What does our flag say about us?

Mr. O'Connor briefly mentioned his fascination of the American flag and where it's seen in everyday life. I am quite interested in the flag itself. We all know that the stars represent the fifty states, and the stripes represent the thirteen colonies, but how does the design of our flag resemble the American identity? A flag is the image one want to project out to the rest of the world as a symbolic representation of one's country and beliefs.

The stars on our flag are silvery white. As we've seen in the Great Gatsby (originally titled "Under The Red White and Blue"), white represents purity, or a sort of cleanliness. If this is the image America wants to project to the world, then we want all of our states to be uniform, neat, and purified. We've seen this attempt at purity in certain legislation to ban dirty behaviors like smoking and littering, as well as in dark historical events like segregation.

While the addition of Red probably represented bravery and passion, it also unknowingly represents another facet of American life and history. Red is almost always related to bloodshed, violence, and lust. America has taken part in a ludicrous amount of bloody wars since it was founded. People also come here seeking fame, wealth, and power, all of which are associated with lust.

Obscured by the fifty stars, the square of blue is the last color on the flag. Blue is a much more peaceful color than red or white, and commonly symbolizes water, the most important substance on earth. In the context of the flag, perhaps blue represents America's undying desire for freedom and justice. The blue surrounds the states, as if it's "washing" the stars. This is my favorite color on the flag, since it represents the best of America's intentions.


Did I miss any important connotations that our flag holds? Do you think that the colors could represent other things?