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| Female soldiers march in a parade marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding day in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press) |
There are several questions in this set. Respond to any of them that you consider to be thought-provoking and avoid the easy ones.
When Frankie's mother refers to her as a "patriot," she does so with disdain. She goes on to rebuke her daughter for joining the army, asking "How could you be so stupid?"
Many people thinking joining the U.S. military is a brave and honorable life choice, but is it always brave and honorable to join the military of your home country, regardless of what country you live in or what time period you are living in?
Is it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation?
Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
Why might Frankie's mother think it is "stupid" for Frankie to join the military?
Is it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation?
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is not always honorable to take pride in your nation. Looking back into history, the easiest example of a time when it would not be honorable to take pride in your country would be in Nazi Germany. If you were aware of what the Nazis were doing in WWII and you still decided to support their cause, you would be wholly in the wrong in my opinion.
Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?
I believe that citizens should be able to feel proud of their country, but it is ok to not be if they disagree with what their country is doing. Again, Nazi Germany is an easy example of this principle in action. If someone was aware of what the Nazis were doing and decided to not support their home country, I believe that would be the honorable thing to do, prioritizing the wellbeing of humanity as a whole over the drastic ideals of their country.
Is it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation?
ReplyDeleteI believe it is where the individual's heart is in taking pride in your nation. For instance, if a solider boasts about killing innocent citizens who are on the opposing side of war that is not honorable.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
I believe calling yourself a patriot means that you love your country right, or wrong. Love is a choice and to choose to love means to pick it even if you disagree with the actions of the ones you love. You might love and individual but not love their choices.
"Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?"
ReplyDeleteI feel like there are multiple layers to this question. On the surface it sounds like an easy question to answer but the more I thought about it the harder I had to think. I think that all citizens should feel proud and patriotic, however, there are exceptions. Most citizens won't be proud or patriotic when their country's leadership is failing them.
"Many people think joining the U.S. military is a brave and honorable life choice, but is it always brave and honorable to join the military of your home country, regardless of what country you live in or what time period you are living in?"
I believe joining the military in the United States is honorable and brave, however it may not be that way in other countries. People may not view joining the military as honorable and brave in oppressive countries. They may see it as unfortunate and sad.
Peyton Spahn
ReplyDelete"Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?"
Yes I feel as if citizens have the right to feel proud or patriotic for their country, that means that you care for your country, you want for it to do well, and you would even be willing to serve or help support your country if you are able. However, not everyone would agree with that depending on the circumstances of different countries. For example, when America was still segregated, I could only imagine that African Americans did not feel any sense of patriotism to live in a country and time period where they were viewed as "second class citizens", received horrible treatment from those around them, and were viewed as less than facing much violence, economical inequality, and racism.
Question 1: I do believe it is always honorable regardless of country or time period. Putting your life on the line for others is honorable to me. Whether you do it for the United States, Korea, Russia, or any other country. Putting others above yourself is incredibly selfless no matter the generation or geographic location.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: There is a line to be drawn when referring to patriotism. I do think everyone should be able to be proud of their nation, but once patriotism turns into nationalism, it can be a problem.
Question 3: I think everyone should have a little bit of pride in their nation at least, but I do not necessarily think that every citizen should be patriotic. Not everyone is going to agree with everything the government does, and to me having pride in the government is part of being patriotic. After all, the government is the core of a nation. If you are unable to have complete pride in the system, which I can understand, I do not think it is possible to be patriotic.
I am responding to your answer to question 1: Is it always honorable to join the military? I disagree with your statement. For example, you bring up Russia, which in WW II massacred, looted, and oppressed the Jews. The soldiers knew their government was doing awful things and chose to join anyway. Choosing to take part in awful acts, even if you were told to or did it for your nation, is never honorable. WWII Germany genocided millions of people, and the soldiers also put their lives on the line to do so. Does this make it honorable? Is it honorable to join your nation's military if they are purposely harming mass amounts of civilians?
DeleteI forgot to put my name on the comment that was posted August 9th at 1:15 p.m., it was Kaylea Tinsley.
DeleteI think that for the most part it is honorable to join the military of your country. If that was your choice and you believe in what you’re fighting for. Although, like Frankie we see that she learns a lot more truth about war and about the mass casualties to civilians and the effects it can have on the children of soldiers. I think it sounds like an easy yes to the question but when you look at the effects that war has it becomes a lot harder to be proud.
ReplyDeleteI think there are times when it’s ok not to feel patriotic or proud of your countries actions. I think in order for us to be proud of our country we have to have a reason. I’m sure that every country has had a moment to be proud of, but we ourselves have had many moments that make me question our country’s morals.
I think that patriotism is about acknowledging that this is your country and through thick and thin there is not a whole lot you can do to change that. While you may not agree with the leadership of your country or their actions you still see that it is a part of your life. I don’t think that patriotism means you have to blindly follow the leaders of your country it means that you accept that these are the leaders who make the vast decisions, but you acknowledge there mistakes and are willing to speak up about them.
A good example would be Germany many citizens did not agree with what their leaders were doing and where willing to speak out and help injustice. Overall there will always be disagreement in your country and it is your choice whether you acknowledge and try to make a change as a patriot or you ignore and accept.
Many people thinking joining the U.S. military is a brave and honorable life choice, but is it always brave and honorable to join the military of your home country, regardless of what country you live in or what time period you are living in?
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked at this question, I thought the answer would be easy. My original answer would have been, “Yes, no matter what, it will always be brave and honorable.” However, after thinking about it a little longer, I realized that the answer really isn’t that simple. While I do think that joining the military, regardless of where or when you are, is brave, I do not believe it is always honorable. There are certain instances where the soldiers of a military did horrible things. And while I know that in a lot of cases, people were forced to do those things, there are also cases where they weren’t. On a smaller scale, some people join the military for power. When they become a soldier, while they would be doing honorable things for their country, they would also be abusing the power and authority they had to do whatever they wanted. To put a long explanation short, joining the military is inherently brave and can be honorable, but ultimately, it’s how a person chooses to carry out that role that defines the true nature of their service.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
I feel this can be a difficult question to answer, so let’s start with the basics. The definition of patriot is as follows: “A person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies and detractors.” Based off this definition alone, I would say that calling yourself a patriot means loving your country, right or wrong, and that you also support your country’s actions, whether they are right or wrong. Again, this is solely based on the Google definition of the word, because in all honesty, I think people tend to have different definitions of what it means to be a patriot to their country. Some would say that being a patriot means being for the people of your country, rather than the government. This means that while they may not support their government’s actions, they support the choices of its citizens. This also goes the opposite direction, with people not supporting citizens’ actions but rather supporting their government’s actions. The definition of being a patriot will always change based on who you ask.
Is it brave to join the military, no matter your country or what period you are in? Yes, I believe no matter who you are serving or what period you are serving in, it is brave. To go into the military, you know there is a high chance you might die or be seriously injured on the battlefield. It takes a tremendous amount of strength and bravery to overlook that fact and serve your country to protect your people.
ReplyDeleteIs it honorable to join the military? Joining the military can be an honorable choice. However, if the intentions are corrupt and the individual is joining for the sake of violence in war, the honor is lost.
Is it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation? This is a question that depends heavily on the individual’s perspective. In Germany during WWII, the Nazi’s believed they were doing the honorable thing by ridding the world of what they thought was a lesser race. The Nazi group was very patriotic and took heavy pride in their nation. At the same time, from the outside perspective, they were doing unspeakable horrors to a group of human beings.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean you think the countries actions are positve a a whole? I don’t believe that if you call yourself a patriot, or say you love your country means you support the decisions it makes at the very moment. I believe that you can be patriotic and love the country you are from or live in without being in total support of it’s current leadership. You can love what your country was founded on or stands for but disagree with the leadership. I would go so far as to say that you could take action agianst the countries leadership out of love or respect for the values it was founded on. Say a new president is elected in the United States. Now say that new president wants to turn from the current system of a representative democracy into something more alike a authoritarian regime. A person might say thats not right, thats not what this country is founded for or represents. So they decide to take action against this new president in order to save the values they love about the United States.
ReplyDeleteI think Frankie’s Mother called her joining the army stupid was due to her lack of expierence, along with the gender roles of the time. Frankie obviously being fresh out of school with little to no actual expierience in the medical field makes it an obvious bad idea to go to a warzone where she would desperatly need that expierence. This coupled with the fact that in Frankie’s family only the men had ever served, and the fact that Frankie’s mother only wanted her to work until she could marry would have lead to a very upset and distraught mom. All this culminating in the emotion fueled reaction we see from Frankie’s mother.
Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?
ReplyDeleteI believe that this simply depends on a person's experience. In some cases, people may feel abandoned or uncared for by their country, which in turn may lead them to see their country in a negative light. I would never tell someone that they should feel a certain way about a certain thing, especially when I have not lived their life nor have I experienced what they have. In conclusion, I don't think all citizens should be proud or patriotic towards their country, as I can only feel what I feel for my country with my own experiences, and they feel what they feel with theirs.
I believe that all citizens should or should not be proud of their country based on their personal beliefs because there’s different answers to this. First there’s people who serve to show respect, honor and bravery to their country and I feel like that’s something to be proud of but when your called to go to war and you have to kill innocent people to prove a point to other countries I don’t agree with that. I believe that everyone’s life should be cherished, no one’s life is more important than another and when they do that theres no pride or honor in that. But with being part of the country there are some good thing you can be proud of especially the development of the country like production wise it has been way better than in the past but the main downfall is that our countries leadership is falling and it’s like it creates this image that it’s only a matter of time before we all or affected and that doesn’t make people feel safe, so they won’t feel proud about anything like that.
ReplyDeleteIs it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation?
ReplyDeleteIt’s not always honorable to be patriotic or take pride in your nation, it depends on what you’re honoring and why you feel that pride. Patriotism is most meaningful when it’s based on genuine respect for the country’s values, leadership, and progress. If a nation takes good care of its citizens, upholds justice, and works toward the well-being of all, then it’s truly something to be proud of. In such cases, expressing patriotism becomes an honorable and uplifting act.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
Calling myself a patriot means I love my country and want to contribute to better policies and the well-being of its people wherever I can serve. My patriotism is not dependent on the government’s actions or policies. I believe it’s not always right to support the country’s actions if they harm its citizens. As a patriot, I would rather raise my voice against such actions to protect my land and its people and that's to me, is true patriotism.
“Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?”
ReplyDeleteI think calling yourself a patriot means that you love your country for what it could be and what it’s meant to be. When you take up arms for your country, whether in politics or in the military, you are fighting for what you believe in and for what you think would make the world better. You think your country being a certain way could help you accomplish that, and that’s being a patriot.
1. After reading this question and thinking about it, I honestly believe that it is not always honorable to join the military. I believe it often becomes more of an obligation or a requirement for people rather than a choice. It often occurs that people are forced into the military, whether it be by government, family, or even friends. Being forced into the military not only can take away the feeling of doing something honorable, but it can also affect the mental health of people detrimentally. It can cause severe anxiety, PTSD, depression, panic, grief, and so many other disorders. Joining the military is a hard and terrifying thing to do, and being forced into joining just makes things so much worse. In short, being part of the military should always feel honorable, but when many are forced into the decision, it takes away that chance to feel like you are doing something good.
ReplyDelete2. Frankie’s mother believes it is stupid for her to join the military, because in their family, it is only the men who join, the men who serve, and the men who get on the heroes wall. Their family believes that women are made to be mothers, settling down and taking care of kids, or have specific jobs like nurses, teachers, and things of a similar nature. In short, in this particular time period, men were often the ones who went off to the military, while the women stayed home and handled everything else.
Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?
ReplyDeleteI believe that not all citizens should. Every country has a complex past and have made what could be seen as poor choices and shameful decisions. While I don’t believe every citizen in a country should be defined by what their country’s leaders have done, those who support their country despite this without calling attention or being at least aware of the wrongdoing are ignorant.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
I don’t believe that calling yourself a patriot means that you always believe your country’s actions are appropriate, or good. To me it means that you love your country despite being aware of the mistakes and poor choices made, or that it might not be the best country. You love it because it is your home, your land, and you want the best for it. You want your country to be a safe place where all can be happy. Just like how you love your family, despite the mistakes and wrongdoings that happened in the past.
Is it always honorable to be patriotic and take pride in your nation?
ReplyDeleteThere is a time and a place to take pride in your nation. If your nation has fallen under control by a tyrant I do not believe you should take pride in such nation.
Should all citizens feel proud of their country and patriotic?
Everyone has their own opinions on how situations should be handled, meaning not all citizens will be able to feel proud of their country. However, I do wish everyone could have the ability to feel safe and proud in their country.
Does calling yourself a patriot mean that you believe your country's actions are, on the whole, positive? Or does calling yourself a patriot mean that you love your country, right or wrong, because it is yours, just like your family is yours?
Neither, in my mind being a patriot means you love what your country stands for and you are willing to speak up about situations that do not support the ideas of the country. You may not support the leader or bills made by the leader but that does not mean you are not a patriot.
Why might Frankie's mother think it is "stupid" for Frankie to join the military?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Frankie's mother says this to Frankie because Frankie's mother has seen the effects of war. Her mother has had multiple family members serve during wartime and knows it often permanently changes a person. Frankie's naivety about going to war is terrifying to her mother, which I think manifests in the way she acts. I also think Frankie's mother thinks of Frankie as doing "a man's job" by going to war. This is something that may be seen as shameful to her family during this time. They are a fairly conservative, upper-middle-class family that sticks to tradition. To her mother, marriage is the acceptable route for Frankie to take; everything else is just a precursor.
Q2: There isn't anything inherently wrong with taking pride in the place, culture, background and people you come from. But, as people are imperfect and not all-knowing, every single group has issues. Part of being a fully functional and fair society is its peoples' ability to self-criticize when applicable. This may mean not being a gung-ho Patriot when the country is pushing an agenda or is in a war that you feel or know is morally flawed, whether inherently or in execution. A country is nothing but the people in it. If the people in it won't hear criticism, the country can't hear criticism.
ReplyDeleteQ3. Joining the military is always a difficult question. It depends both in part on what the military is currently doing and your reasons for joining. Joining to get out of a bad situation or to protect your loved ones are honorable reasons. But joining with selfish or violent, vengeful, bitter motivations is definitely not selfless and therefore not honorable.
I believe that it is not always brave and honorable to serve a country. In the history of this world, there are many times when countries were doing things that were morally wrong. Citizens of a country may not always agree with their leaders, and would therefore not want to fight. They do not have to be patriotic and fight for somethings that their beliefs do not align with. On the other hand, citizens can also feel proud of their country, and fight for whatever they feel would benefit it.
ReplyDeleteA patriot supports their country through rights and wrongs. However, it is not always great to be patriotic. Germany had many patriotic people, however they also had people who did not support what their leaders wee doing. There will not always be perfect harmony and agreeance. Patriotic people can have their own beliefs and support their country however they see best, while some can choose to not engage in things they do not support.