Wavin’ Flag by Kanaan, Essay Example

This song takes its inspiration from a flag because a flag is the most sacred symbol of a free country and to gain freedom often requires long periods of struggle and sacrifice. A flag is an evidence that the nation successfully survived the long road to freedom. The author of the song says that he will grow stronger over time, successfully passing different exams of life and eventually making a name for himself. He will make his presence felt in the world and bring pride and joy to his nation. The nation will lift him to the status of hero and a symbol of nation’s pride just as a flag is. Celebrations will go on for some time and then everything will be back to its previous state after a disaster strikes the nation and struggles will again become the reality of a nation.

The author claims that it’s not easy to forget one’s roots. No matter how far one goes, the connection with his home country doesn’t die. The country may be poor and struggling but it’s the same country that fed him and provided him with unforgettable childhood memories. Coming Returning home always takes the author back to old days. The author reminds that the place may have its problems but it is the only place he has ever called home and that has felt like home. The author takes a tour of his town and remembers the days when he would often pass through these familiar streets.

The author reminds his fellow citizens that hard work and persistence does pay off in the end. He gives his personal example that out of all the people amid hopelessness, he is the one who went the farthest in life. The author reminds his fellow citizens that life can be hard and it’s easy to lose hope and fall in despair. But that’s no reason to give up. One should remain persistent and keep fighting for survival. The author reminds his country fellows that our actions are not in harmony with our goals. We fight among ourselves yet hope that we will somehow achieve freedom. Instead of relying on our own strength, we leave everything to fate and hope that fate will grant us freedom soon. And we keep relying on hope while the time continues to pass.

The author also criticizes foreigners who have used his country mates with false promises and have done nothing but exploited the country. The foreigners have deprived the country of its poor resources instead of making it better and have fooled people through pacifist messages that are nothing but empty words. The authors show pride in his people that foreigners did everything in their power to control his country but they failed before the courage of his country people, The author compare the bravery of his country people to the Buffalo Soldiers that was a term for an African American regiment of the U.S Army.

The song is meant to instill confidence in the Haitian nation, persuade them to take charge of their destiny, and show unwavering persistence in the face of difficulties and disasters that continue to haunt the nation. The listeners to the song are reminded that freedom is not something that is given to a nation in plate or is achieved through the help of foreign powers. Freedom is also not something that comes even if the nation does nothing but sit and wait patiently for the good fortune to arrive. A freedom is something that is worked for and achieved through hard work. When a nation succeeds in achieving true freedom, the flag is an evidence that the nation successful faced every difficulty that came in its way. Disasters struck but the nation fights them and maintains its integrity. Overcoming every disaster and difficulty provides a nation yet another excuse to celebrate its freedom and take pride in its flag.

This song can be described as a patriotic and motivational song. Haiti was a colonial states and even after achieving the independence, the country has been faced with never ending chain of problems including violence, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as well as corrupt politicians. The song attempts to motivate Haitians that they can’t rely on foreign assistance and the times may be difficult and it does seem at times that all hope is lost but Haitians should never give up. The song reminds that the roots with the country can’t be broken no matter how many problems the country is faced with.

I agree with the message of the song because as someone who finds history interesting, nations that have achieved freedom or rebuilt themselves, they did it on the basis of their own strength. .Nations had to struggle for years and there were times when all hopes were lost but nations that never gave up, did succeed in achieving freedom. But when we look at nations that are highly dependent on foreign assistance, we not only see them struggling forever but also find that foreigners exploit them and deprive them of their precious resources at fire sale prices.

African countries are great examples. The continent is blessed with various precious natural resources such as oil and diamonds etc. but despite that the continent is still poor on the most part. This is due to lack of unity among the fellow citizens as well as continuous reliance on foreign aid which results in never-ending chain of poverty. To get back on its feet, Africa will have to learn to rely on its own power. Japan serves as great example from Haiti. The country lies in one of the most quake-prone region of the earth. But Japanese people have rebuilt themselves again and again without every giving up whether it was the destruction by atomic bombs or earthquakes that often strike the nation from time to time.