Glory

        I liked that the movie was very intense and emotional. Even though some of the battle scenes were not as graphic and historically correct as others, the actors did a good job of showing how emotionally connected and driven they were to fight. Additionally, it made clear why the men of the 54^th were willing to go through what they did, and how terrible it was that some had to die to be considered men.  Overall, the movie made me feel inspired because the men of the 54^th stood up for what they believed was right, and there was a huge turning point in history because of them. They fought for a nation that didn’t even recognize them fully as soldiers or even men. One of the most interesting, and my favorite, characters of the movie was Pvt. Jupiter Sharts played by Jihmi Kennedy. Because of his boyish looks, stutter, and personality, he made a lasting impression on me. When we were first introduced to him, I thought he would be the one in the movie that dies first, or doesn’t know how to shoot. Shockingly, he is the one that shoots the best out of the men and demonstrates that in the scene when they are shooting bottles and he hits it almost every time. Though, I did not like Matthew Broderick as one of the main characters. He was not very convincing and I felt like there could have been someone who played the part much better. I believe the moral of the movie is to fight for what you believe in and from this movie I learned just how much courage and strength that may take.  I would recommend this film to people outside of the class because it really was a good movie and I think it’s something that all people would benefit from watching. The content in this movie relates to today because everyone should stand up for what they believe in, even if that takes fighting for it.

I believe people are willing to risk their lives to fight for their country because they can see the bigger picture. If they don’t do it, who will? I believe that they answer the question, “Are you willing to save someone else’s live, by sacrificing your own?” with a yes.  Soldiers go to war to protect their country, freedom, rights, and what they believe in. They risk themselves for the greater good each and every day. Shaw should be considered a hero because he had to make a hard decision on whether or not to lead the 54^th. He had faith in his men and only pushed them because he knew they needed to learn the right ways to survive. In the end, he made the ultimate sacrifice and died with his men.

The significance of the story is to show people a little bit of what it may have been like for these men, and just how hard they had to fight. Just because they were black, people said they were not men and not soldiers. This movie clearly shows that, in fact, they were just as much soldiers as any of the white men. The 54^th Massachusetts made a lasting impression on history and should always be remembered.