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David Sasson September 14, 2010

E3H-07 Mr. Rabot

This quote represents American values because it expresses the theme of national unity – that
America must move forward coherently as one nation. Through thick and thin, in times of darkness, the
American people somehow manage to decide as a nation that they must stick together as a union, despite
their various divisions and disagreements. This theme reflects on the American way of life because one
major American value is unity and faith. Unity holds together the foundation of our laws and society. Our
culture of extended/broad families and tight communities, is also based upon unity. If there was no faith
in the American way of life, our entire government would be corrupt, and the essential theme of unity
would disintegrate.

The American characteristic of optimism is key in our society. It encourages hope and positive outlooks,
which can flower into a more prosperous nation. Also, our work ethic of working hard and not quitting
complements our optimism. These work ethics sprouted early in American history when we were just
founding our nation. ADD ON

In this quote Mr. Obama touches upon the delicate subject of countries competing. It is a delicate subject
because although competition is highly productive, it can also bring up various conflicts within countries’
relationships. Infrastructure is very important to the American future because infrastructure puts people
to work, help move goods, services, and information. Similar instances of infrastructure sparking our
nation was when President Eisenhower created interstate highways to create a safer and more efficient
nation. REVISE- two subjects, focus on the future (not the past) and competition/being the best in the
world.

In modern America, education is highly regarded, because learning creates opportunityand can pave the
road to success for motivated individuals. Americans value education to such an extent, that it is well
respected if you earn a full education, or master a trade. Mr. Obama is expressing that in order for us as a
nation to get ourselves out of poverty, we must involve ourselves in higher education, so we can have
better futures, which will in the end benefit us as a nation. ADD re Education as a civil right, everyone
entitled to free public education

When Obama addresses the importance of ‘these Americans’, he is emphasizing the importance of
individual citizens as the people who elect the government. Every citizen has the decision/power to elect a
leader, and when that power is given to the leader by the people, it should not be abused. Even though
Obama is one of the most powerful leaders in our world, he is representing the individual American
citizen and challenging the senators and representatives in the chamber to remain loyal to the American
people, instead of big business and big industry. Basically, the individual is as important if not more
important than the massive corporations.

In this quote Obama shows a stong sense of responsibility. When he says “I refuse to pass the problem on
to another generation of Americans”, he is directly taking action upon this problem. This quality of
personal direct responsibility in an American citizen is important because without this, there would be no
policemen, emt’s, firefighters. Also, people would just be passisng the blame/problem on and on to the
next person, solving nothing.

Elections are a very controversial part of American culture, mainly because of the issue of it being a true
democracy. In order for an election to be completely true, is if every single citizen votes, which is never
the case. Obama brings up that in our elections, the elections shouldn’t be bankrolled by America’s most
powerful interests, but it should be decided by the American people themselves. This concept of
democracy of the people, by the people, for the people is the fundamental theme of our government and
culture. ADD ON

This quote seems particularly American because of its aggressive tone of defence for America. Obama
states that in times of national danger, we must put aside any previous conflicts or divisions in our
country, and unite to guard and protect our nation. He also mentions that this tactic of security uniting the
nation has been done before. In the American culture, the vital interest of security is taken very seriously.
We have a massive army, navy, marines, paratroopers, reserve and many more. Veterans are thanked for
their service in protecting our nation. Without a proper defence of America, there would literally be no
more America.

The ideals of equality and fairness are practiced often, and are central to the American character. They are
often admired by other countries of the world, and inspire people to immareaate to America because their
home societies aren’t equal or fair. This passage also expresses the ideal of blind justice that does not
discriminate based on race, gender, or nationality-this ideal is strived for by the country, but is sometimes
not realized in practice, and has taken centuries to achive, as blacks and women gained the right to vote.

Here Obama is refrencing the work and sacrifice of past generations who had couragein adverse
situations, and who did the right thing, even when it was not the easiest choice. He is evoking the ideal
American character that is brave and selfsacrificing, willing to work hard for the benefit of future
generations, and to take a chance on doing the morally correct thing for the greater good of the nation-
even when there was no garuntee of success.

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