"Guest of the Nation" and "Diameter of the Bomb" Connection

The main components of "Guest of the Nation" written by Frank O'Connor highlight the major roles that brotherhood and isolationism both play in war. Hawkins and Belcher were held captive by the Irishmen, however, they were not viewed as prisoners. Noble and Bonaparte both saw the Irishmen for the good men that they were, thus unifying them all as exemplified by Belcher's constant use of the endearing term "chum". This example of brotherhood is also prevalent in the poem "Diameter of the Bomb" by Yehuda Amichai. In this poem, "brotherhood" is used in terms of linking feelings rather than the actual emotional connections shared by multiple individuals. The speaker speaks of how one single explosion unites the victim, his/her parents, their cousins, their cousin's cousins, and so on. This example of brother portrayed by Amichai shows that although brotherhood in war can be a major key to survival, it can also be the link in the chain that destroys us all.

As for the idea of isolationism, O'Connor successfully focuses on this idea after the execution of Belcher and Hawkins. Bonaparte and Noble both return to the house where the old woman waited; in this house, it was realized that one of the men felt like the execution in the bogland felt magnified, whereas the other described the situation as extremely far away. It is because of these two conflicting feelings that both Noble and Bonaparte both feel isolated from one another, ultimately tampering with their sense of brotherhood and unification. Amichai also speaks of isolation in "Diameter of the Bomb". Towards the end of the poem, the speaker focuses on a "solitary man" who is mourning the death of a young woman (Amichai 6-10). It is this sort of isolation that stokes the fires of evil; the man's loneliness in the situation of the death of the woman causes the bad in war to transcend far beyond any bomb's blast radius.

Conflict Poem

Chains and shackles hold us down;
What can lift us up?
In a society where we are oppressed,
We are forced to play catch-up.
We are not black,
We are not white.
Colors are figments of our imagination,
So why should we fight?
Equality. It lurks around corners,
Wishing it could break free.
Equal rights can only solve problems;
Making you no better than we.

Unfortunately, we all live in a world where equality constantly escapes our grasps, leaving us divided. In class, we have discussed conflicts involving man versus society; this particular conflict is what I wrote my poem based off of. In America, black men and women are subjected to unfair treatment by those "superior" to us all. This demonstration of superiority is what is slowly turning our country's people against one another. I purposefully used inclusive pronouns like "we" and "us" because the fight for racial equality lies within us all. As a white man, I have experienced nothing but a privileged lifestyle. With that being said, just because I am privileged does not mean I do not strive for equality amongst everyone. Whether you are white, black, purple, green, or a combination of a plethora backgrounds, equality should be the main goal, not only in our society but in life. In the second to last line, I said, "Equal rights can only solve problems:". No, equal rights will not cure racism or annihilate those ignorant to proper morals, however, equal rights are the beginning to the solution. In order to provide a world where racism and fear are no longer killers, we all must work towards one goal: equality.