Shot heard 'round the world

The shot heard 'round the world is a famous phrase in the United States that refers to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. The phrase comes from the opening stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Concord Hymn (1837), and describes the impact of the battle at Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. The entire stanza is:

Related Topics:
United States - American Revolutionary War - Ralph Waldo Emerson - Concord Hymn - 1837 - Battle at Old North Bridge - Concord, Massachusetts - April 19 - 1775

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:By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

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:Their flag to April's breeze unfurled;

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:Here once the embattled farmers stood;

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:And fired the shot heard 'round the world.

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Emerson used hyperbole as a rhetorical tool in the phrase "shot heard 'round the world." He wrote Concord Hymn for the dedication of a battle monument very close to his family's home, and the words are meant to emphasize that a critical event happened at this location that triggered something of global importance.

Related Topics:
Hyperbole - Rhetorical tool

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The phrase is an analogy. Perhaps firing the shot represents fighting this particular battle and what was heard was the news about it. Perhaps it represents the beginning of the entire war and what was heard was the news of a new nation and a defeat for the British Empire. It is often thought that firing the shot was meant to represent the beginning of a struggle for freedom against tyranny, and the hearing represents the worldwide spread of this struggle with the American Revolution serving as an example. This third analogy would reflect Emerson's belief in American exceptionalism. The historian David M. Wrobel wrote: "Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were transcendentalists first, perhaps Romantic Nationalists second, and American exceptionalists third. Such distinctions are worth remembering if we are to see the tremendous variety and disorderliness of American thought, as opposed to seeing those diverse strands as neatly woven parts of a coherent exceptionalist fabric." (The Complexities of American Exceptionalism)

Related Topics:
Analogy - British Empire - American exceptionalism - Henry David Thoreau - Transcendentalists - Romantic Nationalists

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To a modern reader there seems to be a number disagreement between "farmers" (plural) firing "the shot" (singular). This could be interpreted as an understatement by Emerson to emphasize the hyperbole at the end of the phrase. Alternate definitions of shot as an attempt, a guess, or a bet may also be considered (e.g., "give it your best shot," "that bet is a long shot"). A more likely explanation is that Emerson is simply using "shot" in the collective sense (i.e., "volleys of shot"). The hyperbole, of course, is that the battle iself was not loud enough to be heard around the world. Thus some figurative use of "fired the shot" and perhaps of "heard" must be meant.

Related Topics:
Understatement - Figurative

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In popular culture, the phrase is often connected with the mystery of the literal first musket shot of the war. This occurred in Lexington earlier on the morning of April 19. It is not known whether a soldier of the British Army or a militiaman of the American Patriots fired this first shot of the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

Related Topics:
Literal - Lexington - British Army - Militia - American Patriots - Battle of Lexington and Concord

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The Schoolhouse Rock! educational shorts included an "America Rock" piece on the American Revolutionary War entitled "The Shot Heard 'Round the World." Written and performed by Bob Dorough, it attributes the first shot to the British.

Related Topics:
Schoolhouse Rock! - Bob Dorough

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The phrase is also used for dramatic moments in sports history. In golf, it is used most often to describe the 1935 par-5 double eagle 2 at the Masters Tournament by Gene Sarazen. In baseball, it is used for Bobby Thomson's 1951 walk-off home run that clinched the National League pennant for the New York Giants. In American soccer, it is used to describe the goal scored by Paul Caligiuri for the United States men's national soccer team against Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain in 1989 which propelled the team to the 1990 World Cup, helping to start a resurgence of American soccer on the international scene.

Related Topics:
Golf - 1935 - The Masters Tournament - Gene Sarazen - Baseball - Bobby Thomson's 1951 walk-off home run - New York Giants - Soccer - Paul Caligiuri - United States men's national soccer team - Trinidad and Tobago - Port of Spain - 1989 - 1990 World Cup

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