Logan Dimond
Mrs. Lemann
English 1-3
2 October 2019
Ideal American Qualities
Are the American values equality, unity, and patriotism important to you? Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both thought they were crucial to the success to our nation. This paper will show Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s similar and different viewpoints on equality, unity, and patriotism from their works “A Quilt of a Country” and the “Gettysburg Address.” The first point to consider is equality.
Quindlen and Lincoln both talk about equality. Both authors agree that equality is worth striving for even though we don’t have it yet. Quindlen explains that our nation has held onto the value of equality since its creation. She writes, “America... is held together by the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Here Quindlen highlights the value of equality, not only as something we should fight for, but also as a value that has held our nation together. Although both authors value equality, Quindlen points to the cultural differences while Lincoln faced the much more severe slavery issues of his time. Lincoln, like Quindlen, saw the inequalities in the way people in our country are treated, but he fought a civil war to free slaves. In his speech, he says, “We here highly resolve that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln wanted equality to keep our nation together, but he didn’t see the fruits of his labor. Quindlen and Lincoln both recognize the value of equality, but they saw it in different ways. Both recognized its potential and pitfalls as a national value, and both argue that it is something the United States needs to continue to work for, just like unity.
Lincoln and Quindlen both think that unity is a quality worth fighting for. They also agree that it is very difficult. Quindlen explains that the United States are in fact united, even though it is difficult to achieve. Quindlen says, “Amid all the failures is something spectacularly successful” (Quindlen 4). She is trying to explain to us that we fail many times at unity, but somehow, we manage to achieve it. While the authors agree that unity is a critical, difficult ideal of or nation, they see unity in different ways. Quindlen’s focus is on unifying the diverse cultures in our country on a social level, while Lincoln’s priority was unifying America politically. Lincoln therefore is trying to unite the government during the Civil War. Lincoln says, “That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln’s concept of unity was uniting the government and keeping the nation from splitting apart, while Quindlen’s focus is on the social more racial side of things. Unity, according to both authors, is difficult to achieve. The authors see unity differently because of the times in which they lived, but they both see its value, nonetheless. Among equality and unity, there is one other quality the United States needs in order to keep working. That last thing is patriotism.
Both Lincoln and Quindlen agree that patriotism is having pride in America, flaws and all. They also see the importance of national pride in keeping the country united. Quindlen believes that patriotism is taking pride in our mix of blended cultures, all under the same name. Quindlen says, “But patriotism us partly taking pride in this unlikely ability to throw all of us together in a country that across its length and breadth is as different as a dozen countries, and still be able to call it by one name” (Quindlen 6). Quindlen recognizes that patriotism requires U.S. citizens to be proud of the fact that we are diverse and united. Lincoln was proud of America, too, but what he need from citizens was devotion. Following the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln said, “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live” (Lincoln 27). Lincoln sees patriotism as being willing to sacrifice for your country. In both cases, patriotism was necessary for unity.
Quindlen’s Essay “A Quilt of a Country” and Lincoln’s speech the “Gettysburg Address” addresses the topics of equality, unity, and patriotism in ways that are alike, and unlike. Both authors saw equality as an important ideal, but their struggles to attain it were different. Each of the authors wanted unity for different reasons. Both Lincoln and Quindlen are patriots, but they show their loyalty to America in their own ways. Considering all of this, what do you think the role of equality, unity, and patriotism mean in the United States of America?
Works Cited Page
Lincoln, Abraham. “Gettysburg Address.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L.
McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 pp. 27-28.
Quindlen, Anna. “A Quilt of a Country.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L.
McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 pp. 3-6.
Compare and Contrast Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
We read various articles and a speech about American qualities. We took disscussed and took notes on the article. As a class, we followed an outline and wrote down our main points and filled in our evidence accordingly. We put all of this in a paper.
2. What qualifies this paper as a compare and contrast essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
This is a compare and contrast essay because it show the similarities and differences of two people's veiwpoints on unity, equality, and patriotism. We provided quotes and evidence according to the different points. We then showed how they were alike and how they were different.
3. Tell me about one challenge you faced writing this paper and how you overcame it.
One of the things that I found was harder for this paper was the explaining of the quotes. With some work and some listening to Ms. Lehmann, I was able to get it done and get a good grade on it.
Mrs. Lemann
English 1-3
2 October 2019
Ideal American Qualities
Are the American values equality, unity, and patriotism important to you? Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both thought they were crucial to the success to our nation. This paper will show Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s similar and different viewpoints on equality, unity, and patriotism from their works “A Quilt of a Country” and the “Gettysburg Address.” The first point to consider is equality.
Quindlen and Lincoln both talk about equality. Both authors agree that equality is worth striving for even though we don’t have it yet. Quindlen explains that our nation has held onto the value of equality since its creation. She writes, “America... is held together by the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Here Quindlen highlights the value of equality, not only as something we should fight for, but also as a value that has held our nation together. Although both authors value equality, Quindlen points to the cultural differences while Lincoln faced the much more severe slavery issues of his time. Lincoln, like Quindlen, saw the inequalities in the way people in our country are treated, but he fought a civil war to free slaves. In his speech, he says, “We here highly resolve that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln wanted equality to keep our nation together, but he didn’t see the fruits of his labor. Quindlen and Lincoln both recognize the value of equality, but they saw it in different ways. Both recognized its potential and pitfalls as a national value, and both argue that it is something the United States needs to continue to work for, just like unity.
Lincoln and Quindlen both think that unity is a quality worth fighting for. They also agree that it is very difficult. Quindlen explains that the United States are in fact united, even though it is difficult to achieve. Quindlen says, “Amid all the failures is something spectacularly successful” (Quindlen 4). She is trying to explain to us that we fail many times at unity, but somehow, we manage to achieve it. While the authors agree that unity is a critical, difficult ideal of or nation, they see unity in different ways. Quindlen’s focus is on unifying the diverse cultures in our country on a social level, while Lincoln’s priority was unifying America politically. Lincoln therefore is trying to unite the government during the Civil War. Lincoln says, “That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln’s concept of unity was uniting the government and keeping the nation from splitting apart, while Quindlen’s focus is on the social more racial side of things. Unity, according to both authors, is difficult to achieve. The authors see unity differently because of the times in which they lived, but they both see its value, nonetheless. Among equality and unity, there is one other quality the United States needs in order to keep working. That last thing is patriotism.
Both Lincoln and Quindlen agree that patriotism is having pride in America, flaws and all. They also see the importance of national pride in keeping the country united. Quindlen believes that patriotism is taking pride in our mix of blended cultures, all under the same name. Quindlen says, “But patriotism us partly taking pride in this unlikely ability to throw all of us together in a country that across its length and breadth is as different as a dozen countries, and still be able to call it by one name” (Quindlen 6). Quindlen recognizes that patriotism requires U.S. citizens to be proud of the fact that we are diverse and united. Lincoln was proud of America, too, but what he need from citizens was devotion. Following the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln said, “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live” (Lincoln 27). Lincoln sees patriotism as being willing to sacrifice for your country. In both cases, patriotism was necessary for unity.
Quindlen’s Essay “A Quilt of a Country” and Lincoln’s speech the “Gettysburg Address” addresses the topics of equality, unity, and patriotism in ways that are alike, and unlike. Both authors saw equality as an important ideal, but their struggles to attain it were different. Each of the authors wanted unity for different reasons. Both Lincoln and Quindlen are patriots, but they show their loyalty to America in their own ways. Considering all of this, what do you think the role of equality, unity, and patriotism mean in the United States of America?
Works Cited Page
Lincoln, Abraham. “Gettysburg Address.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L.
McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 pp. 27-28.
Quindlen, Anna. “A Quilt of a Country.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L.
McBride, Erik Palmer, and Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017 pp. 3-6.
Compare and Contrast Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
We read various articles and a speech about American qualities. We took disscussed and took notes on the article. As a class, we followed an outline and wrote down our main points and filled in our evidence accordingly. We put all of this in a paper.
2. What qualifies this paper as a compare and contrast essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
This is a compare and contrast essay because it show the similarities and differences of two people's veiwpoints on unity, equality, and patriotism. We provided quotes and evidence according to the different points. We then showed how they were alike and how they were different.
3. Tell me about one challenge you faced writing this paper and how you overcame it.
One of the things that I found was harder for this paper was the explaining of the quotes. With some work and some listening to Ms. Lehmann, I was able to get it done and get a good grade on it.