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July 4 Essay Contest
posted: June 30th, 2011 11:59 am |
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Independence Day Memories
By Benjamin Most
Fourth of July is, for me, a day of memories. It is a wrestling match on the damp backyard lawn of my friend’s house. It is also a time of peace, the only noises the pounding of bare feet against the ground and the polite conversation of adults as they sip drinks delicately. Fourth of July is the enticing scent of meat on the barbeque, the faint smoky aroma in the air, the feeling of exhaustion in my lungs as I gasp for breath after racing down the street. Fourth of July is the sky ablaze with colors, a dark and mysterious canvas painted upon by the hand of God.
Fourth of July has a historical meaning for me as well. The booming of the fireworks will forever remind me of the booming British cannons that took American lives in the Revolutionary War. The lights in the sky transform into the sparks caused by gunfire as, in the dead of night, troops shoot at one another fearfully. My gasps are the gasps of dying soldiers on the battlefield, blood pouring from their wounds. It is important that the historical significance of Independence Day is not forgotten.
The soldiers of the Revolutionary War risked their lives so that, in the future, people like me would have our deserved liberties. The innocent happiness that I find on the Fourth of July is part of what those troops were protecting. Without the dedicated Americans who fought in the Revolutionary War, the United States would not be at all what it is today: a nation built out of sweat and tears, a blazing symbol of democracy and equality, a magnet to impoverished immigrants with hopes of success. If the Revolutionary War never occurred, our country would not be free, and so our lives would not be free either.
Thank you, colonial Americans. Thank you for the ice cream I devour while I watch the sky light up with colors. Thank you for the feel of the grass between my toes as I walk on the lawn at my friend’s house. Thank you for a life in which I can do as I please, racing in the streets, chasing balls, chasing dreams. Most importantly, thank you for allowing me to enjoy myself with my caring friends and family. Thank you for my freedom.
Corona del Mar Today and cdmCyclist are offering a $100 cash prize to the winning entry for our July 4 Essay Contest. A kids’ contest has a prize of a $50 B.Candy gift certificate. The deadline has been extended; read more here and here. We will publish the best submissions, and reader comments will be considered in our judging.
