Instructor’s name
Student’s name
Course
The Battle of the Ants
The narrative “The Battle of the Aunts” represents one of the best pieces done by David Thoreau. It primarily describes a conflict between two species of ants which seek to gain dominance over each other. The story uses mostly different types of ants, one black and two red, to illustrate the perpetual conflicts that plague human beings. In this case, ants are a metaphor that depicts war as pointless and futile. The story starts with a narration of ants fighting each other at the woodchips before discovering that the conflict is massive. In this conflict, the black and red ants were fighting more violently compared to human beings. The writer limits his description to the red and black ants and examines them using a microscope. He notices that the red ants cut the limps of most of the black ones before the remaining black one severed their head and left the scene. The narration shows a brutal conflict where life is lost unnecessarily, similar to human wars. Therefore, Thoreau uses metaphors in the narrative to show that wars between nations are unnecessary and futile.
Firstly, the narration by the author in the text ridicules war by making it appear like a spectator sport. For instance, he notes in the story that the combatants “had their musical bands stationed while playing their national tunes as they cheered the dying soldiers” (Thoreau). This description shows that most people who start wars do not care about the lives lost but instead see it as a sport. The author believes that some aspects of war are comparable to cheerleaders and football players. The author proceeds to point out the primary purpose of the story to ensure the readers understand. In this instance, he notes that the ants are comparable to human beings by stating that when a person thinks about the two, he is likely to see no difference. Besides, he notes that most people in the world are mistaken to believe that engaging in war is an act of heroism and patriotism. He believes that conflicts can only make the lives of people worse instead of making them better, as most people think. For example, the ants fought the war with passion and commitment, believing that it could make their future better. However, Thoreau wants his audience to understand that the ants were wrong because conflict could not change anything. Therefore, war is not a sport but instead, something dangerous that leads to the loss of precious lives.
Secondly, the writer tries to show the similarities between human beings and the ants engaged in the war by showing their motivations and emotions. He starts by describing their motivation during the war as being to “conjure or to die” (Thoreau). In this instance, three ants went into battle, knowing that they would win or perish similarly to human beings. The phrase, therefore, helps the readers to relate the subject matter to the happenings in their society. Besides, Thoreau depicts war as a concept filled with propaganda and demonized rhetoric. He believes that most people do not understand the negative impacts of war. He, therefore, tries to belittle it compared to other events in the world by concentrating on one ant. In this case, the story turns from focusing on the whole conflict to the actions of the individual ant. According to the narrator, the ant being focused on lived at the hillside of the valley. He further compares the aunt to a human soldier by noting that the mother asked it to “return with its shield’ (Thoreau). The red aunt could analyze the battlefield and deciding when to attack its enemies. Therefore, the aunt indirectly represents the human being in battle and the suffering they experience.
The mother of the ant showed hope when it encouraged the red ant to go to war and return with its shield after the conflict. However, the outcome of the war is unpredictable, with the unsatisfactory result that leads to loss of life. For instance, when the three ants collided, the author shows the limited sense of hope and adverse outcomes of the war. He notes that “three were united for life as if a new form of attraction was invented to place other cement and locks to shame” (Thoreau). Thoreau uses this line to illustrate the destructive nature of war and a false sense of hope it creates. Also, the line shows the emotional and personal connections people are capable of having, implying that they should be made in better conditions rather than in war. Therefore, the author critically used his story to illustrate the insignificant nature of war and its adverse impacts on human beings.
Ultimately, Thoreau uses metaphors in the narrative to show that wars between nations are unnecessary and futile. Firstly, the narration by the author ridicules war by making it appear like a sport. The author believes that some aspects of war are comparable to cheerleaders and football players. This description shows that most people who start wars do not care about the lives lost but instead see it as a sport. Secondly, he reveals the similarities between human beings and ants by showing their motivations and emotions. He starts by describing their motivation during the war as being to “conjure or to die.” In this instance, three ants went into battle, knowing that they would win or perish similarly to human conflicts. The phrase, therefore, helps the readers to relate the subject matter to the happenings in their society. Countries around the world face various disputes that have undesirable results to the populace. Thus, the author carefully crafted his narrative to highlight the negative impacts of war and to show why people should resist conflict. He believes that most people do not understand the harmful effects of war. He, therefore, tries to belittle it compared to other events in the world by concentrating on one ant.
Works cited
Thoreau, Henry David, Bradford Torrey, and Franklin Benjamin Sanborn. The Writings of Henry David Thoreau Vol. 20. Houghton, Mifflin, 1906.