Rifles for Watie

Choose one of the historical figures in the novel to research. How did the author change and adapt the figure as a character? How do those adaptations serve the overall meaning of the story?

How did the book challenge or reinforce your preconceived notions about the Civil War? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? Use specific textual evidence.

The issue from the Civil War that continues to be discussed most prominently is the abolishment of slavery. How does the novel approach the concept of slavery? What stance do you think it takes? How does this mesh with the burgeoning Civil Rights movement that was occurring at the time of publication?

Harold Keith asserts that he wrote his novel as fiction against a backdrop of history that is treated as accurately as possible. Since narratives of history are shaped by the teller, do you think that his telling of history is biased? Why or why not?

Imagine that you are revising this novel into a screenplay. How would you distill this lengthy narrative into a single plot arc? What elements are important? Which plotlines would you omit?

Rifles for Watie was written as a young adult novel in 1957. How does it compare to young adult novels written today? How does its depiction of war differ or share similarities with other depictions of war?

If the novel’s intended audience is young adults, what do you think it is trying to tell them? How does this story target young adults specifically?

Considering the prominence of Stand Watie, a historical figure, in the novel (both before and after he actually appears), what stance do you think the novel is taking on him as a leader? Do you think it is a negative or positive portrayal? Use specific evidence from the text.