The word “American” is literally defined as, “a native or citizen of the United States.” While this definition is true, it is overly broad, and does not fully address what an “American” is. In the US, there are many races, religions, and political views, but people’s unalienable rights help citizens come together as a nation. To be an American means to have equality, to know the government counts their votes, and to have safety and security. A huge part of being an American, is the idea that everyone is equal, and one person has the same freedoms as the next. In Walt Whitman’s poem, ‘I hear America Singing’, he uses many metaphors such as, “The carpenter singing as he measures his plank” and “The mason singing as he makes ready for work”. These people have the freedom to choose their job, and pursue happiness. They are not actually singing, but the sounds that come from their jobs collectively come together to create one ‘melodious song’. In response …show more content…
In Barack Obama’s speech on Wednesday, June 25, 2008, he stated, “It’s the idea that we can tuck our children in at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm”. This quote is explaining how compared to other countries, America has laws, and law enforcement to keep innocent families safe from everyday harm. This means that people can feel safe when participating in political processes, and not fear getting harmed for something like casting a ballot for a specific president. Obama uses the Zimbabwe elections as an example of how the US has more protection than most countries. He states, “For weeks, the opposition party and it's supporters have been silently hunted, tortured, and killed.” In other countries, like Zimbabwe, people can’t even express their opinion without sometimes lethal consequences. In America, citizens aren’t very concerned for expressing opinions, because they have protection that the government