Published in 1988, Ishmael Reed’s “America: The Multinational Society” emphasizes how America is not a “mono-cultural” place, but a country greatly affected by the various cultures it supports. Reed assures his readers that America is constantly changing because of the rapid influx of immigrants from every direction. Because of this, Reed argues, America cannot be considered only a “Western civilization,” described as meaning "a civilization created by the people of Europe, as if Europe can be viewed in monolithic terms,” and expresses his new approach as “multicultural” (287). Reed further confirms that the existence of different ethnicities in America provides a means of harmony and unity between people; people feel comfortable living with people of
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Outline
A. Paragraphs 1-5: Setting up the stage with personal examples -- Reed claims that the intermingling of different ethnicities is evident even in our everyday lives, at least in his life. Yet, the “cultural Elect” (287) of America, Reed verifies, still continues to view our country as “mono-cultural,” established only by the European culture. This is skewed because the “western culture” has continually been exposed to other lifestyles and this is what has contributed to the “blurring of cultural styles (that) occurs in everyday life in the United States to a greater extent than anyone can imagine…” (Reed 287).
B. Paragraphs 6-7: Reed’s further argument through historical perspective --Reed defends his argument by acknowledging the fact that even the so-called idea of “western culture,” upheld by several groups, has come directly from the ancestry of the European people-Africans, Asians, and many more; As a result of this, America cannot be called an independent culture. Moreover, through the inclusion of Benjamin Franklin in his writing, Reed wants to convey to the readers that even the founding fathers of America were inspired by the government system of Native Americans, not just by the
Outline
A. Paragraphs 1-5: Setting up the stage with personal examples -- Reed claims that the intermingling of different ethnicities is evident even in our everyday lives, at least in his life. Yet, the “cultural Elect” (287) of America, Reed verifies, still continues to view our country as “mono-cultural,” established only by the European culture. This is skewed because the “western culture” has continually been exposed to other lifestyles and this is what has contributed to the “blurring of cultural styles (that) occurs in everyday life in the United States to a greater extent than anyone can imagine…” (Reed 287).
B. Paragraphs 6-7: Reed’s further argument through historical perspective --Reed defends his argument by acknowledging the fact that even the so-called idea of “western culture,” upheld by several groups, has come directly from the ancestry of the European people-Africans, Asians, and many more; As a result of this, America cannot be called an independent culture. Moreover, through the inclusion of Benjamin Franklin in his writing, Reed wants to convey to the readers that even the founding fathers of America were inspired by the government system of Native Americans, not just by the