Delacroix: Identification And Patriotism

Since the beginning of time, ideas and core values have invigorated unification and patriotism in humanity. The desire for self-determination and the foundations of liberalism: liberty and equality, have galvanized many revolutions. For example, in the source, Delacroix, the artist illustrates the French revolution, by presenting a violent scene in which an armed woman with the three coloured flag is guiding an army of men over corpses. The woman symbolizes the Greek goddess, Nike and the Statue of Liberty. As she leads the men over the carcasses, she personifies the French motto, "Liberté, égalité, fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)." Her exposed chest and side angle allude to the philosophies of Ancient Greece such as democracy. In
For example, the “Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen)” was created to socially and politically equalize the three estates. In the source, there is a woman pointing towards the Declaration while gesturing towards the masonic eye/eye of providence. The Masonic eye symbolizes that the document was written in the presence of God and that the enlightenment has begun. In addition to that, a woman who personifies liberty and justice, known as Marianne sits on the left side holding the broken shackles of despotism. These symbols imply that the days of tyranny and oppression are over and the enlightenment has begun. Many enlightenment thinkers influenced the creation of this document. For instance, Thomas Hobbes proposed the idea of a social construct in which people would agree to live in cooperation to benefit the population. Not only did the ideas of Hobbes influence the creation of the declaration, but so did John Locke. He believed that the ruler must follow the rule of the land and the government should take decisions that are in the interest of the common good. Similarly, Voltaire contributed the ideas of equality and the freedom of religion and press to the Declaration, while Rousseau proposed the concept of a constitution and democracy. All of these concepts came together to build the modern foundations of political nationalism. Overall, the source presents a positive perspective on nationalism, as the rights and freedoms proposed in the document are uniting the people by removing political disparities. As a result, it should be embraced. In today’s world, most countries have a piece of constitution that is inspired by the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen that is followed by the