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Slavery And War Central Theme

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For this assignment, I have chosen several works which correlate to one central theme: the frontier. This was a period of beliefs, expansion, combat, arguments, and the idea of freedom and separation. Events experienced by the individuals, as well as what reactions occur following, are important in the mentality of the main characters. Slavery, war, and prejudice are the key components of the three stories. “I survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863”, written by author Lauren Tarshis, is a story surrounding the events of the Civil War. The main character is Thomas, a slave, living in Virginia and working under the Knox family along with his sister, Birdie. His cousin, Clem, taught him everything he knew about freedom, and of following the …show more content…

When the group arrived at Gettysburg and was preparing for battle, Henry gave Thomas a memento of himself, a book drawn by the one he holds dear back at home. He promises Thomas that after the battle is over, Thomas would live together with Henry and his family. Thomas was transporting supplies across the battlefield in a wagon, when one cannonball sent him to fall over. A southern soldier spots him and shot him in the chest. When Thomas woke up later in a bed, the battle was over and the North won. Many of his friends had perished, and he learned that he only survived thanks to the book he received from Henry which blocked the bullet. He also learned that Clem, his cousin, escaped from the plantation and became a supply runner for the North. Thomas and his sister went to live with Henry and his family, and one day, as he stood in the schoolyard, he learned that it was possible to have a better life (Tarshis 2013). The book deals with the central themes of slavery and war by providing hope to Thomas, as well as the reader. The North is written as a bastion of hope and peace, a place free of slavery and hatred. The battles occurring throughout the book are very similar …show more content…

“Little House On The Prairie”, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, is a book which is comprised of several stories of the life of Laura and her family in the frontier. The one story from the book was titled “Indians In The House”. The father of Laura, and her sister, Mary, was leaving to hunt, and made sure that they would never unchain their dog, Jack. As soon as he left, the girls discover two Natives entering their home. The girls were leaning towards sending Jack to attack the invaders in hopes of protecting their mother and little sister, but decided against it. Both creep into their house and watch the men from behind a slab of wood. The Natives did not care about them, they ate the food, took the supplies of tobacco, and left. The father returned and was glad they everyone was safe. Laura and Mary learned that if they had sent Jack out, the entire situation could have turned out far worse (Ingalls 1935). The main point of this story was to show the reactions of the Natives and the family to each other. These two girls had never seen what the Natives looked like before, or spoke to them, but instantly felt a sense of dread and what I believe to be an extreme prejudiced outlook on them just after one look. This same beliefs continues even to the present. Many consider Natives to look or behave a certain way, or still believe them to be “savage”. This

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