The National Anthem
Extraordinary events define the history of a country as a nation and undoubtedly the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812 shaped the patriotic values of the American people. The poem, Defence of Fort M’Henry, written by the lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott immortalized the glory of the victory and the eager of freedom and auto-determination. The poem gained popularity throughout the 19th century in several songs, becoming the lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States of America, symbol of American history that ranks with the Statue of Liberty and the Charters of Freedom. It must have happened 100 years to The Star-Spangled Banner was recognized for official use by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution in 1931, which was signed by President Herbert Hoover. However, nowadays, it has been built around the national anthem a code of honor, unity and controversy.
The National Flag Code was constructed by representatives of over 68 organizations, under the auspices of the National Americanism Commission of the American Legion in order to establish advisory rules for display and care of the national flag and anthem of the United States of America. The Flag Code covers all aspects of etiquette in relation to the Stars and Stripes, including how to behave when the anthem is played. The code is never enforced, however,
In August of 2016, Kaepernick began his protest during a NFL preseason game where he initially sat during the singing of the national anthem. At the time, his rebellious efforts became unnoticed, but he soon enough made headlines when someone took a photo of him sitting during the anthem. Thus a social issue was born from the public’s reaction from the photo.The negativity of the public’s reaction stemmed from the norm that it is customary that people raise their right hand over their heart while facing the flag when the Star-Spangled-Banner is playing, so if one does not follow this norm it is identified showing disrespect. Inevitably, the prediction of the people’s reaction were to be expected as they were outraged when Kaepernick broke the norm. Although, it is legal for individuals not to follow these sacrosanct protocols, citizens of the United States find this norm obligatory.Would you stand by and constantly watch the same social issues to keep reoccurring in your neighborhood? Not only that but it keeps happening to different people by the same organization? When numerous acts of police brutality occurred, Colin Kaepernick decided to protest. He could no longer stand by and do nothing; he decided to take a knee. For professional National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, his response was “no”. One of the last waves that came toward the end of the summer is the kneeling while the national anthem played during sporting events. When Kaepernick decided to
Ayn Rand's novella, Anthem, displays a dystopian and totalitarian society that is in opposition to individualism. As shown in Anthem and many other real and fictionalized totalitarian societies, children live apart from their families. Why? Because dictatorial leaders enforce this living arrangement among the kinsfolk.
Their eyes searched the sky for a glimpse of the American flag that flew above the fort. Finally in the early hours of September 14, 1814 Francis Scott Key saw the Star Spangled Banner standing tall above Fort McHenry. The sight so inspired him that he wrote a poem entitled, "The Defense of Fort McHenry" which was published as a broadside and later set to the tune of an old British drinking song. The Great Garrison Flag that flew above Fort McHenry was the inspiration for the name "The Star Spangled Banner" and still hangs in the Smithsonian in Washington
It is part of the human condition to have a tendency of going through drastic measures to obtain an ideology that has been accepted as a “natural fact.” Through Anthem, Ayn Rand warned of the dangers of blindly and unquestionably following an ideology; the dangers to society that loyalty to a belief system pose are strict limitations on personal comforts, lack of individualism, and the formation of an irrational government.
Ideologies are meant to be shared and learned throughout a society to encourage the spread as well as competition of ideas. Through Anthem, Ayn Rand warned of the dangers of blindly and unquestionably following an ideology; the dangers to society that unexamined loyalty to a belief system cause to society are upholding oppressive and dehumanizing morals, decreased quality of life and the government taking advantage of their citizens
Other than all of the important war events that took place at the fort, the National Anthem of the U.S.A. was written because of the events that took place during the Battle of Baltimore. The writer, Francis Scott Key, was inspired at how the American flag was still standing after the British bombed Fort McHenry. The National Anthem was originally made just to be read, but over time started to be sung as a song. Come see this patriotic landmark today!
We march on out to the stadium, the percussion player taps on his snare every so gently, with the flick of his rist he plays a beat and our feet roll in time against the pavement. The band looks uniform, like marching soldiers. People line up against the curb, moving their eyes with our steps, as they bend a curve on their face in joy.
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams. It is the most popular sports league in the United States. While the NFL mainly consists of football, some players find the need to bring politics into the league. These politics include racial discrimination and police brutality. Even though these issues need to be taken care of in this country, the National Football League is not the place to deal with these political problems.
No “I” and no “you”, just “we.” How could we live in a world like that? Ayn Rand’s book shows a twisted and different form of collectivism. Everyone is told what they have to do for the rest of their future. Children are not even allowed to know who their parents are and are never given the chance to meet them. Although, only one shines in the society that no one else may see until now. Equality finds it difficult to find individualism in his life and in the rules of his society. Equality eventually finds individualism in escaping, to a haven of his own, from his odd society. Equality can then find peace with himself and can live in a more individualistic life in his newfound house with “The Golden One” in the forbidden and
“An athlete silently protests during the national anthem. People respond with taunts of "traitor," "you're a disgrace" and "leave our country!" Are these angry tweets aimed at National Football League players kneeling during the national anthem?”said by writers Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton.Due to half of the 49ers team kneeling during the National Anthem 49ers fans are burning their jerseys due to the refusal of the players to stand during the National Anthem.Many fans are outraged and boycotting National football because of the fact that football players are disrespecting the flag by kneeling during the National Anthem.The reason players should stand for the National Anthem is because the United States Flag stands for the individuality and
Citizens of Anthem, you have been living in a bland society for too long. I have been reading about your society while living in an individualistic society. I your leaders have been fooling you all these years. You are not all equal like your leaders make you believe.
"There are no flag police, and no one is going to arrest you for improper handling of the flag," Winkleman said. "The U.S. flag code was adopted by Congress in 1923. The code is a set of rules, guides and suggestions for citizens and groups that wish to properly honor the flag. It is not a law. There is no enforcement or penalties for non-compliance." enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
Growing up I learned to stand up, put my right hand over my heart, and to show as much respect as I can to the Armed Forces and people who have died for our country. There has been a lot of drama over people not standing for the National Anthem. It is all over social media and the news around the country. People should stand for the National Anthem. The armed forces deserve respect and kneeling is a great sign of disrespect to them and our country.
“Oh say can you see , by the dawn's early light,...” At a football game, NFL players stand for the national Anthem. However, some NFL players kneeled down and people had been disagreeing about kneeling down during the national anthem. The action of not standing for the national anthem is an appropriate form of silent protest.
Meaning in music is derived from parenthetical analysis of several technical aspects including lyrics, form, historical context, emotional content, and personal connection. A hermeneutical approach to the Star-Spangled Banner can yield only interpretational results. Therefore, we must examine the more concrete details of the work, and how the music relates to the meaning of the protests as stated by Colin Kaepernick in August of 2016.