Hopeful+Reflection

 I think hope is, by far, one of the reasons why I'm so proud to be an American. We may cry, get really angry, and feel as low as the ground, but in the end, I think we still manage to pick ourselves up. Despite all the fails, we, as Americans, still find the strength to keep our heads up and continue moving forward. Despite our all our insecurities and terrors, we still find the courage to trust each other, and most important of all, love each other. That's why "America the Hopeful" is my last "wall," not to leave you with a happy feeling, but to show that at the end, this is what we are all about. As individual Americans, I think hope is something each person has to believe in, in order to get it. We all hope that we're happy, as Maya Angelou says, "to laugh as much as I cry...to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return." We all hope for something, but we have to allow ourselves to hope first. And as Emily Dickinson describes it, when you receive hope, it's so beautiful that it's like "feathers" and "tune without words." Archibald MacLeish believes that the American Dream is "liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind," and that's just one of the many hopes we Americans have. It's important to never lose hope, even after tragic events, such as 9/11. The "God Bless the USA" song is something I've heard every September 11 after the attacks in my old school. Although we remember the brave people that died, the song reminds us to stay strong and proud of the United States we live in. Joss Whedon, a television director once wrote in one of his screenplays, that "nothing in the world is the way it ought to be," but that doesn't mean we should drop everything and give up, instead, we have to "show it what it can be." I think that's a very strong message that if everyone followed, they'd be a little more hopeful. The Stand Up for Love song tells us to stand up for what we think is right, and it is also another song that gives hope, but tells us that hope is what we have control of. I thought the last scene of //Grapes of Wrath// offered the most hope, because throughout the whole book everybody and everything was suffering, but in the end, Rose of Sharon, the person with the least amount of hope in the book, finally smiles while helping the malnourished man. Last, but not least, the famous Obama image, represents the new era in which Americans have learned to hope together, for a better life for not only themselves, but all Americans.
 * __Hope Reflection__**

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