Category: American Identity

American Definition

What is the definition of an American? Not all us citizens are supposed to be native to the US in order to be considered an American. Many people from all over come for a greater, better life and make sacrifices to get to America. America has a mix of cultures and freedoms so everyone can be equal. A true American works very hard and is very proud to be an American.

A true American is someone who is loyal to their country and shows patriotism. “Veterans Day: Never forget their duty” is a story about soldiers fighting in Vietnam. The soldiers were beaten and put in jail. Mike Christian used his clothes to make the United States flag. The Vietnamese found out and tortured Mike Christian. Mike keep doing it anyways and sang the Pledge “ Sitting there, with his eyes almost shut from his beating, making another American flag” (McCain.pg 7)Mike Christian was showing loyalty to his country and staying true to his beliefs even after he faced consequences of being beaten so severely, proving he is a patriot. And loyal to his country.

Noda deals with finding an identity and the cultural prejudices in America. At the end, she eventually realizes she is Japanese american.“But now I can say that I am a Japanese american. It means I have a place here in this country too. I have a place here on the East coast, where our neighbor is so much a part of our family that my mother never passses her house at night without glancing at the lights to see if she is home and safe.” (Noda pg40) Kesaya is proud to be an American, even though she had to make sacrifices.

Langston Hughes was a social activist and poet his basic theme of “ I too sing America” focused on the American Dream and the possibilities of hope and moving forward. He is making a “response” poem to Walt whitmans “I Hear America Singing poem.” “I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh and eat well, and grow strong. Tomorrow I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll See how beautiful I am and be ashamed.”(Hughes, pg 17) This is important because being an America is all about freedom and equality. He is being loyal to his country and showing patriotism because Langston Hughes is an American citizen living in pre civil rights era, he isn’t treated like one, and not a lot has changed. Hughes is trying to teach us to better our country. This is not what Amercans are like, Americans don’t segregate race.

Anizas struggles with living in America and finding her amazing talent as a writer. Aniza wants to love her work instead of being driven only by money. Anzia quickly realizes how hard it can be to live in America. “I want America to want me. She fell back in her chair, thunderstruck with my boldness. But yet, in a low voice of educated self-control, she tried to reason with me: “You have to show that you have something special for America before America has need of you.’ ” (Yezierska pg25)Work isn’t fun Americans don’t just sit around, they have to work hard, for a home, and what they want.

A Letter from an American farmer in 1781 talks about freedom and equality.“Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” (Crevcoeur pg 33)America is one big melting pot where everyone is equal.

A true American works very hard, and is very proud to be an American. Living in America has a lot of freedom. although of course there are restrictions. part of American life is the acceptance of various cultures and religions that are new to you.

Just as Joy Harjo reflects, humans hold a natural sense of obligation to our ancestors to live out their traditions and a responsibility to our children to instill these same traditions in them. She urges us to speak our truths, not just for our personal sake, but for both past and present generations. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Joy Harjo grew up as a member of the Mvskoke Nation. She is also a musician, author, and the first Native American United States Poet Laureate. Joy’s work is often autobiographical, illuminated by the natural world, and focused on survival and the limitations of language. As highlighted in two of her poems, ‘Fall Song’ and ‘An American Sunrise’, she explores the tension between the dynamics of identity and difference. Considering these two poems by Joy Harjo, we can see through different writing styles how the Native American Identity marked with struggle and ambition and changes throughout time.

Even though the two poems share an author, they have vast differences in narratives. While Harjo adopts different styles of writing in ‘An American Sunrise’ and ‘Fall Song’, both pieces have a similar tone. In ‘Fall Song’ and ‘An American Sunrise’, Joy Harjo pushes audiences to bring recognition of the wrongs of the past, not only for Native American communities but for any oppressed communities, yet she expresses hope for the future. Specifically in ‘An American Sunrise’, Joy is plagued by her ancestor’s past, ‘We / were surfacing the edge of our ancestor’s fights, and ready to strike.’ This quote is very interesting because people believe that the Native American culture died out when in fact it is still thriving today; Harjo makes the connection that ancestors of Native Americans continue to fight their relatives’ battles in modern-day society. Despite the oppression and destruction of their culture, Native Americans assimilated into society.

On the other hand, while not outwardly based on the history of Native Americans, the narrator of the poem ‘Fall Song’ is truly struggling with the passage of time, not even just the concept of time itself. ‘If I think behind me, I might break. / If I look forward I lose now’ (Harjo). While the narrator in ‘An American Sunrise’ is looking forward to the future and is hopeful for what it may bring, the narrator in this poem is hesitant. They are stuck in the now, tainted by their past and unsteady with the present and the future. While the two narrators struggle with time in different ways, they both recognize that the passage of it is something that they are unable to control. Poets use unique writing styles in their work to express feelings, myths, and images to their readers. As each reader is also unique, there are many critical perspectives that allow one poem to have varying effects on different people. Joy’s poems are a window into her life and history and this provides a personal and comforting voice to readers as they indulge in her writings. In ‘Fall Song’, the style of writing internal action, because Harjo is attempting to write the way that we think. As further investigated by Natasha Trethewey, a United States Poet Laureate herself, she provides a crucial insight into the creative style that Joy Harjo uses in this poem. Tretheway says, ‘…What comes before that — short declarative sentences, lines closed with end punctuation and laced with rhyme — is one kind of song. And when that pattern breaks and punctuation falls away, there is a different evocation of song, linked but open, like a long ‘necklace of days’ (Harjo).

As Harjo, again, is attempting to write the way we think, each line structure is different; sometimes lines are written as short declarative sentences, marked with strong periods or it is a string of lines with no punctuation at all. This relates to Joy’s belief that writing not only gives her a sense of freedom and but expressing herself is necessary to her survival. Sometimes finding our voice is not writing perfect sentences but expressing how we feel in a short and simple way. The narrator may be struggling to find their way but it is about perseverance at the end of the poem that marks the narrator’s true strength. In a piece that distinctively talks about Native American culture in the United States, Joy Harjo remembers her ancestors, she revisits what they endured and what they lost. Joy explores a lingering feeling of injustice for her people and attempts to forge a new beginning, one with hope for the future. This poem is rooted in the survival of generations of Native American people.

As an homage to poet Gwendolyne Brooks and her poem ‘We Real Cool’, Joy Harjo adapts Brooks’ writing style in her own poem, ‘An American Sunrise’. In using the first person ‘we’ at the end of many lines in the poem, it suggests that whoever the ‘we’ represents in the poem that they too had a feeling of hope for the future and were willing to put the past behind them, to remember the injustices but to carry on anyways. ‘An American Sunrise’ is a story of survival and triumph. Significantly, at the end of the poem, the narrator says, ‘We are still America. We know the rumor of our demist. We spit them out. They die soon.’ (Harjo). Following the writing style with the repetition of ‘we’, the poem is written in simple sentences with ‘we’ ending each line. In contrast to the split style of ‘Fall Song’, ‘An American Sunrise’ is a story, a beautiful story that shares the tale of past and future generations. In addition, there is true importance of having a Native American as the author of these poems because they are able to use personal experience to reflect their own narrative and morals in their work. For example, in ‘Fall Song’ the narrator says, ‘I have found you in the story again’. To whomever the ‘you’ this narrator is referring, in some way this person has rediscovered a part of themselves or another person they had lost. While this line holds a lot of mystery, it also seems to hold hope for what comes next. While again this poem is not directly about the trials and tribulations of Native Americans, if one looks at the poem with a biographical lens, they understand how Joy Harjo’s experiences influenced this text.

Furthermore, a large part of Native American literature is all about rediscovering themselves in both American history and modern-day society. Similarly, in ‘An American Sunrise’, the narrator seems tired of the stereotype about their people and the cyclical pattern that they feel lost in. This person is outwardly struggling with their identity, Harjo writes, ‘We were running out of breath, as we ran to meet ourselves … We knew we were all related in this story, a little gin / will clarify the dark and make us all feel like dancing’. These lines call attention to the confusion and the exhaustion that the narrator must be feeling and the desire to break this cycle of violence and discrimination. The narrator wants to form his/her own identity, they want to create their own path, to be able to break free of the chains of their ancestors. It is remarkable that Joy Harjo is able to express her own identity in such a haunting and beautiful way.

History is a narrative, told from the point of view of the winners. Joy Harjo’s poems ask readers to challenge that narrative. In both ‘Fall Song’ and ‘An American Sunrise’, Harjo questions the American identity, she asks audiences to bring recognition of the wrongs of the past, not only for Native American communities but for any oppressed communities, yet she expresses hope for the future. In drawing on more knowledge from the Native American identity, Tommy Orange, the author of ‘There There’ writes an intense novel that grapples with a complex and painful history of the plight of the urban Native American, and the Native American in the city. It is a relentlessly paced multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, woven in history and remembrance. Orange urges readers to recognize the wrongdoings of the Pilgrims and acknowledge the Native American’s quest for survival. He wraps up this story with this quote, ‘Being Indian has never been about returning to the land.

The land is everywhere or nowhere’. This is a very powerful quote to end on, it encapsulates the Native American struggle into American Identity. It is about their history and struggles with time, it is about the quest for survival.

There is such an importance in authors sharing their story. Joy Harjo will forever be honored for the light that she brought to Native American Literature. Right from the titles ‘An American Sunrise’ and ‘Fall Song’ readers know of the beauty and hope that Joy has for the future because once they finish these poems, they too become a part of the new Native American narrative.

An analysis of the Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation (LISA) survey of Asian-, Caribbean-, and Latino-American immigrant youth in the Boston area, done by Suárez-Orozco, Singh, Abo-Zena, Du, and Roeser (2011), have shown that religious affiliation and participation are high in almost all immigrant families, with the partial exception of recent Chinese immigrants. Through their work, it was demonstrated that religious involvement resulted in mostly positive effects (i.e. increased religious identity, enhanced social support, more positive peer networks, a better sense of purpose). Most notably, qualitative findings illustrated that many adolescents looked toward religion as a moral guide of sorts, to not stray toward risk behaviour. Generally, adolescents viewed religion as the root of cultural family values that have been a constant throughout generations. In the context of European migration, cultural values of interdependence, for instance, tradition and conformity, which are of central importance in the heritage cultural context, were associated with Muslim youth (Saroglou, Delpierre, & Dernelle, 2004); and were also acknowledged by religious youth in the context of acculturation (Güngör, Bornstein, & Phalet, 2012).

Other US-based studies examined contrasts in religious development between ethnic-racial categories of youth. A 3-year longitudinal study of 15–18-year-old Latino, Asian American and European Americans found that religious identification was constant across high school years however participation in religious practices declined (Lopez, Huynh, & Fuligni, 2011). Higher levels of religious identity were reported in Latino and Asian American youth (primarily first and second generation) as opposed to European American youth (third generation and beyond mainly). Compared to the US, Europe has a higher immigration number with regards to majority Muslim countries. In the Netherlands, a cross-sectional study among Muslim minority youth found the level of religious identification to increase from early to mid-adolescence, and to decrease again from mid- to later adolescence (from age 15 onwards; Verkuyten, Thijs, & Stevens, 2012). Hence. There seems to be concurring evidence of constant or increasing religious identification among minority youth.

Acculturation is the process of adapting to a multicultural and new social environment (Mesquita, Deleersnyder, & Jasini, in press). This adaptive process is part of a normal development process that all immigrants go through. The process inadvertently gives rise to various pathways of identity development. The focus of the review, specifically, is on the role of religious identity in the acculturation and adaptation of minority adolescents.

In line with a well-established bidimensional approach to acculturation (Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006), a distinction is made between mainstream and heritage cultural attitudes and cultural identifications in minority youth. Importantly, how well the youth adopt tends to be based on the quality of intercultural relations in specific acculturation contexts. A growing body of research on Muslim minority youth illustrates adaptation problems, such as increased risks of depression (Fassaert et al., 2011 in the Netherlands), suppressing problem behaviour (Oppedal & Røysamb, 2007), or decreased levels of psychological well-being (Stuart, Ward, & Adam, 2010). In a cross-cultural study including both Muslim and non-Muslim youth (on both sides of the Atlantic), a comparison of acculturation and adaptation was carried out by Berry et al. (2006). The results of the study illustrated that separationism was more prevalent among Muslim youth as compared to Western and non-Western Christian youth. Separationist minorities are likely to experience adaptation problems (i.e. problem behaviour or poor school achievement).

In spite of Berry et al.’s (2006) findings, evidence of culture conflict (opposing a distinctive religious identity to mainstream cultural identities) is mixed (Fleischmann & Phalet, 2016). This is because it is dependent on the characteristics of specific acculturation contexts. Studies about Turkish-German adolescents constantly found negative associations of religious parenting (Spiegler, Güngör, & Leyendecker, 2016) and religious identification (Dimitrova & Aydinly-Karakulak, 2016) with the adoption of, and identification with, the German mainstream culture. Schachner et al. (2014) found that the importance of (Islamic or Christian) religion at home negatively predicted mainstream German cultural orientation, and impacted negatively on adolescents’ sociocultural adaptation in this country. Similarly, the high intrinsic value of religious faith, as well as religious certainty and practice, negatively predicted mainstream culture adoption and identification among Muslim-Belgian late adolescents (Saroglou & Galand, 2004).

To summarise, the religious identity of Muslim adolescents is entwined with their attachment to heritage cultural values and identities and either unrelated or conflicting with mainstream culture adoption. More research is needed to understand better when and how religion entails identity conflict.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a prolific writer of the Transcendental era, suggests that American democracy should progress through the individual part of a whole opposed to the largely popular idea that it takes a group of many. In his address titled “The American Scholar,” Emerson hopes to obstruct the present American democracy “in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monsters, – a good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but never a man,” and trade it for the Transcendental view of democracy (Emerson, 811). Obviously, a finger nor an elbow would be able to act accordingly without the solidity of their common body in working function, much like a “planter” and/or “tradesman” cannot become successful until after they acknowledge their being a part of a unified body (Emerson, 812).

While Emerson addresses the individual’s part of a whole, he also attempts to outline the key elements for the development of the individual American Scholar. In his attempt to layout the functions of individuality, he uses the natural world in a way that connects to the individual’s mindset. Emerson attempts to showcase that through observation of the natural world, the American scholar “shall see, that nature is the opposite of the soul, answering to it part for part. One is seal, and one is print. Its beauty is the beauty of his own mind. Its laws are the laws of his own mind. Nature then becomes to him the measure of his attainments. So much of nature as he is ignorant of, so much of his own mind does he not yet possess” (Emerson,813). It seems as though Emerson believed that the American scholar should put an emphasis on nature to acquire a deeper comprehension: “And, in fine, the ancient precept, ‘Know thyself,’ and the modern precept, ‘study nature,’ become at last one maxim” (Emerson, 813). For an individual to help America progress towards a more accurate democracy, they should use nature and its intricacies to have a better understanding of the commonalities inborn to all humans.

Over the course of a lifetime, many human beings are faced with challenges that shape them and opportunities to shape others. Ralph Waldo Emerson is a man who experienced much tragedy, including the premature death of many close family members beginning early in his childhood. Growing up, he felt “imprisoned in streets and hindered from the fields and woods amidst the busy commercial activity” (“Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Childhood”). These and other occurrences have helped him develop the philosophies he has shared through the use of lectures and poetry. Emerson challenged traditional thought and has become known in the literary world as a major spokesman for both Transcendentalism and Individualism. Within these literary movements, Emerson wrote on several subjects such as religion, slavery etc. while exploring the relationship between human beings and nature. His work has influenced others in the nineteenth century such as Henry David Thoreau and continues to influence others today, making him a seminal author.

Early Life

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born May 25th, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the second of eight children and one of four to survive into adulthood. His father was a Unitarian minister and his mother was a religious woman. Anglican writers and thinkers influenced Emerson and religion became a topic he often pondered. When Emerson was 8 years old, his father died of stomach cancer, leaving his mom to take care of him and his siblings. Poverty was a problem Emerson faced; however, “he was not resentful of their situation, but thought it good discipline that kept his eye on the realities of life and away from frivolity” (“Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Childhood”). This way of thinking grew from the difficult situations Emerson faced, and provides an example of how Emerson was shaped. His aunt, Mary Moody Emerson came to live with the family, helping to raise the Emerson children. She became a large influence on Emerson; opening his mind, teaching him aphorisms he went on to use throughout his life, and introducing him to Hinduism.

Emerson began attending school at age 9, though he was taught grammar and reading by his father beginning at age three. He attended Bostin Latin where his literary gifts were recognized. Emerson went on to attend Harvard college where he studied a wide variety of things including history, philosophy, rhetoric, and Greek. During this time, Emerson began keeping journals that he filled with quotations, comments on the books he had read, and works of his own. This led to the series of notebooks Emerson called Wide World.

Adulthood

After graduating from Harvard, Emerson began teaching at his brother’s school for young women in Boston. He soon realized that this was not the path he wished to take and entered the clergy; following the path of his father and grandfather. He attended Harvard Divinity School and was ordained to the Unitarian ministry. Following the death of his first wife, Ellen, at age 19 he left the ministry. Unable to find happiness, he abandoned conventional life.

He set forth on a European trip, where he further developed the beliefs he would later share such as man’s spiritual relationship with nature. On this trip, he met multiple people that helped him become the person he is remembered for. Coleridge, for example, played a role in Emerson’s pursuing of science. Science “attended to merging of body and spirit. It honored the visions of Reason, but not without proving them with evidence compiled by the Understanding. Science… was poetic, uncovering relations between vision and logic, subject and object, mind and matter, energy and form” (Wilson). In this way of thinking, Emerson was able to bring together and share his thoughts; transiting Emerson from a minister giving sermons to an author and lecturer.

After returning home in 1833, he also established himself as an influential lecturer. Within the next few years, Emerson settled down in Concord, Massachusetts with his second wife, Lydia. He finally found the quiet domestic life that was lacking in his childhood home. Using the journals, he had accumulated over the years, Emerson began his work on Nature.

Works

Emerson has written on a variety of subjects using poems, essays, and lectures. One of his most well-known literary works is Wide World; a collection of his journals published after his death. These journals were the starting point for majority of his work. Emerson’s words touched both the minds and hearts of those who gathered to listen to his lectures. Over the course of his life, he gave more than 1,500 lectures across the United States. His early lectures were centered around the nature of spirituality. One of his most famous lectures is The Divinity School Address. This lecture was given as Harvard’s divinity school graduation address. The first set of lectures Emerson managed were focused on the philosophy of history. The lectures that influenced other in his time, continue to affect people today as majority of his lectures have been published in essay form.

Emerson’s first published essay is Nature. Here, Emerson explores the relationship between nature and human beings; describing nature’s gifts and lessons. This essay became an important part of the Transcendentalist Club. This work was expanded upon and further discussed in his future works.

What sets Emerson apart from others with similar philosophies is the way he shared his thought; with vividness and imagination. He has a power and unity, that together, stimulate his readers’ imaginations and force them to think beyond the surface. The ability to share his thoughts in a manner that fueled the mind allowed him to not only share his thoughts, but also, influence others. Emerson’s work contains metaphors and that force the reader slow down, pause, and think. When the time is taken to consider his work,

Transcendentalism and Individualism

Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement that was centered around Emerson. Transcendentalists critiqued society for conformity and emphasized the individual’s relationship with nature as well as the idea of individualism. Emerson became involved in this movement partially due to his disagreement with Unitarian thinking; specifically, the argument that miracles prove the truth of Christianity. This questioning, along with the death of his first wife, led to his leaving the ministry. He took his questions and traveled to and around Europe. While traveling, his belief in man’s spiritual relation to nature was confirmed.

Emerson found the answers to his spiritual questioning and started his philosophy in Nature. He spoke and wrote that those who believed in God could understand Him, as well as themselves, by finding and feeling their connection in and to nature. This philosophy was further explored and expanded upon in his later works such as American scholar. Together, Nature and American Scholar led to the gathering of a group that became known as the Transcendentalists. Emerson headed the transcendental club, with his work Nature being a large influencer. This club was involved in the production of a literary magazine called The Dial, which Emerson founded and edited.

In his essay Self-Reliance, Emerson exemplifies the Transcendentalist virtue of Individualism. He argues that people should not conform to societies expectations and listen to one’s own voice, rather than an intermediary’s such as the church. Emerson, along with other transcendentalist writers “established the idea that American literature should have its own concerns and voice and should not simply try to emulate European literature. Emerson’s writings… stressed the importance of developing one’s own talents and emphasized the importance of cultivating what is great in oneself. By extension, his writings emphasized the importance of developing an American literature that was not concerned with European models” (https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/contribution-emerson-thoreau-american-literature-132203). Emerson’s emphasis on the individual touched many generations and influenced the authors that followed him.

Religion

Emerson came from a family of ministers and had a childhood centered around God. He spent part of his life preaching at a Unitarian church despite never fully agreeing with the Church’s teachings and beliefs. In his Divinity School Address, he began sharing his views, among them, that while Jesus was a great man, he was not God. Emerson argued that the church elevated the figure of Jesus Christ above the rest of humanity as well as had preachers that failed to connect the audience with God because they preached from an intellectual understanding rather than from experience.

Following this address, through his lectures, works, and further development of transcendentalism, he found that each individual can connect with God through nature. Building from the idea, Emerson explained that not only was God expressed in nature, but human beings are the part of nature that most express God. This powerful recognition requires diving beyond the surface. Along with this, Emerson believed in the moral law that judgement happens now, during a lifetime; each individual should consider his action and the consequences of the action while focusing on the development of their own character. “Emerson also believed in the law of love, that there is some good in everything. In the darkest, meanest things… Perhaps his own greatest act of love toward humanity was to share his ideas in his writings and lectures. Few people have had as much impact on the religious development of America as Ralph Waldo Emerson” (https://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/ralph-waldo-emerson-theology/). While many disagreed with this approach, his beliefs became the core of New Thought Church.

Slavery

In his encounters with slavery, Emerson never believed it was right. He believed in the freedom of the individual but did not begin publicly speaking about the issue until congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. Following this act, Emerson took an active role in speaking out against slavery and participated in efforts to bring it to an end. He gave many lectures addressing the issue. Along with this, he gave money to abolitionists and invited African Americans into his home. Sharing his view on slavery involved speaking out against the majority of society and taking a stand for the freedom of each individual. He used the influence he had to share a powerful message.

Some might say that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world because it is leading in many fields, such as defense. This essay will explain why America is not the greatest country in the world. There are many factors that people have to look at before claiming which country is the greatest in the world. Some of these factors might be poverty, healthcare, quality of life, life expectancy, and crime rate. Poverty is a troubling matter for the US concerning the goal of becoming the greatest country in the world. With poverty, the country’s economy is damaged, which later poses greater issues. Healthcare has been an issue in America for a long time; high costs and some people cannot afford it. That means that people can die from an illness before getting to pay for healthcare expenses. Quality of life factors needs to improve to insure the prolonged lives of US citizens. Life expectancy rates are in decline mainly due to higher mortality rates, which are caused by health issues and increasing crime rates. Crime rates are increasing due to increased gun possession, as well as low gun regulations and laws. A utopia is what every person dreams of in a country; an ideal country that is perfect in every factor. America cannot be a utopia, but it can become a country closer to a utopia if the various factors in this essay are resolved.

Poverty

Poverty, especially child poverty, is an issue that should not exist anywhere in the world. Child poverty can incur irreversible health issues for these children due to a lack of nutrition. These children can also grow into adults without getting the education they need to become adults that contribute to society. Studies show that one out of four children under the age of five are poor. The US has one of the greatest economies in the world, so it should be able to find a solution to this issue. In most developed countries, you would never find a homeless person on the streets, but you can find them anywhere in the US. The homeless might later turn to drug addiction as a way to escape their cruel reality of being homeless and jobless. This also damages the economy of the US.

Healthcare

Healthcare has been an unsolved issue in the US for a long time. Healthcare in America costs a lot more than in any other developed country in the world. Each person pays 18 cents per dollar for healthcare, which shows the highest healthcare costs in the world. Despite having the highest costs, healthcare in the US has fewer results than any other country’s healthcare. That means that even when you pay high costs for your healthcare bills, your illness is not cured most of the time. US citizens who have incurable illnesses might eventually go bankrupt as they keep paying huge sums of money for medications to maintain their living. Many other countries pay for their citizens’ healthcare, which is eventually paid for by taxes. These countries also have better healthcare than the US because healthcare is taken care of by the governments. There are also countries that offer free healthcare for their citizens as part of their policies towards the citizens.

Quality of Life

Quality of life has been declining a lot in the previous years, mostly due to health-related factors. Some of the main health-related factors are alcohol abuse and depression. Alcohol abuse is a common issue in the US, and it causes health issues that later cause early death. Depression can have many reasons, but it can eventually lead to suicide.

Life Expectancy

Life expectancy has been declining in the US due to many reasons. It mainly connects to health issues like heart disease and cancer. The US had an increased mortality rate these past couple of years, which also cause the life expectancy rate to decrease.

Crime Rates

America has very high crime rates, especially murder crimes. This is mainly because of gun laws that allow anyone to own a gun in the US. These regulations have allowed many tragedies to occur in the last couple of years. Anyone can buy a gun anywhere, which now poses a huge threat to any US citizen. In the past couple of years, school shootings have been rising, causing huge losses all over America. Mass shootings have also been terrorizing and causing many deaths in highly populated areas. Gun violence is rising and threatening public safety all over the US. The public is demanding stricter gun laws and regulations in light of rising mass shootings in many states in America. Some are also demanding a ban on the possession of guns in the US. Owning a gun can of course save you in dangerous situations where you have to protect yourself, but it will still cause many tragedies if guns fall in the wrong hands.

Utopia

A utopia is an ideal imaginary community that has the best living conditions. As a utopia is imaginary, it can never be reached. A utopia is imaginary, so it might have the best living conditions, a high standard of living, a high quality of life, and many other ideal factors. Everyone dreams of their own utopia, but as the US is progressing, it can never be a utopia.

The Bright Side

In light of these factors, which keep the United States of America from being the greatest country in the world, America still outperforms other countries in many leading factors.

America was a nation built upon the foundation of freedom, its people fought to attain unalienable rights from an oppressive authority. I believe to be American, you are a part of the history of men that fought for their freedom and changed their destinies. I believe to be a good American, means that I am free to strive for my goals, to break through the gates that block me, whether it be social, racial, or gender opposition, that I can and I must do the best that I can.

My interpretation of freedom and what it means to be a good American will definitely differ from those around me. Some may think that America is a “White Nation”, some may think it is a land of opportunity, others a land run rampant with the chaos ensued by split parties. Each is entitled to their own belief of what America or being American is, that is their freedom. In my variation, each to their own shall strive for the betterment of themselves and others as a whole.

Honestly true freedom, to allow for any actions taken to be regarded in the manner of freedom, will result in disorder and probably anarchy. I will not say that we should be free in the manner that would result in society crumbling, but realistically many would not immediately commit immoral deeds and do as they please. Humans are fundamentally social creatures, thus if society would fall, I believe it would be at least a controlled chaos.

Going back to what it means to be a good American, at its simplest I believe that it means that each citizen is entitled to living fulfilling and happy. To be American, America will give you opportunities, but your success and fulfillment should be made by your sweat and tears. As quoted in “America” by Claude McKay, “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!. Giving me strength erect against her hate. . .Darkly I gaze into the days ahead. . .Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand”.

In conclusion, my definition of being a good American is to work hard for my place and position, that America is a land that enables you to strive for your aspirations. A simple single-sentence conclusion. I believe this is not enough for this essay, so I will put up another prompt. America is the land of the free, it’s citizens are Americans’ those entitled to dream beyond the stars and grasp their own destiny. If so, why are their freedom and opportunity obstructed by their fellows? That we are bound by these shackles known as racial, social, and sexual discrimination. How long must we fight amongst ourselves? As quoted in “America and I” by Anzia Yezierska, “Happiness is only by working at what your love” “Why don’t they have free boarding schools for immigrants-strong people-willing people?”

But I am hopeful, as stated in Langston Hughes’ “I, Too, Sing America” “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table. . .They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed”. Like how time erodes the metal bonds, the society too will break these social bonds in a matter of time.

Ever since the formation of the American country, its people have always wondered who they really are. The existential question stems as a result of this nation being built of immigrants from all over the world that despite their differences in languages, histories, and cultures, are destined to live together. Welcoming land for millions of refugees, mostly Europeans and therefore sharing similar values, the United States was built on a daunting mixture of humans who needed common rules of life to bring them together, as well as a language, but above all a feeling of belonging and unity. Total freedom of speech, right to self-defense: the very first amendments to the Constitution cemented this country’s identity and are still reinforced daily. America, the land of courageous and free men, the land above all opportunities, continues to nurture the mirage of many immigrants. The United States has always been and continues to be the Promised Land flowing with endless opportunities and chances to start a new life. The sense of freedom is found often within the country and is symbolized in the middle of New York City with the Statue of Liberty which announces entry into the New World and inspires freedom from oppression. To be an American means seizing the opportunities this land has to offer to thrive in life, being given a new chance to start over, and being able to change the world.

To be a good American means to benefit from the many opportunities this country offers. America is a land where everything is possible, no matter one’s social class, background, or past. Being born in a rich household puts someone in a circumstance in favor of succeeding, but not many are gifted a golden ticket to life. Most of the population, which includes the middle and lower class have to work hard to achieve the things wanted, to provide a meal for the family, education for the children, or even afford small luxuries in life. This phenomenon was also noticed by Crevecoeur when he moved to America. Crevecoeur was fascinated by the fact that in comparison to Europe, people in the New Land did not have to come from a wealthy families to live well, but instead “there is room for everybody in America” (Crevecoeur) no matter where they come from and their fate was not predestined before they were born. Unlike old Europe where people could not climb up in the social class and be more than what they were destined to be, America offers another option to its people; it does not suppress one’s dreams and goals due to their situation. Being an American gives one a chance to fight for what they want and set a standard of life for themselves. There are no boundaries and limits to what the mind and diligence of an American can achieve. It is up to the Americans, to make their choices in life as a free men.

To be a good American means to have a chance to start a new life. America is a land of immigrants; this country was built of people coming from all over the world which is what makes it so unique and diverse. Being an immigrant in America gives one the opportunity to leave “behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receive new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds” (Crevecoeur) adapting into a new life-changing lifestyle. Crevecoeur noticed that moving to the United States is accompanied by a lot of new learnings to be able to flourish in a foreign land. People that immigrate to the United States have often found themselves in an unfortunate position, whether that being economic or social and they see this land as the light at the end of the tunnel. Immigrants leave everything behind and start accustoming themselves to new traditions and cultures to be able to create a life for themselves and their families which they would not be able to do in their home country. Essentially, the New World served as an escape land for immigrants to build a new life different from what they were used to.

To be a good American means to have a great influence and be able to change the world. Being an American and living in the “Promised Land” is a blessing that not many people have. As the United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world it gives the opportunity to its people to spread this culture outside of the US territories. Crevecoeur also projected the power that an American was able to hold noting that his “labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world” (Crevecoeur). The economic and political power that Americans hold today, which stems from the hard work of many years, can be so great to decide the fate of other countries. Americans have played a big role in ending wars, helping other countries grant their independence, assisting in economic help to the poorer countries, welcoming of many refugees, etc. Many times, we have seen America change the course of world history because of the power it holds. America’s role is not only political and economic but goes as far as cultural. Americanization is portrayed everywhere in media, technology, cuisine, literature, music, and art outside of the United States. Moreover, the English language serves as a common communication tool for people worldwide.

However, Crevecoeur failed in a few ways to define what a true American is. Americans of all races and cultures have helped build this country and write its history. Crevecoeur describes Americans as “a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans, and Swedes” (Crevecoeur) not including Africans or Native Americans which contributed to making America what it is today (Torres). After all, the Natives were here before the Europeans colonized the “New World” destroying almost everything they found to create their own rules. Native Americans were a well-established society with cultures and languages that were assimilated by Europeans. Crevecoeur denies their existence and leads the audience to believe that America was discovered by Europeans and inherited only European culture. Furthermore, Crevecoeur does not include Africans in his writings making the so-called freedom that he prolongs to talk about questionable. Africans were slaves in the fields owned by Europeans, and they did not benefit from the opportunities the New Land had to offer. Neither of these groups was able to live the “American Dream” but instead were oppressed and forced to live under the rules of their colonizers. Crevecoeur goes on to describe America as “the most perfect” (Crevecoeur), but who does that really apply to? It was only Europeans who were in power and decided the fate of everyone else in the country. To this day, people continue to be discriminated against by their race and culture, so the perfection Crevecoeur talks about is out of the equation, but instead, more work is to be done to represent Americans as the united population claimed to be.

In conclusion, being a good American is a source of pride and unity. As an American one is given many opportunities to succeed no matter where they come from. An American is able to get what they want through hard work and determination. It is a land where everything is possible as long as one sets their mind to it. Being an American means being a product of immigration, in a land where foreigners helped built the country into what is it today. People coming from almost every country on the planet, pledge their allegiance to the flag, reciting the oath learned by heart, hand on heart, eyes closed. The explosion of joy and emotions that conclude are not improper: becoming an American is synonymous with being part of a great nation where the individual is free. An American holds a chance at a new and better life different from the past. Furthermore, being an American comes with great responsibility. As one of the greatest countries in the world, Americans possess the power to influence not only the environment they are from but the whole world. Cordova gave a good sense of what it means to be an American but didn’t mention Africans and Natives which are a big part of the country’s history. Minorities are as important to the definition of being an American as Europeans are. Being a minority should not make one feel less American, but instead, it should be something that we talk more about and educate future generations on, to prevent further social issues from happening. In this land, we are all equal and it is impossible to understand the sense of being an American without first telling the real story of the men and women of this country.

How do you identify yourself? People can identify themselves as an individual or by their ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation. If it derives from race, then it is more likely a person will include their culture and prioritize their traditional values. However, have you ever thought how American TV shows can develop the identity of an American? After viewers continue watching tv shows which portray patterns of stereotypes, an individual can then raise a perspective toward individuals. According to “The Cultivation of Social Perception of Latinos: A Mental Models Approach”, individuals will then be accumulating opinions and will, therefore, be able to set a certain view toward people of multiple cultures (Mastro 361). While some scholars critique the way shows like Jane the Virgin and Fresh off the Boat appeal to audiences’ preconceived notions of race, shows in this canon challenge stereotypes of immigrants by shifting a lens that all immigrants are unsuccessful, by bringing representation of multiple identities, and by using comedy.

Jane the Virgin is an American dramedy/telenovela series focusing on an all Latina female family middle class. Xiomara, Jane’s mother, and Alba, her grandmother, raise Jane Villanueva, encouraging her to become, “in touch with her American and Venezuelan cultures” (Espinosa 1). The viewers can witness a different cultural pattern through the television series format. Jane the Virgin (JTV) mainstreams elements such as adapting television formats, sparking a trend on attracting a Latino audience, and following cultural value presented in previous shows.

Fresh off the Boat is based on Eddie Huang’s life during the 1990s, where his family is starting to adjust to Orlando, Florida. The Asian-American family embraces the American Dream through obstacles concerning their culture and a new adapting culture. Cassie Hermansson states how his sitcom series format enables the viewers to know “what it was like to grow up as a Chinese American . . . and he writes to resist the ‘model minority myth’ that is imposed on him and other Asian Americans” (Hermansson 246). Eddie Huang, producer of Fresh off the Boat, incorporates his experiences facing racial stereotypes and additional circumstances that were significant for people to view in another perspective the challenges ethnic individuals encounter daily.

Jane the Virgin challenges a develop perception where a Latino community is not able to succeed in a highly rewarding lifestyle. Jane Villanueva is a hard-working, Catholic young Latina who attends college and becomes a published novel writer. Although Jane works as a waitress, which is a common job for Latinas, she manages to attend college and independently pay her school expenses. According to Production Coordinator Caroline Grell’s research, “In addition to waitress roles, other Latinos are depicted in the show as wealthy hotel owners, singers, healthcare workers, professors, scientists, attorneys, telenovela stars, or doctors; this helps break the illusion that Latinos are only capable of obtaining low-status jobs” (Grell 39). Grell, in other words, affirms how JTV (Jane the Virgin) challenges the stereotype of Latinos, limiting themselves to work as janitors, maids, or waitresses. With this illusion breaking, young racial minorities can become empowered and aspire to become professionals in various career fields. On that same note, viewers who think they have a preconceived notion of races can change to believe and accept people’s possibility of following any profession without regarding their ethnicity.

Fresh off the Boat shows another example of how immigrant families encounter complex situations to survive in another country yet manage to overachieve. This American tv show sitcom embodies racial and cultural stereotypes that challenge and represent real based circumstances of families fitting into a new lifestyle. Although the Huang family faces financial and underlying racism when assimilating into a new white-dominated neighborhood, they manage to defend themselves and look forward to positiveness. In Fresh Off the Boat’s Battle with Stereotypes and Sitcoms, Ruthie LaMay mentions, “As the Huangs leave the school Jessica says to her son, “I will never be mad at you for standing up for yourself” (LaMay 2019). This quotation is famous because it indicates how Jessica’s attitude prevents their family from feeling worthless. By Jessica standing up for his son, it also means that Huang’s family bond is more robust, thus showing even though they are in a white-dominated community who approach them differently, the Huangs will not be easily belittled. Representing a voice for others suggests a characteristic of a leader and a meticulous person. Louis Huang’s Cattleman’s Ranch Steakhouse is an American Western-themed restaurant founded by Louis Huang. Although Jessica did not approve of this business as they were not making any profit, he held to his American Dream and continued finding ways to promote his business to the community. In Fresh Off the Boat wiki, the author states the business status over episodes, mainly focusing on the restaurant. Starting with the first episode of FOTB called Pilot, the restaurant was not successful as less than ten customers would show up. In “Home Sweet Home School,” the restaurant continued achieving a small profit. However, the situation drifted in “Persistent Romeo” when customers started arriving, thus sparking a positive issue of setting up waiting lists (Fresh off the Boat Wiki 2015). The process of developing a business and starting from scratch in a different community has its effects. Still, with Louis’s determination, it proved how this Asian-American family could successfully call the restaurant an accomplishment, also symbolizing fresh beginnings. FOTB once again challenges how immigrant families can make the most out of their lives if purposely setting a plan with consistent determination.

American shows are progressing to include multiple identities and cultures and expanding representation of Americans with various ethnicities, such as in Jane the Virgin. Jane the Virgin became a popular Tv show streaming in Netflix with an average audience rating summary of 4.9 out of 5 stars. The first chapter of Jane the Virgin aired in 2014 but steadily increased its fame for the next two years. According to The Portrayal of Racial Minorities on Prime Time Television, Mastro states, “Latinos made up 11% of the U.S population back in 1996; however, after the research rendered results, it turned out that Latinos only made 3% of the TV character representations” (Mastro & Greenberg 2000). This research proves how twenty- four years ago, with a large quantity of Latinos being consumers and participating in watching television, there was a small portion of Latino representation in film. Mastro’s research indicates a starting point proving how Latino representation has been increasing after the year 2000. In Race and Representation on Tv: The Influence of Tv Status on Latino Identities, Gonzales mentions, “This has become their target audience because perhaps this is what an American is seen to be, White and having a moderate to high flow of income” (Gonzalez 2017). With a small percentage of minority depiction in film, Gonzales believes since there is white presentation with high incomes, the viewers should build an understanding of the ideal American image. Gonzalez’s image of an American identity should let readers and viewers think otherwise and stand for multiple cultural representations. In Latinos in Film: Erasure on Screen and Behind the Camera Across 1200 Popular Movies, there is research from graphs stating how the percentage of Latino characters are less than 10 percent over the years from 2007 through 2018 (Lopez 2019).

In Fresh of the Boat, an Asian community is represented by the family whose lives are primarily focused on this sitcom. In this present time, there have been numerous movies and tv shows such as Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh off the Boat, where the central portrayal is of Asians. According to Asian Representation in Hollywood, “The Joy Luck Club, directed by Amy Tan in 1993, held the position of first Asian American movie for 25 years” (Tartan 2019). The Joy Luck Club movie is a powerful first move for the Asian American community because it indicates a realization for the representation of color. In the year of 2018, Asian American representation in films was over the top as the film Bao streamed and later with Crazy Rich Asians, All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and then Always Be My Maybe (Tartan 2019). This thus proves how films can become famous if there is more color representation in media.

Jane the Virgin utilizes comedy to challenge and represent racial stereotypes of people of color. In this American dramedy, there are certain parts of an episode that withdraws a viewer to feel emotional and balances it with comedy. This balance indicates a higher flow of events and circumstances where viewers will comprehend the message in a more manageable format. An example of how this dramedy has used humor to present a message is by tackling an immigration issue with Alba, Jane’s grandmother. In Jane the Virgin Defies Stereotypes, Tackles Immigration Reform, Goldstein states, “Jane always uses typing on the screen as a way to add humor, backstory, and commentary on the action, and during this scene, the text read: “Yes, this really happens. Look it up #immigration reform” (Goldstein 2015). Jessica Goldstein mentions how in episode ten, Alba was hospitalized, and since she is not a legal citizen, she does not have insurance to pay the medical bills, therefore tackling a deportation issue in her case. With this significant issue going on, the narrator intervenes by adding comments and hashtags to supply another perspective on its viewers.

In Fresh Off the Boat, this sitcom enlightens stereotypes through comedy. An essential method for the audience to acknowledge any film is with comedy. Comedy is frequently used so an audience can capture messages and information, especially with a modern viewer who relate anything to a fun concept. Melvin Mar, who is the producer for the ABC comedy series Fresh off the Boat, mentions how along with other producers, they thought of portraying the Loong Duc Dong. According to What’s So Cringeworthy About Long Duk Dong in Sixteen Candles?, the stereotype Long Duk Dong portrays is “the socially inept mute; the lecherous but sexually inept loser” (Chow 2015). Since it provides comic relief, Melvin Mar decides to imply that stereotype on Fresh off the Boat in order to ensure the audience follows with a realization of the portrayal of stereotype in a humorous form. This stereotype feminizes Asian American men, and for some reason, the audience is to laugh. An additional example happens in an episode named “Driver’s Eddie.” According to See Fresh off the Boat tackle Asian driver stereotype, Louis teaches Eddie how to drive before being assumed he caused a car accident because of his race. Dan Snierson states, “Louis tells Jessica that he forgot about the stereotype and she quickly reminds him that he has mined comedy from it, “it’s okay Louis, we can joke about it. We’re Asian” (Snierson, 2018). This indicates how Jessica decides to intervene in joking about a stereotype because of their race.

Sitcom series such as Jane the Virgin and Fresh off the Boat challenge viewer’s perspective of multiple races by representing both positive and negative sides on the life of individuals, bringing the equal representation of cultures and utilizing comedy to direct messages. Viewers need to understand their culture and respect others; thus, these shows portray some certain situations viewers will comprehend to shift their perspective towards American citizens with diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Work Cited

1. “Asian Representation in Hollywood.” The Tartan, 15 Sept. 2019, thetartan.org/2019/9/16/pillbox/asianlens.
2. Chow, Kat. “What’s So ‘Cringeworthy’ About Long Duk Dong in ‘Sixteen Candles’?” NPR, NPR, 6 Feb. 2015, www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/06/384307677/whats-so-cringe-worthy-about-long-duk-dong-in-sixteen-candles.
3. Espinosa, Cristine, and Whitney Pisani. ‘Latino Representation in Television Exemplified in​ Jane the Virgin.’ (2017).
4. Center for Media & Social Impact. “How ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ Is Using Humor and Wit to Battle Universal Themes Like Race And Identity.” Medium, The Laughter Effect, 21 Aug. 2018, thelaughtereffect.com/how-fresh-off-the-boat-is-using-humor-and-wit-to-battle-universal-themes-like-race-and-identity-fa2369928a2e.
5. Galarza, Litzy. RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY: CONSTRUCTIONS OF LATINIDAD IN JANE THE VIRGIN. 2016, mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/60455/research.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y
6. Grell, Caroline. ‘The Fight for Equality: The Role of Latino Stereotypes in Jane the Virgin.’ Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications 8 (2017): 35-43 https://www.elon.edu/docs/e web/academics/communications/research/vol8no1/04_Caroline_Grell.pdf
7. “Louis Huang’s Cattleman’s Ranch Steakhouse.” Fresh off the Boat Wiki, freshofftheboat.fandom.com/wiki/Louis_Huang’s_Cattleman’s_Ranch_Steakhouse.
8. (PDF) Latina Girls Speak Out: Stereotypes, Gender and Relationship Dynamics. www.researchgate.net/publication/269285914_Latina_Girls_Speak_Out_Stereotypes_Gender_and_Relationship_Dynamics.
9. Pinon, Juan. “Jane the Virgin.” ReVista, revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/jane-virgin
10. Productions, Red Summit. “Fresh Off the Boat’s Battle with Stereotypes and Sitcoms.” Medium, Medium, 18 Apr. 2019, medium.com/@RedSummitProductions/fresh-off-the-boats-battle-with-stereotypes-and-sitcoms-9b4299dfc29.
11. “Racial Stereotypes in the Media.” Films Media Group, 2008, digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=105099&xtid=37006. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020. Minute 29:38- 30:18.
12. Ryan, Maureen. “’Jane the Virgin’ Finds the Comedy in Tragedy, and Vice Versa.” Variety, Variety, 24 Mar. 2018, variety.com/2018/tv/columns/jane-the-virgin-chapter-seventy-eight-xiomara-diagnosis-cancer-rogelio-1202735222/.
13. Twitter, Jessica M. Goldstein. “’Jane The Virgin’ Defies Stereotypes, Tackles Immigration Reform.” ThinkProgress, 21 Jan. 2015, thinkprogress.org/jane-the-virgin-defies-stereotypes-tackles-immigration-reform-76300822d7b1/. (Include Mastro 361 citation)

Introduction:

Life has a way of presenting unexpected turns and challenges that force us to confront ourselves and our place in the world. In the essay “How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction,” the author takes us on a narrative journey through their experiences in a correctional facility. This essay explores the personal transformation and self-discovery that occurred during their time in confinement, highlighting the power of reflection and introspection in the face of adversity.

The Unsettling Reality of Confinement:

As the author enters the Detroit House of Correction, they are confronted with the harsh reality of confinement. The stark environment, strict routines, and loss of personal freedom initially leave them feeling disoriented and disconnected from the world outside. However, amidst the challenging circumstances, the author finds solace in the opportunity for introspection and self-exploration.

Moments of Reflection and Contemplation:

In the solitude of their cell, the author engages in deep introspection, reflecting on their past choices, relationships, and the societal factors that led them to their current situation. Removed from the distractions of the outside world, they begin to question their values, beliefs, and the meaning of life itself. This period of contemplation becomes a catalyst for personal growth and self-awareness.

Rediscovering the Power of Perspective:

Through the author’s narrative, we witness their evolving perspective on life. They recognize the limitations of their previous mindset and embrace new ways of seeing the world. They gain a heightened appreciation for the simple joys of life, such as the warmth of the sun on their skin or the beauty of a passing bird. The experience of confinement enables them to reevaluate their priorities and find value in the small moments that had previously gone unnoticed.

Connecting with Others in Unexpected Ways:

Despite the physical isolation, the author discovers a sense of connection with fellow inmates. Through conversations and shared experiences, they learn about the diverse backgrounds and life stories of their companions. These interactions challenge their preconceived notions and foster empathy and understanding. The author realizes that beneath the surface, everyone has a unique journey, struggles, and aspirations.

Confronting Personal Responsibility:

In their contemplative state, the author confronts their own responsibility for their actions and choices. They acknowledge the consequences of their past behaviors and begin to take ownership of their future. This newfound sense of accountability sparks a desire for personal growth, learning, and self-improvement. They recognize that change begins from within and resolve to make positive choices moving forward.

Embracing the Power of Forgiveness and Redemption:

As the author reflects on their past mistakes, they confront the need for forgiveness, both from others and themselves. They recognize that true growth and transformation require letting go of resentment and embracing the possibility of redemption. This journey of self-forgiveness and acceptance becomes an essential part of their personal evolution.

Conclusion:

In “How I Contemplated the World from the Detroit House of Correction,” the author takes us on a transformative journey of self-discovery and reflection. Through the confines of their confinement, they find freedom in exploring the depths of their thoughts, reevaluating their perspectives, and embracing personal responsibility. The essay serves as a reminder that even in the most challenging circumstances, there is potential for personal growth, redemption, and the rediscovery of our place in the world.