Essay On American Individualism

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Growing up in the society that living in the type of world that America provides promotes many individual characteristics, such as independency, equality, and freedom. I have been taught these traits ever since I was young and they have been pushed onto me since then. By reinforcing the values of Taking care of yourself, equality, and freedom, some of the greatest authors have helped shape our American individualism. One of the three important traits of individualism is taking care of yourself, which translates to focusing more on yourself and not worrying about others lifewise (excluding immediate family). “I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, Hoping to cease not til death” (Whitman 157). This quote illustrates that Whitman has finally become more of an individualist by focusing more on himself and his own health. “As demands of American society shifted from manual labor to office …show more content…

This quote illustrates that freedom is what protects people from this type of situation that Dickinson is in, having fear of a ruler. In today’s society, Freedom is setup in a way in this country that having a president doesn’t directly affect people and doesn’t cause fear. Individualism matters very much in this country, but at the same time, society pushes for people to also be unique and their own person. You have to find a perfect balance between individualism and collectivism. According the some surveys done by the ISSP, 45% of Americans say that people should at least follow their consciences. Many of their other surveys point America towards favoring the group, despite all Americans boasting that we are the most “independent” country in the world. It’s not the old times anymore, more and more countries are becoming free, even some are doing it better than America. Just because we were one of the first, does not mean we are one of the

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