English 241: Exploring America's Meaning Through Freedom Essay

This essay, written for English 241, explores the multifaceted meaning of "America" from a personal and historical perspective. The author, an immigrant from Vietnam, reflects on the significance of freedom, rights, and opportunities as defining qualities of the nation. Drawing on their own experiences, the essay connects these ideals to the views expressed by Hector St. John Crevecoeur in his article 'What is an American?', highlighting the contrast between the old world and the new, and emphasizing the concept of America as a land of opportunity and equality. The essay examines how America provides a safe haven and a sense of belonging for immigrants, ensuring that they can fully participate in the nation's resources, and it further explores the legal framework that protects these rights. The author's personal reflections are woven together with Crevecoeur's observations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the essence of America. The essay concludes by emphasizing the rights afforded to American citizens and the country's appeal as a destination for those seeking a better life.

Running head: WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
“America” is not a country, it is quite a significant expression which tends to embody
quite a lot of connotations, both subjective and objective with regard to the scope of its
comprehension. In other words, it has different context specific meanings attached to it. On a
very personal note, if I am asked to exemplify what the term “America” means to me, I shall
choose to express my thought process by means of three qualities which I consider to be having
the potential of justifiably projecting my orientations. They are Freedom, Rights and
Opportunities. These three qualities are in my opinion a true reflection of what “America” means
to me, and that is owing to the fact that I originally belong to a different background and the
realization of the striking and fascinating facets of “America” has never failed to amaze me.
Vietnamese by origin, and an immigrant in “America”, I had along with my family migrated to
this nation in search of opportunities to upgrade our living standards, seeking a departure from
the hardships we have been facing in our native country. Here in “America” the citizens are
entitled to certain freedoms, rights and opportunities which many are deprived of in other parts
of the world, and that is something which I have realized on immigrating to this nation. Here an
individual has the opportunity to receive good education at the public schools and thereby build
up the opportunity to have a good life. A citizen of “America” can fearlessly voice political
opinions as the freedom of speech and expression is constitutionally guaranteed unto all the
citizens. I have been highly fascinated by the way the journalists and the mass media fearlessly
express their ideas and views even if that goes against the political power of the country. An
individual in “America” is also entitled to the freedom of religion and the right to freely practice
it. Also, the freedom to not follow any religion is also allowed and respected. On an overall
basis, I can say that the Freedom, Rights and Opportunities to follow and according to one’s
conscience is guaranteed and safeguarded in “America”, and that is what forms the basic essence

2WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
of the country and it also sums up what “America” means to me. Having expressed about my
feelings about what “America” means to me, now in the following sections, the discussion shall
be focusing upon the relating my viewpoints to that of the view expressed by Hector and
Crevencoeur in their article ‘What is an American?’.
“He is arrived on a new continent; a modern society offers itself to his contemptation, different
from what he had hitherto seen.” (Hector and Crevencoeur).
This particular quotation from the article exemplifies the fact that “America” is a land of
opportunities and it has been able to secure that by virtue of the fact that it always looks forwars
to innovating itself and presenting newness to the world. Hector and Crevencoeur substantiates
his argument with the contrast between the old ways of Europe and the new method of lifestyle
and the newness of the social order in “America”. They say that “America” is devoid of the old
and archaic practices of Europe, and in the country everyone is considered as equal. The
steepness of societal hierarchy as it existed in Europe, situations like a Lord in his mighty castle
watching over his subjects is not there in “America” where everyone relies on their industry and
makes the best use of the opportunities to secure the best of the interests of themselves. Hector
and Crevencoeur says that in America everyone is a tiller of the earth from Nova Scotia to West
Florida, which shows that Fredom. Rights and Opportunities were the prerogative of all in the
new world of “America”.
“In this great American asylum, the poor of Europe have by some means met together, and in
consequence of various causes; to what purpose should they ask one another what countrymen
they are?” (Hector and Crevencoeur).

3WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
This rhetoric of Hector and Crevencoeur actually exemplifies and reflects our situation
and the situation of many other immigrants who look to “America” as a safe haven for cherishing
the array of Freedom, Rights and Opportunities and feel like they can justifiably lay a claim to
belongingness in a genuine sense. Merely being a citizen of a country is not enough, until and
unless the sense of belongingness is reinstated by ensuring that all sections of the society could
partake in the resources of the nation. Hector and Crevencoeur mentions of the fact that America
has presented itself to a land where the poor peasant of England can claim to belong to a country
unlike in his native country where his predicament made him feel that the country belonged only
to the lords and not to them.
“The laws, the indulgent laws, protect them as they arrive, stamping on them the symbol of
adoption; they receive ample rewards for their labours; these accumulated rewards procure
them lands; those lands confer on them the title of freemen, and to that title every benefit is
affixed which men can possibly require.” (Hector and Crevencoeur).
This quotation from the article exemplifies the vast array of Freedom, Rights and
Opportunities that the legal set up of the country not just guarantees but also protects it against
any kind of violative encroachment. This reflects and justifies the freedom, rights and
opportunities that I have mentioned in response to the question that what “America” means to
me. Hector and Crevencoeur say that in America everyone is treated as equal and everyone who
comes to the country is embraced as an inextricable part of the nation without discrimination.
This also justifies why I have mentioned that American citizen has more rights than anywhere
else on this earth and also the reason that why America is one of the most preferred destinations
in the world to begin a life, as the benefits of the country are for all irrespective of who the
person is and to which strata of the society one belongs to.

4WHAT AMERICA MEANS TO ME
Bibliography
St John de Crèvecoeur, J. Hector. "What is an American?." Letter III, Letters From an American
Farmer (1782).