Patriotism and Okada's No Boy
The current war in Iraq has brought out displays of patriotic fervor throughout the country. People proudly display the American flag on their homes and cars. Even Major League Baseball has replaced the traditional seventh inning song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" with a stirring rendition of "God Bless America."

However, for the people protesting the war, these surface displays are an inadequate indicator of patriotism. Though currently in the minority, the protesters locate their patriotism in speaking out against the war and in shielding their country from the winds of war.

Though both camps differ in their definitions of patriotism, they both share an important concept. The ebster Dictionary defines patriotism as "love or devotion to one's country." Despite their difference in views, both protesters and those who support the war in Iraq are motivated by a strong devotion to the interests of the United States.

It….

The vast majority of human beings never ventured beyond the local region of their birth and knew very little, if anything, about human affairs elsewhere, much less in other nations. In fact, many people may never have known what country they lived in. The Enlightenment brought technology that increased communication and travel to distant regions. As nation states developed from many previously isolated communities, monarchs and oligarchies tended to promote the concept of patriotism and loyalty to royal families for the purpose of suppressing rebellion, maintaining power and authority, and funding major expenses such as wars for territory and resources fought against other nation states. That mechanism probably culminated in World War I when millions of young European men known as the "lost generation" died fighting one another, many of them without any understanding of the reasons why, let alone any personal animus for their battlefield enemies. Ultimately, the….

It is, therefore, the duty of everyone living on that chosen spot to fight, kill, and die in the attempt to impose his superiority upon all the others."
On the other hand, as we have seen in America, there is also a patriotism which is aimed at a sense of belonging and only aggressive in defense of this feeling of identity, and from invasion or destruction by outside elements. This positive form of cultural patriotism and the desire to protect what is specific to a society is also seen in countries like China. An example of this is the recent call by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for a patriotic stance against the increase of the SARS virus epidemic in the country. "Premier Wen Jiabao... called for solidarity and a reliance in science in the ongoing battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome." (Chinese Premier Calls for Patriotism in SARS Fight)

The word….

patriotism start?...Most likely, as in many cases, it should begin with a definition of this term, as asserted by the Webster online dictionary. According to it, patriotism is "love for or devotion to one's country." As we can notice, this definition includes two similar, but not identical terms: love and devotion. he second term introduces a higher level of love, because devotion implies an ardent feeling, that is, "a fervent love," as mentioned on the site of American patriotism.
We should thus agree from the very beginning that there are several different levels of love that one can provide (not necessarily towards one's country, but generally speaking) and that somewhere on the way, one's love for one's country is not sufficiently ardent for it to be considered patriotic. We can thus line up several terms that may constitute themselves in a graded scale for patriotism, terms like "love," "ardent love,"….

Patriotism, Democracy and Freedom
Karl Marx, Woody Guthrie, and Martin Luther King may have had more in common than it may first seem. Karl Marx, the author of the famous Communist Manifesto, that laid the groundwork for the formation of the Soviet Union wanted order and a civil society. Karl Marx felt that freedom lied in the needs of the worker being met. The worker would work for the joy of working and would be "free" from the stress of having to compete with others. In this social structure workers were regarded by the ruling class and corporate structures as no more than a piece of machinery. In Karl Marx's society, the worker should gain a sense of "freedom" from structure.

Woody Guthrie had a different sense of freedom. His version of freedom meant having no boundaries, being able to go where one wanted. He believed that freedom represented a relative….

The great American writer Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay that has become very well-known called "Civil Disobedience." In the essay Thoreau said "That government is best with governs least" and then he clarified himself by adding: "That government is best which governs not at all." Thoreau admitted that governments need a standing arm, but that is only "an arm of the standing government," he said. But he disagreed in the American army being involved in the Mexican ar. Thoreau was an intellectual and a very talented writer, but he was probably not an "average" citizen based on the way he saw American and how he related to the government. There will "never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power," Thoreau said. hat he meant by that is after the United States broke away from England,….

Patriotic Themes in American Literature
Patriotism is essentially a bond among countrymen as expressed concisely by Oliver Wendell Holmes, when he wrote, "One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!"[footnoteRef:1] Love for America is fortified by poetic images such as a tattered waving flag or a black and white photo of John Junior's salute. These images stir the heart and reinforce the bond that comes from having a common experience. However, just as romantic love is not all hearts and roses, so too love of country is not all banners and parades. In time, poems become dusty and old photos fade, making room for new images and experiences, such as empty ships, that may not be as moving. Seeing one's dreams of yesterday fall can lead to a pessimism that believes all the good is in the past and there is nothing but darkness awaiting the future. In….

Yukio Mishima's "Patriotism"
Japanese society has always been bound by tradition, and many of the traditions that are utilized influence the feeling of nationalism the Japanese people have. This was especially true in Japanese society before the Second World War and this paper looks specifically at the code of the samurai, seppuku, and arranged marriage. Other issues that will be touched upon included the historical background, cultural context, imagery, symbolism, character type, and stylistic devices that Yukio Mishima utilizes in his short story "Patriotism." These are all very important issues to look at, as Mishima's story gives a strong indication of what type of patriotic beliefs individuals had during this time. This was not only true of soldiers and other individuals that were expected to have these feelings, but of these soldiers families as well. In "Patriotism," Yukio Mishima used many different Japanese traditions to show how they influenced the feeling….

" By getting married to Takeyama, Reiko knows that she is expected to die at the same time as her husband. Also, when reading the short story, one must consider that in early twentieth century Japan, arranged marriages were predominant. Japanese social order in which women were secondary is also illustrated by the fact that when describing the two suicides, Mishima emphasizes the lieutenant's act and ritual whereas the wife's act is rather minimized: "His wife, Reiko, followed him, stabbing herself to death." (Mishima 93)
Patriotism" can be hard to read because of its graphic language and imagery. Furthermore, the story attempts to provide the reader with a definition of the concept of patriotism. However, readers must keep in mind that the plot is written from the perspective of an Easterner who strongly believes in honor and duty. For Mishima, nothing - not even love - can ever become more important….

Patriot Privacy
Privacy vs. Patriotism: Ethical Considerations and Practical ealities of the U.S.A. PATIOT Act

The balance between security and privacy has long been a concern for governments and private citizens, and was an explicit source of worry and contention in the formation of the United States as an independent nation. Though no right to privacy as such is explicitly guaranteed or even mentioned in the Constitution, the Fourth Amendment directly forbids the government from searching a person's property without considered authorization or clear probable cause (the definition of which has itself been the subject of much debate), and other elements of federal and state laws and court rulings can be seen as affirmations of freedom from government surveillance to a certain degree. Though always a contentious issue, then, the line between what the government is allowed to do in order to promote national security and what private citizens are entitled to….

For Li & Brewer, the foremost different between nationalism and patriotism is that patriotism is "love of the country" and "attachment to national values based on critical understanding" (Adorno et al. As cited in Wei, oy, Wells, ethen and Huang, 2006). Meanwhile, McConnachie (2003) believes that the main difference between the two is that "a patriot is one who expressed emotion - love. A patriot loves his country whereas a nationalist is someone who expresses his love or concern for his nation in an active political way - someone who takes a hands-on political approach."

eferences

McConnachie, a. (2003). Understanding Patriotism and Nationalism. Sovereignty, October 2003. etrieved March 4, 2009 from www.sovereignty.org.uk/features/articles/edit1/html.

Nationalism (n.d.) in Merriam-Webster Online. etrieved March 4, 2009 at http://www.merriam-webster.com.

Patriotism (n.d.) in Merriam-Webster Online. etrieved March 4, 2009 at http://www.merriam-webster.com.

Wei, L., oy, S., Wells, J., ethen, M., & Huang, C.T., (2006). Patriotism or Nationalism?: The New York Times' Discourse of….

Public Opinion on the War in IraqBackgroundThe research question for this paper was: \\\"What is the public opinion over the war in Iraq during the last few administrations as well as the public opinion on the president handling in pulling troops out of Iraq.\\\" To answer this question, the oper iPoll database was consulted, with a keyword search of war in Iraq from the years 2002 to 2022. Some background on the war in Iraq is helpful for understanding the context of the data taken from these polls.Public opinion on the war in Iraq has been highly divided and has changed over time. Initially, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, a large majority of Americans supported the decision to invade Iraq, with the belief that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to national security. However, as the war dragged on and the lack of weapons of mass destruction was discovered,….

Roger Wilkins presents perhaps the most complete picture of the Founding Fathers in his book Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism. It is Wilkins' argument that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison and George Mason were not the idyllic seekers-of-justice and equality that we have been taught, but rather they were wealthy slaveholders with political powers that were not always exercised is an "American" way. In light of this newly presented information, our former ideals need to be reevaluated against the ideas of black patriotism, as well as against our thoughts on patriotism in general. How could all men have been created equal, when African-Americans were not considered to be men at all? Indeed, Americans cannot fully come to understand themselves until they are able to understand who the aforementioned individuals were - no matter what the results.
Slaveholders were great politicians in our nation's founding….

The Rangers eventually located the battery of cannons that had been moved by the Germans and destroyed them with thermite grenades and helped secure the adjacent beaches for the rest of the D-Day invasion forces.

President Ronald Reagan and the Rebirth of Patriotism

President Reagan may have been a "B movie" actor who was best known for his roles in movies such as "Bedtime for Bonzo," but he was also enormously patriotic and served his country admirably during World War II by making a series of training films and helping raise funds for the war effort. As noted above, he was also a captain in the Army Air Corps, but his poor eyesight precluded his serving in combat. Nevertheless, his moving tribute to the men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion helped fuel a rebirth of patriotism in the U.S. that Brinkley suggests continues to the present day. Indeed, President Reagan was not….

It might be said that, had Lincoln not been elected, the war might have been put off by a few years, and then a solution might perhaps have been reached. However, as has been demonstrated, the country was moving inexorably toward war and no other solution would work. If the war had been put off by a few years, the result would more than likely have been even more terrible and bloody than it was. General Grant was of the opinion that the war was inevitable. "The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war," he wrote in his Personal Memoirs, in accord with his belief that the Mexican-American War was the result of the South's attempts to extend slavery into Mexican-controlled Texas, "Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war in modern times." Grant would then….