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The battle of the lapels
The National War Memorial in Ottawa is impressive, especially at night when spotlights illuminate the 22 bronze men and women who are caught in mid-stride through a granite arch. The faces on these larger-than-life figures bear expressions ranging from enthusiastic to determined to dog-tired. In their hands they hold rucksacks, guns, and stretchers.
On top of the arch are the symbols of peace and freedom, and it is suggested that the movement of the soldiers through this arch represents the movement from war to peace. But as in 1916, 1943, and 1951, Canadians in 2006 are fighting again on foreign soil. Like past conflicts, no one knows exactly how long our forces will be there and no one knows how many Canadians will die before it is over.
As Remembrance Day approaches, I find myself caught in the figurative cross-fire of the debate about Canada’s role in Afghanistan, unsure of how to think about those who have and will be caught in an all too literal cross-fire. As I am not soldier, the only way I participate in this discussion is through symbols.
In Canada today, there are two common symbols that pertain to the discussion of war. The first is the red poppy, which I have worn proudly for many years. The second is the yellow ribbon that started appearing on lapels around Ottawa this fall, shortly after Jack Layton and the NDP called for Canadian troops to pull out of Afghanistan.
The pins are smaller versions of the “Support our Troops” ribbons that are commonly found on the back of American vehicles. Like McDonald’s golden arches, the yellow ribbons here have had their Canadian ‘baptism’ with little maple leaves placed at the centre.
I don’t wear a yellow ribbon, and I have a certain uneasiness about owning one. Part of it may be the fact that they are new and different, and I’m naturally opposed to jumping on bandwagons. Another reason may be that they are just too similar to what a lot of Canadians see as the blind patriotism and dangerous ideological rhetoric of certain Americans. However, I’ve asked myself lately, “Is there any difference between the poppy and the ribbon?”
While I am not a pacifist, I don’t think war should ever be actively pursued or glorified. I feel a profound sadness when I stand at the base of the war memorial or when I read of another flag-draped coffin that’s come home from Afghanistan. It is with the same sadness that I pin on my poppy and attend the Remembrance Day service. This sadness is found in a few lines from the poem by Lt. Col. John McCrae which immortalized the poppy: “We are the Dead. Short days ago / We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, / Loved and were loved, and now we lie / In Flanders fields.” Many people would argue, and I agree, that we need to remember the terrible events of the past if we are to have any chance of preventing similar atrocities in the future.
Of course, one cannot read the opening of the aforementioned poem without reading the opening of the last stanza, “Take up our quarrel with the foe,” essentially a call for vengeance and continuation of the cycle of violence.
Likewise, there is ambiguity in the ribbon. Some wear it in wholehearted support of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, others with the caveat that they support the troops but not the military policy of the Conservative government. Some may choose not to wear it because they are opposed to armed conflict on principle.
And then there are those like me who are somewhere in no-man’s land. Someday, perhaps, the war memorial will be inscribed with the years of the war in Afghanistan, and the poppy I wear will be in remembrance of people who died in 2006. Will I then look back and ask myself why I didn’t show my support for those troops and their families when they needed it most?
For me, the poppy stands as a symbol of Canada’s collective sadness for the thousands of Canadians who sacrificed their lives so others could be free. As I pin on a poppy for another year, I do not have a yellow ribbon to go with it, but I do not look down on those who do. Symbols have great power, and become dangerous when we enforce or outlaw them. I do wonder, however, do the ribbons carry with them the same sense of sadness as the poppies? It is fitting that the figures on the war memorial are caught in action, because peace hasn’t come yet; we are still striving towards it. Whether we participate in war through action or symbol, we must continually ask ourselves if these means are drawing us closer to peace, or farther from it.
Dear Sarah,
I just wanted to let you know of the traditions that have brought the yellow ribbon to be included our symbols. After reading your fine piece of work I looked up yellow ribbons and found the Library of Congress to be of the most help. There a man named Gerald E. Parsons wrote of how the yellow ribbon became the center of media attention first in the mid to late seventies. During that time a woman decoratd her front porch with yellow ribbons to welcome her husband home from prison. Then during the Iranian hostage situation (1979) Penne Laingen tied a yellow ribbon around a tree in her front yard saying that her husband would untie it when he got home. These events brought the yellow ribbon into the mainstream, before this (and still) many variations of the oral traditions were circulated.
I guess that the most important thing I took from this was how much the symbol can change yet still give a sense of reconciliation, Gerald likens it to the “New Testament parable of the Prodigal Son.” I personally find the poppy to be a memorial for wars past, and the yellow ribbon as a reminder of present wars as our fellow brothers and sisters are endangering themsleves for justice and the wars to come. There are many other meanings that I apply to the yellow ribbon, but it would take too long to mention them all.
If you would like to take a look at Gerald’s article, which I personally would recommend, you can find it at:
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/ribbons/ribbons.html
Have a great day,
Laurel