A symbol is a word, picture, or sign that represents something else. It can quickly remind people of beliefs, objects, or ideas. When people look at the symbol, people can understand the meaning attached to it, just like the picture of a heart symbolizes love and kindness. National symbols are objects, animals, documents, flags, or anthems which the country is recognized for. The purpose of national symbols is to bring and unite people in the nation together by reminding them of their nation’s history, beliefs, values, or principles. The U.S. flag, the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, the Liberty Bell, the American Anthem, Great Seal of the United States, and the Pledge of Allegiance are national symbols of America.
Each country in the world has its own national symbols to represent which country it is. The National Flag of Singapore contains two horizontal bands of white and red. White represents the virtue and purity of the people while red represents the unity, equality, and a sense of brotherhood among all citizens of Singapore. The white waxing crescent moon symbolizes that Singapore is a newly developed country just at the start of a moon. The five stars stand for the equality, progress, and peace of Singapore. Kangaroo is a recognisable symbol of Australia. Kangaroo was chosen as a national symbol because of its difficulty to move backwards. The kangaroo represents Australia’s force at progression, moving only forward and never backward. Cherry blossoms (SAKURA) are Japan’s national flower. Their beauty peaks are very short, lasting around two weeks, and then the blossoms start to fall. Cherry blossoms symbolize birth and death, beauty and violence. Even the fallen cherry blossom petals symbolizes a character who was known not to fear death.
Among all the three national symbols mentioned above, Australia’s kangaroo is the one I favor most. Kangaroo’s action of jumping is very energetic and always keeps moving forward. Kangaroo represents a time to leap from a period of waiting, watching, and building preparation for a large change in their life. This tells me that I need to keep going forward and don’t stop learning. This also suggests to me that when doing things, I need to get prepared, think carefully, and make sure everything is ready before taking any action. In addition, kangaroo moms always carry babies in their pouches, protecting their baby, just like my mom always holding my hand, protecting me from danger, and supporting me whatever I do. Moreover, kangaroos make me think of Math Kangaroo, a national math competition, encouraging me that I need to non-stop work on my math and making good progress in learning math, just like kangaroos keep hopping forward.
Many symbols could represent America where I live, including the U.S. flag, the Statue of Liberty, the bald eagle, the Liberty Bell, the American Anthem, Great Seal of the United States, and the Pledge of Allegiance, but the U.S. flag best represents America. The American flag consists of a blue rectangle in the upper-left part with fifty stars inside and the thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red and white alternating with each other. The fifty stars symbolize the fifty states in the United States. The stripes represent the thirteen original colonies. Red color stands for hardness and valor, white color symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue color represents loyalty, justice and perseverance. Whenever people see the American flag, they can understand American history and how it was founded from the thirteen British colonies to fifty states. The American flag symbolizes the freedom, independence, and pride of the United States.
Different countries have different national symbols. National symbols could be a flag, building, object, flower, or animal. They are essential for each country because it could unite the citizens and help a foreign person tell which country is which. Moreover, people could understand the meaning of the country through the national symbols. The national flag is special to Singapore, kangaroo is a recognisable symbol of Australia, and cherry blossoms (SAKURA) represent Japan. The U.S. flag best represents America because it stands for the freedom, independence, and pride of the United States. Whenever American citizens see the flag, they feel patriotic, proud, and united. Learning national symbols from a country could let people know the history, the value, and development of that country.
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