Exposing American Myths Today Essays -- essays research papers

The United States of America has been blessed with the grace with God, it is the land of spacious skies, amber waves of grain, endless possibilities, and freedom for all. It is superior to all other nations and when faced with moral dilemmas. It is firmly believed by citizens that God sides with them. Though these are the ideals and the purposes of which the United States was founded, they are still myths and legends that are not necessarily truthful today. They were partially created by facts but mostly by the government and the people. Myths are dreams that take one from reality and place them in a comfort zone that feels much more at ease than dealing with what is reality and truth. There are so many myths that are meant to placate the frazzled American who is just looking for some reassurance from what is stressfully everyday life. However, some myths can be offensive and overlooked as many are not recognized as being false at first glance. Some assumptions of certain cultural gr oups, religious affiliations, political parties, and many others face the abuse daily. Since myths in the United States are often misperceived, the way society sees myths is bias. They can be seen as delusions of the ways people are to distinguish between what is reality and what is not. Myths in the United States began when the first pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, it is unlikely they knew the importance of what they had begun but they knew the principles on which they had founded the new land with the notion that they were now able to begin the second journey of their lives free from British persecution and hardship. A common myth one will find about the new settlers and the Native Americans that resided there can be found in an ordinary kind... ...no myth bold enough to state that bliss has ever resolved anything. Works Cited Churchill, Ward. â€Å"Crimes Against Humanity.† The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 536-543. Douglass, Frederick. â€Å"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?† The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 522-533. Jefferson, Thomas. â€Å"Declaration of Independence.† The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 517-520. Shindle, Kate. â€Å"Miss America: More Than a Beauty Queen?† The Presence of Others. Eds. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford, 2005. 563-566. Postman, Neil. â€Å"The Great Symbol Drain.† The Presence of Others. Eds.Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Boston: Bedford. 2005. 546-555.