Essay/Term paper: What is an american?

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Philosophy

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
week and then go to the mall and buy a Calvin Klein miniskirt, a Tommy
Hilfiger tank top, and a pair of Lucky Brand jeans. Even though she has
spent all of her money she feels that she will now be able to express
herself effectivly through her clothes. Another type of an American might
might just find a pair of old jeans with the knees ripped out, and a ten
year old tee shirt to wear out for a big night on the town. Fashion also
ties in a bit with age. A teenage girl might care more about the way she
looks that an old lady who just throws on an old shaw to water her roses.
Even though the fashions for all Americans are diverse everyone has their
own style and personality to express through their physical appearence.
As I stated earlier in this essay three of the most effective ways to
describe today's American are by the person's age, the priorities the person
holds dear to them, and by the way a person presents their physical being to
others. An American is someone of any age, someone who has priorities to
live by, and someone who expresses their physical self freely. An American
is a person who can be described by all of these descriptions and thousands
more like them in such a way as to come to some sort of understanding to
whom they would like to become, or to whom they have become.