Reflection+on+the+Future+of+the+American+Character

= REFLECTION = As I finished with my first three walls, I was unsure of where to end. I decided to end with exploring the possibilities of where America was headed. The American character had been shaped by the past but was ready to move on. In this wall, I used poems and images that I felt had a constant theme. Not only through color but also through tone and feeling. The poems were of Americans saying what they felt about America. The first part of my fourth wall is two poems. The first is by Walt Whitman and the second is by a student of SNCC. The student fashioned his poem after Whitman’s and the result is a representation of how much the American character has grown. The younger generation is reshaping the American character and the two poems symbolize how the American character has grown. Another direction in which we may go is in the developing of our American sense of faith. That is not to say that we all will be of the same religion but this is something that Americans share and something that gets them through the day. In the __Grapes of Wrath__, there was lot of discussion about how people were becoming one and shaping a collective spirit and identity. The last writing aspect was excerpts from a poem by Langston Hughes. The poem talks about how for the poet, America never truly meant equality and justice, things it was supposed to stand for. For that reason, the poet talks of rising and taking a stand to let America be America again for it never truly was. I found the poems made during the civil rights movement moving. There was a constant theme of holding on to dreams and taking action for what you believed in. Through the poems, one could clearly see the growth of the American character. ( For more poems from the civil rights movement--> [|http://www.crmvet.org/poetry/poemhome.htm )] The pictures that I included were all from the Great Depression. The time where all hope was lost and it seemed like nothing would change. When people were in search for jobs, food and money trying to do what they could to make a living. It may be that this is how people feel now. Perhaps we continue to feel that our American society will never change and that we will stay how we are. But from desperation arises resourcefulness and desire to change. As Americans we can take the initiative to create change within our society. As individuals we can inspire and as collective groups we can give rise to change. As we stand up for what we believe in our American character will continue to grow.