And I Quote.....

This speech was almost too well written! So many of these lines are irresistibly quotable!



"The Germans might sink every vessel on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and kill Americans with everyone – the American workingman would still have no reason to go to war." 

I like this line because it really shows how war is pointless! No one benefits from war except for those who don't fight in it. War is not a speculator sport, yet somehow it always ends up that way.

"We are not free unless the men who frame and execute the laws represent the interests of the lives of the people and no other interest."

Kudos! This line is such a great one. I how it begins so much. "we are not free..." It completely opposes all that "America-the-free-and-it's-a-free-country" talk. I think we overuse the word "free", How many times a week do you say it? So far I'm up to 12. But, I think we've started to forget what it really means. It's not a free country. Nothing is free. No one  is free.


"The future of the world rests in the hands of America. The future of America rests on the back of 80,000,000 men and women and their children." 

Okay, maaaaaybe I used this line already in my music post, but it's just that good! Think about it for a moment, really think! When I think about I think about America, not the bald eagle, star spangled banner and all that crap! I think about the people. 80 million. That's a lot- and it's even more now! We just keep growing and growing and it doesn't really matter. The government doesn't care that hundreds, if not thousands, of people are born everyday, they just care about their version of America, which consists of themselves and no one else! 


P.S. I couldn't figure out how to un-italicize things so, no, it's not just you.

Strike Against War: The Musical!

Let's say that this speech was a musical, what songs would be on the soundtrack?

Give Peace a Chance- John Lennon
This song fits into the speech because it, like Helen Keller, is very anti-war. the one repeated line in this song is "all we are saying, is give peace a chance. That's all that Keller is saying too. She finds war ridiculous, in her speech what she's trying to say is that if we just give peace a chance, it'll work out in the end!

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Part 1- Flaming Lips
I think that this is completely relevent because it is about this lady named Yoshimi, who has a black belt in karate, mind you. She works for the Government to "defeat those evil machines" aka the Pink robots. This relates because it's about how the government uses us to fight their battles. Those Pink Robots weren't Yoshimi's enemy, but, in the fog of war, she did exactly what the government asked of her. The Central Powers weren't our enemies, yet we still fought them!

After the Bombs- The Decemberists
What I love about this song is the message that it gives, war sucks. It really does! Ms. Keller knew that and showed that she knew it in her speech. "The future of the world rests in the hands of America, the future of America rests on the back of 80,000,000 men and women." This is a quote from Strike against war which can relate to this situation because it says that it's the people who fight, work, and suffer for their country.
"we pinch at our skin
while we wonder how we
escaped harm"- The Decemberists

I'll Fight- Wilco
"I'll go, I'll go, I'll go, I'll go for you/I'll fight, I'll fight, I'll fight, I'll fight for you/I'll kill, I'll kill, I'll kill, I'll kill for you/I will, I will, I will" That's a sample of the lyrics from I'll Fight by Wilco. Sure, this song was probably meant to be interpretted as a love song of sorts, but I see it as more of a P.O.V. of a soldier during WWI. Fighting was an honor, and the thing that all those soldier were fighting for was the love of their country. They had become zombies for the love of their country and they were willing to do anything for it. "Oh! The blind vanity of slaves!"

This is Why We Fight- The Decemberists
 This is an extremely sarcastic song! It's all like "So why do we fight?" "Because it's hell, death and violence! Oh boy!" War is just a joke! A bloody, gory joke! There's no reason for it, So why are we in it? Because the government says so! And the scared, confused people go along with it, when really there's no need!

Helen Keller vs. PJMS

Picture this. Helen Keller at Julian! I bet she'd be completely appalled at Mr. Kannan's class! Just kidding! Can you imagine Ms. Keller in Oak Park? In our school (which she, quite clearly, chose over Brooks)? What would she say? Well, for one, I'm sure she'd be glad that she wasn't in a town run by Tea Partiers, she'd also be amazed at how her speech, which the government had once condemned her for, was now being used to educate children. I'm sure she'd be impressed by the pro-peace, anti-war feel that just comes with this place. I hope that she would notice that we weren't being mindless slaves, as well!

Strike Against War Boggle

This post is about words! How neat! Keller had quite a vocabulary, she really showed it off in this speech. A few words that pretty much some up this piece are:
Fear: n. an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger
Now, this is a word that everyone should be pretty well aware of, everyone has felt it at one time or another. We've all had those weak moments when the only thing that's certain is our fear. This is true today, and it was just as true, if not more so, in 1916, when this speech was given. War is a time of pain and loads of fear, that's why this word is amazingly applicable in this speech. The government was using fear to enslave the American people and get them to do as they were told. When people are dealing with fear, that's the only thing they can deal with. They can't think straight, they can't rationalize, they can't process, they can't do anything but fear, and worry about their fear! This is a perfect oppurtunity for Good Ol' Uncle Sam to step in and make everything right! 


Zombies: a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton. If you think that World War I and zombies don't fit together like PB and J, then I have to say that you. Are. Wrong. Now the zombies that I'm talking about aren't the walking dead kind that you may be used to. The kind I'm thinking of aren't dead or undead, and they most certainly do not eat brains! They look just like you and me, they have families and lead normal lives. Why? Because they are you and me! These "zombies" are the human race! They have been reduced to the governments tools, Keller wants to challenge that, and bring these zombies back to life!

Themes of Strike Against War

This is a really deep speech, that's one reason why I love it. It's bursting with messages and WWI themes! Here's one example:
War is the Health of the State. 
This theme represents the speech well because when there's a war, we go into slave mode and the government uses that to their advantage. "‘Friends,' it says, 'fellow workmen, patriots; your country is in danger! There are foes on all sides of us.There is nothing between us and our enemies except the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Look at what has happened to Belgium. Consider the fate of Serbia. Will you murmur about low wages when your countries, your very liberties, are in jeopardy? What are the miseries you endure compared to the humiliation of having a victorious German army sail up the East River? Quit your whining, get busy and prepare to defend your firesides and your flag. Get an army, get a navy; be ready to meet the invaders like the loyal-hearted freemen you are.' "  The government fills us up with baloney until they've scared us enough, then they go in for the kill and make us fight in their war! They'd raised their people that way. Soldier=good, free thinker=bad! Tool=good, protester=bad! Once the government has their slaves, they win. They don't have to fight, they- make that the people- only have to win. And when war is in the air, that makes it great for running a country. People aren't that much smarter than animals, when scared they lose their heads and do any crazy thing! War sucks- for the people that is, for the government it's just fine and dandy!

That Darn Kid...

This speech is something that took me a while to fully understand. To teach something this complex to a 4th grader would be a real challenge! But if a certain teacher could teach a group of kindergartners possibly the most depressing poem on earth, then I could do this! If I were to teach this to a fourth grader, the first thing I'd have them do is read it, maybe even memorize it. When I was in 5th grade, my teacher was a real sucker for history. She'd have us recite the pledge of alliegance, the preamble, MLK's I Have a Dream speech, The Gettysburg Adress, as well as sing My Country Tis o' Thee and the Star Spangled Banner every morning (on occasion she'd have us sing "Bear Down Chicago Bears" too!). This may have seemed like overkill at the time, but now, I know the I Have a Dream speech a little too well, I've got the Star Spangled Banner so down, and the Gettysburg Address? Puh-lease! Not only, did we have to recite those, we had to learn them, we knew all about every speech or song we had to do (Well, maybe not the Bears song...), we were experts! Now, I admit all those words are a bit fuzzy, but I'll never forget learning them. I may pause trying to remember the next line, but I'll never forget reciting it. I'll hold on to that memory from 5th grade for a good long time. I figure that If this 4th grader could really learn this speech, the way we learned so many others, than they'll get it.

I Am America, and So Can You- and Ms. Keller!

I really don't know, so instead of answering normally, I plan on answering this question with the questions that it gave me!

What do you suppose Ms. Helen Keller would say if she saw our country today? Would she be impressed at our new found dislike for war? Would she be happy with the government? What would she think of Sarah Palin? Would she have an opinion on all the environmental issues that plague us today? Would she fall for the whole 2012 thing? What would she think of 9-11? And the Taliban? And Al Qaeda? And Guantanamo? And Iraq? Would she be on Team Edward or Team Jacob? What would she think of the oil spill? And global warming? Would she be for or against gay marriage? How would she feel about education? World hunger? Child labor? How would she feel knowing that all of us have it so easy?

Comedy and Tragedy- World War I Style!

This speech is about something that is really quite negative, however, Keller's attitude in it seems to be quite positive. She believes that we will do the right thing, and we will stand up, and we will strike! However, it doesn't seem all that likely...

Dissent: to differ in sentiment or opinion, especially from the majority

This speech pretty much sums up dissent! It comes from a rare perspective of the time period in which the speaker is, in fact, not jumping on the World War I bandwagon.

Helen Keller's Stike Against War for Dummies!

Because, I know you'll need it! Just Kidding! This speech was given by Helen Keller in January of 1915. This speech was, of course, delivered during the first World War so the speech was, of course, about the first World War. Keller's stance on this war was extremely anti-war. She called it absurd and pretty much pointless. Keller was a woman who the U.S. found quite inspiring and often used as a role model for the American people. However, after this speech Keller truly showed that she wasn't some tool for the government to use, and neither should anyone! She Knew that the American people as a whole were more powerful than the government, for where would it be without them? This is a very empowering speech from a very empowered woman, it is a big speech with many main ideas to it. The idea that rises above the rest id the notion that we all have a choice, to be the governments tool or to stand up against them and to Strike against war!