Compare and Contrast Essay & Reflection
Mary- Rose Dunaway
Ms. Lehmann
English 1- 1A
27 September 2018
Compare and Contrast of “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilt of a Country”
What are the values of our nation that have stood the test of time? Both “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilty of a Country” explore this very question. This essay will compare and contrast “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln, and “Quilt of a Country,” by Anna Quindlen. The first value the two authors explore is unity.
Both Lincoln and Quindlen see the value of unity in our nation. By unifying our people, the Unites States will be stronger and go further in the future. Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” delivered after one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, stresses the importance of uniting the North and South. Lincoln tells his audience to make sure that “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln recognized that the only way to keep this country’s government alive was to unify the two parts of the nation. Like Lincoln, Quindlen wants the people of the United States to get along so we can function as one nation. Quindlen, though, is concerned with uniting the various cultures that make up our country today. Quindlen writes, “One of the things that [America] stands for is this vexing notion that a great nation can consist entirely of refuges from other nations, that people of 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). Quindlen makes the observation that unity is one of the values that have stood the test of time in our nation. Although it looks different today than it did for Lincoln, unity still matters to our nation. Unity often leads to patriotism, another value the authors share.
Lincoln and Quindlen both demonstrate a large amount of patriotism and urge their audiences to share in that as well. “The Gettysburg Address,” delivered at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery, honored the fallen soldiers who fought for the North. Lincoln tells his audience that “we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hollow this ground” because “the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract” (Lincoln 27). He even says the world “can never forget what they did here” (Lincoln 27). Lincoln praises the soldiers for their patriotism and urges the audience to show the same dedication to the US. For Quindlen, patriotism means being proud of our nation’s diversity. Quindlen writes that “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 be able to call it by one name” (Quindlen 6). While Lincoln was proud of the soldiers who fought to unify the country politically, Quindlen’s patriotism lies in unifying our modern, diverse population. Although it takes different forms, both authors agree that the United States is unlike any other country, and that is something its citizens should be proud of. Along with patriotism, both authors value equality.
Lincoln and Quindlen both know that we are all equal and that we should not treat people differently, no matter the color of a person’s skin or the culture they come from. Lincoln is trying to show people that slaves should be treated the same as everyone else. Lincoln says our nation was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln 27). Like Lincoln, Quindlen is trying to show her audience that they should not treat people differently because of the culture they come from. Quindlen writes that ours is a “nation built of ever – changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Lincoln and Quindlen both know that we should all be treated equally no matter who we are or what we stand for.
“The Gettysburg Address” and “A Quilt of a Country” both examine the values of our nation, though they do so in different ways. Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen both talk about unity, patriotism, and equality in ways that are similar and different. For both authors, unity is important, politically for Lincoln, and culturally for Quindlen. Patriotism for Lincoln centers on the government of the US, while Quindlen values our diversity, but both authors agree that patriotism matters. Lincoln and Quindlen both agree that equality is important, but Lincoln talks about it for slaves and Quindlen talks about equality across cultures. Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s works prove that unity, patriotism, and equality are values of our nation that have stood the test of time.
Works Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Quindlen, Anna. “A Quilt of a Country.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Compare and Contrast Reflection
1. List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
I learned that 2 stories can look different but can be the same like "The Gettysburg Address" is a speech that Abraham Lincoln said it was not even that long and "Quilt of a Country" is a a argument about how people will treat each other different because of there skin color or where they came from. so even thou they both where not here at the same time they said or wrote it they Bothe want to be have everyone treated the same because we are the same in ways.
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 forgot the most important thing and that was a title and after I put the title I saw it gave the paper more meaning and it showed it to.
3. What are the conventions of a compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment?
You have to compare 2 or more stories and within that you have to give the reader some quotes from the text that is in the story that way they know what part of the story you want to compare.
4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
I would have put a little bit more detail and would have compared them a little more that way the reader could tell what the story where about without having to read it first.
5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper
I am proud that I was able to find all the info I did with the time I had to write this Compare and Contrast Essay and how well it turned out to be and all the detail it has in it.
Ms. Lehmann
English 1- 1A
27 September 2018
Compare and Contrast of “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilt of a Country”
What are the values of our nation that have stood the test of time? Both “The Gettysburg Address” and “Quilty of a Country” explore this very question. This essay will compare and contrast “The Gettysburg Address,” by Abraham Lincoln, and “Quilt of a Country,” by Anna Quindlen. The first value the two authors explore is unity.
Both Lincoln and Quindlen see the value of unity in our nation. By unifying our people, the Unites States will be stronger and go further in the future. Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” delivered after one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, stresses the importance of uniting the North and South. Lincoln tells his audience to make sure that “this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” (Lincoln 28). Lincoln recognized that the only way to keep this country’s government alive was to unify the two parts of the nation. Like Lincoln, Quindlen wants the people of the United States to get along so we can function as one nation. Quindlen, though, is concerned with uniting the various cultures that make up our country today. Quindlen writes, “One of the things that [America] stands for is this vexing notion that a great nation can consist entirely of refuges from other nations, that people of 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). Quindlen makes the observation that unity is one of the values that have stood the test of time in our nation. Although it looks different today than it did for Lincoln, unity still matters to our nation. Unity often leads to patriotism, another value the authors share.
Lincoln and Quindlen both demonstrate a large amount of patriotism and urge their audiences to share in that as well. “The Gettysburg Address,” delivered at the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery, honored the fallen soldiers who fought for the North. Lincoln tells his audience that “we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hollow this ground” because “the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract” (Lincoln 27). He even says the world “can never forget what they did here” (Lincoln 27). Lincoln praises the soldiers for their patriotism and urges the audience to show the same dedication to the US. For Quindlen, patriotism means being proud of our nation’s diversity. Quindlen writes that “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 be able to call it by one name” (Quindlen 6). While Lincoln was proud of the soldiers who fought to unify the country politically, Quindlen’s patriotism lies in unifying our modern, diverse population. Although it takes different forms, both authors agree that the United States is unlike any other country, and that is something its citizens should be proud of. Along with patriotism, both authors value equality.
Lincoln and Quindlen both know that we are all equal and that we should not treat people differently, no matter the color of a person’s skin or the culture they come from. Lincoln is trying to show people that slaves should be treated the same as everyone else. Lincoln says our nation was “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal” (Lincoln 27). Like Lincoln, Quindlen is trying to show her audience that they should not treat people differently because of the culture they come from. Quindlen writes that ours is a “nation built of ever – changing disparate parts, it is held together by a notion, the notion that all men are created equal” (Quindlen 3). Lincoln and Quindlen both know that we should all be treated equally no matter who we are or what we stand for.
“The Gettysburg Address” and “A Quilt of a Country” both examine the values of our nation, though they do so in different ways. Abraham Lincoln and Anna Quindlen both talk about unity, patriotism, and equality in ways that are similar and different. For both authors, unity is important, politically for Lincoln, and culturally for Quindlen. Patriotism for Lincoln centers on the government of the US, while Quindlen values our diversity, but both authors agree that patriotism matters. Lincoln and Quindlen both agree that equality is important, but Lincoln talks about it for slaves and Quindlen talks about equality across cultures. Lincoln’s and Quindlen’s works prove that unity, patriotism, and equality are values of our nation that have stood the test of time.
Works Cited
Lincoln, Abraham. “The Gettysburg Address.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Quindlen, Anna. “A Quilt of a Country.” Collections. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Compare and Contrast Reflection
1. List one thing you've learned from writing this paper that you can apply to other writing assignments. What will that look like?
I learned that 2 stories can look different but can be the same like "The Gettysburg Address" is a speech that Abraham Lincoln said it was not even that long and "Quilt of a Country" is a a argument about how people will treat each other different because of there skin color or where they came from. so even thou they both where not here at the same time they said or wrote it they Bothe want to be have everyone treated the same because we are the same in ways.
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 forgot the most important thing and that was a title and after I put the title I saw it gave the paper more meaning and it showed it to.
3. What are the conventions of a compare and contrast essay and how did you meet those in this assignment?
You have to compare 2 or more stories and within that you have to give the reader some quotes from the text that is in the story that way they know what part of the story you want to compare.
4. Given more time to work on this assignment, how would you improve it?
I would have put a little bit more detail and would have compared them a little more that way the reader could tell what the story where about without having to read it first.
5. What is one thing you're proud of in this paper
I am proud that I was able to find all the info I did with the time I had to write this Compare and Contrast Essay and how well it turned out to be and all the detail it has in it.