"Glory" Reflection

     What surprised me about "Glory" was how soldiers were killed so quickly and in large quantities during war. I knew that wars were very dangerous and soldiers have a high chance of dying, but it was just shocking that the soldiers died when the fight just began. Also, it was surprising how the soldiers just charge without trying to protect themselves and fight so confidently. It's amazing how fearless they are during battle. Also, I expected many of the black soldiers and white officers to leave the army when they heard the proclamation stating that any Negro caught helping the North will become a slave again and any white officer caught leading Negro soldiers will get killed, but none of them left. Every single soldier and white officer stayed. It was a great sight to see that they were still willing to serve in the army, even if these terrible things were going to happen to them.
     I learned about the experiences of African-Americans during the Civil War that they were treated poorly and strictly by the white officers. The white officers were very rough and harsh on them. But even through all those harsh times, the black soldiers are still able to sing spirituals and just praise God. They were able to switch from the stressful, difficult work and training of being a soldier to the more comforting and relaxed environment of embracing their culture and being just one big family. It's just astonishing how they can change their state of mind so well and quickly.
     I think that the movie was very realistic. I thought that the deaths in the battle were excessive, but that's the reality of war. Dying is inevitable. Also, the intense training and brutal punishments for the black soldiers were sadly realistic. There was still some racism and prejudice towards the blacks, so they were treated poorly. The colored soldiers receiving less pay than white soldiers is also sadly realistic. "Glory" is not at all just a "Hollywood" movie where everything is exaggerated just to make the movie more interesting. This movie is actually portraying real experiences and events in war. The surgeries where the patient was still awake, the numerous deaths, and the brutal battles were all things that actually happened in the Civil War. Nothing about this war was really exaggerated or fake. Everything in it was reality in the Civil War.