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Importance of unity in diversity Essay
Importance of unity in diversity essay 200 words
Why unity in diversity is important
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Unity Amongst Tragedy The world is a vast and deep pool of people who vary in just about every detail, from their background, to their religion, and their ethnicity. Across the globe, insights, thoughts, and opinions differ and in as many ways as the people do. The differences in each individual is what makes them unique. Through this diversity, humans can find common ground in order to collaborate. Two texts from this unit exemplify the need to connect with one another and find common ground. In Anna Quindlen’s argumentative article “A Quilt of a Country”, Quindlen argues that despite the odds of America’s conflicting nature as a nation, it is able to unify the variety of people within itself. In addition, Abraham Lincoln urges the North …show more content…
and South to reunite as a country and demonstrates so in his speech, “The Gettysburg Address”. Both of these texts favor in humans cooperating with one another. Therefore individuals are able to come together as a society despite the tragedies that befall them. Anna Quindlen in her argumentative essay, “A Quilt of a Country”, argues that America is an unlikely assemblement of unity despite the diversity between the people across the nation.
Quindlen states, “These are representatives of a mongrel nation that somehow, at times like this, has one spirit” (Quindlen, 6). This quote clarifies the tragedy of the 9/11 attack wherein terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York City, killing many people. Therefore, this quote is important because the lose of the people greatly affected the nation and despite shaking them, the attack demonstrated the unity of a society in which they come together against those that would do them harm. In addition, Quindlen 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 one name” (Quindlen, 6). This quote illustrates the cooperation between the people of America in spite of their differences. Therefore, this quote is relevant because it shows the unity of the American citizens when disaster strikes their home and they feel a sense of pride to protect their nation. In conclusion, Quindlen persists that America is a dubious concept due to the diversity spread throughout its …show more content…
borders. In addition, Abraham Lincoln prompts the Union and Confederacy to reunite in his speech, “The Gettysburg Address”, wherein he claims that the prospect of harmony is why the Union must continue to fight. Lincoln acknowledges, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure” (Lincoln, 27). This quote describes the Civil War between the Union and the Confederacy over their states’ rights. This quote reinforces the idea of unity amongst tragedy as Lincoln encourages the people to keep fighting in order to reunite the Union and Confederacy as a single nation. Furthermore, Lincoln mentions, “It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced” (Lincoln, 28). This quote reinforces the idea that individuals can be united as a society through the difficulties they face. The significance of this quote is because it demonstrates how humans are able to overcome their hardships as the Union of the divided nation endeavored to reunite with the Confederacy. On a final note, Lincoln conveys the message that individuals can come together despite the odds of hardships and obstacles. On the other hand, some people believe humans cannot live together as one human race.
For instance, during World War II, the Nazis tried to eliminate the Jewish people from their lands and sent the Jewish people to their deaths at concentration camps. Also, another event that occurred during World War II, was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, by the United States, which led to the deaths of many people. The opposing argue that people are not suited to live harmoniously due to the wars that have been fought, disrupting the supposed unity of the people. However, despite the opposition, people are still a united front as seen through the struggles that have been overcome through unifying. Quindlen states, “Terrorism has led to devastation-and unity” (Quindlen, 5). This is true due to the number of times countless communities of people have been faced with a harmful force and had banded together in order to restore order and peace to their societies, such as America after the 9/11 terrorists attacks. It cannot be denied that individuals are able to connect through their
difficulties. In conclusion, humans are able to join together in common ground as seen through the hardships that they overcome. Throughout “A Quilt of a Country” and “The Gettysburg Address” Quindlen and Lincoln both assert that humans can and must form bonds to connect with one another against the common enemy. Quindlen maintains that America’s situation is an “improbable idea” because the unity of the nation is held across a diverse field of people with differences ranging from physical appearances to backgrounds and languages. In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln reasons the North and South must unite when he states, “It is for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us” (Lincoln, 28). Lincoln illustrates that the people need to continue to fight for the unity of their divided nation and reconcile with the South. Both authors help the reader reflect on whether it is possible for people to come together as a single entity. Ultimately, people are able to unite amongst the tragedies they face.
...ce, left to every man or women. The correlations prove to be undeniable. Just as Johnson turned to Rochester and its revival to make sense of the political complexities of that time, so can Americans, to further understand their nation, society and possibly even their personal beliefs. Then, perhaps, Americans can work to diminish this political divide for the generations yet to come.
And to this day, these values hold up and serve as the basis for all aspects of our country, whether it range from politics to social issues. But on September 11, 2001, these fundamental principles that stand for freedom were put into serious jeopardy by maniacal terrorists who refused to accept the progressive role that America played on a global scale. But as America slowly began to recover from this tragedy, the responsibility to lift the American spirit was left to the hands of the politicians who we ironically know to cause so much chaos and bipartisan gridlock. Nonetheless, world leaders such as Rudy Giuliani eased the pain for the American populous in a manner that called for reform in order to prevent an attack like this from ever occurring on American soil. Ultimately, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Rudy Giuliani makes effective use of tone, rhetorical devices, and logical and emotional appeals to soothe the wounds that the
During the Progressive Era, our country was going through many changes and those changes have had numerous effects that are still apparent today. Theodore Roosevelt and Randolph Bourne both had very differing opinions about how citizens should be seen by themselves and their governments. The main difference between Roosevelt’s and Bourne’s theories on citizenship is the amount of domination and empowerment that was posed to the people. Roosevelt had thought that the people of American should only identify as American, even if they were born in another country. Bourne’s opinion was drastically different form Roosevelt’s by believing that the people of America should embrace their own cultures and share it with the rest of the country. Using Randolph Bourne’s “Trans-National America” and Theodore Roosevelt’s “True Americanism” this essay will show that over time Bourne’s idea of empowering the diversity of citizens has been more successful than Roosevelt’s idea of having a society that was more dominated by a the need for everyone to be the same.
“Domestic tranquility”, and “All men created equal”, words used in the preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America, irony at its finest in the period known as the Civil War. One month into the Civil War a black man, Alfred M. Green, gave a speech in Philadelphia to a Union audience about just that. In the oration he urged the African American people, who at this time were not eligible to enlist in the Union army, to fight for domestic harmony and equality. In doing so, Green uses figurative language and strong diction to help garner an emotional appeal, as well as establish a tone of empowerment.
Over the course of centuries, Americans faced many hardships when it came to dealing with the economy and the social and political living. One thing that most really struck these Americans was the Civil War because they became in need for a reason for this war. David Blight, the author of Race and Reunion, argues that there had been two competing interests: healing and justice, in which one of them began to fade away: this is because many Americans had a different perspective of the Civil War, which eventually overpowered justice.
“The United States emerged from a virulent, intense, and inhumane civil war and evolved into a new nation during this period. This transition was the culmination of political, economic, social, and cultural movements which transformed the nation. E Pluribus Unum - out of many United States, one nation; the United States was forged in the cauldron of these revolutions." -Arnold Toynbee, A Study of History
We face different challenges and have different beliefs. While we all share a common appreciation for freedom as Americans, unlike Paine, it is not such concord and agreement alone that makes America unique. Rather, it is the diversity, the discord, that has shaped and shapes America today as the great country Thomas Paine envisioned. If all Americans were completely “brought into cordial unison,” there would be no change, no innovation, no desire nor need for betterment. With everyone in agreement, we would be surpassed by all other nations, as we would be satisfied with the ordinary, not striving for the best. While dissent is a danger to America, causing division and preventing progress, it is discord that fuels innovation and leads to improvement and success. Such discord, that Paine rejected in his vision of America, is one of the defining characteristics of today’s America that makes it a world power today, constantly striving to do
The United States was a recently forged nation state in the early 1800’s. Recently formed, this nation state was very fragile and relied on the loyalty of its citizens to all work collectively toward the establishment and advancement of the nation states. Many members of the nation state gave great sacrifices, often their lives, to see that the united states was a successful and democratic. However, the United States, was fundamentally a mixing pot of all foreign people (excluding marginalized Native Americans). This early 1800 's flow of new “Americans” continued as people sought new opportunities and escaped religious or political persecution and famine. One notable
What is otherness? Otherness is defined as “the quality or fact of being different”. We see this term thrown around, but what does it really mean? In the world we live in today, being viewed as “other” is considered a negative aspect of a person's personality. Through the society that impacts how we see ourselves, the thought of otherness has been constructed based off of a person's social identity. In the essay “Between the Sexes, a Great Divide” author Anna Quindlen states that different genders should not define the social aspect of one another. Similarly, in Paul Theroux’s essay titled, “Being a Man” he acknowledges the fact that in the society we live in, “being a man” is a standard stereotype that men should not compare themselves to in order to be considered “manly”. Both authors identify the problem of gender expectations that results from otherness; however, while theroux makes the divide worse by generalizing with a bitter tone, Quindlen invites everyone to “do the dance” despite the discomfort and awkwardness that might occur between both genders.
She also writes about current issues and groups that still don’t get along with each other, such as the “Cambodians and the Mexicans in California. ”(Quilt pg.4) Anna Quindlen also focused on our country’s diversity, and argues that our diversity is what makes America what it is today. Quilt of a Country and Making the Future Better Together have many big points.
When the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011 rocked New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C., the word “tragedy” was used on a grandiose level around the world. For the people who lived close enough to experience the events first-hand, they may not have even called it a tragedy; perhaps they called it a misfortune, retaliation, lack of a strong government, unreal, or maybe even rebirth. In the coming years after the attacks, everything between standing united as a nation to declaring a war had flourished; but how has that left us - the land that has no distinct ethnicity - feel about each other? Why is it that fear is usually missing in the affective mnemonics of memorial sites, which, after all, are signifiers of some of the most horrific violence in human history? Do memorials dedicated to these attacks bring us together in terms of understanding, or is it just continual collective grief? This paper will cover the global complexity of the 9/11 attacks, the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial in Liberty State Park, NJ, and factors and theories that memorials do influence a sense of complexity. The ground of public memory is always in motion, shifting with the tectonics of national identity. I chose the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial as my topic of observation as I, personally, visit a few times throughout the year to pay respects to people I personally knew who perished in the attacks to the World Trade Center. I was in the 5th grade when this happened, and had absolutely no clue what was going on until my father did not return home until two days later with a bandage wrapped around his head and his devastating recollection of what happened just before he arrived to his job. The emotions that I feel within myself compared to others will...
On the first day after the Twin Towers fell, when the skies were silent and the country cried, a sense of patriotism was greatly increased and appreciated. Many people came from several different countries, with many different skills, but everyone who came all had one
In the words of Joseph Margulies, “National identity is not fixed, it is made.” Through the event of 9/11 our national identity has changed significantly. Before we dive into the now and the changed national identity, lets set a foundation of where national identity started. In the nineteenth century, Protestant Americans were incomparably dominate. It was argued that the Enlightenment and the Western intellectuals of the eighteenth century were still the foundation of national identity in the nineteenth century. However, from the writer, Samuel Huntington, the religious foundations of American society were based off the Anglo-Protestant heritage. (Page 24) On the other hand, in Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity, the author stated the American culture was dwindling Anglo-Protestant heritage. The original values were based off the Anglo-Protestant heritage included liberty, equality, individualism, democracy, and the rule of law under a constitution. Later in the nineteenth century, the European heritage grew and the ideas of individual freedom, political democracy, and human rights grew as well. (Page 19) The nineteenth century introduced the “well-being and integrity of the community and the virtuous citizen’s obligations to the community’s welfare (page 20).”
Roark, J.L., Johnson, M.P., Cohen, P.C., Stage, S., Lawson, A., Hartmann, S.M. (2009). The american promise: A history of the united states (4th ed.), The New West and Free North 1840-1860, The slave south, 1820-1860, The house divided 1846-1861 (Vol. 1, pp. 279-354).
With the United States of America a free country, it would only be normal for ideology of different states to no agree on certain subjects. From state to state even today one can see how much different one is from one another and at the same time exponentially different. A simple view of the United States is that of the “North” and the “South”. Both of which have clear delineations from how they speak to their commerce. Not only is the landscape different it’s even the food they ingest is widely different. What does all this mean exactly and were might this commentary be going? It’s simple, the North and South just don’t understand each other, but seem to respect one another. This culminates from the Civil War and the travesty it caused