edit my paper?

I'm especially trying to use correct verb tense and avoid shifts in tense(i'm hopeless with both).i noticed that there are very few transitional phrases,so want to try to use more, but i'm unsure how to incorporate them or if i even should. Please tell me if the depth, accuracy and structure need work. You may also want to know that i'm in eighth grade.Thanks in advance!
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Prompt: Discuss dehumanization as a theme in both The Island of Dr.Moreau_ and _Civil War Stories.
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Dehumanization occurs when a person dispossess their human qualities. Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce is a collection of short stories concerning the American Civil War. The Island of Dr.Moreau by H.G. Wells is about Edward Prendick’s life changing encounter with Dr.Moreau and his island of beast people. Both Civil War Stories and The Island of Dr. Moreau have examples of dehumanization.
Every person has the ability to dehumanize himself or herself. Four Days in Dixie from Civil War Stories clearly shows this. The story is about an unnamed Union lieutenant who tells about his experience of being in in Confederate captivity for four days, then his escape back to the North. At the end, he described something falling into the fire, saying “it” was alive. The only way the lieutenant would know if “it” was dead would be if he was “it”. By referring himself as an object, the lieutenant is dehumanizing himself. In The Island of Dr. Moreau,Dr.Moreau dehumanized himself. He illegally vivisected animals, knowing that it would have harsh and long lasting consequences. Dr. Moreau is in effect acting in a way that hurts himself and thus is dehumanizing himself. Clearly, people can dehumanize themselves.
Dehumanization can also occur when a person kills a member of their own family. The Affair at Coulter’s Notch from Civil War Stories is a great example. Coulter, a Northern artillerist was forced to fire at his own house in the south. Another story that shows this is A Horseman in the Sky. In the story, Carter Druse is a union soldier,and his father is a confederate. While Carter was on guard duty, he killed his own father. If Carter Druse didn’t kill him,the five Federal regiments he was protecting would have risked an attack. Human family units are unique and a part of what makes us human. When a person kills a family member,dehumanization takes place. That’s how dehumanization occurs when a person kills a member of their own family.
When a person loses their right to live, that person has been dehumanized. Prendick from The Island of Dr.Moreau has faced this. Prendick was stranded at sea, on the verge of death, then rescued by the Ipecacuanha. Once Montgomery’s cargo was unloaded, Captain Davis left Prendick on a dinghy to die, taking away his right to live. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge also shows this. Peyton Farquhar, a southern enthusiast was hung after he attempted to burn down a bridge to help the Confederates. The Union took away Farquhar's right to live. Every person has the right to live. If a person loses that right, they have been dehumanized. Dehumanization happens when a person loses his or her right to live.
People have the ability dehumanize themselves.When a person kills a member of their own family, dehumanization can occur.People are dehumanized when they lose their right to live. Examples of dehumanization can be found in Civil War Stories and The Island of Dr.Moreau.