Have you ever been discriminated against or treated unfairly for an unjust reason? The 54th “Glory” Regiment definitely was during the Civil War. All the soldiers in this regiment were Black, but even though their desire to serve their country burned bright in their hearts, they were heavily discriminated against because of their skin color. During the time of the Civil War, Black people were often treated unfairly because the whites thought they were superior. Even at the beginning of their career, when they were not even officially in the army, the 54th Regiment was treated unfairly. They were not given a bounty, which is the money that you get when you join the army, and their pay was very low compared to the whites. They weren’t given extra money to buy clothes like the whites, and every rank of Black soldiers got the same pay, whereas the higher ranking white soldiers in the army got a higher salary as they were promoted. It was only until nearly the end of the war that the regiment’s pay was raised, and even then, it was only for the soldiers that had been free before the war started and alive at the time the pay was given, which was still only a fraction of the number of Black people that had enlisted. Also, even when the 54th Regiment was hard at work storming Wagner and Charleston, an anti-Black riot spread throughout the Union. It was a devastating experience; many Black people were killed, and many others were forced into asylum. It is not the typical civil rights protest, where people hold up signs with big, bold, words displaying a motto or opinion; it was an all-out, kill or destroy the first thing or person that you see that is related to African-Americans. It was like Doomsday for the Blacks. Keep in mind that when the 54th Regiment departed to fight, they were treated like heroes. What happened to the Black people’s reputation? Finally, toward the end of the war, they wanted to promote Sergeant Swails, a member of the 54th Regiment that had served faithfully with his leadership, to an officer. However, their request was denied by someone that had previously warned people to treat Black and white people equally. How hypocritical for him to go against his own word when the choice fell into his hands! Finally, after much persuasion and pressure, Stanton, the Secretary of War, finally approved his becoming an officer. Now you ask, why did the whites think they had a reason to treat the Blacks differently? According to President Lincoln, if they enlisted Black men, the slave states in the Union, which included Illinois, Alabama and other states, would join the Confederacy. However, the whites’ enlistment rate was dropping, yet the Blacks were still willing to join. The government had to grudgingly admit that if they kept holding back the Blacks, they would have no soldiers at all. But, even though Black men were finally allowed to join the army, they were still seen as dirty and unclean, simply because their skin was darker than the Americans. Ironically, the Black camps were much cleaner and well-maintained than the whites’. Even though racism is not as liberal and outspoken in America anymore, let this be a lesson to you to never bully, tease, or judge someone because of what they are. One of the most common types of discrimination is pitying someone. When you see someone that is disabled, is your first reaction, “I feel so bad for him/her?” Know this; the pitied are often ashamed of themselves. So, instead of just standing there, reach out for him if you really do pity him. Prejudice is in human nature; it’s natural. As Mark Twain said, “The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” So why not just change the ink, and make the world a better place? Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment by Clinton Cox. Scholastic Biography, 1993. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
The Lord of the Rings, Reviewed by Daniel, 10
Most people have heard of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien. But what many people have not heard of is where the monsters and magic in it come from. The truth is, the creatures from The Lord of the Rings, which include giants, dwarves, orcs, trolls, elves, have origins that can be traced back to the beginning of civilization and can also be followed into the world of modern-day novels. The same is true with the magic from The Lord of the Rings. This legendary novel very deep roots in both the mythology of ancient times and the stories and books of modern days. Creatures Many creatures from The Lord of the Rings come from Norse and Greek mythology and other ancient legends. These creatures include giants, dwarves, elves, orcs, and trolls. You can both trace these creatures’ origins very far back in history, or look at how they have impacted modern-day novels. Giants Giants are very ancient creatures. They are basically just enlarged humanoids and originate from Greek mythology. The “Gigantes,” Gaea’s (Mother Earth) offspring, were huge giants, even bigger than the Titans, that were birthed to overthrow the Olympians. Each Olympian had a corresponding giant made to defeat it; Porphyrion was made to defeat Zeus, Polybotes was made to defeat Poseidon, Alcyoneus was made to defeat Hades, etc. Polyphemus and the Titans were also giants. Giants pretty much always play an antagonist role; out of all the Titans and Giants, the only protagonists were Prometheus and Epimetheus. The Lord of the Rings is no exception; all of the giants fight for Sauron, the main antagonist in the novel. And the giants’ influence doesn’t stop there; they are also the main antagonists of the Percy Jackson (Titans) and Heroes of Olympus (Giants) series, both by Rick Riordan. Dwarves Dwarves originate from ancient Norse mythology. According to the site “Dwarves-North Mythology For Smart People”, dwarves were once called dvergr (Old Norse), dweorg (Old English), twerg (Old High German), and dwergaz (Proto-Germanic). In Norse mythology, dwarves are craftsmen. They crafted Thor’s hammer, Mjollnir, the chain that bound Fenrir the Wolf, Gleipnir, Freyr’s magical ship, Skidbladnir, etc. In The Lord of the Rings, the dwarves are also craftsmen; most of the weapons in The Lord of the Rings were crafted by dwarves. The most recent novel that incorporates dwarves is the bestselling series Artemis Fowl. However, they do not play a craftsmen role in this series. Rather, they are depicted as creatures that burrow through the dirt and get nutrition from the soil. Elves Nowadays, elves are often depicted as little creatures that help Santa deliver presents. But they are much older than the time that the myth of Santa Claus started. In Norse mythology, elves are depicted as demigod-like (half man and half god) beings. Elves have the power to cause human illnesses, but they also have the power to cure them. Elves are protagonists in many stories and are very wise. In fact, when Frodo, Sam, and Pippin depart on their journey, Sam wishes that he could meet some elves on the journey, and he was very glad when he did. Like Norse mythology, elves look very much like humans in The Lord of the Rings and also have magical powers. Elves are depicted in the same way in the new series Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger; the elves in this series are basically near-immortal humans, and some of them have magical powers. Orcs Orcs also originate from Norse mythology. According to Britannica.com, the word “orc” was first used to describe a demon or an ogre in the poem “Beowulf,” a very famous epic from Norse mythology about a hero, Beowulf, and his friends fighting a monster. The word orc most likely derives from the Latin Orcus, which was the name of a god of the underworld. Like many other stories, orcs are antagonists in The Lord of the Rings, simply because of their reputation as evil creatures. While orcs may not be very common in modern-day novels, they are in many different board games, card games, and video games, such as Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Warcraft. Trolls Trolls originate from the Scandinavian area. While many people think that trolls are usually short and stout, Mythology.net says that there is another type of troll in Scandinavian mythology that is as big as a giant! The short and stout type is called huldrefolk, and the big type is called jotnar. The jotnar is the type of troll in The Lord of the Rings; In the movie, they can grow up to be 10-50 feet tall! They are basically always antagonists, also because of their reputation as evil beings. However, a recent movie, Trolls, depicts the trolls as funny and happy. The trolls in this movie are short, but not as stout as the huldrefolk, and are very colorful and cheery. Magic Along with the amazing creatures in The Lord of the Rings, there is also a lot of magic. This includes elven magic, wizard magic, and dark magic. These ideas of these types of magic are also very old, and can also be found in modern-day novels. Elven Magic (Enchantment) As mentioned earlier, elves are magical creatures. Their magic is very powerful. In fact, the three rings that they crafted are the second most powerful Rings of Power out of all twenty rings; only the One Rings, which was crafted by Sauron himself, is more powerful, They were also able to enchant items and objects. One king had a river as a border that would make people fall asleep and dream deeply! Enchanters and enchantresses can be found in almost every major mythology; many weapons, such as Thor’s hammer, Odin’s spear, Helen of Troy’s dagger, etc. and other items used in war were enchanted to grant the wearer safety and/or give them an offensive advantage. Enchantment is a very commonly used type of magic in the modern-day series The Kane
A Wrinkle in Time, Reviewed by Daniel Zhu, 10
Imagine living in total peace, but being mind-controlled every minute of your life. The book A Wrinkle in Time describes such life in Camazotz; being controlled by IT, which is a brain that tries to drag you in, absorb your life force, and control you. Honestly, I don’t think that is a fair trade for peace and order. I think that, while there might be advantages to Camazotz, it is still, overall, a bad place to live in. First of all, what are the advantages of Camazotz? You get peace and order. There are no conflicts, for a simple reason: no one has any opinions, because they are all controlled by one brain. Opinion is the root of war. For example, the trade war started because Trump thought that other countries were making too much money importing to America, but China thinks the tariffs are unjust. The keyword here is “think.” Conflicts start because two sides, in this case, America and China, have different opinions, thoughts, on a certain subject, which in this case, is tariffs. However, in Camazotz, everyone is controlled by one thing, thus everyone has the same thoughts and opinions. Nevertheless, there are still many disadvantages. While you may be tempted by the good things Camazotz has to offer, keep in mind that there are many bad things about it too. First of all, you have no freedom. You are possessed every day, sometimes involuntarily, by IT. In other words, you are brain-dead, a zombie. Also, you can’t experience the fun of life, because, technically speaking, your life is not yours; it’s IT’s. This means that you are basically slaves. Even though IT isn’t doing anything bad with the people on Camazotz right now if IT wanted to wage war, I could just use the people of Camazotz for soldiers. Personally, I think that is one of the most inhumane and wrong things that could ever be done. All in all, three words: Camazotz is bad. I mean, look at how willingly people are willing to rebel for freedom. The American Revolution. The Civil War (of America). The Yellow Scarf Rebellion (in China). Humans strain and strive to be free; it’s in their nature. Yet IT is taking this freedom away and turning humans into playthings, puppets.Is it really ideal to live under a “leader” like this? To have your own body, your own legs, your own feet, your own head…but not your own brain? Even the bad things that happen in the world are human will. We get to control our own life here. But on Camazotz, you have no control over anything, even your own life. What kind of world is that? However, as much as I am firm in my saying that Camazotz is not a good place to live, it is still my own opinion. What about you? After hearing this, would you still like to live on Camazotz? Perhaps, just like Madeleine L’Engle envisioned the bizarre world in A Wrinkle in Time when many stunning scientific breakthroughs that relate to the book were not made yet, you can envision the good in Camazotz. After all, there is a good side and a bad side to everything; the world is a delicate balance between right and wrong. As Angelina Jolie said, “[Everything] has two sides, a good side, and a bad side…We must embrace both.”
