Nationalism
Jake Wood
Definition Essay
Eng 109
Patriotism is a term that has been manipulated and misunderstood since the inception of America. People have been praised for having it in abundance. Others have been persecuted for a lack thereof. How does one define Patriotism? It is a word that can only be defined by the individual applying it.
The word itself can have a meaning as simple as “a love for one’s country”. It is true that loving your country can be patriotic. Every year around July 4th, many Americans show their love of country by displaying flags and lighting fireworks. This once a year ritual seems to be the only time many citizens exercise their patriotism. 359 days of the year there may only be one or two flags displayed in a town; usually at a bank, or local post office. But for six or seven days every light post and window has a flag on display. Firework shows are arranged by counties or towns and they ooh and ahh the masses for a brief 30 or 40 minutes. On July 5th or shortly thereafter, people head back to work and their feeling of love for your country subsides until next July. This isn’t to say that people stop loving their country for the next eleven months. It just means that it may not be socially acceptable to dress head to toe in red, white, and blue. And almost certainly your neighbors wouldn’t appreciate a firework show every other night. So by this definition, Americans generally show patriotism for roughly one week out of the year and are slightly more unpatriotic for the remainder of the year.
Some may feel that patriotism involves the support of your country through thick and thin. No matter the issue or decision you should show unyielding support for your country. (Murphy, 2011) This is a terribly dogmatic point of view. There are those in America, and other countries, which would do anything their country asked them to do. Or they would believe anything their government told them. They see this unwavering support as
Definition Essay
Eng 109
Patriotism is a term that has been manipulated and misunderstood since the inception of America. People have been praised for having it in abundance. Others have been persecuted for a lack thereof. How does one define Patriotism? It is a word that can only be defined by the individual applying it.
The word itself can have a meaning as simple as “a love for one’s country”. It is true that loving your country can be patriotic. Every year around July 4th, many Americans show their love of country by displaying flags and lighting fireworks. This once a year ritual seems to be the only time many citizens exercise their patriotism. 359 days of the year there may only be one or two flags displayed in a town; usually at a bank, or local post office. But for six or seven days every light post and window has a flag on display. Firework shows are arranged by counties or towns and they ooh and ahh the masses for a brief 30 or 40 minutes. On July 5th or shortly thereafter, people head back to work and their feeling of love for your country subsides until next July. This isn’t to say that people stop loving their country for the next eleven months. It just means that it may not be socially acceptable to dress head to toe in red, white, and blue. And almost certainly your neighbors wouldn’t appreciate a firework show every other night. So by this definition, Americans generally show patriotism for roughly one week out of the year and are slightly more unpatriotic for the remainder of the year.
Some may feel that patriotism involves the support of your country through thick and thin. No matter the issue or decision you should show unyielding support for your country. (Murphy, 2011) This is a terribly dogmatic point of view. There are those in America, and other countries, which would do anything their country asked them to do. Or they would believe anything their government told them. They see this unwavering support as
References: Abbey, E. (1927-89). Patriotism Quotes. Retrieved from ThinkExist.com: http://en.thinkexist.com/ Goldman, E. (1908). What is Patriotism? San Fransico. Retrieved from Social Justice Speeches: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/emma_goldman_patriotism.html Murphy, C. (2011). True American Patriotism. The Political Pro-Con. Retrieved from http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/political-pro-con/2011/jul/10/american-patriotism-protest/ Paul, R. (2007). Patriotism. U.S. House of Representitives. Washington D.C. Retrieved from http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul388.html X, M. (1925-65). Patriotism Quotes. Retrieved from ThinkExist.com: http://en.thinkexist.com/