Essays on American Identity

In The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton attempts to recapture the essence of Old New York, a moment in late 19th century American history when social interaction was dictated by rigid standards of propriety and style. As Wharton explores this milieu through her protagonist Newland...

How is American Identity created? Do we have to create the identity or does it just happen by itself? I think that you make it yourself, it should be earned. My great grandpa was from Mexico, but when he was old enough he immigrated to...

Americans of today’s society view their home country as a melting pot of culture, customs, and creeds. America has grown to be the most culturally diverse nation in the world but this feat did not happen rapidly. The most culturally diverse country in the world...

What is American?: Evolution of American Identity As America grows ever more diverse, the question of what it means to be an American yields an increasingly complicated answer. From the beginning of colonial period in 1600s, the question, “What is American?” has been questioned and...

In 1607, when the first colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia, the colonists were still essentially British subjects living in America. They were ruled by the king overseas and in exchange for the protection provided by Britain, respected and obeyed the rulings of the monarch....

Native American Identity as a Result of Colonialism One of the most profound results of colonialism is the creation of distinctly separate spaces physically and figuratively, that leads to the development of distinct identities rooted on each side. In Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True...

Reflection #3 The topic of discussion for this section of the class was mainly the American identity and the role of the foreigner in our nation and other nations. It is an interesting topic of discussion to think of what makes someone an American, whether...

Sylvester Stallone’s “Rocky” is universally regarded as a classic film. Winning multiple Oscars, launching the acting career of Stallone himself (perhaps not the best consequence in the long run…), and inspiring several people to run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, virtually...

As Latin Americans nations fought for their independence and tried to establish themselves as new nations, they faced the challenge of needing to develop a national identity as well as finding their place within the western hemisphere. Some Latin Americans saw the need to develop...

In American Pastoral and A View From the Bridge, Philip Roth and Arthur Miller respectively present family life as a tense realm of activity where relationship ties are easily stretched and broken. By setting their novels in Rimrock, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, the authors offer...

In America we come to find that the American dream is not so simple. The American reality is this, a place where everyone has a very hard time finding success, money, jobs, opportunities, and housing. The people of this country are in a state of...

Men of influence throughout history have endeavored to shape their own identities and public personas, to many effects. America, and its great experiment of democracy, was to foster an equal, equitable, and responsible government and society, one where the leaders were selected on their merits...

Have you ever disliked school? I believe education is an essential factor in America along with our rights and equality. Education assists us to do our daily life activities in the most reliable way we can. Our rights and equality are vital because equality apprises...

What does it mean to be an American? Does it mean patriotism? Is it the feeling of pride when your singing the national anthem? To be clear there are many things that makes a true American. They can be of any race, any color, speak...

There’s a lot that goes into being an American, one huge thing that is the root of being an American is freedom, to be an American means that you must continue to grow industrially. When our country went to war with each other, it was...

America is a country that allows me to vote when I’m 18, I’ll have a say in who I want for as the next president, or governor of my state. America is a country where I have to follow laws for everyone’s safety. America is...

‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ is a science fiction novel written by Kurt Vonnegut. The author of this novel wrote about the bombing in Dresden during the World War II. The author of this novel witnessed as American Prisoner of War and he was able to survive by hiding...

Every country has different everyday ways and cultural mores. To get to know American life, it pays to know certain mannerisms most native-born Americans share. For instance, greetings; Americans shake hands firmly with each other when first introduced, and when they meet again. Social kissing;...