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 * 11.29.2011 Do you believe that patriotism means supporting the government in times of war?**

The exact definition of patriotism is to have a love of one’s country and to have a willingness to sacrifice for it. To me, patriotism is an idea that is not old applied to war, but it has applications to every aspect of government. War is one of those aspects, yet it is not the only one. Men and women lay down their lives every day for our country, but it is important to remember some of the sacrifices others make to support the United States. Taxes are a huge sacrifice. Although it is required to pay taxes if someone is a working citizen, they also have the choice to not work. The fact of the matter is, if a person is willing to take advantage of the work that this country has to offer and pays taxes, they are a patriot. They could collect government paychecks for the rest of their lives is they really wanted to, but they choose to work. They choose to contribute to the economy. Yes, I understand that finding a job in this economy is difficult, but someone has to be willing to put forth the effort in order to achieve their goals. That is why I consider regular citizens to be patriots. A few others I consider to be patriots are government officials. ​ In order to allow our country to operate as it should, government officials are extremely important. It would not be an east task to decide what is best for this giant country. Abraham Lincoln aged almost twenty years during his presidency because of the immense challenges he faced. Senator Giffords of Arizona overcame death after being shot in the head by a disapproving, mentally ill citizen. President Kennedy was murdered because someone did not agree with his opinions about the direction of our country. This is why I believe that government officials are patriots. They are willing to sacrifice their lives daily because they love their country and only want to see it flourish. Another idea of patriotism are the American people who exercise their right to vote. ​ Voting is a privilege in this country that not everybody has. Those who take advantage of our democracy are ones who love their country and also want to see it move forward in a positive direction. Although they are not exactly sacrificing anything, they are acting to stand up for what they believe by silently slipping a ballot into the ballot box. Every tally counts. This is patriotism because if they did not care about what direction their country was headed, they would not even register themselves to vote. In order to show that one cares, they must become involved. Sitting on the sidelines and watching everything happen around them will not change anything. That’s why I believe that the citizens that vote on election day are patriots. These are just a few examples as to why I believe that patriotism is not only expressed by supporting the government in times of war. Patriotism is detrimental to our society in other aspects such as taxes, government officials, and voting. Sacrifice and love of this country is what allowed us to become what we are today. The United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world. If we continue to express strong patriotism, we will continue to have a strong country. That is why I believe that war is not the foundation of patriotism.

Ms. magazine published Judy Brady's controversial essay, //I want a Wife,// in 1972. Brady is a wife as well as a mother, as she claims in the first two sentences. She has had first hand experience as to what a husband's expectations are. She wrote this essay to mock the underlying reasons most men want a wife. Judy uses repetition of the words "I want" to emphasize that in all reality, women cater to not only what their men need, but every thing they want as well. She intended to capture the essence of the fact that most husbands take their wives for granted. By using the man's point of view, she makes the essay stronger because it allows the audience to see the true nature of the expectations men have for their wives.
 * 1.12.2011 Rhetorical Precis, SPEAKER in //I want a Wife//**

George Orwell's novel 1984 was aimed towards people in the Western countries of the world. Since the idea of totalitarianism had begun to spread in Europe with Italy and Germany, Orwell wanted to warn the West what would happen if they allowed it into their hemisphere. Corrupt politicians are one of the most frightening aspects of government. Democracy is based on the idea that politics is SUPPOSED to be a fair game. When the people are allowed to choose their leaders, they should have the ability to take them out of power as well. When Winston reads Goldstein's text in the book, he explains,"At the apex of the pyramid comes Big Brother. Big Brother is infallible and all-powerful."(208). Since Goldstein is implying that the Party will never fail, the citizens of Oceania must abide by the way of life that the Party demands and be completely submissive to it.This poses as a huge threat to Americans in particular because they are familiar with the ability to take a leader out of office if they feel he is a threat to the country. Another idea that Goldstein portrays says, "There are only four ways in which a ruling group can fall from power. Either it is conquered from without, or it governs so inefficiently that the masses are stirred to revolt, or it allows a strong and disconented Middle Group to come into being, or it loses its own self-confidence and willingness to govern."(207). The red text in the quote is emphasized because Orwell wants others to see that there is a possiblity that other countries could help them overcome the system of totalitarian dictatorship. Only these four choices could be the solution to the answer. Americans must rise above and see that the citizens under the oppresive rule of Hitler and other dictators similar to him need help. When Winston looks up at the sky, he makes a infrence. "Thousands of millions of people just like this, people ignorant of one another's existance, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same"(220). He believes that Winston recognizes there are people out there who have the ability to help him but do not know what is going on because of the lies that the Party continually tells. Orwell was hoping that America, as one of the most powerful countries in the world, could see the atrocities of totalitarian governments, and stop them before it was too late.
 * 14.12.2011 Audience in 1984**

Totalitarin governmental systems are the root of all evil. This was the message that George Orwell continues to portray throughout the novel. an example found in the text that supports this idea is the Party's slogan, "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH."(26) Each phrase in the slogan contradicts itself but the citizens of Oceania do not know any better because they have been brainwashed by Big Brother. The idea of a totalitarian government is to direct power towards one individual or a small group of individuals. In the case of 1984, Big Brother and the Inner Party are the primary sources of power. As O'Brien says in the book, "The real power, the power we have to fight for night and day, is not power over things, but over men."(266). Long periods of torture and interrogation are inflicted upon Winston to slowly break him down mentally and physically. Winston begins to question the reasons he does not adhere to the Party's ideas. Confession is not what O'Brien strives for; he simply craves the power to control the human mind and to create a society where he and other Inner Party members will always retain that certain power. Essentially, George Orwell's primary message states that totalitarinism is the root of all evil.
 * 15.12.2011 Message in 1984**

George Orwell wanted to stop the spread of Totalitarinism completely. Audience, speaker, and message all relay the purpose which he subtly states. The speaker is a third person limited narrator who shows the reader what is happening through Winston's eyes as well as a tad more information. The message he relays is that totalitarin dictatorships are corrupt and must be stopped immediately. The audience are people in Western countries, more specifically, Americans, that he wants to warn before this type of government spreads, and it's too late. Through the speaker, he relays the message, which he portays to the audience to interpret the purpose.
 * 15.12.2011 Purpose in 1984**

Orwell wanted Americans to rise fight against these governments in order to save the people. He realized that the dictators had to be forced out of power because they were not willing to step down voluntarily. War was the only way to tear them down.