For some reason or another, the recent midterm elections in the United States stirred up a patriotic fervor with me. The workings of democracy and the ability of all people over the age of eighteen to vote make me proud to call myself a United States citizen. Three specific lines of Rita Dove’s “Lady Freedom Among Us” help to explain my patriotism: “don’t even think you can ever forget her/ don’t even try/ she’s not going to budge” (26-28). The repetition of the powerful diction like “don’t even” along with the firm diction such as “ever” allow Dove to create an assertive tone. Dove’s assertive tone reminds readers of the assertiveness American’s displayed in order to earn freedom from Britain. Dove’s juxtaposition of “she,” a synecdoche for freedom, with the forceful tone aids her in commending America for its aggressive actions to earn freedom. Dove wants readers to remember the great sacrifices early colonists made in order to separate from Britain and furthermore, Dove wants current United States citizens to never take their freedom for granted. Dove also juxtaposes “she,” a synecdoche for freedom, with the persistent diction like “budge” in order to create a prideful tone. Dove elicits feelings of pride from Americans because of the country’s success with preserving freedom for over 240 years. Dove wants Americans to never forget to remain thankful to the country for protecting the freedom of each and every citizen. Lady Freedom represents the uniqueness of America because as she sits atop the dome, she overlooks the inauguration of every new president of the United States outside of the Capitol Building. Lady Freedom overlooks the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. This handing over of power makes America the best country on earth. Too often in the modern world we read about coups or the military stepping in to prevent one party from taking the dictatorship from the current party. Luckily, as a United States citizen, freedom and an effective democratic system shield the country from these unfortunate occurrences.
Thomas, I enjoyed your discussion on something other than our reading. "Lady Freedom Among Us" allowed me to see the tremendous progress our country has made since Britian's rule. The recent election should remind each citizen how lucky they are to have the freedom to elect officials. Many other countries do not have this luxury.
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