Nationalism - Word Over Sword

Napoleon Bonaparte, the French general and emperor, said once about nationalism: "A man does not have himself killed for a half-pence a day or for a petty distinction. You must speak to the soul in order to electrify him." Nationalism is said to have been nonexistent before Napoleon's time, but this is, in truth, not true at all. From the Ancient Egyptians to the Romans to the Chinese, nationalism has been a force that has inspired loyalty and faith in the citizens of a nation. Nationalism usually has been built up and molded through literary methods. An example of such is Queen Elizabeth I's speech made in 1588 to her troops, which was able to successfully inspire the nationalistic pride of her soldiers in the fight against the invading Spanish. The queen uses the techniques of ethos, logos, and pathos to achieve her aims.

Nationalism, through the ages, has been often connected with religious and honorable connotations. The usage of ethos by Elizabeth tells her troops why fighting Spain is a righteous and moral choice. At the very end of the speech, she states that Spain is the enemy of "my God, my kingdom". She also says earlier, "under God, I [trust ...] the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects". In a time where European monarchs were thought to have been divinely chosen by the Christian God, if God has chosen Elizabeth to rule, then likewise, it will be the soldiers' duty that they should fight for the kingdom under such a monarch, and that it would have surely been wonderful choice, being able to do what God would admire. Similarly, she also says that she would be the "rewarder of every [soldier's] virtues on the field". And so, if she is divinely chosen, then there is no doubt that she also rewards the soldiers with materialistic entities, but spiritual ones, with honorable merit to make one more worthy of heaven. And so, whether true or not, nationalism would thus be something that is approved by religious authorities, an action which could gain one more virtues. Such nationalism can therefore not only be an ethnical choice, but, similarly, a choice by reason.

By using logos, Queen Elizabeth shows that nationalistic pride has logical results. Undoubtedly, the more nationalistic army is one with higher morale, with troops having more determination, endurance, and courage. With higher spirits, it will have a much higher chance of winning. The queen states that if her soldiers have "obedience to [the] general[s]", "concord in camp", and "valour in [the] field", this will certainly bring a "famous victory". Elizabeth is thus telling her troops, if they keep their spirits up, they would much more easily be victorious in battle, coming home with glory, honor, fame, and most importantly, their lives. Additionally, she bluntly states another logical reason for showing spirit, one quite obvious - if the troops have a better chance of winning, then she knows that they will "have deserved rewards and crowns [money]". People can't get enough money, and so by having nationalism, which would lead to an easier victory, troops could have more gold to spend on the good things in life. Therefore, the queen is stating nationalism is a logical action to take. However, despite rewards for glory, riches, and even survival, the human mind can be even more aroused by emotion than reason.

And so, emotion, or pathos, is technique used most often by the queen to encourage and inspire her troops. She says quite clearly at the beginning of the speech, "I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people." Due to the circumstances of the time, many, especially those of the Christian sect opposite her Protestantism, Catholicism, would grow to dislike and even loathe her. And yet, here, she tells them that her love for her people is beyond such earthly boundaries, and that likewise, if she is willing to show such trust and caring, that her people should show the same, in the form of nationalism. Queen Elizabeth then says that "[no] dishonor shall grow by me" and that she will herself "take up arms", for she has a "heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too". By saying that if she has this much love for her country, why shouldn't her soldiers, likewise, have as much nationalism? Once again, if their queen, or in other words, their country, shows as much trust and love in them, then her people likewise should show at least as much equal love. Additionally, the queen states that she is willing to "live and die amongst you all". Sacrifice, especially that of one's life, is a central concept of nationalism; the Queen sets an example by explicitly stating that she is willing to commit such a sacrifice. And so, therefore, the soldiers should be willing to do the same for their country. Thus, pathos is the technique the Queen manipulates most successfully to inspire her troops. After all, human emotion can empower men more than ethics or logic, although all, in the end, are related one way or another.

There forth, in order to inspire her troops to fight, the Queen used ethos, logos, and pathos in an effective manner. By being able to successfully plant the seed of nationalism in her soldiers, the Queen's speech is an excellent example among many throughout history that show how advantageous yet dangerous national pride can be. It is a force that can compel men to commit heroic, extraordinary, and even, at times, moronic feats. One of the greatest American generals, George S. Patton, once said to his troops, "Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." Whether this is true or not is debatable, but it certainly shows that nationalism, used effectively, can be a very powerful weapon.