What story is being told in the first verse of the
National Anthem?

“O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?”

dawn: early morning, just as the sun begins to rise

hail’d (hailed): to honor something (in this case the flag)

gleaming: a gleam is a flash of light, likely referring to the last bits of light hitting the flag as the sun set

twilight: the last bit of light from the sun fading as it sets

These lines ask listeners if they can see the American flag waving over Fort McHenry as the sun begins to rise. The flag is a symbol of how the Americans held the fort against all odds, so if the flag hadn’t been there, Key would have known the fort was defeated. Key held onto the flag as a symbol of hope as he watched from the British vessel, catching sight of it as the sun set, twelve hours after the British bombardment began.

“Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?”

broad: wide, referring to the stripes that run across the American flag

perilous: dangerous

ramparts: the embankments that were part of the fort’s defense

gallantly: in a heroic or brave manner

streaming: this describes the flag waving in the wind

O’er (over): above

This bit describes the American flag flying throughout the battle.

“And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.”

There aren’t that many challenging words in this part, where Key describes how the British bombs occasionally lit up the American flag that was flying throughout the night.

“O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

spangled: decorated

banner: a long strip of cloth or paper (in this case, a flag)

In this final verse, Key asks one last time if the flag is still there, waving over a country born from revolution and still fighting to maintain its hard-won freedom.

Have a good day!

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