written source analysis
QUESTIONS
1) Who are the Sons of Freedom?
The Sons of Freedom are the common people of France because they are the ones striving for freedom. Freedom is essentially the “parent”, and the French public are the ones trying to be “like the parent,” making them the “Sons of Freedom.”
2) Why are the children, wives and grandsires crying?
The children, wives and grandsires are crying because of the struggles they have to go through. They are tired of not being recognized of treated properly so they are upset. They have been treated poorly and unfair, which is why they are crying.
3)Where is the desolate land and why is it desolate?
The desolate land is the metaphorical “land of freedom.” The desolate land is not a physical place, it is metaphorical and represents the freedom for the people, as they do not have the same freedom of others. It is desolate because they do not have any freedom, making it a “barren land,” but is somewhere they so desperately want to reach, and get the freedom they deserve
4) What does to arms mean?
To arms means that they are being called to fight. The common people are being called to fight for their rights and to “go to war,” with those that are stopping them from getting the freedom they deserve. This line, To arms! to arms! shows that the people are being called to action to achieve this. They are being called to fight with those that are stopping them from achieving their goal of getting the rights they most definitely deserve.
5) What is the storm representative of?
The storm in the Song of the French Revolution, is representative of the people preparing themselves to fight against those that are denying their rights. This line can be interpreted as both metaphorical, but also physical. The physical representation is that the people will literally be similar to a storm as the masses of people that will be fighting, will resemble a storm. The metaphorical representation is that the people of France’s thirst for the royal families’ rule to be over, will also be similar to that of a storm, but in this case, more in an emotional sense.
6) Who is thirsty for power and rich with gold?
The people of France are thirsty for power as they have been deprived of it for most of their life. They wish for power as they have constantly been cast aside and mistreated, and therefore desire power, which would allow them to have a say in what they deserve, as they make up the majority of the population of France. They also thirst for many riches, and lots of gold as this would allow them to afford luxuries that they were previously stripped of. Their whole lives they have been underprivileged and been forced to do the manual labor that the higher classes have not had to do, and also had very few privileges and rights. This makes it evident that they would want to have power and many riches, to make up for what they were previously not allowed to have.
7) Who are the beasts of burden and what does it mean by 'they would load us'?
The beasts of burden are those that are ruling over the people of France, most likely the royal family. They are “beasts” of burden because, they appear to be like beast, holding the power over them, but also “of burden” because they cast many burdens over the people of France. These include having to work hard to support themselves and their family, having to pay taxes, not having a say in the politics, all which have been given by the King. They would load us means that these “beasts of burden” will keep implying these burdens on the people, by constantly creating more and more struggles that the people will have to go through.
8) Explain 'But man is man, and who is more?'
This line is implying that all men are equal by saying “man is man,” meaning that all men are the same. The “who is more” line implies that no man is more important than any other, no matter their social or political status. This line conveys the message, that all men should be treated as equals, and no one person is more important than any other. This talks about how there were people that were constantly ruling over their lives, making it seem like they were “more” than them, which is both unfair and untrue
9) Why has the world wept and whose dagger are they talking about?
The world has wept because the common people of most countries are left with few privileges, just like the people of France. They had been stripped of any right for freedom of speech, and also been left with limited resources, small amounts of food, water and shelter. Therefore, the world has wept as they have been treated unfairly and they are tired of the poor way in which they are treated. The dagger in the next line refers to the metaphorical dagger of the rulers. This dagger represents the poor way in which they have been treated by the government, which at the time would have been like a dagger to them, causing them pain and grief.
Song of the French Revolution
Ye sons of Freedom, wake to glory!
Hark! hark! what myriads bid you rise!
Your children, wives, and grandsires hoary,
Behold their tears and hear their cries.
Shall hateful tyrants, mischiefs breeding,
With hireling hosts, a ruffian band,
Affright and desolate the land,
While pease and liberty lie bleeding?
To arms! to arms! ye brave!
Th' avenging sword unsheath:
March on! march on! all hearts resolv'd
On victory or death.
Now, now, the dangerous storm is rolling,
Which treacherous kings confederate raise;
The dogs of war, let loose, are howling,
And lo! our fields and cities blaze;
And shall we basely view the ruin,
While lawless force with guilty stride,
Spreads dessolation far and wide,
With crimes and blood his hands embruing.
To arms! to arms! ye brave, &c.
With luxury and pride surrounded,
The vile insatiate despots dare,
(Their thirst of power and gold unbounded,)
To mete and vend the light and air.
Like beasts of burden would they load us,
Like gods would bid their slaves adore,
But man is man, and who is more?
Then shall they longer lash and goad us?
To arms! to arms! ye brave, &c.
O! Liberty, can man resign the,
Once having felt thy generous flame?
Can dungeons, bolts, or bars confine thee?
Or whips thy noble spirit tame?
Too long the world has wept, bewailing
That falsehood's dagger tyrants wield,
But freedom is our sword and shield,
And all their arts are unavailing.
To arms! to arms! ye brave, &c.
Articles
Approved by the National Assembly of France, August 26, 1789
The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the happiness of all. Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen:
Articles:
Society
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Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.
3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No body nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation.
14. All the citizens have a right to decide, either personally or by their representatives, as to the necessity of the public contribution; to grant this freely; to know to what uses it is put; and to fix the proportion, the mode of assessment and of collection and the duration of the taxes.
15. Society has the right to require of every public agent an account of his administration.
13. A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their means.
16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all.
Justification: These articles were grouped into these categories because they all share a similar meaning and purpose: society. Each one states something about society or the nations together. For example, Article 14 states that all citizens have a right to decide . . . which talks about all of the citizens in France, meaning the society there. This is similar to all the other examples in this category as they all talk about rights relating to all of those in France, and a lot of them state something about society. The rights in this category vary from anything such as right to decisions to observing the law.
Law
5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law.
6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.
8. The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary, and no one shall suffer punishment except it be legally inflicted in virtue of a law passed and promulgated before the commission of the offense.
16. A society in which the observance of the law is not assured, nor the separation of powers defined, has no constitution at all.
Justification: These articles have been placed in these categories as they all relate to the law, or rules that apply to their country. They all state something about the law or what the law entitles. For example, in Article 8, it states “The law shall provide for such punishments only as are strictly and obviously necessary,” which means that all those in France should not be falsely accused or sent to jail for any unnecessary allegations. All the other articles that fall under this category talk about stuff similar to this and about what the law states about people’s rights and what it applies to.
Independence
10. No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.
11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.
17. Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.
Justification: This category broadly categorizes anything relating to any individual. They either talk about someone’s right to freely express their opinion/ believe in any religion or being able to possess any of their own items or personal property. This relates to independence as it talks about what each individual person is entitled to as opposed to what the society is entitles to as a group. For example, Article 17 states that, “Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where public necessity.” This talks about how an individual has the right to own their property, therefore not referring to the society, in which it would say that all of France is entitled to one thing. They have been grouped into this category as they all talk about the rights of one independent person whether it be freedom of speech or the right to property
Security/ Military
7. No person shall be accused, arrested, or imprisoned except in the cases and according to the forms prescribed by law. Any one soliciting, transmitting, executing, or causing to be executed, any arbitrary order, shall be punished. But any citizen summoned or arrested in virtue of the law shall submit without delay, as resistance constitutes an offense.
9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty, if arrest shall be deemed indispensable, all harshness not essential to the securing of the prisoner's person shall be severely repressed by law.
12. The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces. These forces are, therefore, established for the good of all and not for the personal advantage of those to whom they shall be intrusted.
Justification: These articles have been grouped into this category as they all talk about some form of protection or reference the military/ army. They talk about being taken to jail, getting accused or innocence/ guilt in trial. Therefore, they have been grouped into this category as they all talk about going against the law, or security of the people. For example, in article 12 it talks about how the rights are protected by the military, “The security of the rights of man and of the citizen requires public military forces.” This shows that they are all entitled to these rights, and if anything or anyone is to stand against it, the people will be protected by the military. This is why most of these articles are grouped into this category as they all relate to this example of protection and security from the military.
Freedom
2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.
Justification: These articles are in this category because they all relate to the freedom of the people. They all talk about how the people all have the right to freedom, similar to the Independence category, but this one talks about physical freedom, to not be bound by social status etc. For example, “These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” This shows that all people have the right to freedom, in almost all areas, security, speech etc. All the articles in this category relate to something similar to their right to freedom.