Patriotism In Brave New World

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Despite the “definition” of patriotism, “the love of and devotion to one's own country”, patriotism does not mean supporting your government during times of war, no matter what. Being a patriot does not mean one has to support the ideas of the government, it involves standing up for your constitutional rights, and that it is more than just supporting their country in times of war, but at all times. Being a patriot does not mean one has to support the ideas of the government. Patriotism does not imply one has to support their government, but to be loyal and support one’s country. To love a country, one must do things that would be beneficial to the country. A government is created to represent the citizens, representatives of the country.…show more content…
Thus, citizens do not have to support their government and can still be a patriot. Citizens following the government can be patriots, but not all patriots are followers of the government. If the country was to go to war for a non-beneficial reason, if the war was not just, then it is the patriotic duty to not support their country and to try to prevent/stop the mindless unnecessary bloodshed. This is what actually makes them a patriot; going against something that is unjust and wrong. This connects back to Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World. One of the main characters, Bernard, was against the majority of all of his society’s values and morals, when he says, "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We begin giving the children that at five. But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example; not in everybody else's way" (Huxley 6.1.27-32). This reveals how Bernard began to realize how oppressed he really is by his society/government and wants…show more content…
To be a patriot does not mean one has to follow and support everything the government says. An American patriot is not somebody who supports their government. If that was the case, people would not have been calling the founding fathers, such as Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams , and the rest of them "patriots". These men were those who went against the government in the ability to form a better society and benefit the people as a whole. They went against their own government rather than to stand for everything the government said. These were true patriots. Someone who really loves their country will try their best to change what is wrong and prevent corruption. One of the founding fathers, Thomas Paine, once said, “The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government.” Nowhere did Paine say that one must support the government at all times. Instead, he meant that a true patriot is one who does not support the government at all. This is because he knew all about the government and what it did and currently does to the people; it’s too corrupt for anyone to support it at

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