What does it mean to be a patriot? Patriotism to us means loving and participating in ones country. Too often people forget the latter. Just because you fly an American flag or celebrate the Fourth of July doesn’t make you a patriot. Everyone needs to be active in society, otherwise people are unheard in a nation which boasts freedom of speech and majority ruling. History repeats itself, and we need to worry whenever a mass of people blindly stand behind something or someone out of a great love for it. Six weary American soldiers hoist a U.S flag on top a devastated battlefield, and many perished during the battle for Iwo Jima. The iconic image Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima sparks strong feelings of pride, remorse and patriotism in many Americans. By looking at subjects, contrast, and symbolism we can see patriotic themes glorifying battle. This is important because this feeling of patriotism may have pure intentions, but may also be used to promote warfare and political agendas. This is why citizens that participate in society and love their country are required for true patriotism.   

By examining the subjects of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, we can observe their meaning and what they contribute to the image. The American flag in the picture connects the image to the people of the United States, an important subject which targets a specific audience. Without that flag this iconic image loses its identity, which allows it to display patriotic messages to a target audience. The six war tattered soldiers in the photo represent sacrifice for country. They are some of the few that survived the battle for Iwo Jima. Those brave men in the photo sacrificed their health, emotional stability, brothers in arms, and social life for country. Those not pictured gave their life to a selfless cause, and those martyrs made the ultimate sacrifice. This devotion to a larger than life cause incites strong feelings of patriotism and willingness to lay one’s life down for country. These feelings created by this iconic image from over sixty years ago are still used to promote armed forces enlistment even day. Without the presence of the American flag, this noble message can’t be distributed to the target audience, the American people.  

Next we can analyze how contrast is utilized in the image. Due to the black and white nature of this photo, strong contrasting features dominate this image. There is a distinct divide between the dark shaded ground plane containing the battlefield and troops versus the lighter shading of the surrounding sky and ocean. The light and dark connect a meaning of good versus evil, a triumphant victory over a vile opponent. Or maybe that’s what you’re programmed to see as American citizens. Perhaps biased media and popular culture makes you want to see this. The great travesty is that many people aren’t aware of some of the dark deeds that actually takes place. People forget about the fathers, husbands, and sons that were forced into service, and some of the mistreatment they endured. Many conscripted men such as my grandfather and great uncle were taken from their families, and were not able to say goodbye. These weren’t the only people that were treated poorly during this time. Sailors and citizens were being illegally experimented on and many Japanese Americans were forced to live in internment camps during this time; which begs the question how pure and righteous can we be? Nobody is perfect or pure, so next time you see a popular image in society don’t just accept it as good versus bad, but look at it as the good and the bad. Because like the contrast in the image there is a dark side to every pretty picture, sometimes you just need to flip the picture over to see what’s really going on behind the scenes.      

Last, but not least we will observe how symbolism works in the image Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. One of the most prominent items displayed in the image is the American flag. This is because the flag can be seen flying high in the middle of the picture. This high flying United States flag symbolizes different things to many people. It is the symbolic image of our great country. To many it symbolizes freedom and the American dream, however some view it with hatred and disgust. But it is that flags duty to protect everyone’s opinions. Because that’s what this country was founded on, the freedom to have your own beliefs and the ability to express them. That’s what makes America great, is the ability to say what you want to, even if it goes against popular beliefs. Everyone’s opinions and beliefs matter, for they provide an alternate viewpoint or a new way to look at something. That’s what the American flag means to me as I often see it flying high in the sky. The symbolism of the American flag in the image means many different things to a variety of people, and many brave soldiers have fought to protect the opinions of all people.     

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a very powerful and iconic image that sparks many strong feelings such as patriotism. True patriotism requires heart and soul, being a true patriot requires both love and care for one’s country. We have many Americans that love their country. They fly their flag, celebrate Fourth of July, sport red white and blue, however they don’t participate in affairs governing society. Some may see this as patriotism, however I see it as blind love. Our country was established on this principle of majority rules and speaking your mind. But if the majority isn’t involved in the governing process, then is it truly majority rules? A true patriot cares enough to be involved and to say what needs to be said. The ultimate patriotic deed is questioning authority and acting if something doesn’t seem right. Our duty as patriots is to be an informed citizen, to question and act upon our government when change is necessary. By analyzing elements of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima such as subjects, contrast, and symbolism, we can see a variety of topics which need to be kept in mind, especially now with all the political turmoil this country is facing.     

  