LS 5663 Module 4: Social Studies Poetry

The Brothers' War: Civil War Voices in Verse

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2007. THE BROTHERS' WAR: CIVIL WAR VOICES IN VERSE. Washington, D.C: National Geographic. Photographs by Civil War Photographers. ISBN 978-1-4263-0036-3

Review: 

J. Patrick Lewis has created a visually and intellectually stimulating book with THE BROTHERS' WAR. Written in black and gold with actual Civil War photographs, Lewis' poetry is perfectly complemented. The poems are written in varying styles, from free verse to sonnets inspired by letters written to and from the soldiers.

Each of the eleven poems is presented on a two-page spread with it's accompanying period photograph. While the photographs are perfect examples of primary sources, many are shocking in their brutal honesty.

Lewis also included a Civil War map, time line of selected events, photography notes, author's note, and a bibliography. At the bottom of each poem, Lewis gives readers historical background to enhance understanding of the events of the war.

Highlighted Poem:

I Can Make Georgia Howl

(William Tecumseh Sherman on his March to the Sea, November 15 - December 21, 1864)

From Atlanta to Savannah

In a winter month or more

Was a march called devastation 

Like they'd never seen before.

They called it a destruction

Razed by sixty-thousand blues

To the city of Savannah--

Righteousness's wrecking crews.

Though my tactics were in question,

And I mapped a rugged route, 

No one second-guessed the outcome

'Cause it never was in doubt.

Oh, we robbed and burned and pillaged

As we gathered what we must

For the journey to the water

And we left behind disgust.

So Savannah was a Christmas gift

To Lincoln, thanks to me,

And a nail in the coffin of 

Surrender, General Lee.

Possible Uses: 

Teachers can use THE BROTHERS' WAR as an introduction to the Civil War. 
Teachers could use the above poem, "I Can Make Georgia Howl", as an introduction to a study of William Tecumseh Sherman and his march. 

Using this poem would also instigate a study of quotes by Sherman, such as "I intend to make Georgia howl." and "It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell."
These and other quotes can be found at www.thinkexist.com.

Genre 5: The River Between Us

The River Between Us

Peck, Richard. 2003. The River Between Us. New York: Dial. ISBN 0-8037-2735-6.

Plot Summary

This story is told from two different points of view. The first and last chapters are told from the perspective of Howard Hutchings as he, his father, and two younger brothers travel from St. Louis to the small town of Grand Tower in southern Illinois in 1916 to visit his elderly relatives. The rest of the story is told from the point of view of Tilly Pruitt who lived in Grand Tower, Illinois, in 1861.

As the Civil War was just beginning, two mysterious girls get off a riverboat in Grand Tower. With no other place to go, the girls, Delphine and Calinda, take Tilly's mother up on her offer of room and board. From that day on, their very normal, hardworking town is turned upside down by these two unconventional young ladies from New Orleans. Delphine, with her fancy dresses, bonnets, and corsets, and Calinda, with her dark skin and tignon for her head were a mystery to the people of Grand Tower.

When the war draws nearer to Grand Tower, Tilly's brother, Noah, leaves in the middle of the night to join the army. Distraught over the prospect of losing her son, Mrs. Pruitt sends Tilly and Delphine to find him and bring him home. Through this, Tilly discovers how her mother views her - despensible, and how she views herself - courageous.

Even though Tilly’s and Delphine’s worlds are very different, they share a friendship that will last a lifetime, and their world's become forever intertwined.

Critical Analysis

This story is filled with instances of the author giving us glimpses of things to come as well as enticing us to read more. One example of this is when Howard’s father was telling him the story of the ghost of a woman who, dressed in old fashioned skirts with gray hair streaming down her back, darts out into the road scaring horses as she runs toward the river. It isn’t until the end of the story that the importance of that story is revealed to the reader.

Peck uses figurative language to create vivid images and show emotions within his characters. “I caught a glimpse of happiness, and saw it was a bird on a branch, fixing to take wing.” This is just one of the many examples found throughout the book. The style of writing and dialogue in the novel reflects the language of the time period and the geographical areas represented in the story.

Richard Peck creates a balance of providing readers with factual elements of the places and happenings of the Civil War while blending elements of storytelling as well. Peck pays close attention to historical accuracy by citing his research and the historical events and locations of the novel in a note section at the end of the story. The various settings in the novel are real places that were researched by Peck. Events that were portrayed in the novel such as the Battle of Belmont were actual events of the Civil War.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: "In this thoroughly researched novel, Peck masterfully describes the female Civil War experience, the subtle and not-too-subtle ways the country was changing, and the split in loyalty that separated towns and even families."

Booklist: ”Peck's spare writing has never been more eloquent than in this powerful mystery in which personal secrets drive the plot and reveal the history. True to Tilly's first-person narrative, each sentence is a scrappy, melancholy, wry evocation of character, time, and place, and only the character of Delphine's companion, Calinda, comes close to stereotype.”

Connections

This novel can be paired with a social studies unit on the Civil War to bring a new perspective to this period of history.

Students can create a map and timeline of the events in this novel and of the war in Mississippi River region to deepen their understanding of the events and places in this story.

Related Books

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Book cover from www.librarything.com