Is American Patriotism Also Blind Patriotism? Essay examples -- Americ

It seems that patriotism is one of the most common terms used during times of war. Governments often use propaganda about nationalism to advocate their political views of the hostilities. Sometimes they even force patriotism on their constituents with fear-mongering techniques, which can have dangerous implications. That’s not to say that patriotism is inherently bad—many wars have been won for just causes because of it. However, it is a mistake to only think of war at a national level. There are devastating effects on the soldiers, families, and victims of war hostilities. The stories read this week discuss the struggle between concern for macro-society (patriotism) and micro-society (family/personal interests) during war. While no narrative completely rejects the idea of macro-society, they clearly emphasize the greater importance of micro-society and the consequences of patriotism. â€Å"Loyalties† is the first story which discusses the concept of macro and micro-society. It centers on a family living in an African village during the Nigerian civil war. The father and schoolmaster seem to be the most loyal characters from the beginning, as they are large supporters of the new Biafra. However, by the end of the tale they have switched their allegiances back to Nigeria. Their perspectives clearly reflect the bigger concept of the macro-society. There is an element of humor in the way they switch so drastically from one side to the next. The mother, on the other hand, represents concern for the micro-society, because she only cares about the tasks of everyday life. The tone of the story clearly favors the mother’s perspective. After all, she is the only character whose loyalties remain true throughout the entire story, and the author pokes fun at the politics of the men. Even the mother sees the humor in it all, telling her son, â€Å"Go and collect the goat†¦after all he is now a Biafran goat so we must take better care of it† (144). At the conclusion of this story it is apparent that the concept of macro-society during war has certain limitations and weaknesses, which can greatly impact the individuals and families involved. Just as â€Å"Loyalties† discusses the flaws of patriotism, â€Å"Peace and War† explains the failings of micro-society. It depicts two men who go to war every day and treat it as business. They are casual about their job because the war is at a ... ...e and honor when they are far from the field of battle, as this girl is. Yet when there are personal ties, it is much harder to accept the concept, just as Biyumi struggles with his sense of nationalism. Although many of these stories have specific settings and historical significance, they also speak to today’s world. We have seen a great shift toward patriotism in the years following the attacks of September 11, 2001. It would be wrong not to respect the soldiers who have fought bravely for the United States since that time, just as it was wrong for the wife in â€Å"Peace and War† to underestimate the dangers around her. However, we must also honor the micro-society, both here and in other parts of the world. Will our actions as a nation lead our soldiers into traumatic situations like the soldier in â€Å"An Easy Death†? Or will we consider the families and communities involved, saving ourselves from micro-societal damage? I only hope that we can learn from stories such as these and not take our â€Å"blind† patriotism too far. Works Cited Global Cultures. A Transnational Short Fiction Reader, ed. by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl (University Press of New England, Hanover and London, 1994)

The Modern Marine NCO Today

Today’s Marine NCO has changed over the years from the past Marine NCO. An NCO today takes the knowledge from their senior NCO’s that was passed down to them and help shape the Jr. Marine today. Having respect goes a long way with Marine NCO’s but how can that be achieved if the NCO doesn’t show any themselves? A Marine NCO is like a father figure in a way, teaches junior marine what he/she needs to know in order to better themselves and make good decisions so that one day when he/she becomes and NCO they can look back and be like my NCO when I was a troop taught me and show me what it takes to be a NCO. NCO’s gain knowledge and wisdom from their seniors but also gain knowledge for their jourior marines and make themselves better. The NCO from the past was more about odering and not listening to their marines which made the Marines under their charge hate their NCO as of to now and days the NCO takes time to listen to their Marines and properly take care of their needs. As a Marine NCO, we have to set standards for others to emulate and strive to be the best and surpass their leaders. A Marine NCO is there for his/her Marines from the smallest minute problem back in the rear to being on the fron lines and helping their Marine in a battle situation. A jounior Marine will trust and respect his fellow NCO(s) if that Marine NCO takes time to understand them and help them in their situation.

African Americans And The Civil War - 971 Words

After the civil war African Americans hoped that the world they lived in would be an equal one; little did they know they had more struggles to conquer. Three major amendments were passed to provide African Americans with equality; the 13th amendment officially and finally put an end to slavery and any future involuntary servitude, the 14th amendment states that colored men and women were given citizenship, and the 15th amendment gave black men the right to vote. Although these amendments were passed, people in the south found a way to go around and make living for colored people hard and unequal. They did this by passing the Jim Crow laws. Jim crows allowed segregation in anything possible, this made it hard for blacks to easily visit public places, live in certain areas and one of the major topics, schools. Brown v. the board of education was a widely discussed case; many people referred this case back to an earlier court decision, Plessy v. Ferguson. Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 was an U.S. Supreme Court case supported segregation under the â€Å"separate but equal† policy. It came from an 1892 incident in which an African-American train passenger, Homer Plessy, refused to sit in a Jim Crow car. At the time this was a Louisiana law he was breaking. Dismissing Plessy’s argument that his constitutional rights were violated, the Court came to the conclusion that a state law that â€Å"implies merely a legal distinction† between whites and blacks did not clash with the 13th and14thShow MoreRelatedAfrican Americans And The Civil War1076 Words   |  5 Pages Throughout history African Americans have had is bad in the United States. First they went through slavery which lasted about two hundred year and was ended around the Civil War which was in the 1860s-1870s. Next after they went through slavery they went through the law of Jim Crow that started after the Civil War which stated, â€Å"Separate but Equal†, and that was not the case because African Americans were still treated as second class citizens. After about ninety years around the 1960s Dr. MartinRead MoreAfrican Americans and the Civil War774 Words   |  4 PagesEssay African Americans and the Civil War Slavery affected many of the political reasons that contributed to causing the Civil War in 1961. Most in the Northern states including President Lincoln were more concerned with preserving the Union rather than fighting for the freedom of all. On the other hand the South fought to preserve what they believed to be absolute state rights. However the overall goals of the war were altered significantly by the willingness of African Americans during war. ThisRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil War1449 Words   |  6 PagesWhen the Civil War began, they wanted to take part in fighting to free all slaves. At the end of the civil war passed the civil rights act that gave citizenship to people that are born in the united states, years later African American men were given the right to vote. This might give equal rights but African Americans are still being discriminated. Almost century later, African Americans are still being discriminated. They got jobs and their kids go to school, but more notice that it wasn t rightRead MoreThe Civil War On African Americans Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe years preceding the Civil War were monstrous for African Americans located in the South of the country. Northerners and Southerners would argue that their visions of how society is structured is the right way and should be expanded throughout the nation. Southerners claimed that slavery is okay, and it’s a positive labor system. On the contrary, Northerners claim that laborers should be paid by wage, men should have equal opportunities, and slaves should gain freedom. The four most significantRead MoreAfrican American And The Civil War876 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1865, when the civil war ended in America and slavery was abolished, the African American population in the South faced many challenges related to their new found freedom. Following the pos t-Civil War Reconstruction period, white supremacy resurfaced in the South (AE Television, 2015). Beginning in the early 1900s through 1970 there was a mass exodus of African American s from South to North America. Although some African American s were known to have moved from the South as early as 1850Read MoreThe Civil War Of African Americans1010 Words   |  5 Pagescentury. For an African American, the word â€Å"life† evolved from a word that meant absolutely nothing, to a word that stood for an individual’s highest commodity. After the civil war, emancipation for slaves transformed from a dream to a reality. Although the civil war finally ended in 1865 after four years of fighting, certain citizens and groups across the nation still remained in a state if disagreement with the freedom granted to African Americans. The years after the civil war revolutionizedRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil War1309 Words   |  6 PagesIn the summer of 1619, the fir st Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia not to live as free settlers but as subordinate slaves. They worked strenuously for Whites, who considered themselves superior to Africans, without much benefit. Racism is not just the belief that one race is superior to others, but the act of negatively identifying individuals based on the color of their skin. Attributing race to individual character has proven to have negative implications that are difficult to mend.Read MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil War1540 Words   |  7 Pageshistorical backdrop of the United States, African Americans have dependable been victimized. When Africans first came to America, they had no choice but to be slaves. The progressed toward becoming slaves to the rich, covetous, lethargic Americans. African Americans had given no compensation and regularly whipped and beaten. They battled for their opportunity, yet when the Civil War came African Americans had this logic that if they were to join the Ci vil War they could liberate all slaves. HoweverRead MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil War859 Words   |  4 Pagesslavery, predominately in the American South, African-Americans were finally set free from bondage. The fourteenth and fifteenth amendments quickly followed, granting citizenship to â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in the United States† and granting African American men the right to vote, respectively. Naturally, Americans denoted these momentous legislative feats, collectively packaged as the Reconstruction Amendments, as a means of celebration for African-Americans. However, in order to rectifyRead MoreAfrican Americans in the Civil War1971 Words   |  8 PagesAnderson HIST 3060 February 25, 13 African Americans and the Civil War The role African Americans played in the outcome, and the road to the outcome of the Civil War was immense. The fact that the south had slaves and the north did not played an enormous role in the issues. The north wanted to abolish slavery, and the south did not and after the war started this became one of the main reasons for the Civil War. Since most African Americans could not read or write, this made them an easy