Critical analysis of the Grant and Lee: Astudy in contrasts by Bruce Catton - Essay Example

Grant and Lee Introduction The essay written by Catton leaves the reader in doubt about the content of the work from the very title itself. It becomes quite apparent from the sub-title that Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are contrasting figures which have enough differences between them to warrant a study on them. Additionally, even without knowing American history or the role these men played in the civil war, the reader would know that since they are being contrasted to each other, the men must have some connection to each other. Topic While the topic clarifies what the essay would contain, the purpose of the essay only becomes clear at the end of the document when the readers realize that the study in contrasts is also a study in similarities as both Lee and Grant are willing to sit down and negotiate a peace when the battle has been lost and won. The thesis of the essay also points towards this direction that these men had very different ideas about what American society should be and each had their own reasons to suggest that their viewpoint was better than the others. However, once the decision had been made with regard to victory, they were also quick to find peace and settle their differences. Organization Perhaps the most interesting element about the essay is the manner in which it is organized. Catton starts with Lee and describes not only his background but his notions and ideas as well. In fact, he does it so well that the readers might be swayed to agree with the ideas that Lee believed to be true. Considering the times that General Lee lived in, the idea of having a leisure class and individuals of supposedly greater abilities who could govern the people with lesser abilities would naturally appeal to the upper classes. The ideas of nobelse oblige and deference were simply carried on from England to Virginia where people like General Lee firmly believed in them. In fact, applying them in spirit might have created a situation where people like General Grant would have benefited from their high social position. However, Catton informs the readers that General Grant came from a social situation which would have made it more or less impossible for him to rise to the position of a general in the army. In his life, there were no privileged people except those who had won privileges through their hard work and personal effort. Instead of an aristocratic system which perpetuated power for only the elite class, Grant came from a world where power was supposed to be handed down to the people who could use it to make sure that their representatives governed with their consent. In essence, while Lee justified inequality, Grant believed in equality or at least some version of it. After showing these contrasts, Catton describes how these contrasts affected the men and the decisions made by them. Their differences gave them the will and the reason to fight with one another. Each believing in the superiority of his cause while considering the cause of the other to be a noble desire but inherently flawed. Their belief in the righteousness of their cause gave them the strength to fight, the will to go on and in the case of Lee, he even became a symbol for his army who continued to fight for him despite having little hope of victory or being able to win a decisive battle. Catton concludes with how he considers their greatest ability to be the recognition of when peace had become necessary and where the surrender had to be done to prevent more bloodshed. While many would consider this to be a defeat for the south, Catton gives the south a moral victory since the act of surrender itself allowed the country to become one nation again and allowed America to become great. Despite one having won the war and the other having lost the war, the greatness of the individuals is not tarnished by Catton. Instead of men who fought with one another and engaged in a war which caused the deaths of thousands, they become men who actually set a new direction for America and a new path for the nation to follow which can only lead the entire country towards greatness. Like a symphony, the arrangement of the essay makes the final crescendo when we realize that no man has been made a villain and both remain heroes for Catton. What effect does the writer achieve by setting both his INTRODUCTION and his CONCLUSION in Appomattox? The setting of both the introduction and the conclusion in Appomattox gives the entire essay a starting point and a finishing point which takes the discussion full circle to come back to the notion of greatness. We know at the beginning of the essay that Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are meeting to discuss the terms of the surrender for General Lee but we do not know how the got there nor do we know any details about the men themselves. Catton then takes us on a tour of these individuals lives and more than just tell us about their lives, he also gives us important insights into their minds and how they thought of the various situations that they had been placed in. the contrasts become more obvious as Catton compares one man to the other and shows us how the ideas of both men would be held dear by them and they would be very willing to go to war to protect their ideas. However, once the war is over, the men are also willing to settle their differences and come to terms. This coming to terms happens in Appomattox which connects back to the introduction where the first scene of the essay is played out. With the introduction and the conclusion both being set in Appomattox, Catton gives the essay a sense of completeness and even though it is a relatively short essay, it takes us from Appomattox and takes us all over America to show the different viewpoints of the individuals involved in the surrender to bring us back to Appomattox where the surrender is actually taking place. Works Cited Catton, B. ‘Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts’, in The Bedford reader eds. Kennedy, X. Kennedy, D. Aaron, J. Word Count: 1,071 Read More