A Quilt of a Country: Out of Many, One?

In this essay Quindlen is showing how our country consists of so many different people with all different backgrounds, ethnicities and beliefs. In the first paragraph she states that “Of all the nations in the world, the United States was built in nobody’s image”, essentially saying that there is such a mix of races that America was never and will never be able to be considered as one single body of people, there is such a huge diversity in the inhabitants of this country. The author compares the United States to a crazy quilt, constructed of many bits and pieces of fabric that seem as though they would never work together and would easily clash, much like the Arab cabbies and Jewish passengers. Quindlen refers to these two very different groups of people in paragraph four, the Jewish passenger would not be able to survive without the Arab cabbie and the same thing applies vice a versa but they still continue to bicker with each other about how much they hate the other . She later goes onto explain the America could easily be multiple different countries but we are still able to refer to it as one single body and that to her is what patriotism truly is.

I completely agree with Quindlen in her explanation of America. We have learned of all the terrible things that have happened throughout the history of the United States, but the U.S would not be nearly as strong as it is without these defining events, other nations that have gone through the same tragedies did not endure and move on as this country has. Many countries split up and go separate ways but America has stayed unified and strong. The devastation's of this country have only helped to strengthen and unify the inhabitants more. There is nowhere else in the world that people of different backgrounds, religions, races and customs live together as neighbors and get along at least enough as to not kill one another. That is what makes America unique and distinct amongst others. Patriotism is such a huge part of what unifies every single person in this country, the ability to accept everyone’s differences and still be united as one.