Lexi Selman Gallegos Ms. Lehman English 1 1-A 27 September 2018 The Changing of Our Nation
What are the values of our nation that have stood the test of time? Both “The Gettysburg Address” and Quilt of a Country” explore this very question. This essay will compare and contrast, “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln, and “A Quilt of Country” by Anna Quindlen. The first value the two authors explore is unity. Both Lincoln and Quindlen see the value of unity in our nation. By unifying our people, the Untied States will be stronger and go further in the future lincolns.“Gettysburg Address,” delivered after one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, stresses the importance of uniting the North and South. Lincoln tells his audience to make sure that “this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln recognized that the only way to keep the government alive was to unify the two parts of the nation. Like Lincoln, Quindlen wants the people of the Untied States to get along so we can function as one nation. Quindlen, though, is concerned with uniting the various cultures that make up our country today. “ One of the things that [America] stands for is this vexting notion that a great nation can consist entirely of refugees from other nations, that people of different, even warring religions and cultures can live, if not side by side, then on either side of the country’s Chester Avenues” (Quindlen 5). Quindlen makes the observation that unity is one of the values that have stood the test of time in our nation. Although it looks like different today than it did for Lincoln, unity still matters to our nation. Unity often leads to patriotism, another value the authors share. Lincoln and Quindlen both demonstrate a large amount of patriotism and urge their audiences to share in that as well. “The Gettysburg Address,” delivered at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery, honored the fallen soldiers who fought for the North. Lincoln tells his audience that “we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow this ground” because “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract”(Lincoln 27). He even says that the world “can never forget what they did here” (Lincoln 27) . Lincoln praises the soldiers for their patriotism and urges the audience to show the same dedication to the US. For Quindlen, patriotism means being proud of our nation’s diversity. Quindlen writes that “patriotism is partly taking pride in this unlikely ability to throw all of us together in a country that across length and breadth is a different as different dozen countries, and still be able to call it by one name.” (Quindlen 6). While Lincoln was proud of the soldiers who fought to unify the country politically, Quindlen’s patriotism lies in unifying our modern, diverse population. Although it takes different forms, both authors agree that the United States is unlike any country, and that is something its citizens should be proud of. Along with patriotism, both authors value their audience Lincoln and Quindlen both addressed audiences in the United States. They both spoke to people terrified by tragic events in our nations history. Lincoln tried to free slaves. He faced immense pressure because he needed to win the war. Lincoln told his audience that, “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 27-28). Quindlen was responding “9/11” when she wrote her essay and didn’t want the differences of our nation us. Quindlen says that “enormous tragedy, as it is often does, demands a time of reflection on enormous blessings.”(Quindlen6). She encoreges readers to look for the good hour nation. “The Gettysburg Address” and “A Quilt of a Country,” both examine the values of our nation, though they do so in different ways. Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen both talk about unity and patriotism in thier own context in ways that are similar and different. For both authors, unity is important, politically for Lincoln and culturally for Quindlen. Patriotism for Lincoln centers on government of the US while Quindlen values our diversity, but both authors agree that patriotism matters. Lincoln and Quindlen both address audiences after big tragedies, but during different times. Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s works prove that unity and patriotism are values of our nation that have stood the test of time.
Work Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Quindlen, Anna. “The Quilt of a Country.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Compare and Contrast Essay Reflection 1. List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
Answer I have learned how to write a compare and contrast essay.
2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
AnswerI revised by going back and rewriting my paper and fixing the corrections. I learned when you fix your corrections it gets better.
3. What are the conventions of a compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment?
Answer when you write a compare and contrast easy you can’t fully understand how to do it.
4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
Answer I probably I have would looked more into the facts and figure it out.
5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper?
Answer I am proud that I wrote a compare and contrast essay and I enjoyed it.