Morals In Anna Quindlen's A Quilt Of A Nation

America is commonly characterized as the greatest country in the world, the glorious “land of the free and the home of the brave”, “indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. This idealization of the American identity conveniently focuses on what people want to hear and blurs out most everything else. In reality, Americans do not live up to the dreamscape created by our views, and we never really have. America is no longer characterized by its freedom and democracy, nearly every first world country can afford that luxury. Nor are we set apart by the great opportunities given to our people, for those are far from universal. We aren’t equal, we aren’t unified, we aren’t kinder or smarter or richer than any other country across the board. It’s easy to find the shortcomings of American culture, all the things we aren’t, but the things we are have proven to be more elusive. First, let’s examine the nots.

The United States of America is a big, powerful and wealthy country in the world. The diversity of class, individuality, religion, and race are a few of the embellishments within the "melting pot" of our society. The blend of these numerous diversities is the crucial ingredient to our modern nation. America has been formed upon them, its inhabitants- the "average American"- have a single means in common; a single concept; a single goal; the American Dream. The Dream consists of a seemingly simple theory; success.

An individual’s ability to vary their own judgement of others, and influence others viewpoint, can lead to a more tolerant and permissive community. The intrinsic nature of citizenry alliance is highly relatable to Anh Do’s experiences in The Happiest Refugee, revealed through the constant repetition of gratitude, along with vulnerability. Ideas of positivity and empathy are made apparent with the quote ‘What a great country! Almost every day we discovered something that made mum and dad shake their heads at how lucky we’d been… What a great country!’ as the repetition of the words ‘What a great country’ demonstrates the high

History is the framework of every nation. It describes what life was like in a nation, hundreds perhaps thousands of years previously. With history, many citizens are able to examine what lead to a crisis in a nation such as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 or the Civil War in the 1800s in the United States of America. Likewise, the moments of growth and economic success are looked at. From these past endeavors, the people can examine what went wrong and what went right and determine how they can stop themselves from making similar mistakes or act in a way that has been proven to work. In Eve Kornfeld’s “Creating an American Culture 1775-1800,” many different areas of national identity are discussed, including the beginnings of documenting the history of America as an independent nation. This was especially hard for Americans to create a singular national identity because there was bias in the early works, the different colonies or states were extremely diverse, and many intellectuals had different perspectives on the American identity.

What sets America apart from any nation in the world is that it never settle. America, at times, has had the tenancy to spent too long in the darkness of satisfaction and despondency, but never has it settles in shadows. Every single time America has fallen or been knocked down, it has never failed to rise from defeat. It may take months, years and even decades, but America never stops pursuing the perfection of the unparalleled ideals it was founded on.

“One nation under God, indivisible” (Bellamy) is a motto that is lived by Americans every single day. Americans are a united force that can not be broken apart and will do anything for other fellow Americans. From the use of heart wrenching pathos in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and The Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One? by Anna Quindlen to the immaculate lighting in the beautifully famous painting George Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, we can see that American people will always unite and stick as one. Americans will stick together after a horrendous event has occurred or when there is beauty to rejoice about.

In today's world there is one thing that can be found across the globe. This thing is highly influential, loved by many, and of of the most innovative things to ever be seen. What is this thing? It is America. The modern world would not be the same without it. But what does it mean to be American? To be an American, you must follow one principle: you must chase the American dream. Being American is not about being successful or even having money. It is the simple concept of chasing the American dream not succeeding in achieving it. This essay will explain the American dream and how it relates to the American identity in three ways: Through classic American literature, a study of historical documents, and a close look

America, a country that could only be described as a quilt as it is made up of many different peoples. Sadly, equality and common respect is hard to come by in a nation full of different opinions, colors, and cultures. Through heart-wrenching pathos, Leutze’s painting Washington Crossing the Delaware and Quindlen’s The Quilt signifies that while America may seem on the verge of breaking at times it manages to succeed through the unification of it’s people.

America is a country full of ideas that create opportunities and memorable moments people enjoy with the company of others. Within the United States of America, diversity is a huge aspect that allows numerous races, ethnicities, and genders, etc. to roam our flourishing nation. Our nation is exceptional by having a beautiful range of natural wonders, collection of first-rate cities, and a wide variety of art and pop culture.The values and beliefs that unite Americans and define our nation’s purpose are the ideas of our nation steps forward to perform actions for the betterment of society, the lack of and enforcement of equality, and the citizenships that people fought to achieve.

The differences that are present in America have engendered countless conflicts all over the nation for many years; Americans have clashed and exchanged blows due to their diversity. Though showered with such troubles, the country, surprisingly, remains whole and has not yet dispersed. Shortly after the tragedy in New York on September 11, 2001, author Anna Quindlen wrote the article, A Quilt of a Country, communicating what exactly America is in her eyes. Through her argument, she expresses that America is a remarkable nation filled with people who are able to unify once there is a common objective, despite carrying warring differences and quarreling once before. Quindlen starts by first presenting the troubles frequently heard in the news,

The United States, often referred to as a “melting pot,” is known for its extensive cultures. This paramount aspect of the Unites States makes it so unique yet it also happens to be the center of its many conflicts. America, although seemingly doubtful due to the vast amount of cultures and people, has been able to withstand conflicts and adversities because Americans have been able to learn from the country’s past and find a way to use their differences to come together.

The United States of America has seen great change throughout its history. While a considerable amount of time has matured the nation, the core spirit of the American people remains unaffected. In spite of all the wars fought and problems that arose, the

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most well know symbols of the United States, across the world. For this reason I chose to analyze the dramatic effect it creates, and what methods it implores to invent this "universal" meaning. It is one of the strongest visual representations of the ideals which our country is founded upon. I intend to defend the argument that the Statue of Liberty posses the power of persuading human thought using the terms encompassed in Kenneth Burke's Pentad, shaping the definition of "America" for people through out the world.

Americans through the years of existence have adapted well to the radical changes throughout the world. Technology, independence and social equality are some of the diverse concepts the United States have adapted to and developed in order to become a more unified country. Our nation believes that it is exceptional when it comes to other countries worldwide. As can be shown through the popular reference to America as the ‘shining city on a hill’. The term “American exceptionalism” is derived from ideals held by many Americans throughout history. Different people have analyzed American exceptionalism through multiple literary devices. Works such as A Model of Christian Charity, What is an American and Acres of Diamonds illustrate the

A quilt, wall, and a cat is more meaningful than you may realize… “Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody’s image” (Boorstin, 3). Meaning, different languages, religions, and races is what makes up the U.S. There can’t be a specific image if we are the ones who make it up. Coming together as a country to accomplish anything can be shown by a quilt, wall, and cat.