The Patriot
A former hero of the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) has renounced fighting forever to raise his family in peace. Although once a wily, efficient and ferocious soldier, he marries a fine woman who bears him seven children and, under her influence, trades his violent past for a peaceful future on his sprawling plantation. A dedicated family man, Martin is not anxious to return to battle. Recently widowed, he has different goals now. He is the sole caretaker of his brood, and the horrors of past combat haunt him still. "If you're asking whether I'm willing to go to war with England, the answer is no. I've been to war, and I have no desire to do so again," says Martin in an emotional address to the Charleston Assembly. "I have seven children. My wife is dead. Who's to care for them if I go to war?" Benjamin's eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), harbors no such doubts. The radical speeches, pamphlets and newsletters that begin in the cities and pews and traverse the Colonies make an impression on the young man. War is coming, and the cause, he feels, is just. In defiance of his father, Gabriel joins the fight. Benjamin Martin is conflicted- as stalwart as he is in his opposition to the war, he believes in
After three attempts, the plants finally took hold and grew. With his South Carolina household threatened, Martin agrees to take up arms alongside his idealistic patriot son and lead a brave rebel Militia into battle against a relentless and overwhelming English army. South Carolina consists of swampy lowlands in the southern portion of the state with hilly, rolling highlands in the upper portion. Initially there were only a few rice grains available for seed; after the first year's crop, rice grew abundantly with minimal tending. The Patriot illustrates that women were allowed to participate in ways that previously were forbidden. Underlying the film is a more historically-grounded perspective. No battle scenes in which women were involved in combat were depicted in the movie, perhaps mainly because these were rare occurrences. The 13-star Betsy Ross flag waved by Benjamin Martin in the final battle scene did not exist at that time. Some landowners such as George Washington, freed their slaves, but many did not. Some of the large farms with extensive fields later developed into plantations. " Thus women sometimes took a physically active role with the men during this time. If you think that America is a propositional nation, and that patriotism consists of mere dedication to the official propositions, The Patriot will indeed appear subversive and foreign. However, the large cotton plantations and the field slaves are a little ahead of their time. Red coats are symbolic of the British redcoats, another color might confuse viewers.
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Acceptance Essays
