Avila_America+3+REFLECTION

This wall was created to further discuss the subject of “I to We.” As a nation, we are suddenly connected by the institutions and people who govern us. However, our studies of the structure of our society must begin with our history. I was thus attached to the document: “The land was ours before we were the lands” by Robert Frost.

I remembered my first days in my American History class where Mrs. Barr told the class that the one resource the British wanted from America was the wood. This quote is not one that can be taken lightly. One of our characteristics as Americans is our desire for more, our competativeness (even with the land) and our monstrous behavior. As Americans, we must understand that our glamour has come at the cost of others and the oppression of groups that rightly had resources that weren’t ours. The land constantly is a reminder of our oppressive ways, despite the way we’ve developed as a result of this resource.

I thus chose to focus on the following title/: the Burden of Race in America. This burden is perhaps the most heavily represented in our society as a negative aspect of our history. Race encompasses an image of black and white, violence, and injustice. But we are reluctant to think that our ancestors were alive during times of injustice and most likely contributed to these injustices for their own benefit. Our history is tainted with the desire to dehumanize others. This, in turn, is a large part of our self-destructive behaviors.

The question I then pose to my readers is thus:

If our defining American characteristics are what also define our success, then what does our future look like based on these values?