What Is The Central Idea Of Anna Quindlen A Quilt Of A Country

What ideas and issues bring us together like a family that can be broken through dispute? Anna Quindlen’s A Quilt of a Country describes the United States as a broken yet unified nation that is built of many different parts and bits of the world and all its nations. Quindlen uses symbolism with the symbol of a discordant quilt to develop her central idea of “America [being and] is an improbable idea”(Quindlen pg.3). Discordant as we are, America will always have its issues but we will remain fractured and unified. Quindlens use of symbolism helps develop her thoughts of America and its people being represented by a discordant quilt. As and example the text states, “The United States was built in nobody’s image…That’s because it was built of bits and pieces that seem discordant”(Quindlen pg.3). This demonstrates that our nation isn't harmonious and we aren’t meant to follow one way of life but instead we continue as a country built up of pieces of other backgrounds that makes us similar to a discordant quilt.

As shown in the text it states, “Children learn… of the lynching of blacks, the denial of rights to women, [and also] the murders of gay men”(Quindlen pg.4). This proves that everyone doesn't see eye to eye and because of this flaw in America we discriminate towards others who believe in there being another side of the argument. To add on to this example of discrimination the text also states, “Jewish boys would walk several blocks out of their way to avoid the Irish divide”(Quindlen pg.4). This relates to idea of the discrimination on blacks, women, and gay because it provides proof on how two different sets of people and ideas can’t see eye to eye, in this case the Jewish boys, would go out of their way in order to avoid and not have issues with the other