Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Journal #1


            Our class discussion did not change my opinion of what it means to be an American.  Americans are a very nationalistic and proud people, as was demonstrated by the images displayed in the videos we watched.  We are brought together by powerful symbols that demonstrate our core values.  For instance the Statue of Liberty is well known as a sign of liberty and freedom as well as giving hope to people entering our country in an effort to make a better life for themselves.  Like Emma Lazarus said in “The New Colossus”, exiles to come to us for refuge and safety and new beginnings. And that is something that we hold very dear to our hearts, the fact that as a nation we represent hope and opportunity for people all over the world.  Though I do feel that in some ways this slightly skews our view of the world.  It can give the impression that everyone else idolizes us and wants to be like us when in fact that is not always true.  Places such as the Washington and Lincoln Monuments show both the struggle and perseverance that we faced in our beginnings as well as how far we have come in a relatively short time, which is something else to be very proud of.  We did not discuss this in class, but I do believe that in some ways we are hypocrites.  We are proud of the fact that we are the land of opportunity and hope for oppressed peoples while we have a history of oppressing people, even to this day.  Namely the Native Americans who we have forced off their lands, a fact that often goes overlooked. But overall Americans are very proud of their country, while sometimes slightly arrogant and ignorant of the world around them.