Both Julia Ward Howe's "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." are works meant to inspire emotions within Americans. Howe and Springsteen both write about war, the Civil War and the Vietnam War. "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was adopted by the Union troops, proving the poem is pro-war. Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." criticizes the way men were treated upon return from the Vietnam War as well as criticizing the way Americans stand for freedom and the chance to succeed when in reality, not everyone has equal opportunity. Springsteen and Howe make references and allusions throughout the song and poem to remind listeners and readers that the information conveyed is factual and is used to create a greater sense of patriotism or in Springsteen's case, to criticize America. The Civil War allows for Americans to have freedoms and have the opportunity to obtain the American dream, which is later ironically hardly obtainable during the Vietnam War era. 

The song "Born in the U.S.A." is one of the most widely misinterpreted songs in history due to the happy chorus and the simple lyrics making people think it is all about the American freedom. Lyrically, the song deals with the negative effects of the Vietnam War on Americans and the treatment of the veterans on their arrival back home. The chorus repeats the lines "I was born in the U.S.A." (Springsteen) which gives Americans the sense that this song is all about patriotism, but the lyrics actually criticize American culture. The song is about the Vietnam War, and it originally had the title of "Vietnam," which Springsteen decided to change to "Born in the U.S.A" because his producer believed it would sell better. The tone of the song is very sarcastic due to the upbeat tune contrasting the lyrics that "cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam War veterans" (White). Springsteen condemns the American government for sending young men off to Vietnam to fight in this vicious war. Many wealthier men were not called to to fight overseas because they could afford to not be drafted; Bruce Springsteen is criticizing the way the American government handled the war from the beginning. As the song continues, Springsteen writes about how the veterans of this war were not treated with honor and respect upon their return due to much disapproval of the war. The Vietnam War was also the first war that America had not won, but the men who fought still deserved recognition and honor in their homeland; they did not choose to be drafted to fight the brutal battles. Springsteen uses the example of middle class men who fought in the Vietnam War and returned to nothing with "nowhere to run" (Springsteen) because they were now homeless and hated in their homeland. Springsteen wants to remind people that patriotism is not always about winning wars or having lots of wealth but turning a back on a veteran is never patriotic. They went to Vietnam to defend the nation that is dearly loved by millions. 

Some of the most influential lines within the song that are used to instill many emotions within Americans are "I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off all the Viet Cong / They're still there, he's all gone / He had a woman he loved in Saigon / I got a picture of her in his arms now" (Springsteen). Khe Sanh was one of the bloodiest, and perhaps most pointless, battles of the Vietnam War. American troops desperately fought off a communist attack against an isolated jungle outpost; only to see the U.S. military abandon the base shortly after winning the battle. The questions Springsteen is asking are: "What was the point of the sacrifice of the men lost there? What did their deaths achieve? Why should they have left their lovers alone, left their children fatherless?" (White). Springsteen uses his harsh lyrics to make a point to the American public. He wants men and women to support the troops fighting to help keep their freedom as well as realize that the Vietnam War was pointless, but the men who fought in this war were drafted to fight, and not all of them went by choice. 

Wars are fought to protect the freedom of a nation or to obtain freedom within a nation. America is a free country where men and women have rights that cannot be infringed on. People across the country are trying to obtain the American Dream. Springsteen is mocking the American Dream throughout his song. The lyrics bring to light what it means to be an American: suffering in a pointless war and then returning to American soil and continuously suffering through unemployment and homelessness when the war ends. Is that really the American dream? He then offsets his bleak lyrics with the catchy chorus, which represents the Americans who are oblivious to all the suffering around them, and those who think America is filled with complete freedom and endless possibilities. The contrasting lyrics ironically represent the way Americans live their lives thinking that the U.S. is the best country in the world; yet, the men who fight for the country to continue to have these freedoms are condemned. 

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" quite oppositely inspires loyalty to America and in the Civil War time period, inspires loyalty within the Union troops. Each stanza alludes to parts of the Bible; Howe uses Christianity to insinuate patriotism within men and women of the Union: "The Union forces were instruments of divine judgment and retribution against the Confederate states for establishing and persisting in the evil institution of slavery" (thejesusquestion). Howe originally rewrote the lyrics to "John Brown's Body" after the attack on Harper's Ferry that her husband helped fund as a part of the radical abolitionist movement; the troops were singing this song after the attack, and she loved the tune. The song begins in the first person "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord" witnessing to others about how those Massachusetts troops singing John Brown's "soul is marching on" had inspired her to believe she had "seen the glory of the coming of the Lord" (Howe). Howe later changed the title of the song to "Battle Hymn of the Republic" because this title is more related to fighting an earthly battle for the Lord rather than just for the North. The "He" and "Him" (Howe) throughout the lyrics refer to God. In the third line, she writes "him" with a lowercase "h" to show that this "him" is not referring to God but to John Brown. Howe also reminds people that the Lord has anger although this is a subject Christians tend to avoid discussing. Christians like to think of God as a loving, caring, and tender God rather than a wrathful God, but because God has anger, Howe uses references to the Bible of his wrath to create a new fire within the Union troops to want to fight this battle for their Lord. The Civil War now was no longer just battles over slavery and money, but it became a war of God against the devil. Stanza two refers to the Old Testament when people used to build altars to the Lord because Jesus had yet to come. This line is placed into the song because the North is honoring God by fighting the Southern Rebels, and "His righteous sentence" (Howe) refers to Revelation when God says that all of His enemies will be punished by death. The last in stanza two "His Day is marching on"  (Howe) is alluding to the day that Jesus will come back to earth, Judgment Day.

Howe uses religion as a technique to create patriotism and loyalty within the Union troops. At this time, Christianity was the main religion in America so this song became very effective and was quickly loved and adopted. The last stanza with the lyrics about the lilies and words that bring more of a calming to listeners is the victory stanza. This stanza was written by Howe to give troops an idea of the tranquility that will come in the nation if they win the War. The line "let us die to make men free" (Howe) is intended to get the Union troops ready to die for their beliefs and allow the slaves of the south to be freed and live lives with rights, integrity, and equality. Differing from Howe, Springsteen uses a degrading tactic to inspire patriotism; he is showing where the flaws in America are which proves to the American public that the United States is not always the completely free, perfect nation to live in. It has its flaws, and citizens should not be proud of these flaws, but they should learn from them and grow the nation from there. 

Both of the songs "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Born in the U.S.A." insinuate patriotism within Americans. Although Springsteen did not completely intend for his song to be a patriotic song, many love the chorus even though the rest of the lyrics have been misinterpreted. "Born in the U.S.A." is patriotic in the sense that Springsteen brings up points to question what American people actually think of America, and why citizens love the nation the way they do. It allows people to reflect on what freedom actually means and what the American dream stands for. He questions whether the American dream is truly obtainable by all, even though that is the point of the American dream - that it is obtainable by all citizens of the United States. Although America may seem to provide opportunities, it can crush them as well. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is mainly filled with Bible allusions to put a greater purpose behind all the fighting. The Union troops are considered to be fighting in God's army against Satan's troops, which gives the North an extra fire in their souls when fighting. The two tactics used to instill patriotism in citizens by Springsteen and Howe are very different but effective. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" gives Americans more of a hoo-rah kind of energy and pride for America, while "Born in the U.S.A." brings up a kind of patriotism that not only condemns America's past, but also calls into question the government. The song's chorus sounds like the typical American patriotic song, but the bitter irony in the actual lyrics takes a different stance. Springsteen is making a point that in order to be a proud nation, the wars that are fought must be necessary wars, and people must respect their veterans. Although the lyricists use two different ways to instill patriotism, both Howe and Springsteen succeed in creating patriotic tunes that are still played today.

