Compare and Contrast & Reflection
Nadia Vargas
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
2 October 2019
Quality of America
Are equality, unity, and patriotism important to you? Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both thought they were crucial to the success of our nation. This essay will compare and contrast the way Quindlen and Lincoln discuss equality, unity and patriotism in their works “A Quilt of a country’’ and the “Gettysburg Address.’’ The first point to consider is equality.
Lincoln and Quindlen both fought for equality, but they knew the only way to reach it was through the unity of the nation. Quindlen explains that the country often fails at this task. Quindlen says “The reality is often quite different, great national striving consisting frequently of failure” (Quindlen 3). We fail many times at unity, but we try to be equal and united together. While the authors agree that unity is a critical, difficult ideal of our nation, they saw unity in different ways. Quindlen's focus is on unifying the divers.
Quindlen and Lincoln both talk about equality. Both authors agree that equality is worth striving for even though we don’t have it yet. Quindlen explains that our nation has held onto the value of equality since its creation. She writes, ‘’America … is held together by the notion that all men are created equal’’ (Quindlen 3). Here, Quindlen highlights the value of equality, not only as something we should fight for, but also as a value that has held our nation together. Although both authors value equality, Quindlen points to cultural inequalities while Lincoln faced the much more severe slavery issues of his time. Lincoln, like Quindlen, saw the inequalities in the way people in our country are treated, but he fought a civil war to free slaves. In his speech, he says “We here highly resolve that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom’’ (Lincoln 28). Lincoln wanted equality to keep our nation together, but he didn’t see the fruits of his labor.
Quindlen focuses on culture in our country on a social level, while Lincoln’s priority was unifying America politically. Lincoln explains that keeping the U.S together is a good and stop slavery so we can be equal and united, fighting in the civil war to prove we are dedicated. Lincoln says, ‘’Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure’’ (Lincoln 27). Lincoln fought so we can be united and equal. It took dedication to fight for our nation. Unity, according to both authors, is difficult to achieve, the authors see unity differently because of the times in which they lived, but both see value, nonetheless. They also recognize the value of patriotism.
Quindlen and Lincoln agree that patriotism means having pride in our nation, and that’s what keeps us united. They also see the importance of national pride in keeping the country united. Patriotism is taking pride and that we haven’t spilt. Quindlen writes, “But patriotism is partly taking pride in this unlikely ability to throw all of us together in a country that across its length and breadth is as different as a dozen countries, and still call it by one name” (Quindlen 6). Quindlen recognizes that patriotism requires U.S citizens to be proud that we are diverse but united. Lincoln was proud of America, too, but what he needed from citizens was devotion. Following the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln said “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live’’ (Lincoln 27). Lincoln sees patriotism as being willing to sacrifice for your country. In both cases, patriotism was necessary for unity.
Quindlen’s essay “A Quilt of a Country” and Lincoln’s speech the “Gettysburg Address’’ address the topic of equality, unity, and patriotism in ways that are similar and different. Both authors saw equality as an important ideal, but their struggles to attain it were different. Each of the authors wanted unity for different reasons. Quindlen and Lincoln are both patriots, but they show their loyalty to America in their own ways. So, considering all this, what do you think the role of equality, unity, and patriotism is in the U.S?
Works Cited
Abraham, Lincoln. “The Gettysburg Address.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, & Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, pp. 27-28.
Quindlen, Anna. “A Quilt of a Country.” Collections, Edited by Kylene Beers, Martha Hougen, Carol Jago, William L. McBride, Erik Palmer, & Lydia Stack, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017, pp. 3-6.
Compare and Contrast Reflection
Please answer all questions in complete, grammatically correct sentences.
1. Explain the process you went through to write this paper. Please be specific.
Quindlen's article "Quilt Of A Country" and Lincoln's article "The Gettysburg Address" are both good articles that I gathered information from to write this essay "Quality Of America". We started off by comparing and contrasting Quindlen's and Lincoln's articles.
2. What qualifies this paper as a compare and contrast essay? What are the requirements for this genre and how did you meet them?
I compared and contrasted Lincoln and Quindlens stories. I showed evidence on why they compared and contrasted.
3. Tell me about one challenge you faced writing this paper and how you overcame it.
My challenge was trying to prove all my evidence and i overcame it by looking in the book to help me.