Compare and Contrast

Compare and Contrast The relationship between a father and son stems from an unspoken competition in many countries. Whether it is a physical or mental rivalry the superior role slowly transcends on to the son as he grows into a man. In Brad Manning's short story "Arm Wrestling With My Father," and Itabari Njeri's "When Morpheus Held Him," both contain admiring sons and impassive fathers. Despite both stories similarities in unspoken emotions they differ in the aspect of their physical relationships. This unrequited bond between a father and son in these stories portray various types of love. Throughout Brad Manning's anecdote about arm wrestling he refers to his father as "the arm" or "the master with clenched fists." The embodiment of his father in these empowered limbs shows the dominating figure once held over him. "Daddy," was the only personal name Itabari Njeri's father allowed him to say. If Njeri did not settle for "Daddy," "Dr. Moreland" would have to due. There is a sterile and clinical connotation in referring one's father as Doctor. Manning's states," the man would win," also giving an impersonal and cold feeling to his "strong father." But this impersonal name was not forced upon Manning as Njeri's father had done. Manning's "father-son" matches battling "arm against arm" was their only means of communication. Manning decodes his father's crude "ritual," as he grows older. Itabari's father was," viewed in isolation," making it impossible for any kind of relationship to form. Young sons typically envy their father figure. Many sons are astonished at their father's ability to be flawless. Laughing, "through his perfect white teeth," shows Brad's positive envy of his father's appearance. In disgust, Njeri describes his father's "hairy legs," "breasts that could fill a B cup," and "balding head." Njeri describes his father with a loathsome tone. Brad and his father's "senior class" in high school admired his father's impeccable physique. His father worked hard on roads and dredges when he was younger, creating his impenetrable strength. Manning concludes "I admired him for that." Dr. Moreland's "beer belly [weighed] down the waistband of his shorts." Dr. Moreland radiates a sloth like appearance from his son's less than flattering description. As Manning grew older his admiration faded into sympathy and pity. "I was feeling sorry for my father," as "our roles begun to switch." The torch was passed on to the now adult son leaving Manning with a feeling of regret. As Dr. Moreland's, "drunken rages ended," Njeri felt safe, as his father lay out, drunk with sleep. "Morpheus held him," close giving him an innocent face. As Manning's story concludes, Brad reciprocates the love and emotions his father enclosed, "in that language [they] shared." Manning's admiration remains just as strong in the remainder of the story, and he comes to terms with his father's unique form of bonding. Itabari's father hold's himself with immense knowledge but was," fueled by his sense of insignificance." This weakens Itabari's father's brute appearance.
Communication was always relayed to Brad Manning through "athleticism and strength." This "physical relationship," was one with positive and endearing feelings. This strong "arm" also "protected and provided," his family. This impervious arm kept his wife "safe" as opposed to the father in Itabari Njeri's narrative. Njeri's father used his physical strength in the form of abuse. "He hauled off and punched her in the mouth," this horrifying incident was "cryptically" "leaked" from Njeri's "very gentle" mother. Brad Manning's father would show his affection with coaching advice and ways to "gain confidence in [Brad's] ability." Njeri's bares witness to his father "hitting [his] mother," and is stricken with terror from his father's "harsh voices." Njeri relentlessly returns to his room with a feeling of "vulnerability." In Manning and Njeri's personal accounts of opposing father-son bonds gives the reader a strong sense of respect. Despite Njeri's troubling and abusive past, he still provides the reader with his father's honor. Brad Manning depicted a traditional competition between a father and his son.