When the word “American” comes to mind I think of things like the American Flag and the colors red, white, and blue. Qualities that I believe are fundamental to the idea of being “American” are freedom, opportunity, and culture. They all shape the identity of today's society in America and what it means to be an American citizen.
Freedom in America means guaranteed rights. These rights can all be identified in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In the article “What Is An American” the author Akbar Ahmed states that “the citizen can also assume the protection of the military and the other security agencies from different kinds of threats.” In other words, freedom is what protects us from the harm of society, and makes America different from many other places.
For most people, being American means living a life full of opportunity. We can have control of our lives without people or society taking advantage of it. In “The Bill Of Rights,” James Madison states the first amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This means that no laws will be created to limit the rights of citizens. This allows us to express ourselves freely without limitation of any kind. In some other countries, many citizens don't have access to free education or safe environments, and laws prevent them from doing what they would like. Immigrants come to the United States seeking a better life of living and access to free education.
From the foods that we eat to the things that we watch and the fashion that we buy, all make up aspects of culture in America. Here in America, there are unique foods that you can't find all over the world such as gumbo, which has a place in my culture. Ahmed states that “movies, TV shows, and sports create heroes, a language and references for Americans.” This shows that some cultures can be exercised in America today. Sources of entertainment catch the eye of the American people. Culture is what brings us together, and brings us a source of comfort.
One thing that inspired me to write this piece was a poem that we analyzed in class, called ”The New Colossus”. This poem emphasized what the Statue of Liberty was and what it meant for immigrants, or newcomers to America. I took this poem as a starter for my essay in which I explained what it means to be American.The stage of the writing process that I enjoyed the most was the introduction because it allowed me to create a paragraph that gets the reader's attention. The stage that I found the most challenging was coming up with fascinating ideas in American culture because I could name so many to be really interesting, so I had to choose the best. I approached the revision process by reading it slowly to catch my errors. After I felt pretty confident about my essay, I asked a person to scan through just to get tips from someone other than myself. A lesson that I learned from participating in the entire writing process was that it takes time to brainstorm your ideas when you want your essay in a certain format. An advice that I have for other people working through the writing process is not to just be open to yourself, but to also allow others to pitch in tips and ideas that might make your writing better because most of the time you overlook mistakes.