Why I am a patriotic American...stupid essay for school

Wow alot of good replies to this thread...and a very good base of ideas to get your writing ideas started...I consider myself to be "patriot"...believing in the basic concept that was written over 200 years ago...by men who wanted to secure individual's rights and well being "....life,liberty,and the persuit of happiness".... I have always been branded as a subversive "anti-american" for my outspoken views against the power hungry money grabbers...who write laws for the masses..yet seem to think they are exempt from those very laws

I also get condemned for flying my flags upside down...and for anybody that doesn't know anything about flag etiquette....flying a flag upside down is an international naval distress signal signaling passing ships that a ship is in trouble...and america is definitely a ship in trouble

'patriotism"...in the context that our beady eyed power monger uses it today...makes the term synonymous with "bullshit"....which is a direct slap in the face...to those of us who believe in the rights of an individual

patriotism (200+ years ago)....meant the rights of the people keeping the government's power in check

patriotism (today) means the government's power keeping the people's rights in check

bottom line for your essay...speak your mind... don't put on the blinders that the "sheople" don everyday...point out how voicing your opinion against the powers that be...is the truest sense of patriotism we have left....use quotes from the very piece of paper that originally gave individuals the right to be free and speak their mind freely...even though the Bush horde views it as toilet paper....but what can you expect from a man with shit for brains...he can wipe all day long...but his ass is still going to smell like shit...since he is a present day snake oil peddler...peddling bullshit

 

Well first of all I just want to thank everyone again for their awesome responses. I tried not to just take what you guys said and compile it all into my essay without making it original, but if anyone feels like I plagarised them or anything just let me now and I'll revise. I'm still debating whether I'm gonna title it "Why I am an American Patriot" which is what I'm sure she expects, or if I'm gonna think of a better title. Anyway, here is the essay:

What makes someone a patriot? Is it standing for the pledge of allegiance? Or slapping a ‘support our troops’ bumper sticker on your car? Or is it standing up for what you believe in, even if it contradicts the government, and exercising your rights as a citizen of America? It is here I would like to bring up a passage from a very important document in American history:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”

Now, surely the meaning of that passage is clear. And yet, those who protest the war are marked as unpatriotic. They are marked as uncaring and unsympathetic to our troops, which is of course a ludicrous accusation. Can you be opposed to war and yet still supportive of the troops? Yes, just as easily as you could be opposed to war and unsupportive of the troops. It is because of freedom of speech, something that supposedly is a foundation of our country. And yet it is questionable whether or not that still holds true. This essay for example; will I be marked down for voicing my opinion? When you think about it, how can I be? In a way, I am more patriotic by questioning and opposing the government and some of their choices than those who accept the way things are and support our governments every move.
I don’t know about you, but at this point I am a little unsure as to what really constitutes an American patriot. Now in my opinion, standing up against a government that, in essence, is ruining our country is extremely patriotic. And yet others could disagree.
Main Entry: pa·tri·ot·ism
Pronunciation: 'pA-trE-&-"ti-z&m, chiefly British 'pa-
Function: noun
: love for or devotion to one's country
Love for or devotion to one’s country. Nowhere in that definition is the government itself mentioned. So why are those who oppose the government branded unpatriotic? Because the image of a patriotic American has been warped. The true values that America was founded on have been warped. In all honesty, why am I a patriotic American, is somewhat of an unanswerable question. Patriotism has become no more than a mere illusion.
At this time I would like to clarify something: I do not hate America. For all that I disagree with and am opposed to about our government and our country, I cannot deny that it has done numerous things for me. And so I will take this opportunity to thank America and apologize that it has become so twisted and so untrue to itself. I can only wonder: what would the founding fathers think if they saw America today? While they themselves were hypocritical at times (was it not Thomas Jefferson who said all men are created equal, and was it not Thomas Jefferson who owned several slaves?) I still feel that they would be appalled at what has become of the country they founded. Even though I feel that major reforms are needed, I do not hate the country, only those who warp and pervert it.
After all this analyzing and examination, it might be justifiable to say that America is false. The America of today is not the true America. Who can we blame? The country? The people? The blame rests solely upon those who lead us astray and those who blindly follow. Eyes need to be opened and minds need to be focused. We need to free ourselves from the catastrophic collision course we have been set upon.
I have come to loathe the modern sense of patriotism. How many deaths has it caused? In a way, patriotism is no more than a tool of terror. A weapon. And still after all this I am unsure as to what a patriot is. It seems that two clear-cut groups have been developed: the flag wavers and the flag burners. But maybe a patriot in the true sense of the word is someone who falls into neither category. Or maybe there is no true sense of the word patriot. Is patriotism really an illusion? I cannot truthfully write an essay on why I am a patriotic American because there is really no way to do so without a proper definition on what constitutes a patriotic American. Considering that, evidently, such a definition does not exist, I hope that what I have written will suffice. I thank you for taking the time to read this and hope that you will consider my opinion and not label it as ‘unpatriotic’ or ‘un-American’.


“ How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?”

Note: in the actual essay I'm gonna hand in I will credit Bob Dylan for the quote at the end so I don't get slammed for plagarism

 

it's ignorant for public schools to push assignments onto you believeing (or hoping?) that you're patriotic and stick with traditional american beliefs.
stick with your gut and write what you NEED to write!
i've done that, and have gotten, believe it or not, good comments back!

 

Yay! That's a great essay, LoveConquers!

I especially LOVE this part:

Good job! It's awesome that you're telling the truth in this essay. I hope all goes for you, and that your teacher doesn't fail you for not saying you're patriotic!

Also, in case you still want some quotes, here are some great ones that you could use...
"Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right." -Carl Schurz
"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." -??God(dess)KnowsWho BecauseItActuallyWasn'tThomasJefferson??

 

quotes by founding fathers that u can open with, but im not sure which ones said what

someday the governments of the world will just have to step aside & allow the people to have peace

it is the responcibility or the people to every 10 years or so tear down the government & rebuild it to correct the mistakes of the past

(they maybe quoted slightly inacuarately, i think that last 1 was jefferson?)

 

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism is by Howard Zinn, a pretty cool guy.

Great essay. Many things you said just had that ring of honor and truth to them. Personally I would take out that last line, "I thank you for taking the time to read this and hope that you will consider my opinion and not label it as ‘unpatriotic’ or ‘un-American’." A little too conciliatory for my tastes. But otherwise really really good job. Definitely deserves an A+.

 

Yea I don't really like the last line either but I couldn't think of a better way to end it. And thank you for the feedback guys. I hand it in tomarrow, so I'll let give an update when I get it back.

 

as far as voicing ur opinion u'll get an A+ for sure, but you gotta remeber not to break the forth wall. You can say "I" or "me" or actually mention that this is an essay

 

I am a patriotic American because I oppose the war in Iraq. I am a patriotic American because I despise the private group of money grubbing thief’s known as the Federal Reserve. I am a patriotic American because I question the government’s conspiracy theory of a story that they told about the events of 9-11. I am a patriotic American because I represent the feeling of the majority of the US citizens.





Even better... you could talk about how great Mexico, South America, & Canada are. Your dumbass teacher meant to ask 'why are you a patriotic US citizen, not why are you a patriotic American. Make them feel like a dumbass and point out how noble Canada and Mexico are for putting up with our tyrannical regime. Talk about how knowing that fills you with a sense of American pride.

 

I would never write a paper calling myself a patriot, by definition that would mean that I support the capitalism and istitutions that place the borders that separate America from the rest of the world.

I always found that you could get away with honesty in your writing as long as fill the paragraph requirements.

 

Hmmmm, I have a feeling that everyone here would get a better grade than me on this assignment. I'm a smart-ass, I would have just given in a blank sheet of paper with my name on it

 

LOL! You win at life. Seriously.

 

its five paragraphs, just copy and paste things people have been saying on this thread

 

ahhahahaa, I used to do stuff like that all the time last year

 

Well thank you.

 

You guys beat me to the punch. Good responses to the question. If it were myself I would write about what patriotism actually IS as well as the merits and disadvantages of patriotism. There is nothing more patriotic than dissent, just ask the founders.....

Love and light

 

Well I got the essay back. I got a B+ because she said that I wasn't specific enough. But she didn't mark me down for the topic or anything, actually she wrote little footnotes saying "I agree" at certain points.

 

Well she's about half right. Shoulda got that A+ dagnabbit.

 

Just say flat out..."Im not."

And read my sig.