Anthems -- "The Heaven-Rescued Land"
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- aggie80
- ibass
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» aggie80 - The Star Spangled Banner
A few years ago someone, as an ice breaker, asked us all to name our favorite song and why. I thought for a while and finally decided that it had to be the only one that brought tears to my eyes every time I heard it. The more American history that I learn, the more it means to me. And, yes, I did serve in the uniform of my country for six years on active duty.The tune doesn't matter as much as the meaning and feeling behind it. I don't care how bad a person sings the song, if they understand the words and the full meaning behind them and aren't making fun of it.
Mark W. Swarthout, Esq.
The Swarthout/Swartout/Swartwout Web Site - http://swarthoutfamily.org
Lander County Coordinator - NVGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~nvlander/
Contributing Editor - Suite101.com - North American Genealogical History
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-- posted by aggie80
» ibass - Re: The Star Spangled Banner
In response to message posted by aggie80:Thanks so much for your input. I think it is the gut-level reaction that separates true anthems from just patriotic songs (e.g., "The Star-Spangled Banner" versus "You're a Grand Old Flag"); it's the knowledge that they are rooted in historical circumstances involving some struggle to obtain or maintain the ideals expressed, rather than their being just some kind of celebration.
A few days after I wrote my article, I was reading a collection of short stories by Ursula K. Le Guin, and one of them ("Unblocking the Air," about the population of an unnamed Eastern European country seeking political freedom from their oppressive rulers) perfectly summed up this essential quality of anthems:
"You know the song, the old song with words like 'land,' 'love,' 'free' in the language you have known the longest. Its words make stone part from stone, its words prevent tanks, its words' tears form the world, when it is sung at the right time by the right people, after enough people have died for singing it."
-- posted by ibass
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