The rocket's red glare

This weekend a friend and I went up to her old camp in Vermont. Every 4th of July, they have a big get together, with fireworks over the lake and a bonfire.

The fireworks show was nice, but not particularly noteworthy until it occurred to me that there might be a real connection between the fireworks that we set off in celebration of the Fourth and the rockets whose red glare illuminated our flag at Fort McHenry back in 1814.(1) And it appears that there is (no big surprise). Congreve rickets, which the British used, came in several types. The incendiary type may have been the most prominent, but other versions existed, including one with an exploding head, designed to send metal balls or shrapnel into the opposing troops, and a type with a parachute, whose purpose was to illuminate the battlefield or send signals. I can't find any evidence of this, but it may have been this type of rocket that illuminated the flag. Or it may have been the incendiary rockets' glow as they flew through the air, I don't know.

What's the point of this musing? Perhaps it's that the meaning of things gets lost over time. We remember that things are important, but can't seem to remember why. The Fourth of July is about winning our independence from King George, really. And it goes farther than just the Fourth: Christmas isn't really supposed to be about gifts, (nor is Chanukah, for that matter), the site of the World Trade Center is not a place to smile for the camera (you're standing where thousands of people died, remember?), and isn't Easter supposed to be about something other than marshmallow peeps? I'll refrain from mentioning the true meaning of Labor Day (I've forgotten), but how about Memorial Day? That's supposed to be the day when we remember those who died for our country or, as has been the truth lately, died for our president. I am reminded of humanity as depicted in WALL-E (SPOILER ALERT!), a mindless group of people who are not really sure why they're doing much of anything, though they seem to think that they're doing enjoyable things. (END SPOILERS). We do what's been done; why, we don't know. Given that we've forgotten, why do we continue?

(1) Before anyone starts sniping, I am aware that the attack on Fort McHenry occurred during the War of 1812, not the Revolutionary War. That's not the point.