> _Glory_ is a good example of the current generation's understanding of
> the Civil War: it stresses the centrality of race and slavery in the making
> of the war and tries to display a range of emotions and attitudes about
> those issues. On some levels, it succeeds simply because its stylized
> characters (rebellious slave; prideful educated free black; Irish drill
> sgt; the usual assortment of racists; naive, ignorant young black; arrogant
> & selfish eastern snob who learns the real meaning of equality; wise old
> soldier) use common stereotypes and literary/narrative devices to get across
> a different interpretation of the war's meaning. I found some scenes in
> the film very compelling. Others I found very hard to believe, including
> the routine whipping of Denzel Washington on a gun carriage -- hard to believe
> because I don't believe black troops would have put up with such treatment
> for a second, and because I doubt anyone was foolish enough to put Irish
> sgts in charge of black troops.