Leonard Runnebaum

My. Jankosko

English Language & Literature

14.11.2021

English IO Practice Essay

My field of inquiry is Culture, Identity and Community

Patriotism is probably one of the most powerful forces in the world. No other idea or

belief is so widely accepted in many societies, celebrated and uncritically perceived. Patriotism

is a globally concerning issue as when it is abused, it can lead to intolerance, multinational

problems and it can conceivably lead to war. Patriotism leads to a confrontational mindset as it

tells us there is one side against the other, this damages our multinational relationships and it

gives a biased perspective to many things. Patriotism is of global concern as it creates burdens

between countries as between parts of societies and makes people fight or argue for their

geographical location or racial descent and not for an open-minded understanding of a modern

society as a whole.

Patriotism has significance for societies on a large scale as it involves national beliefs and

transnational difficulties of any kind. Patriotic communities outside their home country will

stand behind the assumed opinion of their geographically home country, this can create problems

or competitions between nation and contribute to lightly inflammable topics as different patriotic

nations often clash while close-minded behavior leads to an aggressive power play and control

overtaking behavior.
 In history, as seen during the past years but also past centuries, patriotism has led to

different problems between parts of societies and even countries ending up in conflicts such as

WWII. Even in sports events one can observe what mistaken patriotism can result in. In 2016,

Russia lost a football match against England. This led to immense fights between the countries’

fans, Russian fans attacked English fans and a total of 35 people was injured. Though Russia was

fined as a penalty, most likely patriotism will not be influenced by such measures, patriotism is

frequently associated with promptness for severe aggression. Patriotism is a problem on a large

scale as people get hurt physically or emotionally, it is transnational as well because countries

attack each other for mostly senseless objectives.

Patriotism can be felt as well in everyday contexts as it is displayed by speeches or shown

on flags. Patriotism is exerted every time a citizens talks about how great and beautiful his/her

country is – implicitly setting back others – or simply by provocatively hanging out flags to

display their patriotic attitude. One widely accepted example is the United States of America as

patriotism is always shown on a daily basis: Flags are hung outside the car, flags are printed on

everything and the national anthem is praised extremely high at any occasion. This shows how

patriotism is experienced on a day to day basis. Patriotism however looses its appropriateness

when it denies rights of others or tries to gain power over others by ex. g. racism.

This extract from the chapter “on the rainy river” shows the effects of patriotism on society. In

this extract, it is shown what O’Brien would face if he would leave his country by going over to

Canada. This would have been a huge flaw as he wouldn’t respect his patriotic duties and doesn't

fulfill the duties that the society wants from him. All soldiers practically had to go because the

consequences were too huge despite their own wants. As patriotism is the main argument for the

soldiers going to war, they often forget about the great consequences of losing their life or
getting disabled. Through the experiences in the war soldiers often can cope with that, this was

stated by O’Brien himself. In conclusion, patriotism leads people to decisions like giving up their

life for something they don’t truly want. In the extract the reader is able to tell how far patriotism

goes as O’Brien is intentionally giving up his freedom only because he thinks about what his

country would think about him.

The issue of patriotism plays a huge role throughout the book as this immense loyalty

given by the American citizens appeared to the author as simply misused. Being extremely

patriotic in the US was pretty common at the time of the Vietnam war. Patriotism is a form of

loyalty; this loyalty was misused as the sacrifice was too big by sending freshly graduated

teenagers and simple men to war. Through the huge patriotism in each citizen almost every

nominated soldier went for their country to war. The men were clearly used as chess figures that

have to take the consequences caused by their country. Patriotism can lead to ignorance in a

society the author addresses with his publication.

Patriotism is present throughout the book, it even lead to people killing each other for

their country. In the Vietnam war nobody got killed for personal reasons, they got killed because

it was an order from the government. No one fought in Vietnam because one thought it would be

right but only because one believed in one’s own country and one need to be loyal at all costs.

Patriotism can effectively brainwash people.

“It was a kind of schizophrenia”. This brings emphasis on how O’Brien feels, he clearly

wants to have freedom but he experiences a breakdown between thought, emotion and behavior

as he thinks about all his consequences if he goes of to Canada.

“I’d be screaming at them, telling them how much I detested their blind, thoughtless,

automatic acquiescence to it all, their simple-minded patriotism, their prideful ignorance, their
loveit-or-leave-it platitudes, how they were sending me off to fight a war they didn’t

understand”. O’Brien is frustrated about how people take this huge sacrifice with such ease and

he’s annoyed by the patriotism as he notices what the people suddenly expect from him. O’Brien

is a patriot himself, otherwise his decision would have been easy to go to Canada.

40 line extract. (42-43)

´ÜüIt was a kind of schizophrenia. A moral split. I couldn’t make up my mind. I feared the war,

yes, but I also feared exile. I was afraid of walking away from my own life, my friends and my

family, my whole history, everything that mattered to me. I feared losing the respect of my

parents. I feared the law. I feared ridicule and censure. My hometown was a conservative little

spot on the prairie, a place where tradition counted, and it was easy to imagine people sitting

around a table down at the old Gobbler Cafe on Main Street, coffee cups poised, the conversation

slowly zeroing in on the young O’Brien kid, how the damned sissy had taken off for Canada. At

night, when I couldn’t sleep, I’d sometimes carry on fierce arguments with those people. I’d be

screaming at them, telling them how much I detested their blind, thoughtless, automatic

acquiescence to it all, their simple-minded patriotism, their prideful ignorance, their

loveit-or-leave-it platitudes, how they were sending me off to fight a war they didn’t understand

and didn’t want to understand. I held them responsible. By God, yes, I did. All of them—I held

them personally and individually responsible—the polyestered Kiwanis boys, the merchants and

farmers, the pious churchgoers, the chatty housewives, the PTA and the Lions club and the

Veterans of Foreign Wars and the fine upstanding gentry out at the country club. They didn’t

know Bao Dai from the man in the moon. They didn’t know history. They didn’t know the first

thing about Diem’s tyranny, or the nature of Vietnamese nationalism, or the long colonialism of
the French—this was all too damned complicated, it required some reading—but no matter, it

was a war to stop the Communists, plain and simple, which was how they liked things, and you

were a treasonous pussy if you had second thoughts about killing or dying for plain and simple

reasons. I was bitter, sure. But it was so much more than that. The emotions went from outrage to

terror to bewilderment to guilt to sorrow and then back again to outrage. I felt a sickness inside

me. Real disease.