While some recognized it and some didn't, I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out your point. Sarah was obviously referring to Esther's "If I perish, I perish" quote - not the Dunkirk/Daniel quote. If your point was that most Americans wouldn't recognize the source of either quote, that is rather obvious. In fact, most current students of literature have no idea about the sources of the Biblical allusions present in much of classic American literature from Hawthorne to Crane to Frost since teachers are either unwilling or afraid to even mention them.
ok, fine. However, is it unreasonable to expect some reporter to cite one or the other?
I used Daniel rather than Esther since the recent Dunkirk event puts it in modern political context rather than just a Biblical allusion.