Fallen Angels: The Validity Of War

Great Essays
Gracee Abeyta
Mrs. Jacobson
American Literature - Honors
2 Jan. 2018
The Validity of War
The telling of a realistic war story cannot be successful unless it truly holds light to the extremely grueling physical and emotional battles that the average American soldier undergoes. Capturing these experiences is a feat that, if accomplished, should not go without honor and admiration for decades to come. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, published in 1988, is a novel that deserves this amount of recognition. It should be considered an American classic because it fits this “real” war story definition and shows how a soldier’s war experience as well as the war itself is cruel, brutal, and meaningless. Walter Dean Myers, originally named Walter Milton
…show more content…
However, Myers was later given the recognition he deserves for the creation of this novel that accurately captures the emotional and physical battles that American soldiers came face to face with each day. For this book Myers received the Coretta Scott King Award, an honor for an outstanding literary work by an African-American author (Morton-Mollo “Walter Dean Myers.” 4). The book is taught in many high schools in the U.S. despite the controversies that have risen due to it’s graphic violence; Myers’ ability to connect with a younger audience in order to portray his important messages overshadows the novel’s “indecency” for teens (Morton-Mollo “Walter Dean Myers.” …show more content…
"Walter Dean Myers." Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition, September 2006, pp. 1-4. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331MSA12249830000223&site=lrc-live.
“Banned Books Week: Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers.” IIT Chicago-Kent Law Library Blog, 1 Oct. 2015, blogs.kentlaw.iit.edu/library/2015/09/banned-books-week-fallen-angels/.
Feller, Thomas R. "Walter Dean Myers." Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition, January 2003, p. 1. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331CWA25999810003334&site=lrc-live.
Morton-Mollo, Sherry L. "Fallen Angels." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition, December 2008, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331AFR11089640000301&site=lrc-live.
Morton-Mollo, Sherry. "Walter Dean Myers." Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition, January 2010, pp. 1-3. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=103331CSLF14510141000072&site=lrc-live.
Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen angels. Scholastic, 2008.
Troike, Dorothy Ruth. "Fallen Angels." Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Fiction Series, March 1991, pp. 1-2. EBSCOhost,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Fort Pillow Summary

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the book Fort Pillow, a Civil War Massacre, and Public Memory Cimprich’s goal is to reveal to readers the importance of Fort Pillow. He does this by portraying the lives of the general’s and soldiers living in or near Fort Pillow, Tennessee. He also briefly describes the massacre that occurred, and has allowed one to see how memories of that event interpreted the succeeding generations outlook. The message that Cimprich is trying to convey is that racism was the center cause of the Fort Pillow massacre. This book gives readers a new perspective on the American Civil War, by allowing us to see how the Confederate massacre of unionist and black Federal soldiers at Fort pillow greatly affected how we would perceive the events today.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In post 9/11 America, it is not very common to see a book that doesn 't portray the men and women of the United States Military in a positive light. Most Americans regard all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines as heroes who have a strong moral compass and always try to do the right thing. However the reality can be quite different. The reality of war is that it is dirty, ugly, and rarely, if ever, a glorious affair. All armies throughout history have had their share of incidents that they would rather forget and the modern US Army is no different.…

    • 1527 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ship Me Home Analysis

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This book transports you to the days of the brutal crisis in Vietnam and gives you a soldier’s realistic perspective on the war. O’Brien describes his own internal struggles between his morality…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    As blood-curdling screams and deafening gunshots fill the air, thousands of innocent lives expire. As soldiers fight for the freedom and safety of others, they also fight for their own lives. They risk their lives and the well-being of their families. War affects the emotional prosperity of all involved in war, whether their involvement is direct or indirect. The effects include injuries and loss of loved ones.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Year 8 Genre Novel Study- Tomorrow When the War Began Genre can be defined as a category of literature, such as the young adult and the dystopian genres that will be explored in this essay. An excellent example of the dystopian and young adult genres is the novel Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden, first published in 1993. This essay will discuss how effectively this novel fits into the young adult and dystopian genre. It will consider the various features of both the genres and discuss them with references to the specific examples taken from the book.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Readers who are interested in intense and life like books with vivid settings, and interested in the subject and art of war itself would enjoy this…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This essay will go into detail about the actions and consequences Tim O’Brien, Jimmy Cross, and Norman Bowker decide and how they relate to O’Brien’s theories on responsibility, cowardice, and courage. The first step in the engagement of war is being drafted. In O’Brien’s novel, he includes the story of how he was drafted on a humid afternoon on June 17, 1968. At the age of 21 O’Brien was not prepared to fight a war in which he did not agree with, so he drove north. When he reached the Tip Top Lodge, he met Elroy Berdahl, a quiet 81-year-old bald…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Larry Patrick Levis, as a poet of the contemporary Period, exemplified the best of the genre. Through his use of poetic devices, style and thematic, Larry Levis has given us some of the most iconic and universally appealing work. Particularly in his poem titled “___________”, we see examples of his most salient particularities and effective use of English language. Larry Patrick Levis then stands as one of the greats in the pantheon of American and World Literature. Larry Patrick Levis was born in Fresno, California, on September 30, 1964.…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Title: American Sniper Author: Chris Kyle w/ Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice Text Type: Autobiography This novel is a thrilling personal account of Chris Kyle who is better known as the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history. A Texan saddle bronc rider turned navy seal with over 150 kills confirmed to his name across 4 tours spent in Iraq, Kyle earned a legendary status among his fellow soldiers and struck fear in the eyes of his enemies who nicknamed him “the devil”. A gripping memoir of the courage and pain felt during war and the strain it put on his life and marriage upon his return home. One major issue that comes into play throughout this novel and affects the lives of many soldiers who return home is posttraumatic stress disorder…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is of importance because not many people understand what it means to be a soldier and the difficulties they face, therefore having this novel taught creates an appreciation and understanding of their…

    • 1170 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Things They Carried War is a wretched battlefield. It twists the minds of soldiers, scarring them with experiences that can last a lifetime. During war, there are some experiences that one cannot verbally formulate into words that truly capture what had happened. As the author of “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’brien writes with a style that brings his stories to life, as it allows the readers to be able to feel the situation as if them themselves were in it.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Tim O'Brien’s novel, The Things They Carried, eloquently (NR) demonstrates the theme of ‘beauty in horror’. The novel emphasizes this theme through the underlying foil between beauty and atrocities that are not uncommon in war stories. O'Brien focuses on the imagery of these events as well as the tone to illustrate the difficulties that soldiers are exposed to and how they have been conditioned to their situation to no longer see the horror in these horrific events rather start seeing them as beautiful events. The relevance of this theme is most prevalent in the short story, “How to Tell a True War Story.” This short story illustrates many different barbaric events that have been very beautifully illustrated.…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    War stories are gruesome. They capture the reality of war--death, grief, and pain. “The Sniper” and “Where Have You Gone, Charming Billy?” (by Liam O’Flaherty and Tim O’Brien respectively) are both shining examples of this; unpacking the glorification of victory to reveal how humans are dehumanized and trained to kill other people. Their differences outline a common theme: how war dehumanizes people from killing and guilt, and how that all builds into a catastrophe later on in life.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Layers of Fiction Symbolism is represented by levels of pragmatic and figurative meaning. As an example, in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Gilman incorporates the very wallpaper to represent this idea. The wallpaper displays more than just symbolism; it also shows the time period and theme of the story. These elements of fiction are also supported by the first person narration in helping the reader understand and analyze the text. This combination helps to show the relationships of the protagonist, overall setting, and theme of the story.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Misfit Sermon Analysis

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The hate and bitterness of his “snarl” is the final implication as to how the Misfit feels about religion (O’Connor 645). Bellamy insists that the reason for the devilish message in the Misfit’s speech is due to his mission to play to role of the Anti-Christ. Bellamy asserts that, “The central message of the Misfit’s sermon, for a sermon is what his remarks amount to, is a familiar one in Flannery O’Connor’s fiction; there is no middle ground between absolute belief in Christ’s messianic fiction and a belief that like is nasty, brutish, and short,” (200). Katherine Feeley notes that the Misfit “embodies all reason and no faith,” which is the opposite of the faith-based personality of the grandmother (202). As Madison Jones remarks, the Misfit “may be haunted, at times tormented, by vision of Christ raising the dead, but he cannot believe it: he was not there.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays