On Being Greek, Jewish, and American

The student who wrote this wished to remain anonymous.

Section 1:  Identifying Myself

Starting off with the basics, I am a 19 year old female college student. As a typical college student, I have been involved with many clubs and organizations on campus including Sigma Kappa Sorority, club soccer, Orchesis Dance Company, and Student Association. On the weekends, I like to do what many college students do when the stress of the week is over and the freedom of the weekend comes over us, celebrate with some festive activities! I have a major in International Relations with a concentration in Peace and Conflict, and a double minor in Spanish and Political Science. I used to have a second major in exercise science, but by the words "used to" it's pretty clear how that worked out. I'm a sophomore, a Sigma Kappa 'til I die, a dance enthusiast, a gym rat and sports fanatic, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a friend, quite possibly an unknown enemy, a Dean's List student, and most importantly the only one like me in the world.

I know I'm a sophomore in college with majors and minors declared, but as you can see with the exercise science major speed bump in the road, I still have no idea what I want to do in this world. With so much pressure from academic advisors and my parents to find what I want to spend the rest of my life doing, I can't help feeling that at the ripe old age of 19, it's okay not to have every answer. I do know, however, that I was put onto Earth for a reason and it is my goal to spend the rest of my life figuring out just what exactly that is. However, I do have some pretty interesting goals in my life. With the obvious first, change the world for the better in any way I can. With my International Relations major, I am hoping to go into diplomacy. Foreign affairs and international relations has always vastly interested me so I think it's pretty cool that I get to study it!

I am Greek. Yes, I am a member of the Greek system; however, I actually am really Greek. My grandparents were born in Chios, Greece, and I am a second generation American. Some people don't even know what their heritage is, let alone celebrate it, but being Greek is actually a pretty big part of my life. I have been to Greece, and my whole family is a pretty typical loud, big, lots-of-food, Greek family. We all speak some of the language and cherish the traditions we have.

I am a Jew. I went to a private Jewish school from nursery all the way to 11th grade, when I transferred to the public high school for various reasons.  I have been to Israel multiple times, and see it as a home. My mother's sister lives there with her husband and four children and multiple grandchildren. The majority of my friends from my private school studied in Israel for 1-2 years post high school, pre-college, as my sister did. I have an immense faith in my Judaism and it is without a doubt one of the most crucial aspects of my identity. I have been a victim of anti-Semitism, disregarding the common "Jew jokes" that seem to always find a way into most of my conversations with others. Being a Jew, in the eyes of some I somehow am personally responsible for the entire Middle East conflict that has begun way before I was even born, an incredibly cheap person, and shockingly have a normal sized nose. Despite all of the digs and minority stabs, I am a proud Jew.

I am an American. Born in the formerly known Harris Hospital, now named Catskill Regional Medical Center, I am a citizen of the United States. I hail from a small farm town in the Catskill Mountains, Bethel, NY, home of the 1969 Woodstock music festival. I'm an incredibly proud American knowing that just from being born on this soil, I have the rights set forth by the founding fathers of this democratic country. I have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and of course the only two things promised in life: death and taxes.

Section 2:  A Significant Experience--9/11
   
On September 11th, 2001, there was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Two planes were hijacked and flown directly into the Twin Towers. Many Americans simply hear the term "9/11" and know exactly to what it refers. To everyone, though, it brings them back to a different place. To some it may bring back the memory of a lost loved one taken away from them by the attack, or it may bring them back to being a little kid at the time and not knowing exactly what had happened or what it meant.

For me, it takes me back to being in the third grade and being called out by the principal, walking to the principal's office and seeing my older brother already there sitting next to two other boys who were brothers. I was confused as to why I was called into the office with this group and realized it was because both of our fathers worked in NYC, either on the same block as or in the World Trade Center. Thankfully, mine was the one who works on the same block. We were told our mothers were on their way to pick us up and that there was an attack in the area where our fathers were. Being in third grade, and the youngest of the students in the office, I had no idea what was going on. When my mom picked up my brother and I, she explained that she had not been able to reach our father yet. Not knowing what had happened to him for hours, finally he was able to contact my mother to tell her that he was okay. He was outside the doors of the World Trade Centers and physically watched the first plane crash into one of the towers. Hours later he was able to take a train into a town outside of NYC where we met him and brought him home safely.
   
This experience was extremely eye-opening to me. What triggered this experience into my connecting it to American identity was when we went to get my father, seeing all of the citizens, victims, firemen and others meeting here at this train station, the only way in and out to the site of the attack. The police officers and firemen who were going into the city risking their own lives to try to save someone else’s. I think that made it very clear that in this nation we are strong and when a national emergency like this happens, the citizens of this country really unite and come together to survive and make it through. We can even turn the site of this national attack into a monument, a place where people can come to grieve, realize, or even just understand what happened there and what it meant. People now make Ground Zero a must-see stop if they visit NYC, and I think it's great that we acknowledged it and can turn it into a place of memory, yes of something tragic, but still never forgotten.

Section 3: My Beliefs/Values/Principles & How We Should Define and Understand American Identities--Who Are We and Who Should We Be?
   
I am an American and believe in many of the values that were set forth by the founding fathers who developed and made this country into the great nation it is. The values that all men are created equal, all men have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Not being discriminated or judged upon the color of your skin, the origin of your parents or grandparents, or your faith. Coming together as one people, one nation. And coming together as one being important as to how preserving individual freedom requires collective action. Our pledge to a declaration written when this country had just become a nation, and our preservation and interpretation of this declaration from the day it was written to today. The preservation of human dignity and justice. All of these things are the beliefs, the values, and the principles that were instilled in me and taught to me as an American, and are the same beliefs, values, and principles I hold dear to me as a human being as well.
   
Unfortunately, all of these things are not necessarily always the case. There are hate crimes in this world and discrimination from people that believe that because you are different from them, you are below them. There is injustice and hardships for many decent people who may not deserve all of the obstacles life has given them. But as Americans, what we should have is an equal opportunity to each and everyone one of us. That for each American, all of the beliefs, values, and principles we are governed by and taught and are our rights to have, should pertain to all of us.  Although this country has overcome many unjust things such as the days of African American slaves and the organizations of hate such as the Ku Klux Klan, there is still much adversity we face. In a perfect world, we would have all love and no hate, and equal opportunity for all, but unfortunately that would be a perfect world, and one that we do not by any means live in.

In class, we watched the video of Blanco reciting the inauguration poem “One Today,” and I believe that the text of this video is what our founding fathers of this country wanted and envisioned when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. We are recited a poem at every presidential inauguration as a reminder of what this nation stands for, as a reminder of what this country believes, and as a reminder of what this nation is capable of.  A nation where there is complete and true freedom of religion and speech. A nation where somebody whose home life and upbringing can be significantly different from another’s, yet they still have the exact same opportunities. Where someone who grew up poor and in a violent neighborhood can turn his/her life around and get an education and succeed. This nation is great and has potential to become even greater, and I am very proud to say I am a citizen of it.

This class has opened my eyes to so many American Identities that I have never taken the time to think about or analyze before. There are so many aspects to identity and so many big and little things that shape someone into exactly who they are. Reading and analyzing books about different aspects and engaging in debates and discussions showed me that they pertain to all. Even just our class is an example, we all came to class the first day not knowing everyone and were shy to speak up and make our point but as the months went by, we all got much more comfortable with each other and were able to respectfully debate and even joke around with each other. I think that bringing young adults together like that with completely different backgrounds and opinions and throwing them into a complete discussion-based class is incredible. We all learned so much about each other, and I have learned so much more about American Identities than I had ever known and my eyes were opened to a much better understanding and appreciation of it.

American Identities Web Projects, 2012

I'm going to start posting Identification Projects from my last two semesters of American Identities a little later this week, but here's the work of my students who chose the web authoring option for their Final Projects in spring and fall 2012!

• The 9/11 Conspiracy Theory http://brut9685fredoniact.blogspot.com/
• A Look at Documentaries http://kristaguy.weebly.com/
• American Dream, Changed http://americandreamchanged.tumblr.com/
• American Identity Amongst Friends http://amidentshelty.tumblr.com
• American Identity of Sport http://americanidentityofsport.blogspot.com/ and http://americanidentityofsport.tumblr.com/
• Immigration from Mexico http://www.ostr4363.blog.com/
• Multiethnic Americans http://multiethnic.tumblr.com/
• The Paranoid American Identity http://theparanoidamericanidentity.com/
• The Plight of Men Raised by Women http://engl296finalproject.wordpress.com/
• Positive Identities http://positiveidentities.blogspot.com/
• Video Games and American Culture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iWcTBxcR28&feature=youtu.be 
• Working on My Fatness http://workingonfatness.wordpress.com/ 

Sushi, Hair Metal, and My American Identity

Sushi, Hair Metal, and My American Identity

Anonymous

I.  How I Identify Myself

            No one is ever raised the exact same way as their friends, cousins, co-workers, classmates, etc., and I’ve always tried remembering that when certain things about others seem weird to me or don’t make sense.  Even in the apartment I live in now during school, the two other girls I live with have been raised very differently and have very different family backgrounds than me.  I sometimes forget now, since I’m not living with or close with some of my family, that there is more to me than being just an “American.”  There’s more to all of us than just being “American” and America really is a big melting pot of different cultures, beliefs, and traditions.

            I grew up in a Japanese household with my grandmother, brother, and father.  My grandmother and father are from Okinawa, Japan, and came here in the late 1950s or early 1960s.  She was the main person who took care of me because of my father’s work schedule and a lot of her traditions and customs, which she raised my father on, were also taught to my brother and I.  We were only allowed to speak Japanese at home and if we asked for something in English or said something in English, she wouldn’t acknowledge it because it was important to her for us to learn the language.  She also made a lot of Japanese food, which I still like to this day.  A lot of the cartoons, toys, etc., that I liked and remember playing with, too, were also originally Japanese and I think that’s because, besides her raising us that way, it’s what I knew and what interested me at the time.  I even met my family from Japan and really enjoyed meeting them and learning from them.

            When I started getting older, I started being interested in my own things, like most teenagers, and was allowed to hang out with friends more.  My grandmother moved into assisted living eventually and I stopped really paying attention to a lot of her and my father’s stories, somewhat ignoring that part of me more because I didn’t really care at the time.  I even lost the language once she moved out because I was barely using it.  Once I moved out of that house and into my mother’s house, I wasn’t surrounded by those things at all and pretty much let go of all of what I grew up on altogether.

            Now, being 20 years old and a senior in college, I’ve realized what is important to me and that a lot of my personality traits, what I like to do, and what I know have come from my childhood.  I’m really disappointed I can’t speak the language anymore and have wanted to begin learning again because it is important for me to hold onto some of those things for the future, to carry down when I have a family of my own.  My grandmother has even began losing the language because she doesn’t get to use it a lot, except on the phone with relatives, and it really upsets her because even though, at this point, she’s accepted the American culture, she still wants to hold onto part of where she came from.  I still know how to make sushi and cook some of the food, which I am proud of knowing, but that’s the only thing I can truly say I’ve still totally held onto and know.

            Besides where my grandmother and father came from, there’s a lot about me that makes me “me.”  My father rode a Harley and listened to Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Poison, Kiss, etc., and those things have definitely been passed down on me.  Motley Crue is still one of my favorite bands, and I have to see them live at least a couple times a year, and that’s probably one of the first things people that know me would think of when saying what I’m interested in.

            At first, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my journalism major because I know I could never come right out of college being a clean-cut news anchor or something along those lines, but this far into it, I’ve found that it actually fits me very well.  My biggest interests to write about and explore are music, body art, and motocross and it’s possible to be a successful, professional, journalist in those areas while still being myself.  I’ve never cared about going into a field where I’m guaranteed to make a lot of money in the future, like some other students I’ve met.  It’s more important to me to hold onto who I am and enjoy the rest of my life than hate going to work everyday, as long as I make enough to get by and provide for my own family in the future.

II.  A Significant Experience With American Identities

            My father fought in the Vietnam War and has told me small stories of his time there, but for the most part doesn’t really want to explain them to me or explain how scary it really was being there.  As a little girl, I never knew exactly what the war was or how bad of a war it really was, but once I got older and started learning about it in school, I started realizing a lot more of what my father went through and why it affected him so much to this day.

            I can’t imagine what he saw with his own eyes and it took me up until recently to start fully understanding his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and how to not be bothered by it.  It used to embarrass me sometimes how awkwardly social he was and how a lot of the time, he keeps to himself and doesn’t know how to act in certain situations, but I’ve really learned, especially this past summer, how to not let other people’s reactions to the “weird” things he does affect me.

            This story about America, to me, is the one I feel has most affected me because a part of it is still with my father to this day, and throughout my life, I’ve had to experience and live with that part he carries with him.  I don’t think many people truly understand the effects war has on people until they see it first hand and while we learn about the different wars throughout our school years, and while we live through one now, it’s hard for me to imagine all of the people going through similar things my father, as well as my grandfather in WWII, went through and are going through.  The number of soldiers written out in textbooks is more than just a number and many people forget to think of it as an actual group of people like us.

            All the students my age and older can probably recall where they were when the World Trade Centers were hit and right now we’re all living through something, some more than others, that will be a few chapters in a high school history textbook in the future.  I was getting ready for school when I walked in my living room and saw my father watching it on TV.  I had no idea what was actually going on because I was only ten at the time, but I started gradually understanding what was going on as people explained it to me.  I didn’t think or understand at the time, though, that the after-effects would still be going on now.

            Now, at this point, I’ve met many people my age back home in Buffalo that have been in the war, as well as students and friends in Fredonia.  My roommate’s boyfriend was in Iraq for 8 months and came to Fredonia for school afterwards.  It’s strange to think of how much he went through there and now he’s here just doing everyday things with us, once again, but still carries that with him.  Many people I went to high school with have also gone over there and it’s changed my perspective a lot on my dad’s experience because I’m living through seeing them leave, not just hearing about it after it’s all over, and what they’re going through is somewhat similar to what my dad had to do.

III.  My Beliefs/Principles On How We Ought To Define And Understand American Identities

            America is full of many different people and I’ve met people from many different places and backgrounds, as I’m sure many others have also.  Coming to Fredonia, some of my best friends here are from Africa and Jamaica.  They still fit right in being here and I don’t see them as being any more different than anyone else, they’re just used to some different things than us.  The “melting-pot” idea of our country is very true.  We’re all a mixture of different ethnicities, religions, etc., mixing together and living together.

            I feel like there’s a place in America for people of every color, race, religion, belief, sexual orientation, etc., and think the first thing any American should be is accepting or open-minded.  We all know that this isn’t really a trait everyone in our country possesses, but to me, it’s what every American should aim for.  I couldn’t imagine living in places like Jamaica, where my friend is from, where being a gay male is wrong and having a relationship with another man is against the law.  Cops there even turn the other way when it comes to hate crimes against homosexuals, while here there are parades all over the country here and gay marriage is being legalized in many states, giving some of my friends the right to be who they are and have that equal opportunity.

            I also feel like living here gives us the opportunity to make a lot out of ourselves.  We can pretty much dream of doing anything with our lives and there’s a way to achieve it.  There are so many different majors to choose from when going into tech school or college and we have the ability to change our minds at any time as long as we can finance it in some way.  Everything in our country doesn’t always run smoothly and isn’t always the fairest, and many people don’t always agree with the governments policies or ways and some abuse government assistance, but we have a lot a more opportunities and rights than other places.

            In Margaret Regan’s The Death of Josseline, the Mexican immigrants see America as an opportunity to make more money than they can back home so they can support their families, and it’s true that we are able to make more money than them, but being an American citizen, we have to pay taxes/pay our dues for being a citizen.  Living here and making a life for ourselves here is expensive, so it’s not like everything here is just given to all of us and our country has its problems.  While we are lucky to live in this country, the stereotypes others have about the “American dream” and us aren’t true altogether to that degree.

IV.  What Makes My American Identity

            After taking this American Identities class, it’s led me to really think about what all of those factors say about my American identity.  They all seem to just work together and fit into being “American.”  Growing up listening to hair metal and music along those lines and also facing a Japanese upbringing has made me the person I am today.

            I believe the Japanese upbringing has made me more of the person I am today than I ever realized before this class.  Like I mentioned in section I, I went through a rebelling stage of my upbringing, but I still hold onto some of it today and part of my personality comes from it.  Even when I was trying to let it go and be my teenage self, I never realized that my self included some of the Japanese traits that my grandmother passed down to me and I can’t erase something that makes me.

            I related to Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother because of her daughter’s struggles with her unusual, strict parenting.  In the memoir, Chua doesn’t see that her way of parenting is too strict, which in my opinion it is, and I think my grandmother was a lot like her, just not as extreme.  I couldn’t hang out with friends a lot because she felt like homework was more important and I always had the pressure on me to not disappoint them.  I played the flute and only practiced because it pleased her and my father.  I felt like an outcast in school because I didn’t wear the cool clothes or do the cool things my other classmates did because she didn’t feel like that was important.  I also studied a lot in school and did very well, and to add onto my embarrassment at the time, I was the biggest teacher’s pet.  I eventually applied for City Honors School (CHS), which is one of the best schools in the Buffalo area, and began going there in 7^th grade.  They were so happy for me to go to that school because it kept me out of the rest of the Buffalo Public Schools that weren’t good.

            Once I got into CHS, that’s when I began to rebel against my grandmother and father and met friends that were in similar situations.  As much as I tried to ignore my home life, I look back at it now and realize how I really never did.  The music I was listening to still related to the heavy-metal, hard-rock past my father passed onto me.  The rebelling stage fit into exactly that image, as well.  I may have worn more black, gotten more piercings, and acted less reserved than I used to, but it was nothing new.  It’s the same sort of rebelling we see in many American movies and hear countless teenage stories about.  I was still doing well in school, but didn’t care much and skipped a lot of classes.  I think that might have been the biggest way I know how of firing back at my father and being an angry teenager.

            I’ve gone through some other stages since then, but that was my most relevant one because it was at such a crucial time in life transitioning from middle school up to high school.  Now in college, I’ve realized how reserved, or shy, I am compared to a lot of people, including my roommate, and this may be because my grandmother was always raised to be this way as well.  I’m very soft spoken, unlike my roommate, who is Italian and is loud and vocal with everything she’s thinking or feels.

            As far as the metal music goes, I can pretty much say that it is something I will never get over and in a way, I feel like some of it makes America.  When I think of the perfect American spokesperson, I think of Bret Michaels running around on stage wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, blue jeans, and a ripped up t-shirt and singing to the troops, then riding his Harley around.  My father’s love for Ozzy Osbourne could have been his rebelling stage that he went through against my grandmother’s upbringing, so I think we have that in common.  He held onto that and somewhat Americanized himself, while growing up and realizing that he couldn’t let go of the Japanese part of himself either.  My children will probably grow up getting rocked to sleep by me with Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Poison, and Kiss on in the background and maybe they’ll hang onto it the way I do.

            Thinking back to friends’ stories about growing up and their identity, as well as other classmates’, I don’t think there is one certain trait that everybody in America possesses that makes us who we are as a country.  What we all do have in common is that our ancestors and/or ourselves have all come from different places and have faced different cultural issues.  America is just a big melting pot of every culture, religion, race, and issue.

V.  American Stereotypes

            My boyfriend is from Nigeria and he considers himself very American.  He’s interested in arts and music, which disappoints his parents because they came to America to make a better life for themselves and their children and they feel like he’s setting himself up for failure.  His family back in Nigeria doesn’t have all that they do here and they feel like he doesn’t take advantage of that or appreciate it.  He always mentions to me how proud they are of his sister for going through medical school and becoming a doctor.  I’ve noticed many doctors I meet are from other countries and maybe part of the lazy stereotype of Americans is because we all don’t take advantage of education the way they do, or we don’t have the same goals that they do.  As I mentioned earlier, money isn’t a huge deal to me and I’m happy pursuing a job in writing.  I’ve never wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer.  My parents are a little worried about my future because journalism is a tough field to find a job in, but compared to his parents, it’s nothing and they’re still supportive.  His parents are constantly on him about finding a good job or going back to school for something other than marketing and music business, but that’s all he wants to do and feels like he disappoints them sometimes.

            When it comes to religion, I’m far from religious and am technically Jewish, but I’ve never followed it.  My boyfriend’s family is very Christian and they think it’s a shame that our country is more lenient on religion.  We’re free to believe whatever we want and in my opinion that’s the way it should be, but I can see where they’re coming from because religion has caused many issues between different regions in Africa and their culture is based on religion.  America is more accepting of different people’s beliefs, including theirs so, I feel like we’re fortunate in the way that we can all live side by side with far less conflict.  No country is perfect when it comes to different forms of hate, but at least here it’s not extreme.

            Some of the American stereotypes we talked about in class may apply to myself and/or others, but I’m not sure if they’re only American traits.  I’m going to London next semester to study abroad and I’m excited to be exposed to life there and want to see the way people act in their everyday lives compared to Americans.  I’m wondering if I’m just ignorant to some American stereotypes being true because I haven’t been exposed enough to other cultures, or if they really are just false stereotypes that could apply elsewhere.  I’ve taken vacations to other places and have met people from other countries that live in America, but I don’t think that has opened my eyes as much as that experience will.

Works Cited 

Chua, Amy.  Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.  New York:  The Penguin Press, 2011.

Regan, Margaret.  The Death of Josseline.  Boston:  Beacon Press Books, 2010.

Breaking the Curse

Breaking the Curse

Daniela Rodriguez

As I came out from beneath the protective shadows that shielded me for so long, I stood alone in the light, naked as I did from my mother’s womb. At that moment came my departure from the childhood I merely remembered, the mystery behind whom I was and the emergence on whom I was to become. It was then that I understood where I was going and where I truly identified myself. I was a young Latin American woman going after an education. However, it wasn’t my ethnicity that was important but the person I created from every circumstance and label. It was something I didn’t stress and what it meant to me, I would soon uncover.

As a Latina in my hometown, people always put me in the category of the stereotypical Hispanic household: plays soccer and handball, there are 20 people living in the house, every day they eat eggs, beans, rice and tortillas, they’re loud and short tempered and, lastly, they have a stay-at-home mom who does everything for them. Of all those stereotypes we only lived up to three. My mom was a house mom, we did eat tortillas often, well at least my father did, and my father loved soccer. However, these weren’t determining factors to who we wanted to be and where we wanted to go. My parents worked hard for my sister and I to get us out of that category, still maintaining the culture. In a way, we began to Americanize ourselves, adjusting to the lifestyle we wanted, all at the same time creating our own dream and identity. But I always knew the importance of my background and how I would keep it alive without allowing it to consume my identity, while having the confidence that it would never fade through my actions.

To me, being an American meant that you had privileges amongst the nation, simply by being physically born in the United States of America. Some people had to earn that right of being called a citizen with a test that was far from easy. It didn't seem fair to just be deemed a citizen without proving it. This influenced me to look deeper into what it meant to be identified as an American. The interest and importance was there, but it wasn’t something that I was going to praise. Often times when I fill out applications, if not all, they ask if you are Hispanic. It's separated from all the other categories as if it's in its own section. Why? Because of the one epidemic most Hispanics suffer with: immigration. It was an epidemic from which the majority of my entire family came from, which brought me to the land of opportunity.

Being a Latin American to me means more than just speaking Spanish and having ancestors of Hispanic descent. It is a culture that I will always appreciate and it’s a part of me that I can never and don't ever want to change. It is where my outlook in life came from, the roots that grew deeper and deeper into my being. But I didn’t allow that to stop me from becoming versatile and diverse, because I knew I would have to do so eventually in order to get where I wanted. Plus, I liked it better that way. Life felt and looked so much better in that perspective. I always disliked the idea of labeling things and categorizing people into a “race” or “stereotype,” even though it’s inevitable and often true. But my “race” didn’t determine who I was, rather where I came from and only that. I wanted to break the curse that being a Latina brought upon me. That is the question this brings: what was this terrible curse that I couldn’t live with? It was being forced to live in the never-ending cycle of an isolated culture. It was living up to the expectation of getting pregnant at a young age and becoming a housewife. It was allowing my cultural background and ethnicity to grow so strong and scream so loud into my mind, forcing me to believe there was no other way but that way. It was allowing me to be so cultured that I wouldn’t want to accept anything else. Nonetheless I was the complete opposite who was determined to break that curse and rebel into my own beliefs.

My parents came to this country looking for something better, and luckily they found it. With more than two decades here now, they have been successful in fulfilling what is the “American Dream” as far as they can. Seeing where they came from, poverty and empty dreams, it feels good to know that from nothing came something great. It is what continues to add to the identity I have decided to create for myself. It is not just as an American but a Latin American that I will always name myself. However, I do not define myself solely by that.

The personal experiences that I have encountered are plenty; however there are two that stand out like sore thumbs: traveling to Italy and Prague for a week 's period of time. When I traveled to Italy for a choral competition I experienced living in a completely different environment which had a range of diversity and a predominant liberal spirit amongst the whole country. The televisions did not censor nudity nor did they take shame in it. Prague on the other hand, was more hostile. It felt like the environment wasn't at all accepting of Americans and their identity. Just by walking the streets and being tourists, citizens acted as if we were some sort of commodity they had never seen before. There was even a bit of racism when we became customers. At a grocery store the cashiers didn't bag our groceries and left them there as if we were animals. That just showed the big contrast between America and other countries. The American identity is so strong that a lot of other countries, cultures and individuals do not appreciate nor respect it one bit. Either they pursue it or they hate it. Even though these nations are more mature or open about certain things, they still have a closed mentality and attitude towards America. America can be immature in some aspects of explicitly open things or nudity, but there is openness to ethnicity and race, which is where we get the whole “Melting Pot” concept. There is an opportunity to open up the mind to the broad choices that can be endless in this nation.

But of course in this kind of environment there is no such thing as perfection. Even with the freedom that is given in America, especially when compared to other nations, it isn’t always freedom. There can be controversies and other matters within the government that make it just that much easier to dislike, especially in other countries and regions. The United States of America is known stereotypically for interfering in problems that pertain in no way to them, which causes the conflict of interest to grow deeper. For example, cases such as the wars we have had to deal with often times have nothing to do with us; simply our interest to help is what brought it upon us. It is a great trait to want to help; however, it can also lead to tragedy and baggage often times difficult to handle. A perfect example of that is the war in Afghanistan that led to the tragedy America has experience to change us forever: September 11^th, 2001.

In the times of tragedy for America, it was that one day that changed the way things would function, both positively and negatively. Homeland security became the main priority in what Americans wanted to strengthen. A young, naïve and open nation was transformed into an informed and cautious nation all at the crashing of a plane, destroying the lives of many innocents. Negatively, America took no mercy upon any citizens who had a threat of terrorism in any way about them, which sort of brought into question the Constitution and Bill of Rights and how they were being violated. At the same time, since it was a matter of national security, it would be deemed acceptable. But if everything we stand for is suddenly contradicted, where does America stand liable?

Those questions rarely have an answer; however, one thing that can be said is the idea of America being one of the greatest places to be is one that is hard to deny. Regardless of the issues we have faced, the positives that America can offer outweigh all the other circumstances. It is no wonder so many people want to come here and find a life and a way better than what they originally had. It is a place of opportunity, and thankfully through the negativity, there is still the acceptance of those coming to join the citizenship so many of us Americans benefit from greatly.

But how can I apply this to myself? Am I still just a Latin American finding a way? Or have I found it yet? I can say that I have found a way here and I can be proud to say I am an American. Not only am I a Latina, but I am an American because I have found myself and allowed all of the cultures encountered to become my own person. I cannot say I live up to the stereotype of either an American or a Latin American as people expect; rather, I make my own type of person. The person I am proud to be, who doesn’t identify themselves through race, nor color, nor language, region or advancement. I identify myself through my experiences and what I have learned from them. That is where I can say that I truly know who I am. The only way to describe myself in race is Latin America, but the way I identify myself is through my experiences. I have broken the curse of generational curses both Latin American and American.

Identity is so important to people simply because it is the only way to truly say one is an individual. These experiences have taught me to understand the difference between culture and choice. America gives us the choice to be who we want:  no matter what race or background, we can become who we want. It is in our right to do so, our birth-given rights. Being forced into a category of some kind just sounds so ridiculous and even outrageous. Although in the end it is up to the individual to allow that to happen or to change it.

America Isn't What You Think It Is

America Isn't What You Think It Is

Anonymous

                                                                                                                        My personal traits:

            Competitive, emotional, enthusiastic, hardworking, a go-getter, loyal, trustworthy, and funny would be several words to sum up the type of person I am. Time and time again I am in situations where my character is tested and these aspects seem to shine through.

            Loyalty and being trustworthy is a big thing to me and and I think if you know someone who is both loyal and trustworthy you should feel lucky. Being trustworthy is when you know you can trust someone or be trusted with everything and anything. Over the years I’ve made very strong relationships with many people. When my close friends need someone to turn to, they always know they have me. Even if they’re not my close friend they still sometimes seek me out. I am the type of person that even if I don’t know you very well I will still listen wholeheartedly and try to grasp what is going on and find an understanding of the situation and do my best to help the person or people solve whatever is going on. If you are someone that can be trusted with anything then the odds are that you are a very loyal person. Loyalty is not just doing the right thing in the right scenery or time. Loyalty is always being true to not only yourself but to the people you care about the most, doing whatever you need to do for yourself or for others that they deserve. When someone tells you that you are a loyal person it is a huge compliment. It is saying that they completely trust you and have faith in you that you will always be on their side of any scenario. Being loyal means staying true to your roots and sticking up for who or what you believe in.

            Hardworking and a go-getter go hand in hand. Having those descriptive words compared to myself, are two extreme qualities. To me, nothing is ever out of reach. I view everything as a challenge--but not an unreachable or an impossible one. When something needs to get done or be accomplished I never stop working at it until it is finished. In high school I was the vice president of my class and never stopped working to make our class the absolute best. At home, I live on a farm. Which means up at three am to work and working till six pm at night. Everyone always says that they’ve never seen a kid work harder than me at such a young age. I used to complain about how much I had to work when all of my other friends were out having fun. Looking back on it, though, I am glad I had the opportunity to get some experience, money, and a big responsibility to set me up for the “real world.”

Who I am:

            Enthusiastic and competitive are two words that anyone would use to describe me. Soccer has always been a huge party of my life, and I have never taken anything more serious in the world. I have played since I was four years old and have pushed myself to the extreme to be at the level of competitiveness I am at today.  I have never backed down from a challenge, whether it be an opposing team, a struggle with a teammate, a problem with a coach, or a time when I was unable to accomplish a drill the right way. I practiced day in and day out until I was the one helping others how to improve and overcome obstacles and challenges. I always not only tried to be better than the person next to me, but knew I had to be. Whether it be on the field or in a classroom setting, I always strive to be the absolute best I can be and to try to manage to outshine the others in the room. I believe that if you are not better than the person next to you, you will always get picked last. It is really like kickball on the playground at school. If you are not good at something, you won’t get picked. So when I look at any activity it is: you either slack off and do not get a fair chance to prove yourself because you already wasted it, or you work extremely hard and do whatever you need to do to prove yourself to everyone else in the room how deserving you are to per se get picked first.

            Being funny is a category of its own. It’s weird to say that I think I’m funny and that other people do, too. Everyone has their own sense of humor, and some things are funny to people that aren’t to others. But when you look at the big picture, being able to laugh at any time is one of the most important qualities in life. No one needs to be serious all of the time. In fact, it’s kind of unhealthy to never laugh. Even on your worst days everyone should have the ability to throw a smile or a laugh. I am the type of person who finds the simplest things amusing and can laugh at anything- at anytime. Although some people could argue that that is just annoying, many people say it's my best quality that I always have a smile on my face.

            All of these adjectives that sum up the type of person I am are very crucial to me.  Which means that people from all over the world have qualities of themselves that they too admire and are proud of themselves for. These words make up the individual that I am, and that I hope someone else one day aspires to be like. I have developed into this well rounded person that I am not only from lessons learned, but from my surroundings. Living where I have lived, growing up you get accustomed to the way of life and you realize that you are living the life so many others just want a little taste of. In a book called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua, I learned that some children in other countries and cultures are brought up much differently and do not get all of the luxuries I have received. The pressure sometimes is more intense in other parts of the world and in other cultures than mine.

Being a role model:

            Sometimes people go through rough childhoods and are thrown into the world with a big lack of experience or helpful hints and information. The book that Barack Obama wrote, Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, describes the hardships he had to go through and in the end it seems as if it made him a stronger person and someone to look up to. It really shows that even if you have a rough time in your life that you can get through it and things will eventually be okay again.

            With these adjectives that describe the type of person I am, along comes knowledge. Knowing that the person I just described is not only myself, but an ideal human being, an American, is a great thing. In America it is crucial to be the best person you can be. Not only does our country want individuals to be role models. It wants our country to be looked up to and defined as a big deal. America is all the adjectives I used to describe myself and then some. We are a very trustworthy nation and keep our relationships and trusts with people. We are extremely hard-working and do not just do the bare minimum to get by. We go above and beyond and set an example. America is competitive, but in a good way. We just want the best for our people and do what we need to do with in reason to see that that happens.

Judging America:

            Everyone in America seems to think that we are selfish, stuck up, money hungry, lazy, etc. There are so many reasons and examples that those people have that can back up their claim. Americans always have, or at least seem to have, a better life than everyone else. Since it is a kind of obvious and well known fact, it makes us appear stuck-up and selfish. People call us money-hungry because everyone always thinks they deserve more money than they get at their job. But no one ever wants to pay taxes or donate to charity. No matter the tax rate, whether it be ridiculous or not, no one is ever satisfied and happy to be paying it and giving their money away that they worked hard for. Truth is, we as Americans are always looking for a way to cheap out; it’s in our nature because we were raised to fight for our rights and our belongings. But realistically we would not progress in the future without taxes and putting money back into the government to stimulate the economy. However, no one looks at anything that we as Americans do on a deeper level. Everyone is just so quick to judge others and point out the obvious flaws and the things that did not work out well and label them as amateur mistakes. No one realizes that when you “point a finger” at someone, it means that technically three more of your fingers are pointing back at you. Judging other people, choices, or countries does not make your country better, in fact it makes your country or personal character look worse for insulting them or what they have done.

            America can be judged by anyone from the outside world in any way, shape, or form but when you are an American your thoughts on things are altered and different than others see us as. There are many different stories and examples one could use to try and sway someone's opinion and prove to them that America is not just a greedy, selfish, stuck-up country.

Defining moments of youth:

            My high school graduated a class of roughly eighty students each year. We were the cliche: small-town, hicks, cow farming, shorts and a t-shirt kind of kids. Everyone had at least one relative in the same building as them and everyone knew everyone. People did not just know who you were, but who you were related to, friends with, the street you lived on, and your parents' names. At times knowing everyone’s business was overwhelming and tiresome.

            My class had a reputation for drama, drugs, and doing nothing but bad things. Somehow, over the course of growing up together we all had a strong connection and even when we didn’t like someone, we still liked them because it was hard not to.

            There comes a point in everyones life where you are forced or pushed more to grow up. The point in my life and in not only my class’, but my school district's, as well, was on April 25, 2009. Two out of three sisters that went to my school died that Saturday in a car accident. The town fell silent. Text messages were sent out, phone calls were made, questions went unanswered, laughter and fun was put on hold, and tears filled everyone’s eyes. Immediately we were forced to grow up, to not take life for granted, to tell people we love them everyday, and to be strong and use each other to get through it.

            The next week of school was a life-changing experience. Speakers came in, posters went up, trees were planted, their lockers decorated, pins and shirts were made and sold for donation money, and sign-ups were held for buses to take us to the funeral as a “field trip.” I never knew that going to the church for two very well-known friends of mine was going to be my last field trip at Pavilion School. I never wanted it to be, either.

            Coming together in times of crisis is exactly what our school did. Kids that never got along were mending relationships. People opened their eyes and started to realize the important things in life. It took two beautiful sisters losing their lives to make others realize that there are more important things in life to be concerned with.

America’s big challenge:

            One could see this as a weak argument of a significant experience with American Identities, but to me it is the perfect example. In America it takes a huge thing to happen for someone else or many other people to have a huge realization. In the time of need Americans can forget about their money, and what is best for them, and most importantly, Americans can come together whether its an economic issue, government issue, or in some cases, a death.

            I feel like America’s huge incident that brought everyone together was definitely September 11th, 2001. That day, even that year, defined Americans as a whole. Strangers were hugging strangers telling each other it would be okay. Police officers and Firefighters were risking their lives to save the lives of thousands of people. Some would fight and say its their job, but technically they don’t have to do the things they did that day for other people and they did not need to put their life in danger and in a chance to get killed, but they did it anyway, and they did it with pride. It's events like this that even though they are so terrible and tragic, they force everyone to look around and remind themselves to be grateful for what you have and to be not only satisfied with it, but happy. A circumstance like this demonstrates to other countries that we can hold ourselves up and rely on each other and other Americans to help us get through the tough times and sets an example to be followed.

Coming together:

            September 11th, 2001, will be a date that allows sends chills down people’s backs. It will send chill not because of all the deaths and injuries the attack caused, but because when America really needs each other and an extra push to hold on, it shows others we can stand together, we can unite, and we do have the will to hold on and go further and do whatever we need to do in order for everything to work out the way it should.

            When our country was under attack we handled the situation probably better than any other country could. We went right at the problem, and regardless of how long it takes, one day it will all be resolved. Even though our country was in shock and terrified of what would come next, we stayed strong and united, and were informed on what to do next and how to go about doing so. No one was left behind or unaccounted for. Our country stayed together and as one.

            Being united even in times of crisis, danger, and war is something that should be admired. Some countries might not have handled the same situation as well, and that might be because we have more experience and are more advanced than they are. Even though some say that we need to go through another Revolution just because other countries are does not mean that America is not going through a Revolution of its own. Technology is a very well known thing that America is known for. Within each year America updates in different categories and different types of technology. We become more advanced with the smallest things and continue to excel, such as computers because each year they are coming out with new programs, software and new brands of computers. Some countries are not even advanced enough to dream of doing things like that. Americans are always willing to put their ideas on the table and fight for their opinions and dreams. Even people from other countries are willing to risk it all just to get a taste of what it is like to be in America and to be a part of something bigger than they ever imagined or dreamed of.

Everyone fights for their rights:

            It isn’t only Americans that stand up and unite and fight for their rights as a human being. People from all over the world use their freedoms to try and accomplish or get ahold of what they want. For example immigrants that we have read about in books have done pretty much everything possible to get to America to persuade their dream to live the “American Dream.” People have had to cross the desert and have died on the journey through it, mainly because of a lack of water. The admiration other countries have of ours is unrealistic. When you really think about it we are the role models that other countries aspire to be like. America certainly has it positive and negatives list, but we have been through a lot and for the most part have handled the situations well and other countries truly admire it.

            There are so many events that make other countries admire or disgust. For example when the Holocaust was underway people did everything they could to risk their lives to try to fight the Germans, try to hide the Jewish people and other countries were sending items in to help as much as they could. The Holocaust is a poor example of American Identity, but yet a good one. We learned from tragic events like that and are aware of all the damage it had forever left an impact on not only the people who were a part of it, but for neighboring countries and even countries across the seas. A moment like that is just something that is never forgotten.

Everyone has their own opinions:

            In different countries everyone has their own way of life and culture. It’s how different groups of people progress and get through life in their own way. Every area has their own beliefs and traditions of how to live life. Whether people view other countries as “wrong” is their own problem. Typically America bases everything they do off of other countries and what they are doing. In my opinion that is uncommon of them to do because America has always been one step ahead of the game.

            Everyone knows America for the Revolution we had a very long time ago, but it seems now a days that no one recognizes us anymore for the huge step we took as a country. The American Revolution took place in 1775 and was a time where people spoke out and demanded what they wanted. Their taxes were extremely too high and no one could manage to pay them all, nor wanted to. Also, all of the citizens were fed up with how they were treated because they had so many rules and regulations. Only one-third of the people were on the king's side; the rest wanted change. Revolting and sticking up for ourselves really set a huge goal to reach for other countries. No one ever knew that using your voice and coming together would create such a change in life itself. When Americans realized we are stronger together as a whole than separately, we won. Change was a generalization of what could happen if you used your voice.

            It sometimes appears that no one ever has anything nice to say about us or about anything that we have ever accomplished or overcome. To Americans, it comes off to us that other people and countries could be jealous of us and of all accomplishments. There are so many events that Americans have been through that prove ourselves not only as good, hard-working people, but as role models and a country to aspire to be like.

Everyone deserves a chance:

            It makes me happy to see so many people wanting a change and knowing that that change is to flee their own country and come into America. Having read so many books about who different people are and how different people’s lives differ from one another really gives you a different perspective and makes you appreciate your life and also want the best for others in different countries. Although America might have a bad reputation for being selfish and stuck up, in my opinion whether it be true or not, we have a right to be. We work hard for everything we have and truly deserve everything we get. No matter what others seem to have to say about us no one understands the amount of effort we all put into our work. The things that we accomplish in life and in our country truly define our country and who we are as citizens of the United States. Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs of our country, but in my opinion it really matters what we think of ourselves, not what others think.

Small-Town Identification

Small-Town Identification

Josh

American Identities was the name of the class that appeared on the top of my freshman class schedule when I began my college experience. The only problem was that I had absolutely no idea what this class was going to be like. The American aspect of the course was easy enough to comprehend, yet I still was unaware of what the meaning of identity was. The rest of my classes, survey of calculus and geology for example, were pretty self-explanatory and I knew exactly what to expect. American Identities, on the other hand, was the only class where I had absolutely no idea what I would learn or what I would get out of this class.

 The first day of class was definitely shocking to say the least. Looking at the number of books that were assigned to this class was intimidating at first, but when everything was explained it seemed like I could take a lot out of this class. I believe that the main objective of this course is for me to really observe (despite how obvious it seems now) my identity as an American, and my self-reflection of how I view myself as an American.

            America is arguably one of the most diverse countries in the world today. Since the founding of the nation, America began, and continued to become more and more of a melting pot. Amongst all of our diversity, I ask myself, what does it mean to be an American? Furthermore, how do we view ourselves as Americans? In answering these questions, I am able to define my American identity.  I feel that the majority of our identity comes from our cultural background and the culture in which we were raised.

            My heritage is rather vague, in the sense that I don’t have the legitimate facts to know where my ancestors came from. From what I have been told, and from slight research on my last name, the name Hodge is of English descent. Also, my father’s mother’s side of the family has the maiden name Ryan, which is said to be Irish. Seeing that as the closest idea of my family heritage, it has not had a large impact on my life. It’s not just the history of my family; my true identity comes from how I was raised in my present family, which is true for the majority of Americans.

            I was born and raised in the middle of nowhere, small-town America. In the town, there are three thousand people, and since we were a college town, the university added another three thousand students, making a grand total of only six thousand. Living in a small town has definitely set me up for a unique lifestyle which helped shaped my identity. There is a wide variety of different settings in which I could have been raised in. There is a large urban setting such as a big city, the medium suburban area, the small rural setting, and everything in between. Living in a small town defiantly has its pros as well as its cons.

The high school that I attended was an experience in itself. The whole building was comprised of pre-K students up to 12^th grade. At the end of my senior year, not only did I know everyone in my graduating class of sixty, but I also knew everyone from 6^th grade to 12^th grade by name, their personality. Most of the high school students in larger city or suburban schools don’t even know everyone in their whole grade, let alone the entire high school and middle school. This was good in the sense that it made my school like a family. I had known and seen these people almost every school day for my whole life and it created these most unique and incredible relationships amongst not only the students, but the faculty and staff, as well. If you wanted to join a sports team, you were on it. If you wanted to be in the school musical, you could do it. The list goes on and on about how you could do whatever you wanted and be whoever you wanted to be and still be accepted by everyone. This school setting really gave me the feeling of a family and it wasn’t until I got to college when I realized how important that was to me.

In high school, like most students, I was heavily involved in a lot of different clubs. One club that I had been in since freshman year was the Spanish club, and as a club, we hadn’t really ever done an event as a club that gave us a real taste of the Spanish culture. So during my sophomore year, we decided to start planning a trip that our school had never really done before. In collaboration with the French club, we decided to plan a trip to Europe. It would be a ten-day trip over spring break that would consist of going to Paris, France, and then to Barcelona, Spain. Given the type of trip this was, we realized that this would cost an extravagant amount of planning and money.

Starting my sophomore year, we began the fundraising, sorting out the details of what we would do. It was fundraiser, after fundraiser, after fundraiser, every single week. We over-ran our small town and school with endless car washes, bake sales, catalog orders, concession stands at every single sporting event, and anything else that we could possibly do to try and help cover the cost of forty French and Spanish students to go over-seas. As the weeks and year passed by, and after all of the fundraising, we had raised approximately twelve thousand dollars that would be distributed over the forty students and which cut down the cost by a great deal. 

            We were within a day or two from our departure date when a crisis had occurred. If you recall watching the news, the Iceland volcano had just erupted and the giant ash cloud was quickly covering the European sky. The news was filled with headlines such as, “The most planes grounded since 9/11!” along with school trips becoming postponed or canceled. The day had come, and our flight was still on. We board the bus to JFK and by the grace of god, make it on the plane, into the sky, and land at our layover in Madrid, Spain. When we arrive, we realize that our connection flight to Paris has been canceled. Not only that, but the French trains have gone on strike, and the line to get on a bus is at least a day’s wait, plus another day on the bus. Commence panic mode. We had to realize the fact that we were stuck in Madrid and make the best out of the situation. Our trip advisor from the tour company that was accompanying us on the trip was able to pull some strings and make accommodations for the night or two until we figured out our next step.

            When we took our first step up into the city after being down in the subway, we were absolutely blown away by everything. Just looking at the buildings, the streets, the cars, and the people, was a shock of how different it was from America. We would see these images in different movies or pictures, but seeing them in real life was amazing in itself. Every day was a different park, sight-seeing, an exotic and exciting restaurant for dinner. After the second day, we had gotten over the fact that Paris was no longer a possibility, but continued out scheduled trip to Carcassonne, France. It was this old, medieval city that we were able to tour around all day and get a taste of some of the French culture.

            Now that we were back on schedule, we took the train to Barcelona, where the trip became even more amazing then any of us could have ever thought. Since we had an actual plan of what to do, we were able to enjoy everything more then we already were. We saw the most famous sights in Barcelona such as the Magic Fountain, the Sagrada Familia, and the Monastery of Montserrat. Also, we took a bike tour around the city, stayed at a hotel in the middle of Las Ramblas, and ate the best food of my life. The list could go and on.

            The trip as a whole, to me, was a huge culture shock. It completely altered my view of Europeans, and the aspects of not only how I view them, but the way in which they view American culture, too. Coming into the trip, there was a swarm of prejudices that I had due to my exposure to the media and common American views of European culture. For example, I had always had the image of most Europeans being rude and having a stuck-up personality. In reality they are quite the opposite, and I came to find out that respect and family tradition is such a huge part of their culture. This trip was able to broaden my thoughts about foreign countries, as well as be more accepting toward their culture. Also, I feel that this trip would have not been possible if it weren’t for how I was brought up, and the school setting that I have lived in for my whole life.

The school setting was reflected into my home life as well. I was brought up in a privileged and loving family in which we had many traditions. We always tried to have family dinners along with a number of different things that made us close and connected. Due to this, I truly value the aspects of family and relationships. The way, and the setting, in which I was brought up in deeply influenced me in the way in which I identify myself.

When I think about my identity as an American, I am always brought back to how I was raised. I believe that the way a person is raised throughout their life is the greatest impact in how they are identified as well as how people identify them in their future. My personal identity is then shown through the closeness of my family, and the relationships that I had growing up. I loved my childhood and I truly believe that it is why my identity is the way it is today.

When I consider my childhood, I am brought back to a younger time that seriously had an impact on my life. It might not be something utterly groundbreaking, that instantly changed my entire view on life, but it was something large enough that was planted in my brain and grew to have a greater importance to me later in time. It happened to me at an age where I was too young to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened, but it became clearer as I became older.

It was the third grade. It is not seen as one of the most important years of schooling that every child goes through, but passing the second grade and moving on to a new chapter in the adventure of elementary school was a big change to me and most likely all of the other children as well. I meet my new teacher who was mildly scary at first with her crazy hair, but I settled in quickly with my friends. The first week passed with ease as we got into the normal routine. Then, the Tuesday of the next week started off different then all of the rest. I began at math time on the carpet in a circle first thing in the morning, answering all of the addition problems on my dry-erase board. The next thing that happened was out of the ordinary, to say the least. My teacher from second grade came into the class, crying, and asked to see our teacher out in the hall way. My heart instantly sank down into my stomach. When she came back into the room, all I can remember is her pale white face. It was as if the life had been drained out of her. Then the commotion started. She tried to explain what had happened but we remained confused as we were told that we were going to be sent home. It felt strange going home. I wanted to be excited to be out of school but I had the feeling that something had gone wrong.

As I arrived home, our family and friends were also at the house with their eyes glued to the television screen. I remember watching the news and seeing pictures that looked very familiar. It was New York City. The place that I had been just two weeks ago when my mom took us on the train. I remember her pointing to the giant skyscrapers, which stood far above all of the other buildings, and said that they were called the twin towers. As I looked at television, I saw the same images crashing down before my eyes. I remember seeing all of the smoke and dust that covered the people running down the street in terror. That is the exact image that comes to my mind when I think of terror attacks.

After seeing the same news story for months, I became more and more aware of what had happened and the seriousness of the attack.  Also, as the years went on, I began to realize why this had happened. The people who did this make it their job to go against the country that has raised me and shaped who I am. As America reacted to what had happened, I was amazed of how strong the country is and the force that we fight back with. It gave me the ability to take pride in my country and to stand behind it through the toughest times.

The following years, the name Osama Bin Laden rang through my mind as the man who hurt the county that I love. I wanted something to get done about this, and for there to be an end to the madness. The war on terror has been an ongoing struggle for the past ten years now, and about four months ago was the first time that America could finally take a sigh of relief. The man that was behind the 9/11 terror attacks was killed by the Navy SEAL elite team 6, one of the most specialized teams in the entire country. That was the day that I had the most pride for America in my lifetime. While I wanted to be joyful for what had happened, I recalled a famous quote by Jessica Dovey, and followed by Martin Luther King Jr., which says, “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.” So as I look back at the attack, and everything that unfolded as a result, I have an increase in pride in my country.

When you look at the childhood that current college students have been raised in, it is astounding to see how much has happened, and the large amount of crises that have occurred within the past two decades compared to the last century. The majority of crises have been due to 9/11. The responses that we had during the Bush era such as the Patriot Act, as well as a huge shift of focus to the war on terror, fueling our troops to go into Afghanistan and fight against the Al Qaeda. America has faced another massive crisis, not in terms of war, but yet a crisis that took a huge blow to the economy. It is considered to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It resulted in the bailout of banks by the government, the collapse of large financial institutions, and huge declines in stock markets around the world. The housing market had also suffered, resulting in numerous evictions and foreclosures. It contributed to an increase in unemployment, which lead to declines in consumer wealth and economic activity estimated in the trillions of U.S. dollars. In a nutshell, everything led to a severe global economic recession in 2008 and 2009.

The actions and series of events that have unfolded in the past ten years are ones that brought pain to the country. Yet, when we see past the destruction that has occurred, we can observe how we come out a stronger and more powerful nation. That is what fuels my pride for my country and shapes my identity as a citizen.

            If we ultimately define our identity as Americans, we can begin to observe our beliefs and principals on subjects that pertain to our country today. Americans continue to differ among hundreds of different topics and beliefs that pertain to the political as well as the social world. The identity of each person is a key factor in determining what they believe in.

            After looking at my identity, it wasn’t like a giant gust of wind and a shining light from the sky came down and showed me enlightenment along with the meaning of life. I just looked at what has made me who I am today. I take pride in how I was raised, along with my family values and beliefs. Due to this, I followed in my father’s footsteps, took what he truly believed in, and applied it to my own life. My father is a Republican with strong support behind it. When I was younger, I always was watching the news with my dad. From the local news, to the world nightly news, my dad and I would be watching either ABC or Fox News. I would be constantly asking questions, and he would explain them in the best way possible.

As I continued to grow up, and ask questions about the country and politics, I took what he said to heart and began to truly believe in them as well. As a result, I have conservative views, and I build my idea of how we should define the American identity as such.

            The American identity should not be viewed as a stereotype of what America is like; rather it should exemplify the strong suits. I believe that the stronger aspects that make up the country are those that give us our pride to be Americans. For example, the freedoms that we are given is one of the most valued aspects of American culture. Most people take for granted the amount of freedom that we are given, compared to the majority of other countries in the world. The freedom to believe in whatever religious being that we desire, and the freedoms to say what we want, are two of many freedoms that people from other countries would literally die to have.

Overall as a country, we are given a great deal of luxuries which we do not realize. There also comes a point where we must look at how much we are given, and determine if it actually necessary. When the nation was founded, it was seen to have the idea that Americans must have the desire inside of them to get whatever they want in life. It was part of the American dream that you could be whoever you wanted to be and achieve anything if you set your mind to it. But something happened over time. As Americans, we became lazy and wondered why we weren’t receiving things that we wanted. So instead of becoming motivated, we became dependent on the government to supply us with these things in life. Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that the government is there to provide you with all of these programs and benefits, but we ask for them anyway. This is how the government struggles to pay for these things without having to raise taxes, and we fall into debt. It is the attitude of the American people that eats away at the government and slowly brings it down.

I’m not stating that the government shouldn’t give anything to the people, because there are a number of things that government needs to provide for the United States to maintain stability. But there are things that the government doesn’t need to provide that we can do without. This would lower the taxes for the people, and give them more money to invest into the economy. Granted there are flaws in this way of thinking, but it is possible to take more steps in this direction. If we as Americans can get back to the “can-do” attitude that our founding fathers set in place for us, then we would be able to rise to come back to being the most prosperous nation in the world.

My identity has been shaped not only my family and the way I was raised:  the majority of it was a direct result of the greatness of the nation, and the history that continues to shape not only the future of America, but my overall American identity as well. 

 

On final reflection of the course, it has really given me one of the greatest opportunities that I could have gotten. I was able to look at my beliefs as an American and think about what may or may not have shaped them throughout my life. Through this course, I feel more set in what I believe in with my community, my country, and my personal American identity.