Bruce Catton and Christ Lee are both profound American journalists
Bruce Catton and Christ Lee are both profound American journalists and authors who wrote outstanding articles that got the attention of many. Bruce Catton was born on October 9, 1989, and died on August 28, 1978. He was an award-winning journalist and historian, well recognized for his articles on the American Civil War. In his famous “Grant and Lee: A Study Contrast” essay, the author compares and contrasts General Grant and General Lee in many aspects. He compares and contrasts the actions and beliefs of two generals who played a significant role in ending the American Civil War. Bruce Catton shows he acknowledges over those two generals by analyzing the facts of the war to go into depth behind the generals. He uses symbolism to compare two vastly different American generals who shared one unyielding quality.
On the other hand, Chris Lee wrote “Invasion of the Body Builders” in 2011. In this article, Lee describes the issue of the “Macho Man’s” a. He emphasizes that bodybuilders are normal humans, yet the many see them as superheroes. This paper examines the works of the two authors, and now their articles show the importance of diversity in personality and character.
First of all, the brief dissimilarities aspects that Bruce Catton illustrates in his essays are; The two generals are from different social classes. Also, they both had different ideas on nation affairs; thus, they fought for two sides separated during the Civil War. Moreover, Catton beliefs their opposing views resulted in Grant winning the war and Lee losing it.
Robert Lee and Grant were different in many ways; however, their backgrounds differ the most. Lee is a family-oriented man of a noble aristocratic family. He believes that family is the key to success. He also supports the ideology that the old refined concept is well might prosper in America. Lee clings to his beliefs and will fight to protect them. He supported the idea that advantaged in human society to be given clear priorities. He valued civility, family, culture, and tradition and wanted things to remain the same.
On the other hand, The westerner Grant came up the hard way. He believes that the key to success is hardworking to make your path, self-reliance, and working hard for what you already have. His tough life molded him to be the man he became. He beliefs in change and fought for it. The author used symbolism to illustrate that Grant’s advanced knowledge, in turn, would lead to “The great age of steel and machinery of crowded cities and burgeoning vitality.” He symbolized the hope and future of America, unlike Lee, who believed in the old fashioned idea.
Robert E. Lee supported the old aristocratic concept where the nobble were more advantaged because of their status. His focus was on family, culture, and tradition. He believed in the old system that came through knighthood. As America was starting all over again, Lee thought no change was necessary. He despised the idea of equal rights for all. He stood for the belief that the advantaged in society should have pronounced inequality. According to him, there should be feudal classes and social stratification backed by ownership of land. Besides, this class is accepted to have a strong sense of obligation to their society; the very fact gave them these solemn obligations that they belong to nobble class. Lee’s men fought desperately for four years to uphold these beliefs. Catton used symbolism to demonstrate confederacy and confederate soldiers. In this case, Lee stands for everything they were fighting for. They were ready to die for his idea of hierarchy and inequity.
On the other hand, Grant’s believes were the exact opposite of Lee’s. He thought that every man should fight to earn his place in society. He did not care about the past; to him, the future was everything. Catton describes this act as “having a sharp eye for the future.” General Grant has overcome many obstacles to get to where he was; this supports the belief of self-reliance. Grant and his men were dissatisfied with the past, the reason they fought for change. Grant stood for the notion that privileges should be earned and life as a competition; thus, General Lee represented the American past where else Grant represented its future.
Grant’s devotion was to the national community. He had already developed farms and businesses, and the only way he could prosper is if he is community prospered. The Westerners occupied vast last that extends from Canada to Mexico. He believed that he could better himself if the land was settled, leading to the development of towns and railways as well as markets. According to Grant, his success is determined by the success of his nation. He was a patriotic general who fought for the development of his country.
On the contrary, the Virginia aristocrat only focused on his region. To him, change was inevitable. He belonged to the nobble in society and did not want tables to be turned. His devotion was to his locality, and he would die to protect it. On the other hand, Grant would fight with equal tenacity for an encyclopedic notion of the society; he believed in growth, expansion, and widening of borders. He was ready to fight with all the resources he got to bring change and development in the entire country.
After discussing tones of differences between Grant and Lee, Catton uses a tone of shifts and begins to discuss their similarities. He concludes that they were both strong and influential leaders who put the interests of their people before theirs. Also, they were both tenacious fighters and resourceful risk takers and that they succeeded in turning the war into peace.
Chris Lee Invasion of the Body Builders
In his article, “Invasion of Bodybuilders,” Chris Lee emphasizes that bodybuilders are regular people; they don’t possess any superpowers whatsoever. People viewed them as muscular superheroes who have the strength to do anything. He addresses the fact that people are changing their way of life and culture to become like those bodybuilders. Most of these bodybuilders are actors who spend substantial hours in the gym to build their bodies for a role in the movie.
In conclusion, the two authors covered issues that were happening in today’s society. There are still many smaller communities that love their tradition, and they don’t want to change and adapt the new ways. On the other hand, there are those who are going through tougher lifestyles, and they must fight to achieve what they want in their lives. Also, many people put their families before everything else while there are others who go for years without talking to their families. Chris Lee directly addresses the issue that is affecting most of the youths today. They struggle every day of their lives in order to build bodies like their idols.