Breanna Andrea

UWRT 1103 H04

Caruso
26 October 2016

Defense Paper
A symbols primary purpose is to represent qualities and ideas within a single space. Flags are one
of the most common symbols within society. Within in the American Society A symbol that is familiar to
plenty of American citizens is the Confederate flag. Exploring conversations involving the topic of the
Confederate flag is something that interested me when I arrived to college. When I was assigned this
project I chose to complicate the discussion of the Confederate flag because I had a formulated opinion on
it but I did not truly understand the history behind it. When I saw the flag it evoked negative emotions
inside of me and I never understood why. Ive had several conversations with people about the flag and
there was only one conversation that made me question my stance on the topic. For example, I had a
conversation with a student and she brought to my attention that the Confederate flag is not the real
Confederate flag. There were other flags present during the time of the civil war that were used as
symbols to represent the Confederacy. When I heard this information I was perplexed and felt the urge to
dig into this situation to have some clarification. Going through my research I didnt look for answers I
looked for more information to add to the complexity of the subject.
For this assignment the product I chose to make is the Confederate flag. This product is being
made to shed light on a situation that has controversy attached to it. When I was given the assignment I
knew I wanted to create something special to everyone. I wanted to create a product that was similar to
the emotions attached to the flag. By definition, flags function as identity markers. Flags can also evoke a
sense of separation (or even hatred), as well as a sense of solidarity. This may be particularly so with the
Confederate Flag, known for its condensing qualities and ability to elicit a variety of emotional responses,

including anger, shame, indifference and pride (Holyfield, Lori, Matthew R. Moltz, and Mindy S.
Bradley). Starting the inquiry on the Confederate flag opened up the discussion to other topics including
the civil war, racism and southern pride.
Gathering opinions on the topic of the Confederate flag made it clear to me that the subject wasn't
just two opposing sides disagreeing, it was much deeper than that. Since people feel such mixed
emotions when they look at the flag I wanted to embrace and harness that feeling in a single product. The
alignment of the Confederate flag and the Black Lives Matter movement sparks a lot of questions about
The United States History. Questions about race relations and how minorities felt about the flag were
sparked by how black Americans have been targeted in the past few years (Robert Greene II). These
questions are sometime never answered and opinions are formulated without a true understanding of
American history and symbols as a whole. Bringing together sides of the argument and exposing the
uncertainties was my goal for this product.
After careful speculation I decided on recreating the Confederate Flag with an added twist. No
other symbol can stir the same emotion and I wanted to mimic that feeling while representing multiple
opinions. Ross Hughes, a white male, feel[s] as if the Confederate flag is a piece of history. To [him] it
represents a lost war, and a failure to create a new nation[he does not] see it as a sign of hate. Though
[he does] feel as if flying the flag is a sign of ignorance for the majority of America, [he] also believe[s]
that any government owned building should be allowed to fly the flag[he] finds those who fly the flag
out of hate, and chant the south will rise again extremely ignorant because that is not at all what is
represented by the flag. The flag indeed is just a failed attempt to succeed from the United States of
America. While Ross felt a certain way others felt something completely different. Austin Jefferson, a
black male, states [The flag] is a symbol of a foreign nation and a culture which prides itself on the past
and the power they used to have, to proudly wave it now is their right but it symbolizes a time of great
pain and distress for [this] country and [he doesnt] like it. Jakob Pasley, a white male, felt that, [The
flag] shouldnt be a symbol of southern pride, because it wasnt used during the Civil War. It was created

to promote and show support for segregation. Most people hold on to the flag because of a misconception
of history and [he is not] a fan.
After careful speculation of all my responses I analyzed my process and factors that might skew
the results. As I went through with talking to residents in Scott Hall there were several factors I had to
consider. The first thing I had to think about was whether I would be getting authentic responses from
people because of what I looked like. Some people might have felt pressured to talk about the
Confederate Flag in a negative tone because I am a woman of color and the flag has a correlation to the
Civil War which correlates to a time where African-Americans were treated lesser than white Americans.
Keeping in mind the disclaimers those were just three responses out of fifteen that I received.
My product is another version of the Confederate flag which includes the interviewees names on
the stars with their feelings toward the flag below it. When a Confederate flag is spotted sometimes its
hard to identify the reasoning behind flying it because there are several different viewpoints associated
with this one symbol. The research I conducted showed me the bigger picture. Battling over [the flag] is
a proxy for larger concerns about race, but the fight is also an important one unto itselfa fight over what
the Civil War and Reconstruction mean for American society (II R. Greene). There are several
controversial topics that stem from the one symbol that represented a time in American history.
To start I talked to several people in Scott Hall and I asked them for their opinion on the
Confederate flag. I gave the participants an open environment to discuss the topic of the flag and what it
meant for them. The only information I gave them was that their responses were going to be used for my
UWRT class. After receiving responses from a few residences in Scott Hall I took their opinions and put
them into the Confederate flag. Once the flag was constructed I decided that the proper place to put the
flag was in the common area on the fourth floor considering that most of people who contributed to this
product live or interact with the residents on the fourth floor of Scott Hall. The Flag was set up along with
a jar to put in additional responses and comments about the Confederate flag. The product was made to
enhance the discussion and allow people to truly think about their thoughts on the flag because it was
something I never did. The goal is to provoke curiosity and establish an open discussion environment that

will ultimately lead to more people being aware of their inquiry paths. I want to increase the conversation
between opposing sides and I want others to be aware of their opinions. Even though the Confederate
flag piece is completed the conversation continues because of the jar set up next to it. Events like the
Charleston shooting or police brutality should not be the sole reason why Americans start to question or
think about the Civil War and the symbols associated with it.

Original Work Cited

Cannon, Devereaux D. The Flags of the Confederacy: An Illustrated History. Memphis, TN: St. Lukes,
1988. Print.
Eggenberger, David. Flags of the U.S.A. New York: Crowell, 1964. Print.
Loeffelbein, Robert L. The United States Flagbook: Everything about Old Glory. Jefferson, NC:
McFarland, 1996. Print.
Martinez, J. Michael., William Richardson D., and Ron McNinch-Su. Confederate Symbols in the
Contemporary South. Florida: U of Florida, 2000. Print.

New Work Cited

Brattain, Michelle. "Forgetting the South and the Southern Strategy." Miranda. (2013). Print.
Holyfield, Lori, Matthew R. Moltz, and Mindy S. Bradley. "Race Discourse and the Us Confederate
Flag." Race, Ethnicity and Education. 12.4 (2009): 517-537. Print.
Reingold, Beth, and Richard S. Wike. Confederate Symbols, Southern Identity, and Racial Attitudes: The
Case of the Georgia State Flag. Social Science Quarterly, vol. 79, no. 3, 1998, pp. 568580.
www.jstor.org/stable/42863820.
Society, For U. S. I. H, and II R. Greene. "Confederate Flag Blues." Usih Blog. (2015): 2015-7. Print.