for the Confederacy. The book goes through the hardship and gruesome nature of war as well as the war from a woman's perspective. Becka is Bucks sister and her point of view as the union and confederate fought.

Rating of the book

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-13 16:49:07 UTC

I would give this book a 4 1/2. I think the book does a really good job captivating the picture of war and how it really is for people in that time period. For example, the hospitals that they were treated in, they would not treat you if u had a hit to the head or the chest. They also used chloroform, this can cause brain, liver and kidney damage and is horrific. You just get the overwhelming real picture that war is, and we normalize too much now. The next thing I liked about the book was that it was more realistic than i thought it would be, for someone that likes non- fiction, this was a relatively easy book to read and like to read. I also really enjoyed that the book shows the empathy of each character in different ways and it's a beautiful thing to have and feel for others. The last reason that I didn't give this book a 5 star is because, the book was kind a bit hard to follow, it would switch perspectives quite often. Overall, good read and pretty entertaining if you like history and something that might make you cringe.

Main Character

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-15 16:50:30 UTC

The main character is Buck Summerhill, he is a Union soldier. He is empathic and caring, but also a brave protector.

Analysis Main Character

sreaganmccoy — 2023-12-18 16:05:49 UTC

Sample tweet

@Buck_trucksandfamily

" I lost my leg during the war, this is something that isn't for the ladies. I've seen things that no person should see. It ain't right, those things I saw out in Virginia. But i'd do it again in a heartbeat. I bleed red, white and blue."