The American Flag: Symbol of the Vanishing American Dream

When the flag was first made, it symbolized freedom and opportunity for both citizens of American and the immigrants. There was the dream that America was a place of freedom, where you could do what you want, say what you want, and get a job or own your own land. For some, that dream became a reality, but for many of those immigrants, it has proven to be just that, a dream. Is this piece of cloth we hold in such high regard simply an ironic symbol or the American dream? Does it truly symbolize freedom and opportunity, or is it simply a token for those who want to flaunt their opinions and financial status.? Every person should have a certain amount of respect for this country and the opportunities and freedom it provides, but I don't agree that the American flag should or does stand for those things. From my own observations, I have found that today the flag merely makes a distinction between two types of Americans, more specifically a distinction between the American reality and the American dream.

Throughout the eighteen years or my life, I have observed the flag in many different places. When I was younger, I remember seeing it flash across a movie screen, waving high in the air, held by a triumphant American soldier. I also saw it every year on the Fourth of July in parades, covering floats, or held by enthusiastic participants. In fourth grade I was chosen to do the important job of taking down and folding the flag every afternoon, a job that took much care and importance. I remember wondering then, why is it so important that I do not drop this flag, and why it was such a big deal. I didn't understand why those soldiers on the movie screen were holding the flag so high in the air, and why it was so widely used on the Fou...

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... type of evidence there is. I agree with believing in this country and all that America stands for; what I don't believe in is the way I see the flag being used. I don't believe that children should be trained at such an early age to honor the flag. That is a type of brainwashing that might lead children to believe that our country is perfect, when indeed it is not. I also don't agree with people using the flag as a status symbol. If we're going to have a symbol of America, shouldn't it be outside of everyone's home, not just the people who think they have lived up to the American dream theory? I feel the American flag today is simply a showpiece for the believers in the American dream. Although it might have a greater meaning for some people, the majority of citizens use it in a harmful way, a way that discriminates against the people who do not achieve the dream.