As I finished reading "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" by Fredrick Douglass, I understood that Douglass, as well as other negroes, view independence day in contrary ways. Although holiday festivities attempt to express a purpose for celebration, I ponder if they fully show this purpose to individuals.
Holidays can be interpreted in several different ways. If a holiday has a specific meaning to a person, then they are more likely to be affected by their own understanding of the ceremony. But other citizens celebrate solely with vague and restrictive emotions, never fully understanding. For Douglass, independence day "only reveals the immeasurable distance between us [African Americans and society]" (Para 4). He interprets the holiday as a brutal affirmation of African American's place in society and their unkind treatment. This concludes that Douglass's understanding of the holiday is different from many others.
In today's society, many people forget the true significance of holidays. If you asked a fifth grader "What is the Fourth of July?", he or she would probably respond saying, "A day with fireworks, family and parades!" This, however, is not the case. America is focused more on the festivities rather than the reasons. And this poses my question- Are holiday festivities truly effective in portraying the purposes of celebrating? According to Laura Schlereth from www.atyourlibrary.org, you should "show your patriotism by celebrating and watching fireworks!" This is her way of interpreting the holiday. To me, patriotism is shown when fighting for your country, not from mediocre festivities. Schlereth does not fully understand, similarly to other Americans, and associates independence day with these festivities rather than its actual meaning. Since she does not have a direct relationship with Independence day, it's purpose is not shown through activities and she falls into a trap of hypocrisy.Optimistically, America will soon escape from this trap and discover the real meaning of all celebrated holidays.
I completely agree. Most people celebrate holidays for the sake of celebrating, rather than understanding the true meaning of the holiday. I think this is also due to the commercialization of holidays. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a great point, Sarah. I'm also guilty for what you said in this post; whenever I hear the words "fourth of July" I just think about fireworks and festivities, not freedom and independence. I agree that we should focus more on the real reasons we're celebrating in the first place.
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