National anthem is one of the important aspect in a sovereign state beside territory and flag. It is not just a song about the country, but within the compostion itself, there are stories and facts that is also as important as the state’s history. Rabaseda (2012) define national anthem as a musical composition, patriotic in general, that evokes and tells the history and the struggle of the people in a particular state. It is mostly used during a national important day and military honours. National anthem also serve as an important identity and unifying factor as a country. One of the well-known national anthem is “The Star - Spangled Banner”, which is the national anthem of United States of America (USA). The history behind the anthem can be traced back to 1812. Back then, United States of America had already its independence of the British Empire. Not even three decades after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formalized Britain’s recognition of the United States of America, the two countries were again in conflict and became the beginning of new challenges for America as a new nation. Resentment for Britain’s interference with American international trade and impressment of American sailors combined with American expansionist visions led Congress to declare war on British Empire on June 18, 1812. The war took place throughout the East Coast of the United States (Perry, 2000). At that time, Washington lawyer and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key. He made a poem about how terrible the war was, especially during the attack of the Fort McHenry. The fort still stand after it had been fired continuously by the British Empire. After witnessing the massive overnight British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Maryland, Key wro... ... middle of paper ... ...ld their people about the nation’s perseverance and struggle in order to achieve their independence. This goes the same with the American national anthem. It was telling about one of the American war against British empire in order to defend their independence Works Cited Butterworth, Hezekiah; Brown, Theron (1906). The Story of the Hymns and Tunes. George H. Doran Co. p. 335 Leonard, H., 1996. National Anthems From Around the World, New York: Hal Leonard Company. p 210-216 Perry, M, 2000. National Anthems: A Call to Arms. Available at: http://users.dickinson.edu/~history/product/perry/national_anthem.html Accessed: 18th March 2014 Rabaseda, J. (1996) Els himnes nacionals. Published February, 2012. Rosenberg, J. 2005. Star-Spangled Banner History. Available at: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/qt/The-Star-Spangled-Banner.htm. Accessed: 18th March 2014
There are few speeches in the American history that compel us towards great acts of patriotism. Patrick Henry's speech in the Virginia Provincial Convention of 1775 is a prime example of one of these great speeches. During the debates on whether or not to compromise with Great Britain, Patrick Henry proposed the idea to his fellow members of the First Continental Congress to declare war on Great Britain. A reason why the speech was so powerful was the rhetorical strategies of the diction of slavery, the appeal to God, and the appeal to logic, that he deftly employed. After Patrick Henry opens his speech by respectfully acknowledging the opposition for their own opinions, intellect, and patriotism, he gains the attention of the Congress
“Land of the free and the home of the brave.” This line has represented the United States for decades. These words were captured in The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key and since 1913, the United States has adopted The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem. We have used the Red, White, and Blue as one of our nation’s symbols. It has fifty stars, to represent the number of states we have in our Union. The military pledges its allegiance to the flag and the country which it represents at all costs. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave, and we are proud to show it.
1. In a well-organized paragraph, describe the society in which Anthem is set. Some areas to consider are the political structure, degree of technology, social relationships, quality of life, and education.
Many Americans are familiar with the first verse of the poem The Defense of Fort McHenry but not by that name. Over the years since it was written, The Defense of Fort McHenry has become a part of American culture. The Star-Spangled Banner, as it is now known, is sung at sporting events and gatherings across the country but usually not sung in its entirety. Unknown too many Americans is there are actually four verses to our national anthem. “The Star-Spangled Banner” became a well known and loved patriotic song but it would take 117 years before it would become our national anthem. In the 1890’s, the military began using the song for ceremonial purposes. Then in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued an executive order designating it to be used as the national anthem when appropriate. Finally in March 1931, Congress officially named The Star-Spangled Banner as the National Anthem of the United States. Francis Scott Key’s use of setting, structure, and literary techniques in “The Defence of Fort McHenry”, captures the spirit of America and helped it become our national anthem.
The Importance of Freedom Exposed in Anthem & nbsp; In the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand writes about the future of the dark ages. Anthem takes place in a technologically backwards totalitarian society, where mankind is born in the home of the infants and dies in the home of the useless. Just imagine, being born into a life of slavery, having no freedom, no way of self expression, no ego. The city represents slavery. When in the city, Equality was guilty of many transgressions.
In John McCain’s essay “Veterans Day: Never forget their duty” he talks about his friend ,Mike, who was in the same prison camp as he was in and showed the pride that he and his fellow prisoners had for their flag. The American Flag is the most iconic symbol of America and to express pride for The American Flag is to show pride in America itself. On page 7 paragraph 8 “Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang MIke’s shirt on the wall of our cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know that saying the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important or meaningful part of our day now, but I can assure you that for those men in that stark prison cell, it was, indeed, the most important and meaningful event of our day”. John McCain shares with us that the most important part of their day was to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
Anthem is a book full to the brim of symbolism. Some of it is clear to see and others you have to really pay attention to capture. Anthem is not a hard book to understand, but it can still be difficult to grasp the full meaning of it. The meaning of which is elusive at points, slipping between your fingers and resting on the pages in plain view. Unity, we, I, Ego, it all plays a major part in this book along with the symbolism of things.
Many people hail “The Star Spangled Banner” as the greatest piece of American music. The audiences of America’s national anthem seem, instinctively, eager to express their respect by embracing the notion to remove their hats and stand up. However, not many people ponder over the question of what “The Star Spangled Banner” truly means. What does it mean? Why does it deserve so much reverence and honor? What exceptional difference allows it to prevail over the masterpieces of prominent composers like Mozart and Beethoven? The answer is fairly simple. “The Star Spangled Banner” symbolizes America’s perseverance, its set of moral laws and ethics, and its history that constitutes what America truly means.
Oliver Strunk and Leo Treitler, eds., Source Readings in Music History, rev. ed. (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998), 897.
Black anthems have a long standing history that can be traced through their African roots to modern day songs. Political groups have used these anthems to both lead and thrown into crisis their aims and objectives of their political messages. Not only have anthems been used in political areas they have also been used to showcase the culture at the time of their prominence. These anthems have many benefits such as uniting people together for certain causes, however, some of the anthems drawbacks are that they have been nearly forgotten as their respective political groups have faded away into history. The book Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora by Shana L. Redmond proves that anthems have been used
I’ve lol been standing for the pledge of allegiance since I was in elementary and never really understood why. Freedom of speech, you say what you want, when you want, and how you want to. It’s your right to stand up or not. “People die for our country.” “Sign of respect for the country we live in.” “Take pride in being an American.” How can we be proud to be American if it only brings negative stereotypes to everyone’s head, it has never been what it preaches to be. Being American is actually embarrassing. Just because I was born here doesn 't mean I have undying loyalty to America, being American means nothing to me, to be truthful.
Lineberry, Cate. "The Story Behind the Star Spangled Banner." Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Media, 1 Mar. 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
...ation of Independence and associated the sacrifices of the Civil War with a desire for a new birth of freedom, as well as the preservation of the United States of America and its principle of self-government. In the years to follow, the Gettysburg Address would endure as perhaps the most-quoted, most-memorized piece of oratory in American history.
The accomplishments that are found today within the United States did not come without struggles. For example, the line of a song by Francis Scott Key, “The rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air” demonstrates how this country has fought to keep its main value: liberty. Not only have
" Sing for freedom : the story of the Civil Rights Movement through its songs. Montgomery, Ala.: NewSouth Books. Kirk, J. (2007). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Controversies and Debates. Basingstoke, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.