The American Flag: Symbol of the Vanishing American Dream

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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.

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