The Ugly America Sparknotes

1534 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The ugly american in depth analysis

The novel, The Ugly America, by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick, was published in 1958. The story takes place during the height of the cold war in the early 1950’s in Southeast Asia, centering on the fictional country of Sarkhan. The United States is attempting to defeat communism in Southeast Asia and gain supremacy over the Soviet Union. Unlike their Russian counterparts, the diplomats representing the United States in this mission to defeat communism in Sarkhan fail to understand the local culture and address the needs of the people. Assigned to Sarkhan, Ambassador Gilbert MacWhite is dedicated and intelligent, employing a prodigious effort to fulfill the mission. During MacWhite’s tenure, other U.S. officials and citizens are able to invoke positive change. However, the failure of high level diplomats, without a clear strategy, undermines their efforts. In the end, Ambassador MacWhite makes several key mistakes. He is unable to execute the change necessary to address the threat of communism, poverty, and underdevelopment in Sarkhan, leaving him responsible for the failure of his mission. In 1954, the Honorable Gilber MacWhite was sent to replace Louis Sears as ambassador of Sarkhan. A year earlier, Louis Sears, accepted the role of Ambassador to Sarkhan. He was there only waiting for a Federal judgeship appointment, which just became available in the United States. As Ambassador, Sears is completely unqualified with no propensity for diplomacy or respect for the Sarkhanese people, refusing to even learn the Sarkhanese language. Indicative of the overall kind of ignorance expected from U.S. Officials, Sears ignores the brutal beating of American John Colvin to stop him from introducing milk into the Sarkhan eco... ... middle of paper ... ...nure there are individuals who cultivate a positive change in the lives of the people in Sarkhan and Southeast Asia. These individuals are able to win friends for America and improve the living conditions of those who desperately need it. Unfortunately, Ambassador MacWhite failed to do the same. The full responsibility for the failure of his mission in Sarkan falls on MacWhite. Although dedicated, he was unprepared for the realities of Southeast Asia. Among all the mistakes he made, in each one he failed to start with the smaller things. He was reminded throughout his tenure both by the examples of individuals making a difference and direct suggestion from respected officials. Had he established a feeling of genuine concern for the population and a set of principles to combat the problems in Sarkhan, he may have succeeded in shaping foreign policy in the region.

Show More
Related

  • Mark Atwood Lawrence´s The Vietnam War: A Concise International History

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lawrence’s purpose in writing this book was concise and to the point. In recent history, due to the fall of the Soviet bloc, new information has been made available for use in Vietnam. As stated in the introduction, “This book aims to take account of this new scholarship in a brief, accessible narrative of the Vietnam War… It places the war within the long flow of Vietnamese history and then captures the goals and experiences of various governments that became deeply embroiled in the country during the second half of the twentieth century” (Lawrence, 3.) This study is not only about the American government and how they were involved in the Vietnam conflict, but highlights other such countries as France, China, and the Soviet Union. Lawrence goes on to say that one of his major goals in writing this book is to examine the American role in Vietnam within an international context (Lawrence, 4.) Again, this goes to show that the major purpose of Lawrence’s study included not only ...

    Read More

  • The Closing of the American Book by Andrew Solomon

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Closing of the American Book,” published in the New York Times Magazine, Andrew Solomon argues about how the decline of literary reading is a crisis in national health, politics, and education. Solomon relates the decline of reading with the rise of electronic media. He believes that watching television and sitting in front of a computer or a video screen instead of reading can cause the human brain to turn off, and lead to loneliness and depression. He also argues that with the decrease of reading rates, there will no longer be weapons against “absolutism” and “terrorism,” leading to the United States political failure in these battles. The last point Solomon makes is that there is no purpose behind America being one of the most literate societies in history if people eradicate this literacy, and so he encourages everyone to help the society by increasing reading rates and making it a “mainstay of community.” Solomon tries to show the importance of reading in brain development and he encourages people to read more by emphasizing the crisis and dangers behind the declination of reading.

    Read More

  • Portrait Of America Sparknotes

    1864 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the process of reading this compilation of works, Portrait of America, many different point of views were aired. The opinion or attitude on the subject was too tainted. The authors were very biased to their perception of the "story". This book could have been much more beneficial if the facts would have stayed to the straight and narrow. Only the detrimental facts needed to be applied to these chapters. For a history class, as broad as this, this book opened too many doors that could not be explained in as much detail as would be liked. Many of the authors enjoyed mentioning the most scandalous moments of the people's lives then dropped the fact without much support or follow through as to what happened to cause or end these events. Brief summaries only tease the mind, and with the course load of most students, there is hardly extra time to investigate the matter further in detail. For a class such as History 152, biographies and/or documentary style books are more worth the while of the student. For instance make a list of a selection of novels that could be read for the class, so that every student can then explore in depth what that student thinks is interesting. Although the book was teasing in nature the chapters did flow well and were easy to read. The procession of the chapters had wonderful transition as to not loose the student. While proceeding through this book there were several different reoccurring topics that appeared. This paper will discuss these two reoccurring topics: the civil rights movement and former presidents.

    Read More

  • The USA Should NOT Have Entered the Vietnam War

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though out history, American has had its hand in conflict with other countries. Some of those conflicts have turned out into wars. Looking back at America’s “track record” with war, America has a worthy past of having its citizen’s support. Obviously the two World Wars we not controversial. The United States in the Korean War was criticized, fairly, for its strategy, but the need to defend South Korea was never questioned. In only the Vietnam War was the United States’ very participation criticized. This is such a gigantic change with prior wars that it bears study as to why it happened, and better yet, should have it happened. This paper will discuss the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, by asking the simple question, Should have the Untied States’ gotten involved into the first place. This paper will prove that in fact, America should have not gotten involved with the Vietnam War.

    Read More

  • The Ugly American: A Look at the Special Operations Imperatives

    2519 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Ugly American was written in 1958 and was meant to be an indictment on the U.S. government’s failures in foreign policy. The book provides valuable lessons that we can learn from today as special operators. I will use several stories and characters in this book and my own personal stories to explore if the Special Operatives (SO) Imperatives were applied and analyze if we as Special Operations Forces (SOF) are applying them well today. We, as SOF, should never be afraid of learning new principals or examining principals from the past to see if they are applicable. The Ugly American is a good example of a work from the past, even though it is fiction, which we can learn from today.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Richard Blanco's 'America'

    1032 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poems are forms of communication that give an applicable view of the past, present and future events. Reading the poem titled “America”, written by Richard Blanco brought me memories from my childhood in my parent’s house and also what is happening now in my house as a parent. The poem explains how one person doesn’t have all the knowledge about something. It also, describes the daily life struggles I experienced during my childhood, when my parent 's and I moved from our hometown to live in another town becuase of their work and it brings to light the conflict of cultures I and my children are going through since we moved to United State of America .

    Read More

  • Washington's Farewell Address

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    George Washington, the first president of the United States, had written a very important historical speech and document towards the end of his time in office. He had written the Farewell address which focused on helping America understand the importance of preserving unity, acknowledging the rise of political parties forming, strengthening religion and morality, and he stated his position on American foreign policy. He addressed these ideas with strong tone and used incredible amount of dictions that strengthens his tone as well as representing his appeal to ethos to a strong degree. However, today’s society seemed to forget Washington’s position on foreign policy and has created a new form of the policy. But nonetheless as time grew, change occurs. In today’s society Washington’s foreign policy would include many positive and negative manifestations, but it is still a speech and document that will always apply to America.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Book ' Of The Unknown Americans '

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    After reading The Book of the Unknown Americans, I realized how difficult immigrating to the United States can be. I am an immigrant also, so just reading the story makes me relate to many problems immigrants experience relocating to a different country. Immigrants often face many issues and difficulties, but for some it is all worth it, but for others there comes a point in time where they have to go back to their hometown. Alma and Arturo Rivera came to the United States to better their life, but also so that Maribel could attend a special education school. While Arturo had a job things had gone well for the family, but once Arturo lost the job and passed away the two of them had to go back because they felt that that was the best option for them. Reading this book made me realize how strong an individual has to be to leave their own country and relocate somewhere else not knowing if this will better your life or cause one to suffer.

    Read More

  • Lords of War Simulation

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mingst, K. A. (2011). Essentials of international relations. (5th ed., p. 81). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company.

    Read More

  • Rereading America

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing written by; Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, Eighth Edition, published April, 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin’s, is a textbook about writing and critical thinking. In the first chapter of Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing, “Thinking Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths”, the Authors begin by setting a relatable scene of what it’s like for a college student. How a new found independence can be overwhelming, especially with regards to critical thinking, showing that what we have learned, needs to be re-evaluated and that an open mind in essential. "What Is Critical Thinking" In this section of the chapter the editors explain what it means to be a critical thinker. They explain that critical thinking is not just studying dates and facts, but rather taking those facts and examining them. The editors then proceed by explaining how having an open mind, and taking others' perspectives into account when formulating our own opinions on what the author is trying to say to us is important. A critical thinker takes all aspects into account and reflects on personal experience as well. The editors also point out that different cultural experiences bring different opinions. They suggest that we need to become active learners, continuously questioning the meaning behind everything, testing not only the theories of others but also our own experiences and analyzing the text rather than going for the obvious. They show that thinking outside the box is the epitome of critical thinking. Basically, we need to step outside our comfort zones and what we have always been taught. The editors also suggest that we need to re-evaluate our per...

    Read More

  • John Marks's Incivility In America

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article “Incivility in America” was written by John Marks and published by U.S. News and World Report. This article revolves around the incivility in America today and around the main things that promote incivility. Incivility is referring to someone’s behavior and

    Read More

  • Three Presidents Reform Policies from 1901-1920

    1846 Words  | 4 Pages

    Iryie, Akira. The Cambridge History of American Foreign Relations: The Globalizing of America, 1913-1945. Volume 3. New York: Cambridge University Press 1993

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of 'America' By Tony Hoagland

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem “America” by Tony Hoagland reflects on how peoples’ minds are clouded by small-scale items, money, and the unimportance of those items. Metaphors and imagery are utilized to emphasize the unimportance of materialistic items in America. How America is being flooded with unnecessary goods. The poem uses examples of people to create an example and connection to the overall meaning.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Masters of War, by Bob Dylan

    2172 Words  | 5 Pages

    Taubman, William. Stalin's American Policy: From Entente to Detente to Cold War. New York: Norton, 1982. Print.

    Read More

  • The Birth Of An American Nation

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    The birth of an American nation began with the establishment of various colonies along the east approximately next to the abundant Atlantic Ocean. The colonies can be divided into 4 units. The colonies that settled in the New World were New England, Chesapeake, Middle Colonies, and the Carolinas. The European immigrants thought themselves as being the first inhabitants of the new nation, but were faced with a reality that Native Americans were already settled in the land. What was to come was years of hardship and war.

    Read More

More about The Ugly America Sparknotes

Open Document