Dramatic Between Cordoso And Silveira example essay topic

" The End of the Duel " competition can be fatal Jorge Luis Borges' " The End of the Duel" is a story about jealousy, hatred and competition. The duel is between two men from the South American region of Cerro Largo who are named Manuel Cordoso and Carmen Silveira. These two men both have acres of land that border each other. Cordoso and Silveria are " gauchos " or spanish farmers. They perform the same basic duties an American farmer performs. Competition is a regular between these two men.

If it were a horse race or a game of truck (South American card game) these two would take it to heart and compete. Cordoso and Silveira did work side by side daily, but they never ever settled their differences one on one. According to the given information in the short story, both men are not married. So they compete for women also. The central incident or climax of the story occurs when Cordoso's and Silveira's homeland finds itself in the middle of a civil war. The war consisted of the "Colorado's", or the Red's (who were in power) and the Blanco's or the Whites.

The civil war brought something dramatic between Cordoso and Silveira. They are recruited to be members of the Blanco army. This is dramatic because they both have never been on the same team, meaning they have never worked together before. The two are able to compromise life as a militiaman rather easily. Killing and sleeping outdoors came easy also because it is a second nature to them.

The whites surrender the civil battle because the Red's ground position and better equipment are superior to the Whites. The whites are captured and become prisoners to the Reds. The Red's general, Juan Patrick Nolan from Cerro Largo orders all prisoners to be put to death. Since he is from Cerro Largo, Nolan's familiarity with the rivalry between Cordoso and Silveria helps him make a better decision for the two. Instead of executing them like everyone else, Nolan orders the two to a race since they still have not yet settled their differences. The only difference between this foot race and all others is that Nolan would have their throats slit.

As time for the race approaches, many men place bets on the race. The men draw for a certain person who would bring their fate. Silveria draws the mulatto and Cordoso draws a man from Corrientes. The mulatto slits Silveria's throat ear to ear while Cordoso's throat is gaping with a narrow cut. At Nolan's signal, Cordoso and Silveria begin to run. After a few steps, Cordoso and Silveria fall, but Cordoso wins by spreading his hands as he is falling towards the ground.

The main idea of " The End of the Duel " is that being obsessed with being better that someone is not the way to live a life. A person can respect himself and respect the other's skills and abilities.