Lorena Nunez Analysis

Since this great country was first established many intuitive minds have tried to answer the question; "What is an American". This country is full of individuals of many backgrounds, and diversities and each person has a different opinion on this question. In my opinion, an American is someone who values freedom and equality and pursues the "American dream." Every American exercises these rights and these are great adjectives to describe our country. Each of the seven readings, and the one image I compiled help mold this broader definition into a more precise description of an American.

Although being hispanic, I also consider myself American.” Even though she is an immigrant to the United States herself, she believes that the US should not have open borders and immigration should be limited. She believes that people take advantage of the freedom and do not come to America for the right reasons.

An American can be defined by a variety of things. A natural born citizen is just as American as an immigrant searching for a new life, just like in “America and I” by Aniza Yezierska. An American can be a rich businessman or it could be a dedicated soldier like in “Veteran’s Day: Never Forget Their Duty” by John McCain. An individual’s definition of being an American is shaped by their life experiences. A person’s view on being an American is different because of experiences, such as being a veteran, being an immigrant, or living in poverty, all of which affect one’s perspective.

Michael Walzer’s essay on “What Does It Mean to Be an American?” raises many points about the American citizen. Specifically, he discusses “American” as an adjective (Walzer). “American” is often associated with American citizens; while this is true, the term can also be applied to Canadians and Mexicans (Walzer). American is such an ambiguous adjective that it is applicable to all countries and individuals that are part of the North American continent. Like Mr. Walzer states, American is not a truly defined term and America is not a country (Walzer). Walzer goes on to introduce a Horace Kallen’s opinion on American’s as anonymous and their “unique” pluralism (Walzer). There are exceptions to all things; the positive to being an American is the fact that Americans can be whatever they choose to be. I feel to be an American one must believe in the American ideals, they must believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. American 's in general may be anonymous, however, upon further reflection they have left the definition of “American” open for each American to define the adjective for themselves.

She wanted to help others find the resources needed for help. She began a whole new journey in her life. Pressing forward she returned to college and began courses to become what would be an incredible journey. Meeting many amazing friends and people who inspired her along the way, she reached her goals. Syd’s determination carried her through to become a lifeline for so many people. She has worked as a Clinical Counselor and worked in Child Protective Services in which she covered foster care, adoptions, child welfare investigations, and families in risk of losing their children. Her experiences in life helped tremendously in those fields of work. Being able to make a difference in the lives of so many has been greatly rewarding. She is living proof that there is a way to overcome even the lowest possible point in your life and make something great of it. There is a way to always rise above and be everything you are capable of

America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a simpler time, Crevecoeur defined an American as someone of European

What it means to be American? Everybody you ask this question to will have a completely different response. Some responses might have similarities but none will be exactly the same. In the beginning of the year my response was “To be an American means having a rich history, having opportunities to better ourselves, and having freedoms.” Unfortunately not everyone has had the same opportunities or freedoms. Native Americans, who are indigenous, dealt with having their freedoms taken away, less opportunities even though they had rich history in this land before it was taken away from them. Look at what Zitkala-Sa endured. Not only that, but African Americans have fought long and hard for freedom and equality as well. W.E.B. Du Bois stood for

Do you consider yourself to be an American? Being an American is not just having a citizenship or living in America it is much more. America doesn’t just allow the people inside the country to stay, but America gives everyone a second chance at life and give them more opportunities. America has had a long strive for freedom and independence, making the opportunity of living here that much more special. In this essay I will be reading to you my thoughts of what it means to be an American. Bravery, honor, hope, and the freedom and equality of all Americans are the topics that I feel are most important.

With all the controversy in what it means to be American at this point in history, coming to a consensus on the meaning of the term is crucial. The meaning of being an American can often be tied to one’s emotional connection to the United States of America. If this attachment is taken away from the definition of the word, the most authentic and traditional interpretation of what it means to be an American is revealed. To be an American means to be a citizen of the United States and to align yourself with the ideals of America.

“The Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave”; these are the words that since 1814 have been used to describe the spirit of the country that we call America. For many, this country symbolizes a history of just that; bravery and freedom. But what does it mean to be an American? Does it simply mean that a person is born in to the country, or does it mean that they empower the character traits used to describe the country itself? When describing America and what it is to be or behave as an American, there are many traits that are often used such as brave, hardworking, strong, having the ability to overcome obstacles, a belief in equality and freedom for all, being a groundbreaker, and having a strong, direct

Throughout the life span of the United States, from its infancy after the Revolution to the present, people have asked, “What is an American?” This question goes far beyond asking who is a citizen or who resides in this land. No, it asks what the identity of an American is? Through popular, art, film, and literature, the American image is defined as being based on embracing our individual identities.

questions and found out from the people who were living this life first hand what it was like. She states that all her colleagues spent their lives from graduate school to retirement studying the problem of poverty. She didn’t just study it from the outside, she went in and interviewed and got her questions answered.

On May 15, 2017 I interviewed Karian Gomez about what it means to it means to be American to her. Karina considers herself as an Mexican American, since her parents are from Mexico, but she was born and raised in the United States. That means she has Mexican cultural as well American culture. Karina strongly believes being an American to have individual freedom and pursue any dreams you want, whether that dream is having more money, being religiously free, or escaping a war, America is a place for everyone to be happy. She also enjoys the diversity there is in America. For one thing, she could go to a nearby restaurant to buy some mexican food, including tacos which she likes. However she does wish that people would talk with different people

Gloria Anzaldua is among the many feminist theorists that has moved into the realm of addressing post-modern identities. In Gloria Anzaldua’s articulation of the new mestiza consciousness, she makes the argument of identities as multiple, hybrid, and more specifically created as a result of the Borderlands. However, according to Anzaldua, and despite the difficulties engendered by her very existence, the mestiza is also a figure of enormous potential, as her multiplicity allows a new kind of consciousness to emerge. This mestiza consciousness moves beyond the binary relationships and dichotomies that characterize traditional modes of thought, and seeks to build bridges between all minority communities to achieve social and political change.

What does it mean to be an “American”? To each individual person it means something very different. For the writer Bharati Mukherjee, who wrote the essay, “American Dreamer”, to be a true American someone has to want to be an American, not just prove that they merited citizenship. Her essay “American Dreamer” goes in depth into this idea and her opinion that as an American one should believe in bringing together the cultures in America. “We must think of American culture and nationhood as a constantly reforming, transmogrifying “we” (Mukherjee 438). For the author James Baldwin, who wrote the essay “Stranger in the Village”, an American is a person who is integrated with other cultures, and