Freedom - Common Threads

For my Common Threads assignment I chose three pieces from our LRRW anthology book that I thought fit together perfectly. These three pieces I chose from the book were “Star Spangled Banner”, “America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)” and “Battle Cry of Freedom”. All of these pieces were related because of their approach to freedom. The two poems I chose from outside sources were “Freedom is not Free” by Jamaya Ewing and “Called to Freedom” by Raymond A. Foss”. These two pieces also relate to the three pieces from LRRW because they also are written about freedom. The first piece I chose is “The Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key. It was written in 1814, I chose this piece because when I think of freedom, I think of “The Star Spangled Banner”. This song brings America together more than any other song out there. This entire song is directly about Americans freedom and how the United States is the “land of the free and the home of the brave” (719, Key). Of all of the songs and poems about freedom and America, this is the song that is sung before big games in sports, such as the Super Bowl. It’s not just sports either, this song is sung before multiple concerts, awards shows and military services. Secondly, I chose “America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)” which is a song written in 1831 by Samuel Francis Smith. This song is truly patriotic and shows what it truly takes to be an American. I chose this song because it makes me proud to be an American and this song portrays exactly that. The first stanza has the most powerful lyrics of the entire song, “My country, ‘tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty, Of thee I sing; Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountain side Let Freedom ring” (720, Smith). This song relates perfectly with the other songs, especially the “Star Spangled Banner”, these two songs go hand and hand with one another. Next, I chose “Battle Cry of Freedom”, which was written by George Frederick Root in

Cited: Ewing, Jamaya. "Freedom Is Not Free." Poem Hunter. N.p., 23 May 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/freedom-is-not-free-3/>. Foss, Raymond A. "Called to Freedom." Famous Poets and Poems. N.p., 1 July 2007. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/raymond_a__foss/poems/23910.html>. Key, Francis Scott. "The Star Spangled Banner." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 719. Print. Root, George Frederick. "Battle Cry of Freedom." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 723-24. Print. Smith, Samuel Francis. "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. By Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2013. 720-21. Print.