What Are American Values And Assumptions

Individualism: Individualism is the term that refers to the ways in which people identify themselves and focus their goals. Individualism gives priority to personal goals as opposed to the goals of a group or society. Once the men have stepped off the bus on Parris Island they give up every aspect of individualism, they are stripped of all valuables and given the same clothes and haircut which they will wear for the remainder of time. American cultures which are seen almost daily are the ability to voice your own opinion, choosing your personal perspective, and even just the choices you choose to make. Individualism is something that can differ between cultures, but most cultures share certain qualities.

Individualism is the current of thinking that values the freedom and worth of the individual. The source from Adam Smith, states that individualism benefits humankind. The perspective of the source accepts and favours individualism but rejects collectivism because it calls for individualism as being a way for individuals to promote their self interests and to achieve an efficient economy. That a nation of individuals should not seek to make every one responsible for each other; but that individuals are only responsible for themselves. Supporters of individualism, like Adam Smith, see economic freedom as leading to the most efficient and beneficial economy for the greatest number of people, because it encourages competition and they assume

According to the material, Americans are taught that their behaviors and choices made come from within themselves. This particular characteristic asserts the position of individualism. Individualism drives Americans to believing that there is uniqueness about themselves and their situation. The belief of emphasizing a human’s ability to choose is strengthened by American cultural narratives. This belief also leads to the fundamental narrative of American culture: Regeneration through regression.

There are several instituting concepts that for me illustrate the founding principles of America and the hopeful vision of the future of this country. There are those that stood out for me during my research for this assignment and resonated with my feelings and understanding of the country at large. First and foremost is Life Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness; this sentiment is to me the very cornerstone of the hope of America’s inception. Given this principles self explanatory nature I will concentrate on the other founding concepts that have meaning to me. First of these would be the thought of benefiting from one’s own hard work, second is the inalienable rights of man, and lastly the concept of the least possible government being

In the speech “The Spirit of Liberty ”Learned Hand says, ”Liberty lies in the heart of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much help.” I agree with Hand because if the people think they have no liberty and can never get it they won't fight for liberty. For me to be an American means to have freedom as a whole, equality, and justice.The most important Ideals related to being an American are equality, freedom and justice

It is no surprise that the country descended from immigrants values the potential of the individual to build their place in the world. American individualism is at the root of the American dream, American capitalism, and American literature. This is perhaps less obvious in works based on the principles of science and not character or society. Naturalism’s relationship with individualism is embedded in its existence as the story of man versus nature, human determination to survive, and authors’ transcendent portraits of being.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Independence Hall Association, 2011).” This exert from The Declaration of Independence provides a look on America and how life is meant to be lived; with all individuals having an equal right to exist. This existence includes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This beacons to one vital idea, one main vision, which creates a fundamental dream. This dream is the American Dream, and is the ideology that life should be richer, fuller, and more sustainable for the common man. The idea influences viewpoints that anything can be

Gradually, the nation began to develop characteristics unique to America, such as a middle class dominated by business men and women, a sense of individualism and the idea of Manifest Destiny. The merchants and business people of the mid-19th century freed themselves from the cuffs of petty European values through the development and success of the middle class. This middle class began to influence the rest of the nation's ideals. According to Scott Finkelman on American charater and identity, "self made men and women ventured creativly into the [unkown], inventing themselves as they made social space for their unprecedented enterprises" (64). Social conformity was quickly falling out of fashion and the need to be one's own person, a rugged individual, searching for his own destiny wherever he may find it, was becoming more popular. Because of the mixed assortment that is America's heritage, citizens were not encouraged to be any specific way, thus the individual was born. This "unrooted individualism and unabashed enterprise"

Thus I will wonder “What are the most popular archetypes that Americans view as embodying the values of their society?” The first archetype to consider and maybe the most important is the self-made man. Since we haven’t really studied this notion in class I will not take much time on it. Nonetheless, the self-made man fulfils absolutely the American Dream.

Individualism in today’s society is the “belief that each person is unique, special, and a ‘basic unit of nature’.” The individualism concept puts an

Possessing a sense of self-independence is an important aspect of the reality of the American Dream. In the letter, “What is an American?,” written by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, he describes the experience of European immigrants on the verge of becoming an American citizen. According to the author, “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions” (Crèvecoeur 29). America will mold you into a different person. It is our destiny to

Individualism gives Americans the freedom to achieve based on one’s own talents, abilities and ambition. “Her vigor flows like tides into my blood, Giving me strength erect against her hate” is a line from “America” in which McKay is saying that the strength of America gave him the strength to overcome adversity as a black, Jamaican immigrant through his writings. McKay helped pave the way for many other black Americans to become individualists by expressing themselves through literature, music, stage performance and art, which established the Harlem Renaissance as the golden age in African-American culture. The expression of individualism does not end with the Harlem Renaissance, the number of individualists in America is at an all time high as of today. Another example of an American that took full control of the opportunity to use individualism in modern-day America is Steve Jobs.

R.E.M. ....Religious, educational and moral values. These are the three values that affect society today the most, I think. Society may look down on people if they do not live by what society thinks is correct. For example if a persons values are corrupt then society will look down on that person, but if a person has real high morals then society will think that they are fake of just a “goodie”. In society today you will be looked down anyway your moral beliefs are.

What are cultural assumptions? Cultural assumptions are defined as assumptions that are commonly known throughout a culture. These assumptions are highly relevant in the modern society we live in. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you will always have your own assumptions. Literature plays a key part in what kind of assumptions we will have, right from the age we begin to process information in our minds. This leads me to the assumption that has stuck with us since our childhood days. Stepmothers. There is a strong cultural assumption that stepmothers are ‘evil’ people, who force their way into other families and are malicious to their stepchildren. Assumptions like this influence our perceptions and lead

In fact it is possible to have both negative and positive developments of individualism, a better understanding of which can be seen by an analysis of individual needs and individual reactions to environmental stimuli. Such an analysis may lend to a better understanding of not only how “negative individualism” develops in the U.S., but appropriate means by which these negative developments of individualism can be avoided in the future without loss of unique American individualism that stands as a forefront of American success and prosperity.