My Dream for America
My Dream for America is to see the country realizing its great reconstruction soon since, similar to many Americans, I have noted with concern that there has been a culmination of the country’s decline in supremacy, and therefore a need to strive to restore its past greatness. For instance, like any other American today, Langston Hughes, in his poem “Let America Be America Again,” has highlighted the existing discrepancy between the American Dream ideals and the American life harsh realities (Hughes 1). While Hughes wrote his poem in the period of the Great Depression, the poem remains relevant today. The playwright has argued that America has yet fulfilled its anticipated promised freedom vision and equality for all Americans. Thus, my appeal in realizing my country’s dream is first to ensure the current political campaigns that have always been cutting across the political parties, both Democratic and Republican, need to continue to emphasize the strong United States first while embracing the protectionist policy. In my argument on the American dream of reconstruction, it is important to note that while nationalism term has been often associated with destruction, it can essentially play a constructive role in the effort to rebuild our great American nation. I believe that embracing nationalism in America can be an optimistic patriotism of American people, projected to drive great social changes.
Moreover, my dream for the American nation to reconstruct its social fabric for civil liberties is urgently needed. In particular, I have been on the ground to observe that even the top executives in our country have been passing judgment on other countries that they have been considering unfree. Yet, the Americans continue being confident that every definition of a great free country should include their country, which has ever been a great land of the free in history. This argument is supported by the playwright Hughes, when he says, “Let it be the pioneer on the plain. Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.). Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed. Let it be that great strong land of love” (Hughes, 1). Besides, my great dream for Americans considers the fact that the practices and laws of the land have, at present, been shaking the confidence of most Americans. For instance, since September11, 2001, a decade ago, the country has systematically condensed civil liberties at the expense of a stretched security state. The most current example of such laws is the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed on December 31, 2011, permitting unlimited citizen detention. Thus, my dream for Americans denotes that there is no given moment does the restriction of individual rights in the country would change how the Americans would define themselves.
Additionally, my dream about the reconstruction of the American nation considers the great history of the American culture, which has constantly been recognized for its renowned freedom of religion and speech. In connection to this claim, the playwright says, “…Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme. That any man is crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.)” (Hughes 2). Nevertheless, I have witnessed how the American freedom of religion and speech has always been exaggerated by Hollywood movies, exposing it as a fantasized world of perfection. At the same time, the reality of residing within the United States boundaries is far much different. A few years ago, this was the nation people wake up to watch in the News headlines about a black man who had to humbly vacate a seat for the white American relaxes in the public transport. Although one may think that such scenarios are of the past and never exactly happen in current American society considering the amendment of laws and primarily afterward the American Revolution, the unconscious biases and hatred have also been carried alongside as an American legacy. For instance, similar to many Americans, I came into awake of the brutal killing of George Floyd, a dramatic incident that has exacerbated the promotion of the slogan, “Black Lives Matters” globally, hence a clear depiction that the freedom that the Americans have been seeking in the country’s history is yet to be realized.
As I have been reflecting on the awake of the COVID-19 virus early this year that has left the nation with severe underlying conditions and exploited the Americans mercilessly, I am persuaded that the failure to combat the chronic pandemic is due to the corrupt political class, a heartless economy, and a divided public that has been surviving the disease untreated for several months while others losing their lives regardless of the skin color. As Hughes puts it, “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart; I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars,” all Americans regardless of race suffered, and others died of the virus in their purported great nation (Hughes 3). The Americans have learned to even live with the virus symptoms uncomfortably. Therefore, my dream for America is to have an effective response to having such a crisis that demands a rational, swift, and collective response.
Ultimately, in my dream for America, I still believe that no matter the result of the November 2020 election, the great decision to reconstruct America again is ultimately held by all American people. This status is because the American public understands the issues setting back our nation all very well than the previous generations after living to witness the consequences of being dopant. Hence my dream is therefore built on the belief that the Americans have no choice but to wake up and reconstruct the country again.
Work Cited
Hughes, Langston, “Let America Be America Again.” Présence Africaine 59 (1936): 1-5.