Robin Williams and the American Flag!
I saw this speech on Facebook today
wanted to post about it for my 3rd persuasion application Ya the colored font is a bit corny but it fits. Robin Williams was
one of my favorite actors of all time. I especially liked him in Good will
Hunting and Dead Poets Society, and who can forget Patch Adams. He could impersonate anyone and anything that
he wanted. I am ashamed to say that this
was the first time that I had heard this speech or bit of comedy by Robin
Williams but it was incredible. He was
funny, captivating, and was able to give us a history lesson in the midst of
his 5:07 speech. The first cultural
parable that came to my mind as I watched this was the Triumphant Individual Parable. I copied and pasted Eric's definition form
his communication 4010 class to give you all the very best definition of what
the Triumphant Individual Parable is all about. It reads below as:
Triumphant Individual Parable:
It's the little guy who works
hard, takes risks, believes in himself, and eventually earns wealth, fame, and
honor. It's the parable of the self-made man (or, more recently, woman) who
bucks the odds, spurns the naysayers, and shows what can be done with enough
drive and guts. He's a loner and a maverick, true to himself, plain speaking,
self-reliant, uncompromising in his ideals. He gets the job done, not unlike
Sergey Bin.
My Analysis:
The American flag is that definition
to a very letter. The flag is an emblem
of all of those that have gone before us and their sacrifices in getting us to
where we are today. The flag is the
little guy that got bigger as we added states to our union. Robin Williams described this in his speech. In his speech he describes the flag as “having
a little skin problem that broke out into 34 stars”. It now as everyone knows has 50 stars representing
each of the 50 great states that together make the greatest country in the
world. The risks that were taken by men that believed
in themselves were astronomical. Men
died alongside the flag in the numerous wars that earned America’s independence. In every
one of those wars the flag was there as a representation of hope and
liberty. The flag is the epitome of the
word honor. Our country has done a lot and been through a
lot and the flag has been there the entire time. I loved what Robin Williams said in his
speech “But come the dawns early light…..I’m still there.” I love the flag and all that it
represents. This speech or comedy bit
was great. Our flag really is grand and
as the song says. It really is an emblem
of the land that we all love and it sure as hell is the home of the free and
the brave.
Conclusion:
If you haven’t watched or listened to this speech I strongly urge you all to do so. It was funny, stirring and thought provoking. May the flag forever fly in this free land and May all who are ignorant enough to deface and disgrace her go find another country to live in and see how that works out for them.
If you haven’t watched or listened to this speech I strongly urge you all to do so. It was funny, stirring and thought provoking. May the flag forever fly in this free land and May all who are ignorant enough to deface and disgrace her go find another country to live in and see how that works out for them.
Good find Adam. Robin says it best about the flag. It makes you stop and ponder at least.
ReplyDeleteLook at you skip ahead! Clever how you applied this premise to a speech about an object and not a person who had overcome something. I agree. Love the flag and what it represents and that it deserves respect.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring! What an amazing talent he has! I loved his idea that we are saluting ourselves when we salute the flag because it is a symbol of us, individually. Thanks for sharing this post!
ReplyDeleteAdam, this was a very creative application of the Triumphant Individual Parable, I loved it. I am in awe of Robin Williams and his delivery- something I wouldn't have given much thought to before this class. Great selection.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't get a head start on my own post, I will get a head start on my comments. Thanks Adam for posting early. I would never have thought to apply the parables to this speech, but it works well and makes you think. Object's can certainly have human qualities, or at least we as humans endow them with these qualities and they become symbols of those qualities. I'd also say there is an element of benevolent community in that it touches on patriotism. When Robin Williams talks about saluting and the rest of this section, it is very patriotic.
ReplyDeleteI love how you used a speech about the flag and not an individual. I love humor and think it works so well with speeches. What a creative speech to show the flag as an individual. I think he helps persuade us of how important the flag is to our country. He uses emotion beautifully as he speaks of all of the wonderful places and times our flag has waved. He even helps us feel sorrow about when the flag fly's at half-mast and regret at not waving our flag as often as we should. Great Example!
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting and inspiring piece. I loved how Robin Williams told us to not look at the flag as a flag, but a symbol. Not to salute it to salute it but we are really saluting ourselves, the people. We make the flag great.
ReplyDeleteI like this different perspective and agree with you. Williams is a very personable person and is able to deliver his speech well and reminds of the great country we live in. This country was nothing before and starting off with the colonies we have become a greater nation. Seeing how the flag became a representation of a stronger and better example of our country. Great analysis bro.
ReplyDelete