Ambrose Bierces Chickamauga Essay example -- Ambrose Bierce Chickamau

Ambrose Bierces ChickamaugaAmbrose Bierces short story, Chickamauga, scrutinizes the Statesn values, specifically, Americas identifying with the natural human race. Bierce is critical of the American association with divine component part, which has manifested itself throughout history in the form of John Winthrops City upon a hill speech, the nonion of the white mans burden, and Manifest Destiny. American history, in the scope of the short story, is one of perceived rightly subjection of others. Bierce satirizes this philosophy by use of the child as a revelation of American values that ar eventually shown to be creaky and weak.The orifice paragraph summarizes American history in abstract terms It was expert in a new sensation of freedom from control, happy in the opportunity of exploration and adventure for this childs spirit, in bodies of its ancestors, had for thousands of historic period been trained to memorable feats of discovery and conquest (455). The diction Bierce uses conveys a sense of warmongering and that war and conquest is what brings about memorable feats. The ever expanding frontier, the cross-continental explorations, and the colonizing of the West, though, are all described by Bierce in terms of a diverting child going to play in the woods unabated and undetected (Ibid). Bierce undermines the notion that American conquests in the past were grand exploits of a favour and godly people.Bierce also uses hyperbole in describing the childs contend in the woods. Though the child is merely contend war in his mind, Bierce describes him as a mightier conqueror and the mightiest (Ibid). This diction of grandeur is juxtaposed with the hyrax scaring the child away With a startled cry the child... ...nquest do not give triumph to one nation and defeat for another, but kinda bring about defeat for all.Thus, Bierce satirizes American culture and the popular beliefs of destiny and natural superiority associated with his time. Ame rican history is shown to be nothing more than than a deaf and mute child roaming in the wilderness playing war games. The arrogant notion of superiority is described as feeble and ultimately destructive. Bierce calls upon Americans to view themselves with a kind of humility toward the natural world and its it place inside of it no longer should Americans see themselves as privileged, instead, they should manufacture humbled.Works CitedBierce, Ambrose. Chickamauga. The Heath Anthology of American Literature Volume C new-fashioned Nineteenth Century 1865-1910. Ed. Suzanne P. Weir. Boston, New York Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 455-459.