Essay on Patriotism Speech In the speech “What is Patriotism,” the author Emma Goldman, provide examples that reflect what Patriotism truly is and explains how it’s a wrong idea in society that leads to negative actions. Goldman in her speech helps point out defects that America has and how some of the American people uphold those defect due to their patriotic ways of thinking Goldman begins her speech with rhetorical questions, demonstrating what many people assume patriotism is. She first transports the reader in to the image that most people have of their native country. “Is it the place where in childlike naivete, we would watch the passing clouds?” “Is that the place where we would count the milliard glittering stars?” “Is it the place where we would listen to the music of the birds and long to have wings to fly?”(Paragraph 1) Goldman wants to contrast the image that most of society views when they hear the word patriotism with the image she sees. She knows that it’s not a pretty picture like everyone thinks and unfortunately patriotism has been disguised with these ideas. …show more content…
Reed, “patriotism these days is like Christmas.” A lot of people get caught up in a festive atmosphere with lights and decorations, and forget the true meaning of the holiday. Many people from different countries make this mistake. They show off the colors of their flag and the qualities of their countries and somehow seem to forget the chaos that goes on there. Goldman states, “Indeed conceit, arrogance, and egotism are the essentials of patriotism.” (Paragraph 4) Some feel more superior because of the country they live in, yet there is poverty, crime, and violence invading those places. In an article from Statista, it explains how in America people celebrate the Fourth of July but instead of remembering the independence of their nation, they focus more on fireworks and lots of