Out Here in America: The New World and its Foreign Visions.
"Out here in America- there is supposed to be freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; however, before these words of enlightenment existed, there was a vision; a vision that became a reality through the experiences of many who came to this country in search of "hope."" .
The celebrated motto "land of opportunity- has been associated with this country since its discovery. America, both the continent and the society, has been a source of inspiration and/or dread for many non-Americans. In this course, we have centered our discussions and readings on various authors, why they came to America and what they hoped to achieve in the "New World."" In this final essay, I will explore the various images of America and how they have helped formulate the past and present visions of the American society. My assessment will consider both the images produced by Western explorers as well as non-European explorers. This essay will be broken into four sections: (I) the "Discovery of America; (II) Democracy in America; (III) America as a Melting Pot; and last (IV) Postmodern America: my vision, opinions and the aftermath of September 11th, 2001.
The "Discovery of America.
The paradox of knowing the unknown has almost certainly engaged humanity at all times and in all places (Macedo 1992). It is the core of anthropology to comprehend how we see each other. "Anthropology produces its object to be investigated which is the result of a choice made by the anthropologist- (Mason 13). However, there have been points in our human history when we did not understand each other; this misunderstanding was a result of cultural differences. Thus, in section (I) of my essay, I will discuss the "known- and "unknown- during the age of American ""New World,"" discovery.
"Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492,"" is the legendary nursery rhyme taught to grammar school children throughout America.
