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poliphilo I clicked on a clip from John Wayne's movie about The Alamo (1960)- the first movie I fell in love with- and ever since then YouTube has been punting Alamo-related videos in my direction. Some of these treat the Alamo as a hero legend and foundation myth and some treat it as an incident in an historical continuum which was complicated, messy and political.
In both versions one thing stands out, that a bunch of military amateurs chose to confront a proper army that vastly outnumbered them- when they didn't really have to- and wound up dead. This is memorable. And it stays memorable however much you contextualise and debunk it. Crockett, Bowie and Travis may have been damn fools, they may have been motivated in all manner of disreputable ways but the fact of their resistance and death outweighs all that.
John Wayne's movie "prints the legend", rendering down the historical context to a epic struggle between tyrrany and freedom. The heroes bicker like heroes usually do but are finally united in sacrifice. As Yeats wrote of another crazy fight that conforms to the same mythic pattern- "A terrible beauty is born."
Myths inspire but they also obfuscate. Freedom v tyranny is a river that runs through American history. It is the where the beasts come down to drink. And sometimes beasts is the true word. All American wars have been fought in freedom's name- so as to stir the red blood in us- and sometimes this has been a partial truth and sometimes a downright lie.
In both versions one thing stands out, that a bunch of military amateurs chose to confront a proper army that vastly outnumbered them- when they didn't really have to- and wound up dead. This is memorable. And it stays memorable however much you contextualise and debunk it. Crockett, Bowie and Travis may have been damn fools, they may have been motivated in all manner of disreputable ways but the fact of their resistance and death outweighs all that.
John Wayne's movie "prints the legend", rendering down the historical context to a epic struggle between tyrrany and freedom. The heroes bicker like heroes usually do but are finally united in sacrifice. As Yeats wrote of another crazy fight that conforms to the same mythic pattern- "A terrible beauty is born."
Myths inspire but they also obfuscate. Freedom v tyranny is a river that runs through American history. It is the where the beasts come down to drink. And sometimes beasts is the true word. All American wars have been fought in freedom's name- so as to stir the red blood in us- and sometimes this has been a partial truth and sometimes a downright lie.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-11 02:24 pm (UTC)As an American, I think all American wars are fought for freedom. It's the "freedom from >what?" part that differs. 😀
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Date: 2023-07-11 02:47 pm (UTC)