History Main / TatteredFlag

* Music/PattiSmith's "Broken Flag" from ''Music/{{Wave}}'' is also an exploration of this idea (the song is about the American Civil War). An image of a tattered American flag can be seen inside the booklet and the song is dedicated to Barbara Fritchie (1766-1862), a Unionist during the American Civil War who, according to legend at the age of 95 waved the Union flag to antagonize the troops of Stonewall Jackson, as they passed through the town of Frederick. The actual woman who did this was named Mary Quantrell.

* Another real-life example would be the flag from Fort [=McHenry=], which inspired Francis Key Scott to write The Star-Spangled Banner after seeing its tattered flag still flying after a 23-hour bombardment. [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Fort_McHenry_flag.jpg The flag]] is huge, by the way. Currently, it's 30x34 feet, but was originally 42 feet long (though that is still 18 feet short of how long it should be, based on its height).

* Several American flags, damaged to various degrees, that were recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center have been put on display, one of them even being shown at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers'', the royal banners outside of Rohan's Golden Hall are so beaten up, one of them gets torn off by the wind.

* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' ridicules the ''Film/PearlHarbor'' example as poor and cliche use of the RuleOfSymbolism.

* Another real-life example would be the flag from Fort [=McHenry=], which inspired Francis Key Scott to write The Star-Spangled Banner after seeing its tattered flag still flying after a 23-hour bombardment.[[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Fort_McHenry_flag.jpg The flag]] is huge, by the way. Currently, it's 30x34 feet, but was originally 42 feet long (though that is still 18 feet short of how long it should be, based on its height).

* A famous poster from [=WWII=] featured a tattered Polish flag and the words "Poland: First To Fight".

Occasionally, flags like these can be kept and preserved if they are significant in some way, one that was present for a landmark event, for example. A patriot who has served their country may display a bullet-holed, battle-scarred flag in a glass frame on their TrophyWall.

Occasionally, flags like these can be kept and preserved if they are significant in some way, one that was present for a landmark event, for example. A patriot who has served their country may display a bullet-holed, battle-scarred flag in a glass frame on their [[trophy wall]].

Occasionally, flags like these can be kept and preserved if they are significant in some way, one that was present for a landmark event, for example.

Compare BurningTheFlag, for when a flag is being deliberately destroyed.

[[folder:Film]]

Normally a flag flies proudly on the breeze as a declaration of the power and authority of its nation. To be fit for display, a flag should be intact and untarnished, and if it is not it is generally ceremonially destroyed. Sometimes, however, a flag will be displayed that is dirty, full of holes, or reduced to ribbons. When this occurs, it generally means that the nation it represents has fallen on hard times. Why else would they allow their standard to be shown this way?

* ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'': In a moment of InUniverse FridgeLogic, Encyclopedia realizes that a man lauded as a hero shouldn't have gotten a medal because according to the story being told, the man saw the flag over a fort (that had been [[spoiler: taken over by hostile Native Americans]]) flying in the rain; this should have at least given him cause for concern (as army regulations hold that flags should be put away in inclement weather), but he led the wagon train down the pass into the fort anyway.