American Literature Ethos

What really is American Literature? For some, American Literature is Literature of America and that’s all it is. But for me, American Literature is my history and my past. It represents where my ancestor and I came from. But it also shows what America is and how we are as a country. To me, a good piece of American Literature is the feeling it gives someone when they read it. It gives them an idea of our voice in the country and how powerful just words can be. I, myself, get strength and power, reading a real piece of American Literature. As a citizen of the United States of America, I believe a good piece of American Literature is how the piece is written and how it shows off our country. I do believe that for some, America is weak and powerless.

Quoted by himself in the “Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson says “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” But what exactly does that mean? To me, he is saying that all men are created no matter the color of their skin, their religion or sex. That we are all given the chance to pursue what makes us happy and give us a comfort that we don’t have to be afraid to be ourselves. This gives us citizens an understanding of our place in American and gives us the strength to believe in the impossible. It gives us hope and acceptance to be ourselves. But is it just for those who live in American, or can it be to others outside of our country? With me, I believe that Thomas Jefferson was trying to say that all men are created equal and this applies to everyone. That even if someone lives in another country, they are still are created equal. That one doesn’t need to live in America to still be treated equal (Jefferson

She writes about the story of Pocahontas and what it was more like rather then how it is told in the disney movie. She writes “the beginning during Pocahontas’s lifetime, when she was living proof that American natives could be Christianized and civilized.” And my reason for choosing this work is because it is american literature yet it isn’t. To me this is a piece of american literature because of the story. A young woman helps her people and shows what this new world has to give others. This was the starting of the america we know of today. Her story is our past and our beginning. I mean where would we be if we didn’t found new worlds. This story is our history and this is why I choose this work. Not because of the love story but the history of it (Jackson