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 necessarily make you a patriot. Everyone should feel a sense of belonging to their country but a patriot should care about their country enough to participate in it. People are programmed from an early age to subconsciously feel a sense of loyalty and pride towards their “people”.  Because of this, we need to worry whenever a group of people stand behind something or someone out of a blind love for it. History shows us how these strong emotions can be a dangerous thing. Six weary American soldiers hoist a U.S flag atop a devastated battlefield; 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 observing contrasting lines, and symbolism we can see patriotic themes glorifying battle. 

Upon examining the individual objects in Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, viewers are inundated with powerful feelings of patriotism. The tattered American flag in the picture grab the attention of many American people as they feel a connection with the image. The flag is an important eye catching object allowing viewers to immediately identify and relate with the image. The presence of the tattered flag subconsciously influences viewers based on their patriotic beliefs as they process this powerful image. I couldn’t take my eyes off the flag as conjured feelings of home, belonging, and pride. The rubble which the flag stands atop of signifies destruction. This enforces patriotic themes as it creates a sense of safety and security in Americans as our strength as a nation appears limitless, like the mound of ruble in the photo. The six war tattered soldiers in the photo spark appreciation for those that sacrifice for their country. The men in the photo sacrificed their health, brothers in arms, and social life for their country. They are some of the few that survived the intense battle for Iwo Jima. The audience sees this, which then stirs feelings of bravery while facing a formidable opponent. 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. 

Next we can analyze how contrast is utilized in the image. The distinct divide between the dark shaded ground plane containing the battlefield and troops versus the lighter shading of the surrounding sky attract the viewer’s eyes to the darker areas of the photo. This dark shaded area takes up roughly a quarter of the photo, yet to the viewers is the entire photo. This helps the audience further appreciate and pay attention to the patriotic events going on in these darker areas. The contrast of a dark American flag in the light sky also reinforce patriotic themes. The contrasting light and dark areas also connect meanings of good vs evil with patriotism. The light sky in the photo exhibits a righteous cause, such as liberty, but upon viewing the dark ground one observes the sin sometimes required to protect such a righteous cause. Heavy contrast in the image bring out patriotic overtones and further forge powerful connections between the viewer and image.    

Another visual element in the piece which is important to analyze is the lines present in the composition. The vertical lines of the soldiers and flagpole separate them from the horizontal lines in the rubble. These lines highlight the soldier’s hardship and dedication as they struggle to raise the American flag. American soldier’s undying dedication is emphasized by these lines which exhibit patriotic messages. The lines show how the soldier in the back still is trying to help his comrades raise the flag despite not being able to reach the flagpole. This makes me proud to be an American because it shows us the dedication and helping hand fellow Americans have for one another. The vertical lines created by the soldiers’ arms point up draws our eyes to the tattered flag which is a symbol of the soldiers fight to keep our freedom intact. 

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a very powerful and iconic image which incites many strong feelings and aspects of patriotism. By observing elements such as the objects, the contrast, and the composing lines, we can see an overall theme of patriotism through a variety of powerful feelings. These feelings are unique to each viewer as patriotism means different things to different people. Some find this a very powerful feeling that influences their everyday life while others couldn’t care less. However, it is our troops keeping our flag standing which protect our freedom. 

  