The Ugly American: A Fictional Story with a Nonfictional Message

1292 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of cultural understanding

The Authors of The Ugly American, William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick, wrote a fictional story, with fictional characters about a fictional country. The only thing that was not fictional was the message that they were trying to convey about what was wrong with America’s foreign policy. It is not a coincidence that their message directly correlates to the Special Operations (SO) Imperatives. I will discuss specific characters in The Ugly American and how their actions did or didn’t mirror those of certain SO Imperatives. Also, I will show that the actions of the characters that mirrored the SO Imperatives were able to achieve positive results.
The first SO Imperative that I will discuss is understanding the operational environment. The Honorable Louis Sears was the American Ambassador to the country of Sarkhan. He was disliked by the Sarkhanese because his manners annoyed them and he only knew a few words of their language. Those characteristics led the Sarkhanese to believe that he was stupid and their editorial cartoons reflected that. Louis Sears is a good example of not understanding the operational environment. Had he understood the operational environment he would have had a deep understanding of the Sarkhanese culture. Through his actions or lack there of he demonstrated that he knew practically nothing about the Sarkhanese. As an Ambassador, Louis Sears was a disgrace. To be an effective ambassador one should know their operational environment inside and out.
John Colvin was not an Ambassador, but he knew his operational environment inside and out. Colvin was an OSS agent during World War II and was deployed to Sarkhan. By the very nature of his profession he was required to understand his operational e...

... middle of paper ...

... Atkins knew a little of the language and was making an effort to speak to the headman in his own language. Atkins continued to speak with the headman with the few words that he knew and explained to him that he would need the help of a local worker. The local worker needed to have mechanical skills to help him build the pump and that this worker would become part-owner of the pump. After some negotiating they agreed and the headman introduced Atkins to Jeepo, the village mechanic. The American engineer and the Sarkhanese mechanic spent the rest of the day building the water pump and after a few setbacks they were satisfied that the pump met their expectations. Then Atkins and Jeepo hired some of the local villagers to start production of the water pump in Chang ‘dong. Emma and Homer Atkins quickly moved to Chang ‘dong to live and work with their new friends.

Show More
Related

  • The Application of SO Imperatives in The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    When looking at the Special Operations (SO) Imperatives, one can gain an understanding of how to change their way of looking at problems that they are faced with in any scenario. By applying these imperatives, Special Forces Soldiers can set the conditions to succeed in any situation that they find themselves in. When reading The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick, there are several examples of the correct application and the lack of application of the imperatives throughout the book. Taking a look at the Office of Strategic Service (OSS) linking up with John Colvin during the war, Father Finian and how he operated with and through others, and how Louis Krupitzyn and his wife understood their operational environment and Colonel Hillendale also mastered this skill and was the right man for the job. I will explain how the SO imperatives were applied correctly. Joe Bing and his inability to recognize the political implications while in Setkya and Tom Knox’s return trip from Cambodia serve as great examples of how the imperatives need to be applied correctly.

    Read More

  • John D. Rockefeller as a Robber Baron

    3611 Words  | 8 Pages

    Guilford, CT: Dushkin/ McGraw-Hill, 1997. Chiatkin, Anton. A. Treason in America. Washington DC: Executive Intelligence. Review, a review of the book, Divine, Breen, Frederickson, and Williams. America Past and Present.

    Read More

  • Why America Fights? Wars and Propaganda

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    Susan Brewer brilliantly illustrates the historical facts of American government propagating violence. Scrutinizing the Philippine War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Iraq War the reader discovers an eerily Orwellian government manipulating her citizens instead of educating them. Brewer states, a "propaganda campaign seeks to disguise a paradoxical message: war is not a time for citizens to have an informed debate and make up their own minds even as they fight in the name of freedom to do just that." pg. 7 The Presidents of the United States and their administrations use propaganda, generation, after generation to enter into foreign wars for profit by manipulating the truth, which it is unnecessary for our government to do to her people.

    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

  • American Intelligence After World War II

    2548 Words  | 6 Pages

    Prados, John. Safe for Democracy The Secret Wars of the CIA. Chicago, IL: Ivan R Dee, Publisher, 2006.

    Read More

  • Clear and Present Danger: Book Review

    1862 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book ‘Clear and Present Danger’ is a novel written by Tom Clancy in 1989 and published in 1990 by Thorndike-Magna Publisher (Beetz 824). This book has one thousand one hundred and forty pages, with the latest edition published by Berkley Books having six hundred and eighty eight pages. This novel like most of Clancy’s writings relies on a basic formula of good versus evil where the United States is represented as a nation that is on the right side (Sharp 398). In this novel, a United States ambassador and the visiting chief of the Federal Investigation Bureau are assassinated by Colombian drug lords. This assassination prompts a mystifying underground response and a series of investigations of the actions by the United States and the Colombian drug lords by Jack Ryan, the main character in the book (Clancy 524). This paper is review of this literary work by Tom Clancy.

    Read More

  • The Sacred and Profane in American Beauty

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    Durkheim's concepts of the sacred and the profane has dominated religious and social commentary for decades. While these two, inexorably linked, concepts are most often related with respect to religion, we can apply them to the almost-religion of the “American Dream” for the purpose of analyzing the lives of Lester and Carolyn Burnham, Buddy Kane, and Angela Hayes in the film “American Beauty.” In “American Beauty” the experiences of the characters illustrates the dichotomy between the sacred and profane, the morality associated with the sacred and profane, and the influences the sacred and profane have on the characters.

    Read More

  • Communism In The Ugly American

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    As communism was gripping Southeast Asia by the throat it became necessary for America to have virtuous diplomat relations. In the novel, The Ugly American effective and ineffective diplomatic relations were highlighted. Regular citizens such as John Colvin and Homer Atkins made leaps and bounds when it came to helping Sarkhan’s economic independence and freezing communism at its source. On the other hand, representatives like Joe Bing and Lou Sears did more for themselves than they did for the people of Sarkhan, or for the containment of communism.

    Read More

  • Alan Moore's The Watchmen

    1623 Words  | 4 Pages

    Allen Moore’s sordid depiction of twentieth century life presents a complex world, where the distinction between a virtuous hero and a villainous wrongdoer is often blurred. In stark contrast to the traditionally popularized portrayal of superheroes, whose unquestionably altruistic motives ultimately produce unrealistically idealized results; the realistically flawed characters of Watchmen exist in a multi-faceted world characterized by moral ambiguity. America’s imperialistic ambitions have long been justified as an expression of American idealism. Much like the portrayal of superheroes in popular culture, America’s intervention in foreign affairs was portrayed as the result of a clearly defined problem, where American intervention was necessary and consensual. The Watchmen exist in an American reality that does not depend on them as the archetypal hero as demonstrated by the fact that their presence is not necessary to the survival of the world.

    Read More

  • An American Tragedy

    538 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many aspects of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy that involve the moral decision versus the immoral decision and God. The main theme that Dreiser maintains throughout the novel is Immorality. Each character in the novel possesses one or more characteristics that show that he or she is partially immoral. When combined, all these elements have a strong message, that there is consequence to straying from God's path.Clyde Griffiths is the perfect example of how a person is led from God's light. At the beginning of the novel, his character is the son of poor missionary parents.

    Read More

  • ?Letter to Americans? by E. P. Thompson

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, “The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan.

    Read More

  • Kissinger: A Historiography

    4324 Words  | 9 Pages

    Hahnimäki, Jussi. The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

    Read More

  • Counterinsurgency Galula and Trinquier Theories

    1399 Words  | 3 Pages

    David Galula and Roger Trinquier have common roots, they were French citizens and both lived in the 20th century when the study of counterinsurgency theory was coming into focus. Each of these men experienced bitter conflicts of war. Galula fought in North Africa, Italy, and France. In addition, Galula fought in irregular wars located in China, Greece, Indochina, and Algeria. Galula was a lieutenant colonel when he decided to author his now classic book. Whereas, Trinquier an officer in the colonial infantry defended the French concession in Shanghai and later in Indochina under the Japanese occupation where he was held prisoner of war in a Japanese internment camp. After Trinquier’s release from prison, he continued to serve in Indochina and additionally in Algeria. Both men wrote from first-hand experience and published their accounts in 1964 while the Cold War waged. Communism ideology vs. the free world theorists collided across the face of the globe in a race for domination. Counterinsurgency has been an American strategy since the 1960s ebbing and flowing in strategic signi...

    Read More

  • All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    This book is written from a perspective foreign to most Americans. Historically, American students are taught from a single perspective, that being the American perspective. This approach to history (the single perspective) dehumanizes the enemy and glorifies the Americans. We tend to forget that those on the opposing side are also human.

    Read More

  • An American Tragedy

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    Life, it can be beautiful, happy, or sad. Life can be any emotion that you can think of. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser, puts us through all these emotions in showing us the extremes in happiness, sadness, anger, and many other emotions to show us what real life is like. To do this most accurately, Dreiser bases his two-book story on a true-life tale about a man and what his rage did to his life.

    Read More

More about The Ugly American: A Fictional Story with a Nonfictional Message

Open Document