In the article “Sleuthing Patriotic Slogans” by Gary Sloan, Sloan shares his thoughts with readers about seemingly problematic patriotic messages. Readers are presented with his point of view concerning “Patriotic Slogans” (Sloan 1). The myriad of slogans are seen just about everywhere and may not necessarily be taken at face value. That is to say, depending on how they are viewed by the individual, they can be problematic. Sloan’s primary point is though thought of as words that should bring people together on common ground, intended to bring forth a sense of agreement around the subject; the patriotic expressions can sometimes be conflicting and not necessarily be a positive thing. Thus, the article questions various patriotic expressions, parsing the words for what they mean.
Sloan begins his article by describing how patriotic expressions are plentiful in the US. He characterizes the
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He is deep in self-thought as he continues with his point that common patriotic phrases are not necessarily positive and may seem problematic for a reader. Sloan indicates that someone with issues of patriotism or issues of authority may have difficulty agreeing with the expression because some slogans demand that readers agree. Rather than dismissing what might be considered absurd, maybe even in his own mind, he explores and analyzes other various examples of these patriotic expressions in terms of actions as if they were acted upon.
In the majority of the article, more than half, Sloan seriously questions patriotic slogans. He examines the words of each one that comes to mind and provides illustrations that question the particular slogans meaning. Furthermore, each of his observations is followed up with a question. To conclude the article, Sloan returns to his original thought about the particular flyer that caught his attention to begin with, asking himself how he can do what it
Liberty is held in the high esteem by nearly all Americans; the innate sense of freedom is simply human nature to yearn and fight for. As exemplified in both John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address and Learned Hand's "I am an American Day Address," the ambiguity of liberty allows for various interpretations, but tends to focus on a few main points. Both men agree that liberty cannot be guaranteed by the state government or the courts, and that fighting is necessary to ensure freedom for all. Kennedy's inaugural speech not only reinforces Hand's stance on the spirit of liberty, but further develops and supports
“With liberty and justice for all” is undoubtedly one of the most commonly spoken phrases in America. Unfortunately, when most Americans speak this phrase, the meaning does not carry through. This closing line from The Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, aims to show how society during the 1900s needed to be inspired and more actively patriotic (Deppner). With this pledge Bellamy intended to instill the American citizens with a sense of pride and satisfaction in their country.
shows how our flag still waved through so many hardships and proved that the people united creates the land of the free and the home of the brave. Another quote from the song, “A home and a country should leave us no more?” tells us that we all should know that America and it provides us with so much we need to live a happy and safe life. America is both a home and a country. A home is something that makes you feel safe and happy, America is more than that. The third quote, “Between the lov’d homes, and the war's desolation; Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land, Praise the pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!” explains to people that we are fighting for our home, the war is over and we will always find victory and peace in our home, we have power inside us, united as
An example would be “Be Sure You Have Correct Time.” This poster, aimed to persuade the minds of many Americans to adopt anti-foreign policies on many countries who were going to war with us at the same time. Therefore, the propaganda was trying to exploit the foreign countries’ citizens who we were at war with. A second example would be the poster titled, “This is the Enemy.”
In these three writings, Harry Macarthy's “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” George F. Root’s “Battle Cry of Freedom,” and “The John Brown Song.” Display their views on how society fought for their freedoms. Men were told they had to fight, causing many to die because of fear. All of these writings express the value of freedom and how all people should have rights. In the American Reader by Diane Ravitch, almost all of the readings are similar in the sense that everyone wanted equal rights, Natural Rights, and a strong but not too powerful government.
On March 23, 1775 “ Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” was heard all throughout St. John's Church. These famous words were not only the use of a great speaker looking to have his voice heard, but they would have an everlasting impact on young English students studying the use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Patrick Henry used not only these rhetorical devices but also allusions, parallelism, and biblical references to bring his speech to life. In the very first sentence, Henry uses ethos to state how he is patriotic to his home
For instance, Toby Keith states that “American Girls and American Guys; We’ll always stand up and salute”. This expression highlights the character of the society – always ready to support the country, no matter what happens. The repetition – American – suggests the strong bond between the citizens and their homeland. Moreover, an unquestioning value for the people is a devotion for the USA. Aaron Tippin’s lyrics show it in a very straightforward way – “I pledge the allegiance to this flag”.
His use of emotional adjectives and strong words empowers and motivates his audience to remember their trials and hardships so that they may take strength in them, enough to unify the country. For instance, his use of the words and phrases “injuries,” “unfair,” “dangers and difficulties,” and “days
On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry gave his famous speech, “Liberty or Death” at the Virginia Convention to important government men. In this speech, Henry creates more than one appeal to win the audience over. Towards the beginning and throughout the speech, Henry uses an ethical appeal and from the middle, also throughout, he uses a logical appeal. Henry expresses his points through appealing to the audience’s trust by establishing his credibility and building up his reputation as a speaker.
In the 1940s, America was faced with a great decision, one that would affect not only the United States, but potentially the world. To enter war, or not to enter war? That was the question. Whether ‘tis more patriotic in the Americas to “sacrifice…normal interests in life in order to insure the safety and the welfare of [America]” or to take arms against a world of troubles, and by opposing end them (Lindbergh, and a little Shakespeare). Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles Lindbergh represented the two sides of this argument: one strongly favored war while the other thought it would cause turmoil.
The Irony of “Born in the U.S.A.” As the fireworks explode in the night sky to celebrate Independence Day, “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen plays loudly for the audience to hear. As the men, women, and children bellow out the chorus proudly, they never seem to grasp its intended meaning. By studying the appeals and irony used in Springsteen’s lyrics, it is easy to see how Springsteen’s message of the poor treatment of Vietnam War veterans is misconstrued by millions of listeners into American pride. Springsteen’s intended audience is a group made up of mainly white, blue collar Americans-
Rhetorical Essay Analysis World War II is a time of great struggle for humanity, especially for those within the midst of the battlegrounds. During the June of 1940 in an attempt to boost his citizen’s morale and confidence, Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), gave his speech “We shall fight on the beaches” at the British House of Commons. The rhetorical purpose of this speech is to convince the people of the UK that they have a fighting chance against the Axis forces, even if the worst comes to show. In order to gain people’s support, Churchill employed the rhetorical strategies of historical evidence and emotional appeal.
When most people hear the words “Fourth of July” they think about fireworks, cookouts, and sparklers. During the 1850’s, the Fourth of July served as a reminder of the many horrors and injustices in the world. On July 4, 1852, Frederick Douglass-- a former American slave, abolitionist leader and adroit speaker-- spoke in Rochester, New York about the affectation of celebrating independence. In his speech, “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery”, he claims celebrating independence is unethical when slavery is widespread. To convince the reader of his claim, he uses rhetorical questions, emotional appeal, and antithesis in hopes of shedding light and sparking action on the wrongful situation.
In Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s article, “Insulting Colin Kaepernick Says More About Our Patriotism”, the author argues that Colin Kaepernick’s choice to not stand with his teammates during the US national anthem was patriotic. Abdul-Jabbar first compares Kaepernick’s choice to Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Sam Kendricks’ decision to interrupt his pole vaulting attempt at the Rio Olympics and stand at attention when the US national anthem came on. He believes that Kaepernick and Kendricks should be praised because they both behaved in a patriotic way. Abdul-Jabbar reminds us that Kaepernick’s reason for not standing during the national anthem is due to ‘things that are going on that are unjust that people aren’t being held accountable for.
He wants to illustrate that we should question what we are told. Ron Paul, an American physician, author, and former Republican congressman alleged “ Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it’s wrong”. Unquestioned obedience is not the same as patriotism. The voice of liberty should not be mute. People should raise their voices in order to eliminate and to change social injustices.