Great Aspects Of America Freedom example essay topic

When I think of America, I think of freedom. We live in a country where we can do what we choose. We can express our opinions and live our own lives. Individuals can form their own individual beliefs and they can do what they want and pursue what they wish. They can play basketball, go to school, get a job, have a family, buy a house, or go to church.

We are free. We have opportunity to be whatever we want to make ourselves. When you ask, what is an American? I find it no different to ask, what is freedom? America and freedom are intertwined and this relationship is evident in American literature.

The notion of freedom and everything relating to freedom unites all of the American literature we have read. In Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Huck leaves the cuffs of society so he can live in his own freedom. He doesn't let society dictate his life and opinions. Huck himself determines what is right or wrong, and does what he believes is right; that is freedom.

This is just like the Pilgrim's in Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, who came to American solely to be free and find new opportunities. In Cooper's Deer slayer, we see the devotion the Native Americans had toward the land on which they lived, American land. They valued their land, just like we do today. We are proud of where we live and what we stand for. Natty, a character in the story, had to kill one of the Indians in self-defense and felt a sense of brotherhood and sorrow when he watched him die.

Freedom and equality are prevalent in America. When you die it doesn't matter if you " re white or Indian or black. Everyone is human and everyone is equal and bonded by America. In Self Reliance, Emerson explains that our freedom to choose and our ability to think what we want to think define what America is. I believe it is characteristic of Americans to strive for what they think is right. In Poe's the House of Usher, Usher decided to bury his sister alive.

I think this story can relate to us today. Many people would say that America is known for persevering through rough times. I'd say the last few years have been a rough time for America, from 9/11 to now -- the war in Iraq. Sometimes situations may seem unbeatable, like being trapped in a coffin, but if you fight hard enough, like we are against the terrorists and in Iraq, you can overcome anything. American's can overcome anything.

Usher's sister was buried alive and finally broke from the coffin after a week of struggle. Also, many of the authors we have studied describe nature in riveting detail. To them and to me, our beautiful nature represents something more then just what you see with your eye-it represents America's freedom. In Emerson's Nature, Thorpe's The Big Bear of Arkansas, Twain's Huckleberry Finn, Bryant's Thanatopsis, and Edwards's had ows of Divine Things, we see an apparent love and lust of nature by the authors.

The great aspects of nature represent the great aspects of America-freedom. The mountains and trees scatter in nature in pure harmony just like the American people live freely in America. The authors had a fascination for the unknown and describe nature in almost foolish detail. This parallels with are fascination as Americans with everything, like ourselves, life, science, and God. Why do we ask, who are we?

Why do we ask, what is an American? Why am I writing this paper? Why do we ask, who is God? What is the meaning of life? The answer is that we are fascinated and curious.

Curiosity is in our American blood and this fascination derives from the authors of American literature who were fascinated with nature. In Byrd's Secret Diary, he expresses the rapid change in the American sentiment and culture a few generations after the original settlers. The original settlers, like the pilgrims, came for freedom, especially religious freedom. Americans can be defined as being open to changes and opportunity, which is related to the overall concept of freedom.

Byrd explains how the original culture of the New World changes over generations, and this relates to the fact that the World is always changing, especially America. In American literature, for instance, we have grown from the Puritan Age all the way to the Post-modernization age, with a series of drastic changes in between. Change is always happening in America, and Byrd explains this concept of change. In Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, we see the trait of American's to strive for what they desire. The character in the story, Crane, desired to win the affection of the woman that he loved. In Bryant's poem Thanatopsis, we see that Nature unites all of us together.

For Americans, it is America that unites us all together-the nature of America. In Bryant's other poem, To A Waterfowl, I thought it meant that there is a higher power watching over us, God, who helps us through life. In our pledge of allegiance we state that, American's are free, as one nation, under God. God is a central concept in America as explained in Byrd's poem. At the end of that pledge of allegiance, we state "for liberty and justice for all". That would be no different then saying " for freedom and justice for all".

Americans are united together in one nation, but are free individuals, and this notion of freedom is a constant theme in American literature..