What is an American? :: essays research papers

Let me ask you this: What is an American? There is no right or wrong way to answer this question. It is diffucult to compare an American today to an American two-hundred and fifty years ago, because the modern day America is so diverse that a label cannot be stuck on the forehead of today's society. There are many different ways that one can describe an American today, infact there are so many ways that I could never come close to covering all of them in this essay. I feel the three most effective ways to describe today's American are by the persons age, his or her priorities in life, and the way he or she chooses to present his or her physical self to others (fashion). Throughout the life of an American their age at the time usually determines what activities they choose to be part of. A sixteen year old boy would not choose to spend his Saturday afternoon doing the same thing that a 75 year old grandfather of 6 would spend his afternoon doing. The teenager might decide to play a game of baseball in the park, while the older man might decide to spend the evening with his grandchildren in his garden. Even though both of these people decide to busy themselves differently because of their age they are still Americans. So it is evident that a persons age is descriptive of what a person may choose do with themselves. Yet another description of an American are the priorities that he or she hold dear to them. One person may feel that their family is their greatest priority, however a man with no family would not feel this way. This man might feel that his greatest priority would be taking care of himself. This can also be tied in with age. A younger person might feel that his of her greatest priority is to their friends, but an older person might feel that their most important overall priority is to their children. Whatever a persons priorities may be it is true that many different Americans have many different priorities. Finally, the way a person decides to physically present themselves to others is a major descriptor of an American. Although some Americans care not what others think of their physical appearence, many on the other hand do. A certain high school girl might find pleasure in working an entire