Connor Carrier
Mr. Keck
English 11, Period 6
30 September 2016
What it means to be American What does it exactly mean to be an American? It’s hard to pinpoint what precisely is an American. Is it the soldier fighting for our freedom? Or is it the CEO sitting behind his desk making more money than any other average American? Or is it the stereotypical fat lazy middle aged man carrying an AR15 and riding a motorized shopping cart around Walmart while eating McDonald’s even though he is diabetic. Well an American is just a person with a diverse background and who currently lives in America. Anyone can be an American but not everyone can act like one. An American is respectful, patriotic, accepting of one another despite different religion, race or sexuality. Americans don’t step on their own flag and harass each other in the streets over idiotic political ideas that in the end just divide us. An American is not just a type of countryman, it’s a state of mind and lifestyle. Maybe an American is just a soldier fighting for freedom? John McCain and the people he was captured with are the perfect examples of what a true Americans are. While captured in Vietnam, his friend, Mike, received a red and white cloth. He sewed an american flag
…show more content…
In Anzia Yezierska’s life that was the case. She came all the way from Russia to come here in search of money and wealth. But all she found was more hard work. Yezierska worked for a “nice” Russian family for awhile but they took advantage of her and never paid her. She worked in a sweatshop from dawn till dusk and she did not enjoy that. What she did find out, however, is that being an American isn't easy at all. It was harder than she expected. No one cared Yezierska was an immigrant from Russia, that didn't give her a free pass in America. She had to find a good job that pays well to keep herself financially afloat. So therefore she could be in the pursuit of
In Edward L. Hudgins article, What is an American?, Hudgins defines an American in ways I had not thought of before. Hudgins stated all these ideas about Americans being driven to do their best and meeting challenges head-on. I would like to think that being an American means everything Hudgins stated, however I think Hudgins is giving the optimistic answer of what being an American means. What Hudgins explains as being an American is what I believe most Americans were like when the country was first founded. The idea of taking risks and working until the risks paid off is one that most Americans do not believe because the possibility of actually achieve one’s dream is extremely less likely today than it was when the country was first established.
The American is a new man who is neither a European, nor his direct descendant. He is a strange mix of blood which cannot be found in any other country. The American is described as a person whose grandfather was an Englishman, his mother was Dutch and who has married a Frenchwoman. The American is a person who has left behind all his ancient manners and prejudices, and has received new ones from the mode of life he has embraced, the rank he holds and the government he obeys. A person becomes an American after being received in the broad lap of the great Alma Mater, and he becomes melted down into the new race of men whose posterity and efforts could transform the world in the days to come.
What really is an American? Being an American is not just being born in the USA as most people would think, that is just the technicality of it. For centuries Americans have defined themselves not by their racial, religious, and ethnic identity but by their common values and belief in individual freedom. Not just being able to say “The Pledge of Allegiance” and being able to vote for the president, but being able to be free and to be proud that you live in the United States of America.
What means to be an American? About everywhere in the societies and the people in it have diverse opinions to be an American especially when they are from different country. Being an American means to have a willing to accept others from different culture, freedom to do anything, and to have opportunities in terms of relaxed atmosphere.
What does it mean to be an American? In my eyes to be an American means to have privileges, rights, and freedom. America isn't perfect, but it is one of the only countries that have rights given to people of different diversities and gender. America does not have tremendous poverty. Instead we have choices given to us by the people who fought and died for the American people. Without George Washington and the other patriots who planted the first seed in the ground and help plant the American nation we live in now who knows what America would be like now.
I believe that being an American means many different things many different people. To me being an American means to have certain freedoms that American citizens have that people around the rest of the world do not have the privilege to do or have. Like every United States citizen has unalienable rights, every single United States citizen is an American, and that the majority of people will have good living conditions.
True Definition (An Analysis of what it Means to be American) Is there truly a meaning to the word “American”? What hidden power resides deep within the word? To find the answers, we must look at the foundations that America was built upon. Simply being American continues the legacy upon which the morals that America was created by. The true definition of what it takes to be American is to continue living the legacies passed down by our founding fathers; and lead the lives of truly great men by ensuring the survival of reinvention, innovation, and leadership.
“America is another name for opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine providence on behalf of the human race.” This statement made by Ralph Waldo Emmerson signifies many peoples’ views of what it has meant to be an “American” for the past few hundred years. Still, the world continues to evolve around us, and times continue to change. With these changing times, how one defines what it means to be an American has also evolved. It is no secret that today especially, in our country, times are in turmoil and our country is divided. With this division come differences in how we view each other and ourselves as Americans and what things should look like in our country. Aside from our own views, comes the views of the outside world and their ever-changing views of America, and the citizens living in the country. These things combined work together to help answer the question, “what does it mean to be an American?”
What is an American? This question cannot be answered by one word. There are so many different characteristics, qualities, and features that can be used to describe an American. Besides features, someone is only a real American if they take advantage of all of the many privileges that are given to them. Any person that is not grateful for the privileges that are given to them to me are not real Americans but this is only my opinion. Real Americans use their privileges to benefit themselves and everyone around them. In today's society there are certain things that are expected from American citizens, for instance being a responsible citizen.
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.
Candelario Felix Felix 1 Mrs. Brown English 11 December 2,2015 What It Means To Be An American What does it mean to be an American? Most of the people in America would say Freedom if asked that question. Although that is a big chunk of what it means to be an American there are also of definitions to what it means to be an american. For example for you the meaning of being an american can be freedom but for someone else it can be that everyone is equal and treated the same. Being an American is a privilege some countries don't get the rights that we do and us as americans sometimes don't really consider that.
What is being an American? Being an American is a privilege that some people take for granted. Being an American means being loyal, free, complex, open-minded, and diverse. All five of these things help make America what it is today.
As said by J.Hector St. John de Crèvecoer in an article titled What, Then, Is the American, “this is the work of countrymen, who, when
What does it mean to be American?Well it all depends on who you ask, because everyone has their own opinions. Being an American mean has and had many definitions for many centuries. During WW1 being an American was helping server the war or help the war. In WW2 it was the exact same thing. Women in this age thought being American was having the same rights as men.
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.