The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States can be analyzed from two general perspectives: that of the speaker and that of the author. The first perspective is more familiar, especially to those who went through the American public education system. This is the perspective of the physical speaker, who delivers the pledge to the United States Flag, which is the audience. Typically, this speaker is a child in a school but it could also be a government official in a government meeting, among other settings. The second and less obvious perspective is that of the author of the text: Francis Bellamy, or the official adopter of the pledge: the United States Congress. Both can be considered to be the author of this artefact. For the sake of this analysis, we will assume the author to be the United States government and their intended audience to be the United States population. As this short artefact is examined and analyzed from these perspectives, one will be able to identify how it is densely packed with deeper meaning through the use of rhetoric.
From the perspective of the speaker, the Pledge of Allegiance is a powerful statement. The kernel of the sentence is concise and rich: “I pledge allegiance”. Consider how this short phrase’s diction fills it with meaning. According to Dictionary.com, the verb “to pledge” means “to bind by or as if by a pledge”, where the noun “pledge” is “a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something”. The speaker of this
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation
I Pledge Allegiance, by Chris Lynch, is a book about the troubles a young teen named Morris goes through when he and his three life long best friends from Boston, Rudi, Ivan, and Beck find out that Rudi is being drafted into the military to go and fight in Vietnam. Once the Morris, Ivan, Beck, and Rudi find out that one of them is being drafted they all make a pledge to join the military and do whatever it takes to protect each other and keep each other safe.
If you think about it, you have probably been saying the Pledge of Allegiance everyday since first grade. When you initially learnt it, you didn’t even know what it meant and by the time you did understand it, you said it by pure rote. No one questioned it, but why should they? It doesn’t take much energy to stand up and recite a short verse everyday. However do you say these significant words with any sincerity? But stop and think for a second, why are we required to start each school day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Don’t you think it is about time to understand why exactly we say the Pledge? Is it to honor our country? Is it to respect our freedom? Is it to hail our
Gwen Wilde’s essay “Why the Pledge of Allegiance Should Be Revised” highlights key reasons why the Pledge of Allegiance should be changed to be less divisive towards Americans who do not believe in a God. Wilde begins her essay by informing the audience of the countless alterations the pledge has gone through over the years. The earliest version of the pledge, which was published in 1892, left out the words “under God.” The words “under God” were not added until 1954 when president Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the pledge we all know today. Wilde goes into detail about the hypocrisy illustrated within the Pledge of Allegiance. She explains how the words “under God” are needlessly divisive in a nation that is said to be indivisible. However,
Since the Pledge of Allegiance was something that was recited every single school morning, it did not have much importance to me and just became a school routine, you stand up, place your hand on your heart, repeat the words, and sit down. Even at one point it became annoying to me. If you were to not fully participate you would be slightly scolded by the teacher or given a look. Now that I am older I have learned more about what it means and understand that it has an emotional meaning to some Americans. The Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic vow to the United States to remain loyal and obedient to the country that offers freedom and
Why the pledge of allegiance should be revised, by Gwen Wilde, is a very well written essay that the reader would most likely deem convincing. Gwen Wilde states that the Pledge in its latest from simply requires all Americans to say the phrase “one nation, under God,” when many Americans do not believe in God. She uses many different writing strategies to get her point across in a very precise and appropriate manner. Although there are some minor problems, this analysis will explain how Gwen Wilde uses certain writing strategies that are able to back her argument with a very convincing approach.
The allegiance was originated in August, 1892 but did not include the words “Under God”, which was added in 1933. There was some concern of the change, considering separation of church and state. By forcing students and American citizens to cite the allegiance, you’re there by forcing them into a certain religion, which violates the first amendment, “Freedom of Religion”. By forcing them to stand during the allegiance they are there by betraying their own beliefs of where they come from or who they are. Some may look at it, as disrespect towards America or our war veterans, but it also shows disrespect towards those individuals. We are not only ignoring their beliefs but we are disrespecting their history, their family, and where they originally come
Question 13: Certain readers who may not agree with Wilde’s argument are those who do believe in God, not all of them, but a portion of them may be close-minded and see nothing wrong with the newly revised Pledge. For example, the type of people who believe in a divine power and are not open to listening to others spiritual beliefs or lack thereof. Readers who do not agree with Wilde’s argument are entitled to their own opinions, however, not everyone shares their same values and the addition of the words “under God” creates a division of people who believe the statement and those who do not. One might persuade the opposers of Wilde’s argument by saying there is a division in the nation because of it, or that there is no purpose for. The purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance is to show loyalty to one’s country, not to show one’s religious beliefs, since not everyone in the United States share the same religious beliefs.
Across California, schools are no longer are required to recite The Pledge of Allegiance in public school, but outside its mandatory. Studies have shown that this has no effect on the children, no matter what test scores the school has. The choice of whether to teach it or not, is up to the principals or teachers of the school, nevertheless the school is still required schools are required to have a “patriotic exercise” everyday. There have not been any particular differences between schools that teach it and schools that do not. Parents do not seem to mind their child not knowing the pledge, for example Todd Davis. His fifth grade son knows the pledge by heart and in two languages, but his second grade daughter did not know what it was. David shrugged it of not caring because there is no necessity
There have been several versions of The Pledge and the one that we currently recite today was revised back in 1954 when president Eisenhower reacted to the communist threat. The original version was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892, who had hoped that countries around the world would recreate their own versions. Now, in most states reciting The Pledge at school is a state law. The Pledge consist of students standing up, facing the American flag, placing their right hand over their heart, and saying the words “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In other places when The Pledge is being recited its considered
When I was in Mrs. E’s kindergarten class, everyday we would stand up in that small, but comfortable room, face the flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance. As a little kid you really don’t understand what exactly the Pledge is saying, it was just a bunch of words we would have to say everyday as a class. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized the Pledge was a very important part of everybody's day.
"I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under Congress, the Supreme Court, the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers, and the President, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Ironically, the Pledge of Allegiance originated from the hand of a social minister and chairman of the National Education Association, Francis Bellamy. Bellamy’s goal with the initial 23 word pledge was to impress it upon receptive, youthful minds, and convey the compassion and the patriotic duty deserving of the Republic. As a result, “more than 12 million public school children in every state in the Union” spoke the Pledge of Allegiance that day (Moss 2006). Since then, it has been a catalyst for tradition turned into mandatory law.
The Pledge of Allegiance has gone through several changes since it was written over one hundred years ago, but none of these changes have had as much controversy attached to them as the addition of “under God.” Written in 1892 by a minister named Francis Bellamy, the pledge was written for a national patriotic school program, in which children throughout the country would recite his words while facing the American flag. Words have been added, phrases have been altered for clarity, and even the correct way to salute the flag has been changed. While the vast majority of these changes were important, for example the salute being changed from a Nazi-esque extended right arm to the child’s hand over their heart, “under God” does not add anything of meaning to the Pledge. This phrase is not a necessary or beneficial part of the Pledge of Allegiance and should be removed by the President.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, for liberty and justice for all”. Notice that it leaves out “Under God.” Saying the Pledge of Allegiance