Here's a shocker: the motif of patriotism crops up fairly frequently in this State of the Union address. We know, we know. Who'da thunk it?

And FDR allows himself to get a little poetic on the subject. He employs a smidge of metaphorical rhetoric when he warns:

We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests. (36)

(Ooh, that's flowery.)

He's referring to the dictatorial leadership of the Axis powers, but he relies on the traditional American symbolism of freedom to illustrate his point. This is FDR's way of using fancy-pants language to declare that Americans need to be vigilant against attempts by power-hungry and self-interested powers that seek to thwart the democratic way of life.

FDR also links "patriotism" with loyalty and unity. (There's a discussion of these buddy concepts in the "Themes" section, so if you fancy more details about how they all work together, feel free to pop on over.)

With this trio of nationalistic qualities in mind, check out the following sentence:

The American people have unalterably set their faces against that tyranny. (22)

Great—down with tyranny. That being said, notice how, in a single sentence, FDR collectivizes the entire population of the United States under a banner of patriotism, loyalty, and unity. Let's read it again with a little bit o' Shmoopy embellishment:

The [patriotic] American people have unalterably set their [unified] faces against that tyranny [as an act of loyalty]. (22)

When you break it apart, this little line is packed with a ton of subtext. However, FDR knows it isn't guaranteed that everyone is going to buy what he is selling, so in a later section, he generously elaborates on this point:

The nation takes great satisfaction and much strength from the things which have been done to make its people conscious of their individual stake in the preservation of democratic life in America. Those things have toughened the fiber of our people, have renewed their faith and strengthened their devotion to the institutions we make ready to protect. (112-113)

For FDR, patriotism isn't just a sense of national pride. It is a way of life that's expressed through the actions of people who fight for their democratic freedoms and strengthen the country as a whole with their dedication.

Like they say, freedom isn't free.