Patriotism

Patriotism research papers can be written on any aspect of patriotism that you need for you project. Since Paper Masters custom writes each project, you can select any type of patriotism that you need examined and our writers will produce a project that fits your exact needs.

Some sample topics on patriotism include the following:

• How is patriotism viewed in today's literary world and what are some popular works of literature regarding patriotism?
• Have some countries, like Japan or the United States, become less patriotic or more patriotic and why?
• Is Yukio Mishima's novel an accurate representation of Japanese patriotism?

In his gripping short story entitled simply "Patriotism," Yukio Mishima allows the reader an intimate look at both the fanaticism of one man and the culture that produced him. Though the story is fiction, it is imbued with Japanese ideas and ideals regarding gender roles, honor, suicide -- and patriotism.

Lieutenant Takeyama Shinji is a man on a mission. His loyalty to the philosophy, as well as the reality, of Japanese imperialism dictates his every act, his every thought. Newly married, he has carefully instructed his young bride, Reiko, in appropriate behavior for officers' wives. She is ever to be prepared for his death, for a soldier may die at any time. She must behave honorably and stoically when the inevitable happens. His unspoken desire is that she will follow him in death. And it need not be spoken, for she senses his will and it becomes her own. Thus prepared for anything, the young couple enjoys a depth of passion often -- and perhaps only -- found in newness. Yet the lieutenant construes even their lovemaking as somehow dutiful and dedicated to the Imperial Majesties. This does not detract from the pleasure for him. On the contrary, it renders even the sexual act an act of allegiance. And his well-trained wife assumes the attitudes of her husband in this regard. After all, "these things had a moral basis, and were in accordance with the Education Rescript's injunction that 'husband and wife should be harmonious'".

When Takeyama learns that men whom he considers close friends are involved in an insurgent movement against the imperialist government, he is devastated. Adding to his pain is that knowledge that he will soon be called upon to oppose them in combat. He feels that he cannot do this, yet he cannot dishonor the empire either. Before he even voices the action that he considers the only avenue open to him under the circumstances, Reiko knows his heart and tacitly communicates that she accepts his decision to commit suicide. With that reassurance, he is able to say the words, "'Tonight I shall cut my stomach'" (. By this simple declaration, the lieutenant announces his impending seppuku, a ritualistic suicide involving disembowelment. The perfect submissive wife, Reiko asks for permission to join him in suicide.