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Sarah Irani
Professor Vana
English 114B
8 May 2014

Fear, Anxiety, and Destruction, Oh My!
Civic responsibilities are very important aspects in making our country grow. Without
certain tasks performed by each United States citizen, America could potentially stay the same
forever, or could turn into a tyrannical or authoritative country, such as Iran or Egypt. The
American government is a necessity because without it, the United States would fall apart.
Without individualism, the government is going to manipulate citizens into thinking a certain
way, or take advantage of the loyalty to the people. Being active in the political system by
voting, communicating with the community, and helping the community are all simple, yet very
effective ways to show civic responsibility.
The one thing that the majority of civilians have in common is that they all fear a ruler
who will destroy the little freedom that citizens have. In certain countries, there are mass
rebellions taking place to assassinate the countrys dictator, the person in control of every single
aspect of the populations lives. Fear, anxiety, and destruction will be Americas future if the
correct civic responsibilities, such as voting, are not being followed. Almost every United States
citizen wants change. We hear in the news all of the time about how Obama is not meeting
educational goals that teachers have or the countrys deficit is just getting worse, (Reid) and by
not showing up to the polls every four years, we are encouraging the problems to continue.
However, when people do go to place a ballot, they need to have the knowledge of whom and
what they are voting for. As United States citizens, we have a social contract which states that
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the people have the responsibility to vote for their representatives and electors, but many people
do not feel it is necessary to vote. When citizens show up to the polls and do not know what the
propositions are about and begin to vote for them based on their political partys agreement, it
causes a shift in what the outcome could have been if the voters had read the terms. As Adlai
Stevenson once said, "As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the
lawgivers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end." If everyone takes the responsibility
of voting, then maybe America will slowly begin to change for the better.
Communicating with the community is always a fun and rewarding thing to do and is a
part of everyones responsibility. Not only can we touch the lives of others, but we also begin to
make our town a better place. If we get involved with getting the community aware of what is
going on politically, then we will know what to go and tell our state representatives to tell
Congress. People who do not reach out to their representatives should not complain about
anything that is going wrong with the Supreme Court or Congress because they never
contributed in the first place. It is sad that not many people know who their state representatives
are because those are the people that can try to help and listen to what their constituents are
saying. How is the president supposed to know what the people want if the people do not speak
to him? The representatives are the closest things that we have to passing laws or regulations in
the government, so we need to step up and make the extra effort in making our state and country
better.
Volunteering in the community is another great way to get involved. If somebody we
know is in crisis, or if we just see a homeless shelter nearby, we should definitely try to become
a volunteer and help the needy. By helping one another, we begin to form great relationships
that will most likely prevent a chaotic uproar in the future. If there is tension in towns, chaos
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will eventually start to take place, like in Egypt in 2011. (PBS) The citizens did not like their
ruler, so they started a revolution, but there were certain groups within the civilians that were on
the armys side. Soon enough, police brutality, mass killings, and horrible tragedies began to
take place. This could be avoided by trying to get along with the authorities and letting the
representatives know if we feel that there is a threat in our town. Volunteering is a slower
process of civic responsibility and may take months or even years to be fully recognizable, but it
is worth the big change that will happen down the road.
Many people believe that they cannot relate to Congress in any way, shape, or form
because of the age difference, ethnicity, or gender, so voting or communicating with them will be
a waste of time. In some aspects, it is true because most of Congress is older white men with a
lot of money, but there are people in Congress who are only there to get reelected next term and
will do almost anything to get voted the following election. The reason that Congress does not
touch Social Security programs or other elderly programs is because the elderly are more likely
to vote than the younger generation. If all of the college students voted to cut back tuition and
we outnumbered the elderly population, Congress would be forced to listen. If there is any
chance of being kicked out of Congress for not serving the people, then Congress will obey what
it being said all around the world. So without standing up for the rights of citizens, the
population itself is overturning the system to work out of their favor. The elder generation puts a
lot of time and money into making sure that their programs stay safe, so all of the other
generations need to begin to have their voices heard, or else change will not happen.
Overall, without becoming actively involved, the country will not change. The symbolic
perspective of language is going to be the main turning point that will change America if
residents begin to take initiative and do what is right for their country. Without helping,
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communicating, and taking action, we slowly become disengaged with our idea of a perfect
society, so people should make the extra effort to help our country grow. We all have the goal of
the American Dream; to live happily, healthily, and to be successful, so we should all put that
energy into making the dream come true by voting, communicating, and helping around the
community.






















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Works Cited
"Egypt in Crisis." PBS. PBS, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2014.
Marshall, Thomas R. "Party Responsibility Revisited: A Case Of Policy Discussion At The
Grass Roots." Western Political Quarterly 32.1 (1979): 70-78. International Political
Science Abstracts. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Reid, W.M., and J.S. Henderson. "Political Obligation: An Empirical Approach." Polity 9.2
(1976): 237-252. International Political Science Abstracts. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.