Verified Document

Idea Of Battle And War In The Two Stories Term Paper

War at Home in Ellison, War Abroad in O'Brien The inhumanity of war is a common theme in literature, as brilliantly illustrated in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried," a tale that functions as a short story but is actually an excerpt from his great novel about the Vietnam War Going after Cacciato. In O'Brien's story, several soldiers fighting in Vietnam are defined by the objects they carry in their pockets, such as photographs of loved ones, as well as their military gear and outfits. Yet the battles of individuals oppressed by society, such as African-Americans, may be equally, if not more, soul destroying, when conducted on the home front of America, on daily basis. This fact is evidenced by the evisceration of the spirit of the young African-American men in an excerpt from Ralph Ellison's seminal novel Invisible Man, entitled, "Battle Royal."

In "Battle Royal," the best and brightest young African-American men from the community where the unnamed narrator Ellison grew up and distinguished himself as a scholar in albeit a segregated system, are summoned to an exclusive White club. The ostensible excuse for the...

The real purpose of the meeting is to show the young men their inferior places in society. Eventually, the young men are encouraged, really forced to fight for dollar bills in what Ellison calls a "smoker," calling into resonance an illegal, backroom brawl rather than the celebratory scholarship dinner the young accomplished men expect to commend their achievements. (Ellison, 1954)
The young men engage in such a fistfight and wrestling brawl for the older white men's sport, at first reluctantly, then enthusiastically, despite the cruel purpose of being used as physical entertainment. They are bright minds, reduced to Black, strapping bodies in the eyes of over-privileged, overfed White men. The allure of money to these impoverished youths, longing to fulfill their dreams by going away to college, temporarily overtakes them, as well as fear of what will transpire if they do not comply. Their seduction on the heat of the battlefield into warring for dollars and obeying the orders of those higher than themselves on the social hierarchy is sexual as well. During the smoker, rather…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Ellison, Ralph. "Battle Royal." From Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eight Edition. 2001.

O'Brien, Tim. "The Things They Carried." From Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eight Edition. 2001.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Yellow Wallpaper the Two Stories
Words: 2538 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Similarities in Theme in the Two Stories Prisoners: Both of these stories place the characters in a kind of prison. On the first page of Yellow Wallpaper the narrator has already explained that the reason she doesn't get well is because of her husband. An irony of huge magnitude, to say that one's husband is a physician and that "perhaps" that is the reason "I do not get well faster" (3).

Spain and the Battle of Santiago
Words: 1948 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Battle of Santiago took place on the 3rd of July, 1898, between Spain and the United States (Beede, 1994). It was fought in the waters near Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and was part of the Spanish-American War (Beede, 1994). The result of the battle was a decisive victory for the U.S., and the destruction of the Caribbean Squadron of the Spanish Navy. The battle came about after a realization by

Battle of Cowpens
Words: 7201 Length: 20 Document Type: Research Paper

Battle of Cowpens The British Are Not Coming: How the Read Coats Lost the Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens is considered by many historians to be a critical battle, which to a large extent shaped the outcome of the American Revolutionary War or War of Independence. This is due to the fact that it was seen as a "…decisive first step by American forces in reclaiming South Carolina from the

Battle of Midway Japanese Perspective
Words: 2637 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Battle of Midway: Japanese Perspective The Battle of Midway is considered to be the most devastating battle of the World War II fought between 4th and 7th June 1942 in the Pacific Campaign shortly after the Battle of Coral Sea and Japan's attack on the Pearl Harbor. The Japanese operation was aimed to eliminate the United States strategic power in the Pacific. This will enable Japan an easy hold in the

War and Media in the
Words: 1450 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

In the film the Battle of Algiers (1997) the backdrop or setting is the ancient city with its narrow winding passageways, tunnels, stairways, and arches. The old city is complex, full of danger and hiding places, a metaphor for the war itself and the participants who must survive. The issue is to whom the country should belong and who should have power, the French colonialist invaders or the indigenous people.

War on Drugs in Columbia
Words: 4294 Length: 14 Document Type: Research Paper

War on Drugs Following the Colombia's history, there has been a sequence of violence and conflicts perpetuated by class warfare ever since the Spanish era during land allocation and slavery in the country. The focus of this article will be to satisfactorily analyze the situation facing the Columbia, considering the efforts United States has been undergoing to militarize and centralize conflicts related to class. The States has been working ever since

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now