Thesis: Fireworks connect the Revolutionary spirit to the American spirit, the military life with civilian life, and the boldness and beauty of a pyrotechnic display with the boldness and beauty of the American spirit on our quest for a better world.
Fireworks frame the American civic life as unabashed, unrestrained, and unapologetic. Fireworks are neither quiet nor inconspicuous; the same can be said of the American people. Americans boldly demand the freedom of speech, whether a young teen or a senior citizen. People praise those who are willing to call out corrupt authorities and abuse of power. The firework lends its support to the bold, who are not afraid to produce heat and noise by calling attention to a combustible issue.
The exigence that fireworks challenge is the growing idea that Americans should be quiet, colorless, and ashamed in order to atone for the errors of the past or to prevent someone from being offended.
A timid and bland population is a population that will scrape their knees bowing before the first hint of an authoritarian regime. Discourse, understanding, and even the truth are all sacrificed at the altar of feelings if people allow themselves to be confined to the narrative spoonfed to them. A firework that produces no bright flash or sound is a dud, a failure: such is any democracy which refuses to boldly uphold the principle of free speech.
The kairotic moment is now. Free speech has not been this threatened outside of wartime, and the threat is coming more from self-proclaimed anti-fascist authoritarians than the government itself. Free speech is now considered a contentious topic on many universities and in many large cities.
Fireworks for their part have suffered increased regulation in counties like San Diego; New York has gone so far as to ban them outright. Interestingly, the areas that restrict and prohibit fireworks tend to be the ones promoting the restriction of free speech.
The firework subtly recalls the American Revolution with its bright colors and loud flashes. Even the national anthem underscores this: “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air / Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.” Fireworks are remarkably similar to the cannons and rifle fire of the Revolution, and the fact that we celebrate our Independence Day with them only adds to this meaning. (commonplace)
A central ideology connected with the firework is that freedom is not free, safe, or easy. There are risks involved, and it often requires sacrifice. The military/revolutionary undertones of fireworks resonate with the message that Americans must actively stand up and fight for their freedoms or they will lose them.
Another ideology that fireworks support is a certain coarseness and natural element to politics. Politics certainly has decorum and rules, but the people of the country are still at liberty to be passionate, unorthodox, and freely expressive. The opinion of someone is not invalidated by the clothes that they own, nor is the speaker with the most impressive lexicon the natural superior to a rival who speaks with simpler words from the heart. The ivory tower elitist attitude does not sit well with most Americans, and the Fourth of July is one particular day for Americans to deliberately get a bit wild in their expressions of devotion to their country and community.
Proofs
I reference the national anthem to support my claim of Revolutionary connection.
I reference specific districts that have banned fireworks and specific incidents of violence to support my general claims about contentious issues.
I speak with strong word choice but without sacrificing the pathological power behind my words.
I call upon ideals cherished by the overwhelming majority of Americans, and connect much of my argument to the artifact or holiday themselves in order to connect to a commonplace in the audience’s experience as an American.
I attempt to logically demonstrate each step between the commonplace ideologies and the conclusion I have drawn about the artifact in order to demonstrate depth and validity to the audience.
I discuss the historical context of the Revolutionary War on the evolution of the American spirit and the interesting connections between military and civilian tradition.
One thought on “RCL Blog Post 4”
I really like the artifact you chose, it’s easy to dive deep into a lot of ideologies and commonplaces with the launching point (get it?) of fireworks. p.s. there’s a lot of room for the incorporation of puns here, tastefully of course. I like addition of kairos and freedom of speech, I think there’s an opportunity there for a call to action in the conclusion if you so choose. I think your outline does a good job of hashing out exactly what your arguments are, and I like the little reminders at the end for your delivery. However, I would try to condense the outline a bit more and get to the point where you can speak off of paraphrased sentences, especially since you only have 4 minutes. There is a lot of good information here, I just worry you won’t be able to portray it all in the time given. Overall, very nice job, and I’ll be looking forward to your surprise intro (even though it isn’t really a surprise anymore).
I really like the artifact you chose, it’s easy to dive deep into a lot of ideologies and commonplaces with the launching point (get it?) of fireworks. p.s. there’s a lot of room for the incorporation of puns here, tastefully of course. I like addition of kairos and freedom of speech, I think there’s an opportunity there for a call to action in the conclusion if you so choose. I think your outline does a good job of hashing out exactly what your arguments are, and I like the little reminders at the end for your delivery. However, I would try to condense the outline a bit more and get to the point where you can speak off of paraphrased sentences, especially since you only have 4 minutes. There is a lot of good information here, I just worry you won’t be able to portray it all in the time given. Overall, very nice job, and I’ll be looking forward to your surprise intro (even though it isn’t really a surprise anymore).