Is the US an exceptional
country?
"Welcome students," shouted a chubby, petite
man over a group of restless teenagers, "to the Statue of Liberty!"
The crumbling relic was a faded mint color, closer to
white than its original copper, looking quite unlike the resonating green photographs
in their textbooks. Granted, their textbooks were from 2153, so the pictures
were a little outdated.
"Now class, who can tell me what this statue
represents?"
A lanky, blond, freckled boy with glasses raised his
hand, "Immigrants to the Old Republic would see the statue as they
traveled in on boats..."
The teens stifled giggles. The word "boat"
seemed so foreign to their ears, like when their grandparents called their
friends "cool" or "awesome."
"... and when they reached the port, they saw a
statue of a woman representing liberty and freedom welcoming them to the United
Statehoods."
"Jeffery Higgins-Song, we just had an assessment on
the names of the Old Republics! Statehoods? Really?" The professor removed
his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose between his pointer finger and
thumb, "I expect better of an honors Republic History Class." He expectantly
raised his eyebrows at the scruffy boy, disappointed.
"Sorry Mr. Tan, I meant 'States'. The first thing
they saw as they approached the United States
was the Statue of Liberty representing the freedom they emigrated to
receive."
"Excellent. Now what did we learn last week about the
inevitable fall of the American Empire?" Unknowing faces started back into
his.
"That the perfectionist ideal that so many sought to
obtain eventually caused the culture and people to become materialistic and
self-centered, leading to corruption in the government and eventually the
collapse of their economy due to the poor leadership," recited a small redheaded
girl in the back of the group.
"Thank you, Rose! Now class, who can tell me what
made the United States of the Old Republics different than any other republic
we've studied so far?" Edward Tan glanced up from his clipboard into the blank
faces of the twenty-third century's youth.
"The American Dream!" chorused a few of the
girls in the front.
"Right... what about it?"
"Unlike any other Republic in history, the United
States of America had a sort of beacon of hope to it, that any and all of its
citizens may aspire to and succeed in life despite their upbringings," a
lanky girl offered.
"And that's exactly what made the United States of
America great!" The professor's enthusiasm shone through his excited eyes.
"Nowhere before had such a great melting-pot of cultures, ideas and people
had ever been created! You all will learn about the eventual fall of the
Empire, as every Empire must, but I'm here to tell you that there was something
special about this specific one. The United States of America was the first of
its kind, a haven for those ousted by their homes, a land of opportunity and
rearranging of class divisions. The United States had done something no
Republic had done before, create a new government based solely on the people
and compensating for human error and nature."
"But Mr. Tan," piped up Jeffery Higgins-Song,
"Wasn't the downfall of the United States just that?"
"Ironically, yes. However, the original founders
built a Constitution that lasted for over four centuries without drastic
change! That original Mayflower Compact, the sheer basis for every Democratic
document to come for centuries afterwards, had never been conceived before in
history. That, kids, is what makes America great."
The professor sighed in awe at the deteriorating icon,
and placed his glasses back on his nose. He knew that the statue could not be
left out in the open for much longer, and would soon be relocated to a
Historical Preservation locker, but he felt that the kids deserved to see this
relic of hope and inspiration before it was carted away. Yes, the Old Republics
might no longer be in existence, but they were the inspiration for the
proceedings of government for centuries to come. Those small time farmers,
centuries ago, had no idea of their impact on the entire world to come.
Writing a story that takes place in the future is a very fresh and creative way to demonstrate your perspective on American exceptionalism. The way how this American class, even so far ahead in the future as the 23rd century, studies the “Old Republic” (interesting term, by the way) and the American exceptionalist views of our present time shows your strong belief in American exceptionalism. Your use of historical references, such as the Mayflower Compact and Constitution, adds great evidence and support to your view on American exceptionalism. The conclusion further emphasizes the importance of America and it leaves the reader with a nice lasting message that American exceptionalism truly influenced the future world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brent- writing from the future and looking back at America is creative and really makes any current-day reader think about American exceptionalism and its influence on the world today. It's like how we read about great empires in history, but in this case, we are currently living in that history. Your narrative definitely made an impact on me as a reader, and puts the idea of American exceptionalism in an interesting perspective. The imagery you used was clear enough for me to easily imagine the scenario in my head, and I like that you avoided futuristic stereotypes (like flying cars and such) and instead used other ways for the teens to jeer at the outdated remnants of the Old Republic. I think you did a great job answering the question clearly and creatively.
ReplyDeleteThe way you present the setting is well done. The reader isn’t aware of a setting change until he or she reads that the textbook was from 2153, and then they are on the lookout for more subtle indicators to help them, which is fun. Also a futuristic narrative is an interesting way to express your opinion, and especially because it is describing a history teacher and his class, so it shows people in the future looking back on the past and analyzing it. The detailed imagery of the fading Statue of Liberty is also great at making the reader believe he or she is actually there. The only issue I had was that when empires fall, there usually is a war associated with it, and I’m not sure what happened to the US after it collapsed or how the Statue of Liberty remains.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christine's comment on imagery. Instead of writing one long paragraph describing the scenery, you incorporated detailed sentences here and there. It allowed the story to flow more. Your style of writing was also very creative. The majority of your narrative is in dialogue, which helps the reader feel as if he/she was there, listening to the conversation between the teacher and the students. In addition, although your story has a light tone, it is also thought provoking. It makes the reader think about the role American exceptionalism plays in the future of the country. Your conclusion was a great way to sum up your ideas and smoothly transition to end the story. Overall, I enjoyed reading this story and thought you answered the question in a unique, but effective, way.
ReplyDeleteI love this creative idea of using the setting of the future to portray your views on America. The usage of a professor lecturing to a class is also a very effective way to get information to the reader without sounding like you're prattling off fact after fact. Overall, this was a very refreshing read from many of the other narratives, which were mostly in first person about personal experiences.
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ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting idea to set your narrative in the future that is so original! Your piece as a whole is excellent, I especially liked it because it forces the reader to pay attention right from the beginning when you state that, “their textbooks were from 2153”, and they have to grasp that it is set in the future. I loved the sentence, “The crumbling relic was a faded mint color, closer to white than its original copper, looking quite unlike the resonating green photographs in their textbooks” describing the statue of liberty. The words fit perfectly together and create a specific picture in the reader’s mind, which means they are serving their purpose. Another thing I love about your piece is that it is thought provoking, because as an American it makes me wonder about America falling apart and many questions appear in my mind. You gave the piece an underlying feeling of darkness, which makes the reader feel uneasy and nervous. This means that your writing is powerful and emotion provoking, so great work! One thing that I think could make your essay even better though is if you provide insight into exactly how the “Old Republics” fell apart, as well as background information on the class, where they come from, and the current situation of the world. Great job overall Maya, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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