Jordan Stubbs
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
25 September 2018
Comparing and Contrasting “Quilt of a Country” with “The Gettysburg Address”
Elmer Davis once said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it remains the land of the brave.” Many people have expressed opinions about what is necessary to keep America’s ideals alive, including Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen. This essay will compare and contrast Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech “They Gettysburg Address” with Anna Quindlen’s article “A Quilt of a Country.” Both authors recognize the importance of equality to our national identity.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both strive to convince their audiences to treat one another equally. Both authors make the argument that treating one another equally will lead to a more peaceful nation. Quindlen urges her audience to end the tensions between the various cultures that exist within the United States. She describes our nation as “a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts…held together by…the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Quindlen highlights the fact that the United States is the only country built upon the concept of equality among people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. One hundred and thirty-eight years earlier, Abraham Lincoln spoke to an entire audience of Americans urging them to fight for the equality of slaves. Lincoln wrote that America was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln 27). While Quindlen talks about equality among diverse cultures, Lincoln urges the nation to end slavery. While the goals of the authors are different, both recognize equality as the defining value to our nation. Similar parallels can be seen in their unity.
Both Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen want to bring the United States of America’s People together. Quindlen wants to unite the various, diverse cultures that live in the U.S. Quindlen says that our country stands for the “vexing notion that a great nation can consist entirely of refugees from the other nations, that people are different, even warring religions and cultures can live, if not side by side, then on either side of the country’s Chester Avenues” (Quindlen 5). Here, the author clearly values unity and explains the one of the unique and valuable characteristics of this country is that diverse people can coexist peacefully as one complete nation. While Quindlen seeks to unify diverse cultures, Lincoln sought to unify the North and South during the Civil War. Lincoln begins his speech by telling the audience that “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 urges his audience to work toward the goal of unifying the nation to ensure the survival of our country. Both authors agree that unifying our people will lead to the survival of our nation. The authors also note that the survival of our nation will also consists of struggles, good and bad.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both address struggle in our nation. Quindlen states that part of the country’s identity rests in the fact that we can and will overcome struggles we have had in the past and will have in the future. The author says, “enormous tragedy, as it so often does, demands a time of reflection on enormous blessings” (Quindlen 4). Quindlen refers to 9-11 and the struggles of our past. She explains that struggle and pride are intertwined because after we have overcome our struggles, we take a huge amount of time to see the blessings we have in our nation. Similarly, Lincoln claims that our nation needs to struggle. He states, “it is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far nobly advanced” (Lincoln 27-28). Lincoln compels his listeners to work on the tasks that the people before them have started, seeing through the struggles our nation was facing in order to advance. Advancing through our struggles has and will continue to help our nation come together and be more successful in our future. Both authors describe overcoming struggles in different ways, but they both agree that overcoming those struggles will mean more to us.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln share many similarities in the values they see in our nation. Both “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilt of a Country” explore the values of equality, unity, and struggles, though they do so in different ways. By examining these two authors, one can trace how our nation’s values have changed over time. Ultimately, how these values look may have changed, but that they are central to our nation’s identity has remained true throughout our nation’s history.
Compare and Contrast Essay Reflection
2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
3. What are the conventions of an compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment?
4.Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
5.What is one thing you’re proud of in this paper?
I am proud of the overall turnout. It flows nicely and compares and contrast the subjects well.
Ms. Lehmann
English 1-3
25 September 2018
Comparing and Contrasting “Quilt of a Country” with “The Gettysburg Address”
Elmer Davis once said, “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it remains the land of the brave.” Many people have expressed opinions about what is necessary to keep America’s ideals alive, including Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen. This essay will compare and contrast Abraham Lincoln’s famous speech “They Gettysburg Address” with Anna Quindlen’s article “A Quilt of a Country.” Both authors recognize the importance of equality to our national identity.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both strive to convince their audiences to treat one another equally. Both authors make the argument that treating one another equally will lead to a more peaceful nation. Quindlen urges her audience to end the tensions between the various cultures that exist within the United States. She describes our nation as “a mongrel nation built of ever-changing disparate parts…held together by…the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Quindlen highlights the fact that the United States is the only country built upon the concept of equality among people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. One hundred and thirty-eight years earlier, Abraham Lincoln spoke to an entire audience of Americans urging them to fight for the equality of slaves. Lincoln wrote that America was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln 27). While Quindlen talks about equality among diverse cultures, Lincoln urges the nation to end slavery. While the goals of the authors are different, both recognize equality as the defining value to our nation. Similar parallels can be seen in their unity.
Both Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen want to bring the United States of America’s People together. Quindlen wants to unite the various, diverse cultures that live in the U.S. Quindlen says that our country stands for the “vexing notion that a great nation can consist entirely of refugees from the other nations, that people are different, even warring religions and cultures can live, if not side by side, then on either side of the country’s Chester Avenues” (Quindlen 5). Here, the author clearly values unity and explains the one of the unique and valuable characteristics of this country is that diverse people can coexist peacefully as one complete nation. While Quindlen seeks to unify diverse cultures, Lincoln sought to unify the North and South during the Civil War. Lincoln begins his speech by telling the audience that “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 urges his audience to work toward the goal of unifying the nation to ensure the survival of our country. Both authors agree that unifying our people will lead to the survival of our nation. The authors also note that the survival of our nation will also consists of struggles, good and bad.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln both address struggle in our nation. Quindlen states that part of the country’s identity rests in the fact that we can and will overcome struggles we have had in the past and will have in the future. The author says, “enormous tragedy, as it so often does, demands a time of reflection on enormous blessings” (Quindlen 4). Quindlen refers to 9-11 and the struggles of our past. She explains that struggle and pride are intertwined because after we have overcome our struggles, we take a huge amount of time to see the blessings we have in our nation. Similarly, Lincoln claims that our nation needs to struggle. He states, “it is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far nobly advanced” (Lincoln 27-28). Lincoln compels his listeners to work on the tasks that the people before them have started, seeing through the struggles our nation was facing in order to advance. Advancing through our struggles has and will continue to help our nation come together and be more successful in our future. Both authors describe overcoming struggles in different ways, but they both agree that overcoming those struggles will mean more to us.
Anna Quindlen and Abraham Lincoln share many similarities in the values they see in our nation. Both “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilt of a Country” explore the values of equality, unity, and struggles, though they do so in different ways. By examining these two authors, one can trace how our nation’s values have changed over time. Ultimately, how these values look may have changed, but that they are central to our nation’s identity has remained true throughout our nation’s history.
Compare and Contrast Essay Reflection
- List one thing you’ve learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
- I have learned how to spell bigger words and transfer what I am thinking into words on a paper. I have more correct sentences and more ideas in my essay.
2. Identify a specific revision you were asked to make and explain why (this can be at any stage of the writing process). How did you revise? What did you learn?
- I was asked to check my spelling on some words. I fixed the words and now know how to spell them for in the future.
3. What are the conventions of an compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment?
- You have to find the similarities of two subjects and find the differences of them. I found the likes and differences of the two subjects and wrote an essay about those two subjects.
4.Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
- I find more things that they had in common and things they didn’t have in common to make a better structured essay.
5.What is one thing you’re proud of in this paper?
I am proud of the overall turnout. It flows nicely and compares and contrast the subjects well.