Natalia Valdez Ms. Lehmann English 1-1A 12 October 2018 The Changing of Our Nation
What are the values of our nation that have stood the test of time? Both “Gettysburg Address” and the “Quilt of A Country” explore this very question. This essay will compare and contrast “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln, and “Quilt of a 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 Unites States will be stronger and go further in the future. Lincoln’s “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 that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln28). Lincoln recognized that the only way to keep this country’s government alive was to unify the two parts of the nation. Like Lincoln, Quindlen wants the people of the United 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. Quindlen writes, “One of the things that [America] stands for is this vexing 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 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 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 or dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, for 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 its length and breath is a difference e as a 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 other country, and that is something its citizens should be proud of. Along with patriotism, both authors value equality. Lincoln and Quindlen both talk about equality, and that no matter a person’s race, color, or religion everyone matters. “The Gettysburg Address” quotes “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation convinced in liberty, and dedicated to the preposition that all men are created equal (Lincoln 27). As for “A Quilt of a Country” also quoted “A mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). “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, patriotism, and equality in ways that are similar and different. For both authors, unity is important, politically for Lincoln and culturally for Quindlen, Lincoln values the dedication of soldiers which Quindlen values our diversity, but both authors agree that patriotism matters. Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s works prove that unity, patriotism, and equality are values of our nation that have stood the test of time. Works Cited Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Quindlen, Anna. “Quilt of a Country.” Collections.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Compare and Contrast 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? One thing I learned and will apply to other writing assignments are to make an outline before starting a compare and contrast paper.
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? A specific revision I was asked to make was to make my essay more clearly and understandable.
3) What are the conventions of a compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment? The conventions of a compare and contrast paper is to fill in supporting evidence, and to craft my essay with strong transitional words, I meet these by citing my work with quotes.
4) Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it? Given more time to work on this assignment I would have improved it by filling in more supporting evidence.
5) What is one thing you're proud of in this paper? One thing I am proud of this paper was that after revising it I made it more clearly and understandable.