When compared to other nations America is still a very young country, but what it is lacking in age, it more than makes up for in depth and dimensionality of character. The American population is composed of 319 million people with 319 million different backgrounds and experiences which together make up a cumulative American identity. Although the identity of America is subjective to every person who experiences it, certain values and ideas such as the conflict between good and evil, the advancement of democratic ideals, and the Hero’s story are perpetuated both through the celebration of real life heroes and the development of fictional protagonists.
The triumph of good over evil is the quintessential theme of storytelling, and its place …show more content…
The brave sons of the revolution rose up to defeat the greedy British who killed children in the streets and enslaved the colonists, right? Well, not exactly. In reality the chains which bound the Americans were composed of little more than insignificant taxes and a bit more British supervision (Christlieb). However, the colonists were not fighting against the physical implications of British control, they fought for the ideas. Democracy and self-determination are the backbones of American identity, so engrained that the US has fought wars thousands of miles of way to spread them to other societies. The Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Cold War stand as permanent monuments to America’s dedication to democracy as advanced by leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, men whom are all venerated present day. Upholding the American vision of Democracy is expressed in popular culture as well as history. Mr. Smith goes to Washington, a 1939 film about a naïve young senator who discovers and destroys a political machine, serves as a direct example of the American idealization of the democratic system. The film imparts upon its viewers that even at its most corrupt and least functional, the American system will always prevail through the exercise of democracy …show more content…
We erect monuments in their honor and relive tales of their adventures over decades. Names like Paul Revere, Davy Crocket, and Charles Lindbergh are immortalized in our history, woven into the fabric of our nation’s identity. Since the founding of America, the underdog story and rugged individualism have played fundamental roles in how we identify and portray our heroes. Nothing is more inspiring than the self-made American man who pulled himself out from nothing with grit and determination, embodying the “American Dream”. Andrew Carnegie, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander Hamilton who once dwelled in the bottom of society- immigrants and poor men- ended their lives standing as giants in America’s hearts and minds and live on as beacons of what Americans can and should aspire to be. However, we do not stop at history books to find heroes worth celebrating- we create our own as well. America in fact has its own superhero in the form of Steve Rodgers, just a kid from Brooklyn, and better known as Captain America. In Captain America: The First Avenger Steve’s story from a sickly young man with big dreams and steadfast morals to a shining incarnation of the American Identity is the classic hero story. At the end of the film, young boys are seen playing war in the streets carrying a Captain America shield, representing the respect and
The triumph of good over evil is the quintessential theme of storytelling, and its place …show more content…
The brave sons of the revolution rose up to defeat the greedy British who killed children in the streets and enslaved the colonists, right? Well, not exactly. In reality the chains which bound the Americans were composed of little more than insignificant taxes and a bit more British supervision (Christlieb). However, the colonists were not fighting against the physical implications of British control, they fought for the ideas. Democracy and self-determination are the backbones of American identity, so engrained that the US has fought wars thousands of miles of way to spread them to other societies. The Vietnam War, the Korean War, and the Cold War stand as permanent monuments to America’s dedication to democracy as advanced by leaders such as Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, men whom are all venerated present day. Upholding the American vision of Democracy is expressed in popular culture as well as history. Mr. Smith goes to Washington, a 1939 film about a naïve young senator who discovers and destroys a political machine, serves as a direct example of the American idealization of the democratic system. The film imparts upon its viewers that even at its most corrupt and least functional, the American system will always prevail through the exercise of democracy …show more content…
We erect monuments in their honor and relive tales of their adventures over decades. Names like Paul Revere, Davy Crocket, and Charles Lindbergh are immortalized in our history, woven into the fabric of our nation’s identity. Since the founding of America, the underdog story and rugged individualism have played fundamental roles in how we identify and portray our heroes. Nothing is more inspiring than the self-made American man who pulled himself out from nothing with grit and determination, embodying the “American Dream”. Andrew Carnegie, Abraham Lincoln, and Alexander Hamilton who once dwelled in the bottom of society- immigrants and poor men- ended their lives standing as giants in America’s hearts and minds and live on as beacons of what Americans can and should aspire to be. However, we do not stop at history books to find heroes worth celebrating- we create our own as well. America in fact has its own superhero in the form of Steve Rodgers, just a kid from Brooklyn, and better known as Captain America. In Captain America: The First Avenger Steve’s story from a sickly young man with big dreams and steadfast morals to a shining incarnation of the American Identity is the classic hero story. At the end of the film, young boys are seen playing war in the streets carrying a Captain America shield, representing the respect and