...the National Anthem Lonny Wood COM/155 February 23, 2014 Eva Harvey Debate over the National Anthem In early September of 2001, the United States of America found itself under attack yet again. Later on that tragic day, after the dust had cleared, Americans witnessed as three firefighters raised the American flag over what was once the World Trade Center. This one picture put the world on notice: the United States of America was still here. America’s pride had suffered a blow, but the attack rekindled America’s patriotism. Songs where sung from the floors of the New York Stock Exchange to the halls of congress. People were singing, God Bless America and America the Beautiful, and the American flag flew throughout the land. As the days passed, speculation of America national anthem came into question, renewing a debate as to whether the Star Spangled Banner should continue to be the national anthem. Having a debate over the United States’ national anthem while preparing for war might have seemed trivial; however, this was not the first time in which the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem came into question. In the 1960’s during the Vietnam War, questions arose as to whether or not that United States should change the national anthem. It would seem that the question of the national anthem comes to mind during times of war, when American patriotism is at a high point. This leads to the question of which song should replace the current anthem. Many quality...
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...Definition Essay What do you think American means? Do you think that it’s just a person that lives in America? American isn’t just someone who stands up for the Pledge of Allegiance, an American is someone who does what they are suppose to do for this country. For example, the people in the military. These people are giving up their lives to serve their country, these people are the ones that let you live in America free and out of slavery. The real Americans are the ones out on the battlefield risking their lives and not knowing if they are going to come back to their family, friends, and loved ones. I don’t think that you are an American until you have been out on the battlefield. I think that if you are not going to be out on the battlefield,...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...In 2016, the Black Lives Matter movement continued to protest and fight for equal rights. Over time, they have become more unpopular for blocking off highways and interrupting presidential speeches. This has led to some black protests without directly mentioning the movement. This essay will examine Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the national anthem and the responses received as well as the impact his actions have had across the country. Colin Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He began the 2016 preseason by sitting down during the national anthem. For the first two games, he mostly went unnoticed. It was the third game that people started notice. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick explained. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” For the remainder of the season, Kapernick continued to protest during the national anthem. He later switched from sitting to kneeling out of respect for veterans and those serving in the military. Many of the reactions Kaepernick...
Words: 693 - Pages: 3
...The novel Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella written by Ayn Rand, a Russian-born American novelist in 1937. The main purpose of this novel was to show discrimination of individuality. Rand used characters with ironic names such as the main one, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000. Equality 7-2521 has become very critical of the leaders of his society by the end of the novel, denouncing them in moral terms while in the process in becoming an individual. Moral values are important to most people in the world. They are the motive power in their actions. Equality 7-2521 was not right to become so critical to the leaders of his society. Everyone’s moral values motivate people to do more than they think they can, and having Equality 7-2521 be critical and denounce them was not a helpful thing to do for the other people’s thoughts. Men have to make choices; no moral neutrality is possible when there is no escape from moral values. Therefore, Equality 7-2521 was not right for denouncing the leaders of his society in their moral terms....
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...never try. (“Burns Heir” – Season 5, Episode 18)1 Carl’s Matheson’s essay “The Simpsons, Hyper-Irony, and the meaning of life” is a critical analysis of the animated family comedy show The Simpsons. The essay delves into how the show is failing miserably on humoring its viewers and the idea of promoting positive social purpose is not really what it seems after all. According to Matheson, as the show infuses its episodes with heavily induce quotations as a way to humor its viewers. In the process, the show ceases to be funny at all. From these observations, Matheson points out that while the show employs a great deal of quotations and hyper-irony as a form of comedy, it also detaches itself from its viewers in the process. Therefore, losing its audience shared sense of humor as well as the audience itself in the end. The shows critics’ reviews of the early episodes praise the show for its wit, realism, and intelligence. However, in the late 1990s, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling the show "tired”. By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show, and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived 1 http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/the-100-best-classic-simpsons-quotes#.woxOwzdRev 1 as an overemphasis on zany antics.2 Fast forward to Season 26, the show becomes the longestrunning American scripted primetime television series and I haven’t seen newer episodes lately ...
Words: 1909 - Pages: 8
...Anthem Contest Essay Within the dystopian setting of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the human spirit is enslaved and oppressed. Living under a totalitarian dictatorship, all people are obligated to live unselfishly. Beneath this collectivist regime, everyone lives a life of servitude and dependence on one another. There is no individuality, no identity, no sense of self, no word “I”. Taking its place is the word “WE”, emphasizing the collective body that encompasses all. In order for the State to maintain control over its subordinates, it has meticulously brainwashed all to believe that it is wrong to be different, to have a preference, to be superior, and to think or act independently from the collective. With these rules as the moral doctrine, each person is...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...Reaction Paper-Week IV Beverly L. Clanton University of Phoenix Eng/125 Molly Holmes 06/26//09 Reaction Paper-Week IV The nonfiction stories I read for this assignment were “Salvation, by Langston Hughes and Graduation, by Maya Angelou.” In the story “Salvation,” a young sinner, Langston Hughes, is brought to church by his aunt to “find Jesus." Even though Langston felt no connection to Jesus, he felt obligated to pretend, due to his love for his aunt. In our lives, many of our decisions are influenced by the ones close to us because of the love we have for them. We do not want to disappoint our love ones; therefore, occasionally one may defer goals and aspirations in fear of not receiving approval. When Langston Hughes says “So I decided that maybe to save further trouble, I‘d rather lie too, and say that Jesus had come, and get up and be saved.” Having said this, young Langston has apparently overlooked his personal belief to receive an approval of salvation by the congregation. After reading this story, I realized that everyday individuals are faced with hundreds of decisions and choices. Sometimes our consciences conflict with one another and it is hard to make the most beneficial decision. This happens so often that most of the time it will go past unnoticed. Peer pressure is one of the most common of these "bad consciences." Teenagers are the most vulnerable to peer pressure because of their desire to receive approval from their friends. Even in my own...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...United States. Under this plan — known as the “Extreme Vetting Initiative” ICE would continuously scan “media, blogs, public hearings, conferences, academic websites, social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn,” and unidentified “internet sites” to automatically flag a minimum of 10,000 people per year for deportation or visa renewal. Tech experts say that the Extreme Vetting Initiative will be inaccurate and biased — and will flag innocent people who are hardworking and contributing members to society. This is a huge violation of civil rights in America because you can’t accuse someone for things they post on social media. Many children today aren’t getting equal education to other in America mostly Mexicans and African Americans. Schools serving greater number of colored students had fewer resources than schools serving a higher percentage of white students, as William l. Taylor and Dianne Picher noted in a 1991 report to congress. Jonathan Kozol states that countries with a larger majority of white students spend twice as much as other schools that don’t have as many white students. Harvard professor Gary Orefield’s research has recently confirmed, most minority students are segregated into lower-track classes with bigger class sizes, and they also have less qualified teaches and a low-quality curriculum. This a direct violation of our civil rights. If you are going to say everyone is equal in America, then why are people receiving different quality of schooling...
Words: 685 - Pages: 3
...Thereby, they have sparked multiple discussions over the methods of mobilization. Some argues that the means the protesters uses are too aggressive. This due to the fact that people go out, stop traffic in some cases destroy property. However, these known facts are not the only way that individuals are currently participating in social issues. Some have invest their time through non-violent protest such as refusal. Colin Kaepernick, a professional football player, refuses to stand during the national anthem in protest of the misdeeds against African Americans and minorities in the United States (Wyche, 2016). In result, it led to a series of backlash led by fans endorsers, politicians, and journalists (Wyche, 2016). How can a simple and nonviolent act such as refusal could lead to such adverse response? According Marcel Mauss (1967), refusal is an act of rejecting social bonds and creating new moral imperative and social practices. By refusing to stand for his country’ national anthem, Kaepernick broke some of the most common social obligation of United States. Consequently, this led to him potentially breaking some of the social bonds he has between his fans, sponsors and the public. This paper will look at three articles from the Cultural Anthropology journal: Consent’s Revenge by Audra Simpson, Refusal and the Gift of Citizenship by Carole McGranahan and Refusal as Act, Refusal as Abstention by Erica Weiss. All three articles focuses on the topic of refusal. This paper will...
Words: 1259 - Pages: 6
...In the early 1950's Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and countless other African Americans as well as White Americans fought together for a cause that was against Segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. They were feeling the effects of racism from the Civil War back in the 1800's. African Americans were not being treated kindly, neither were the White Americans who befriended them. Those who fought against the Jim Crow Laws weren't just fighting to be rebellious against the nation, but they were fighting to be free of an unjust unconstitutional law that was established and enforced by our Government. When I say they were "fighting" that law I do not mean they were actually throwing riots and chaos everywhere they went. They were more so doing peace rally's. They had peaceful sit-ins, they drove a bus around the country, they had conferences and speeches. They were not doing what today's rebellions are trying to justify as "peaceful". They still stood for the Red, White, and Blue. They obeyed civil laws, they did not kill, nor did they light towns on fire. The MLK group only wanted others to feel love for them, to accept them into society, and to be treated as real Americans with real...
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...economic changes. People began to view the world in a different light; they began to see the workings of their planet and began to understand that it was their land as much as the next persons. Due to these ever changing visions and ideals, people began to protest and challenge changes, rules, laws and orders made by heads of state and government. The public lashed out in demonstrations and opposition parties. During these whirlwind spectacles of opposition towards war, sexism, racism and monarchic society the musicians and the singers set their and the public’s voice to music. The way in which audiences are encouraged to react in various politicised domains is often fuelled by sentiments conveyed in music. Negus (2009, 194) In this essay I will discuss how these protest and politically positioned songs supported the...
Words: 1389 - Pages: 6
...“America--- Home of the Brave, Land of the Free” Have you ever sat down, and really thought about all of the people who have died for our freedom, and all of our rights? I know that I haven’t really thought much about it at all, until today... Many people all around the world take our freedom for granted. Imagine if the amazing, brave, and thoughtful people who fought for our freedom and rights hadn’t fought. Our lives would be nothing like they are today. We would probably still be under Britain's control, and be abused, or demanded on what are every move would be. I know i’m glad that we are a free country who elects are leaders. “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know i’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died who gave that...
Words: 507 - Pages: 3
...Essay: The Lottery Is a tradition actually a good thing? We have a lot of traditions: We celebrate Christmas, sing the national anthem at every football match and we go to church every Sunday. We all see these traditions as good traditions. But if we always had lived following our traditions through time then we would still be living in the Stone Age. There are several themes in the story. One of them is that “traditions are not always a good thing”. The people in the society have played the lottery for so many years. They have been playing this lottery for so many years that they take it as a matter of course and no one see the terrible thing they are all doing when they stone the loser of the lottery to death. When Mr Adams says that they are considering to stop playing the lottery in the north village then Old Man Warner just answers “Pack of crazy fools”. They have been doing it all their life so everybody just take it for granted that what they are doing might is wrong. Another theme of the story is:” Human weakness and blindness”. What I mean is that the whole society is a part of it. No one is against it. No one wonders if what they are doing is right. And what I think is even more frightening is that the entire event is described so ironically. Mrs. Hutchinson even says after she has arrived with everybody ready to play the lottery” Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you Joe” (P. 181 L. 19 C.2) They are even joking with the death. She does not...
Words: 595 - Pages: 3
...John Lennon and Politics To write a piece on John Lennon such as this, one is likely to get their throat cut, regardless of the angle one takes. Any article on John Lennon is political non-stop unless you were one of the ‘Apple Scruffs’ (Beatles groupies) who came in through their bathroom window for a shot at one of the Fab Four. For one to understand Lennon: The Activist, one should first consider the formative years of his life. This essay will investigate the personal and cultural influences that led to Lennon’s activism – both political and for peace – as well as an in-depth analysis of four of Lennon’s most political songs. In September 1980 he talked about his family and his rebellious nature: Part of me would like to be accepted by all facets of society and not be this loudmouthed lunatic musician. But I cannot be what I am not. Because of my attitude, all the other boys' parents ... instinctively recognised what I was, which was a troublemaker, meaning I did not conform and I would influence their kids, which I did ... I did my best to disrupt every friend's home ... Partly, maybe, it was out of envy that I didn't have this so-called home, but I really did ... There were five women who were my family. Five strong, intelligent women. Five sisters. Those women were fantastic ... that was my first feminist education ... One happened to be my mother ... she just couldn't deal with life. She had a husband who ran...
Words: 2125 - Pages: 9
...Essay Questions #1 1 Describe the three basic types of music heard in the original scores during the silent film era and cite specific examples from The Birth of a Nation. * There are three basic types of music that can be heard in the original scores during the silent film era. These 3 type are known as adaptations, arrangements, and newly composed music or originals. Adaptations of Classical Works usually involve large action and dramatic scenes. They typically involve the borrowing of part or all of a song for the use in a film score. For example, in The Birth of a Nation, adaptations were used when an arrangement by Mozart was used for the Lincoln assassination as well as the end of the movie. Since this composition is one of seriousness and intensity, it was used to give the scenes a sense of tension and violence. Arrangements can be defined as remakes of previously composed work. In these works, a composer will borrow only the melody of a classic song and recreate it to make an entirely new sound. In The Birth of a Nation, many well-known melodies are used to emotionally connect to the audience. Tunes such as “Maryland, My Maryland” and “Dixie” are put into the film to create a lighter less dramatic feeling. New and original compositions, are defined as just that. A song with melody in which the composer writes without the help of other tunes. These are typically written specifically for the film itself. Griffith uses this type of music to create a recreate themes...
Words: 729 - Pages: 3
