The emphasis of patriotism and independence through a political and religious lens: A new historical reading of the selected national anthems

Abstract

This paper fundamentally delves into how patriotism and independence are emphasised in the selected national anthems through a political and religious lens in the light of the New Historicism. In this regard, four national anthems from the Western and Eastern countries acknowledged to have assumed the role of the coloniser or colonised in recorded history are selected for the analysis in this study: The United Kingdom’s God Save the Queen, France’s The Song of Marseille, Chad’s The Song of Chad, and Nigeria’s Arise, O Compatriots. This paper, therefore, addresses how national anthems share a significant political as well as religious role to influence and even shape their history by activating their societies’ love for their own countries and hunger for independence. Accordingly, the Introduction of this paper gives a general outline of the perspectives towards the national anthems and the New Historicism. This study, furthermore, provides the reflections of these perspectives on the British, French, Chadian, and Nigerian national anthems by displaying the dynamic interplay between the national anthems and the history itself thanks to the application of the New Historicism. In Conclusion, this paper reveals not only the similarities but also the differences of the selected national anthems with respect to their emphasis of patriotism and independence through a political and religious lens, alongside the New Historicist approach.