Camilla's+Reflections

__Camilla's Views on the American Dream__ At the beginning of this year, I thought that the singular American Dream was to have a nice house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. However, through studying literature this year, I have learned that this is not always the case. Although this may be the dream for some Americans, there are millions of others who dream of something different. In __The Grapes of Wrath__, Tom dreamed of helping people and making positive change in society. In __The Great Gatsby__, Gatsby dreamed of being with his love, Daisy. In __Beloved__, Sethe dreamed for a life free of slavery for her children. All of these characters viewed their dreams as American dreams, and believed they were extremely important. The American Dream is not one specific dream. It is a collection of the millions of different dreams that Americans strive for everyday.
 * Reflections**

__Camilla's Views on the American Other__ To be considered an "other" in America makes life extremely difficult. The biggest group of people who Americans often categorize as being "other" are African-Americans. African-Americans have struggled in our society from its very beginning. Today, although African-Americans are no longer enslaved, they still constantly face discrimination. African-Americans are certainly considered to be an "American other" but there are many other groups that are also considered "others" that I have learned about through my community connections experiences. Americans with disabilities, homeless Americans, Americans that are a part of the LGBT community, American immigrants, and many others are also constantly discriminated against. Someone can also easily become an "American other" simply by doing something that is not considered to be "correct". For example, in __The Scarlet Letter__, Hester Prynne becomes an "other" simply by making a choice that society believed was wrong. To be an "American other" is extremely painful, and we must work as a society to make conditions in America better for these groups of people.

__Camilla's Views on America's Reluctance to Change__ Change in America is something that does not occur frequently. Equality amongst citizens in America is certainly not present, but it is much better in America than it is in other countries throughout the world. De Tocqueville believes, and I agree, that this equality makes Americans reluctant to make societal change. They see all that they could lose by creating a revolution, and not what they could gain. It is easy to see America's reluctance to change by studying African-American history. Although African-Americans are no longer enslaved, there is still constant racism in our society. This is made obvious by studying the achievement gap in urban public schools, or comparing incomes across racial lines. Americans must work to see what needs to be changed in society, and how they can benefit from this change, or else society will cease to progress.

__Camilla's Views on Religion in America__ One of the columns that America has always stood upon is the separation of church and state. However, I do not believe that our church and state are truly separated. My first experience with this issue was in reading __The Scarlet Letter__. This novel looks at America during a time when "religion and law were almost identical" (Hawthorne, 47). Although times have certainly changed since the Puritans first came to America, I believe that we still have our Puritan roots. The vast majority of our Presidents have worshipped some sector of the Christian religion, with only 1 Catholic President, 0 Jews, 0 Muslims, 0 Hindus, and 0 of many other religions. Also, the majority of our Presidents have referred to God or the Bible in many of their speeches. Even the classic, "May God Bless America", commonly said at the end of speeches, could make Americans who don't believe in God feel uncomfortable. I think that the separation of church and state is an extremely important ideal that makes America unique. We must work together as a country to keep it in place.

Camilla's Views on America's Reluctance to Change Camilla's Views on Religion Camilla's Views on the American Dream Camilla's Views on the American Other