Camden Balls
Ms. Lehman
English 1-1A
10 October 2019
The American Dream
Julian Castro once said, “In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.” Throughout American history, the struggles to attain an equal, united nation have been passed on. This essay will compare and contrast how Anna Quindlen’s “A Quilt of a Country” and Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” treat the issues of equality, unity, and patriotism in their visions of the American dream. Equality is the first ideal both authors discuss.
Quindlen and Lincoln both discuss equality in their works. Both authors agree that equality is an ideal worth striving for even though we have not yet achieved it in our nation. Quindlen explains that our nation has held onto the value of equality since its creation. “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. Quindlen also saw the difficulty in attaining equality, though. Quindlen points to cultural inequalities in our nation, but Lincoln faced much more severe issues surrounding slavery. 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. Both authors value unity as well as equality.
Lincoln and Quindlen both believed that unity was very important for our nation, but that it is hard to achieve. Quindlen knows unity is important and that we often fail to achieve it. She writes, “This is a nation founded on a conundrum, what Mario Cuomo has characterized as ‘community added to individualism.’ These two are our defining ideals; they are also in constant conflict” (Quindlen 4). Quindlen is saying that the U.S. values unity, but we also value individualism, which doesn’t always align with unity. Quindlen urges readers to keep trying for unity anyway. While Quindlen wanted the country more united socially, Lincoln was trying to put the U.S. back together after the south seceded during the civil war. Quindlen notices that the nation came together after 9-11, but Lincoln saw the country divide over the issue of slavery. Lincoln urges people to make sure the “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln wanted to reunite the government so we would remain one united nation. Both Quindlen and Lincoln wanted to unite the US, but they sought for different kinds of unity. Both authors also introduce the value of patriotism.
For both Quindlen and Lincoln, patriotism requires pride in America. Quindlen says patriotism means being proud of our one country because of the diversity and uncommon variety of cultures, races, and opinions. She writes, “But patriotism is 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 on name” (Quindlen 6). Quindlen defines patriotism as pride in our struggle to stay together despite our differences. Quindlen’s definition of patriotism doesn’t require as much sacrifice as Lincoln’s. Lincoln needed more than pride, he needed devotion to the nation. At the dedication of the National Cemetery, 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’s definition of patriotism was being devoted enough to fight for, or even die for, your nation. Both authors agree that patriotism requires pride, though Lincoln also wanted devotion.
Equality, unity, and patriotism are all ideals that Quindlen and Lincoln share, though they value them in different ways. Quindlen and Lincoln agreed that equality is something that the US needs to work on and even though they believed that for different reasons. They believed that the US had to stay unified through tragedies, but Quindlen points to more social unity, while Lincoln points to political unity. Both authors agree that patriotism is necessary for the nation, but Quindlen believed patriotism was just pride in our nation’s diversity, while Lincoln believed it was devotion. So, as Julian Castro said, the American dream will take generations to achieve and we will only get closer to our goals, just like a relay.
Works Cited Page
Lincoln, Abraham. “The 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.
As a class we started by reading Anna Quindlen's argument "A Quilt of a Country" and Abraham Lincoln's speech "The Gettysburg Address." After we finished reading, we took notes and discussed what we learned as a class. Then, we put all of them into a compare and contrast essay. When we finished we turned them in for revision. When we received our papers we edited them again.
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 has similarities and differences of two different authors works. The requirements are similarities, differences, and evidence. I met these requirements by comparing and contrasting Quindlen's "A Quilt of a Country" and Lincoln's "The Gettysburg Address."
3. Tell me about one challenge you faced writing this paper and how you overcame it.
One challenge I faced was writing the essay. It was hard for me to put all the information into a paper. I overcame it by asking questions and trying different methods of writing.
Ms. Lehman
English 1-1A
10 October 2019
The American Dream
Julian Castro once said, “In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don’t always cross the finish line in the span of one generation. But each generation passes on to the next the fruits of their labor.” Throughout American history, the struggles to attain an equal, united nation have been passed on. This essay will compare and contrast how Anna Quindlen’s “A Quilt of a Country” and Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” treat the issues of equality, unity, and patriotism in their visions of the American dream. Equality is the first ideal both authors discuss.
Quindlen and Lincoln both discuss equality in their works. Both authors agree that equality is an ideal worth striving for even though we have not yet achieved it in our nation. Quindlen explains that our nation has held onto the value of equality since its creation. “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. Quindlen also saw the difficulty in attaining equality, though. Quindlen points to cultural inequalities in our nation, but Lincoln faced much more severe issues surrounding slavery. 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. Both authors value unity as well as equality.
Lincoln and Quindlen both believed that unity was very important for our nation, but that it is hard to achieve. Quindlen knows unity is important and that we often fail to achieve it. She writes, “This is a nation founded on a conundrum, what Mario Cuomo has characterized as ‘community added to individualism.’ These two are our defining ideals; they are also in constant conflict” (Quindlen 4). Quindlen is saying that the U.S. values unity, but we also value individualism, which doesn’t always align with unity. Quindlen urges readers to keep trying for unity anyway. While Quindlen wanted the country more united socially, Lincoln was trying to put the U.S. back together after the south seceded during the civil war. Quindlen notices that the nation came together after 9-11, but Lincoln saw the country divide over the issue of slavery. Lincoln urges people to make sure the “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln wanted to reunite the government so we would remain one united nation. Both Quindlen and Lincoln wanted to unite the US, but they sought for different kinds of unity. Both authors also introduce the value of patriotism.
For both Quindlen and Lincoln, patriotism requires pride in America. Quindlen says patriotism means being proud of our one country because of the diversity and uncommon variety of cultures, races, and opinions. She writes, “But patriotism is 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 on name” (Quindlen 6). Quindlen defines patriotism as pride in our struggle to stay together despite our differences. Quindlen’s definition of patriotism doesn’t require as much sacrifice as Lincoln’s. Lincoln needed more than pride, he needed devotion to the nation. At the dedication of the National Cemetery, 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’s definition of patriotism was being devoted enough to fight for, or even die for, your nation. Both authors agree that patriotism requires pride, though Lincoln also wanted devotion.
Equality, unity, and patriotism are all ideals that Quindlen and Lincoln share, though they value them in different ways. Quindlen and Lincoln agreed that equality is something that the US needs to work on and even though they believed that for different reasons. They believed that the US had to stay unified through tragedies, but Quindlen points to more social unity, while Lincoln points to political unity. Both authors agree that patriotism is necessary for the nation, but Quindlen believed patriotism was just pride in our nation’s diversity, while Lincoln believed it was devotion. So, as Julian Castro said, the American dream will take generations to achieve and we will only get closer to our goals, just like a relay.
Works Cited Page
Lincoln, Abraham. “The 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.
As a class we started by reading Anna Quindlen's argument "A Quilt of a Country" and Abraham Lincoln's speech "The Gettysburg Address." After we finished reading, we took notes and discussed what we learned as a class. Then, we put all of them into a compare and contrast essay. When we finished we turned them in for revision. When we received our papers we edited them again.
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 has similarities and differences of two different authors works. The requirements are similarities, differences, and evidence. I met these requirements by comparing and contrasting Quindlen's "A Quilt of a Country" and Lincoln's "The Gettysburg Address."
3. Tell me about one challenge you faced writing this paper and how you overcame it.
One challenge I faced was writing the essay. It was hard for me to put all the information into a paper. I overcame it by asking questions and trying different methods of writing.