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BrookeReinbold
Kamerman
English9
2June2015
TheAmericanImage
Overtheyears,therehavebeenmanypublicationsandspeechesfocusedontheAmerican
image.WhethertheyretalkingaboutwhatitmeanstobeanAmerican,ortheactualphysical
appearanceofanAmerican,itsbeenwritten.Thepublicspeakersandrespectedfiguresalsouse
figurativelanguageintheirworkstorelayandgettheirmessageacross.Eachbodyoftextincorporates
multipleformsoffigurativelanguagetoportraytheirpoint.Someexamplesoftheseareanaphoras,
personifications,andmetaphors.ThreedocumentsthatconveythemessageoftheAmericanimageare
IWanttoBeMissAmerica,SpiritofLiberty,andTheGettysburgAddress.

OnedocumentthatpaintsapictureoftheAmericanimageisIWanttoBeMissAmerica
writtenbyJuliaAlvarez.Inthetext,AlvareztellsuswhatitsliketobeaHispanicinAmericaaroundthe
1950s.ShespeaksofwhatisconsideredbeautifulinAmerica:blueeyes,longlegs,blondehair.Not
onlydoesshediscussthephysicalimageofAmericans,butshealsospeaksofwhatlifeislikeforan
Americanwomen.Theyhavethechancetoexceloutsideofthehome,getajob,gotocollege.Thiswas
astoundingtoAlvarezandhersisters.Inthetext,Alvarezusesmanydifferentliterarydevices.Sheuses
metaphorsandsimilesquitefrequentlytoputimagesintoourheads.Anexampleofametaphorsheuses
iswhenshereferstothecontestantsofthepageantas..fiftypuzzlepiecesformingtheprettyfaceof
America.Anotherdevicesheusesisanallusion.ShereferencesBarbieneartheendofherspeechto
showhowpopularlookingLatinobecame.Overall,thisisaveryeyeopeningdocumentontheAmerican
imagecomingfromaforeigner.

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AnotherdocumentthatgivesusanideaoftheAmericanimageisSpiritofLibertywrittenby
JudgeLearnedHand.HetalksabouttheideathatlibertyinAmericaisprotectedbytheAmericans,and
notthegovernment.Inthedocumentheusesmetaphors,personificationandanaphorastoportrayhis
message.Anexampleofananaphorathatheusesishimconstantlygoingbacktowhatexactlythespirit
oflibertyis.Oftenintheexamples,heispersonifyinglibertyandreferringtoitasifitwereanactual
livingthingandnotjustanidea.HandisconstantlyimplyingthatAmericaisafree,prosperouscountry,
andthatAmericansshouldfeelsafeandcontenthere.TheAmericanimageisportrayedvery
prominentlyandinaverypositivelightinthisdocument.
ThefinaldocumentthatshowsustheAmericanimageisTheGettysburgAddresswrittenby
AbrahamLincoln.I'msurethatmanyofyouarequitefamiliarwiththisspeechthatwasgiveninfrontof
alargecrowdbackin1863.Lincolnspeaksabouthowourcountrywasborninlibertyandhowcountless
Americanshavegiventheirlivesforournation.Hespeaksoftheirdedicationandselflesssacrifices.
LincolnreallylaysouttothecrowdwhatitistobeanAmerican,anddoesthisbyusinganaphorasandan
allusiontothePledgeofAllegiance.AnexampleofananaphorathatLincolnusesiswhenhesays..that
governmentofthepeople,bythepeople,forthepeople...TheemphasisontheAmericanimagemay
notbequiteasobviousinthisspeech,butitisstilldefinitelythere.
IWanttoBeMissAmerica,SpiritofLiberty,andTheGettysburgAddressalluse
figurativelanguagetoportraytheAmericanimage.Ineachdocument,wesawadifferentviewofthe
Americanimage.Onecomingfromaforeigner,anotheronecomingfromajudge,evenonecoming
fromthepresident!Eachspeakeruseddifferenttypesoffigurativelanguageinslightlydifferentways.It
helpedeachofthemgettheirpointandviewsacrosstotheiraudience.Intheend,however,allofthem
werestillspeakingofthesamething.WhatittrulymeanstobeanAmerican.

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WorksCited

Alvarez,Julia.Customs:IWanttoBeMissAmerica.3744.
SomethingtoDeclare
.NewYork:
ThePlumePenguinGroup,1999.
Hand,Learned.TheSpiritofLibertySpeech.IAManAmericanDay.CentralPark:New
York.1944.Address.
Lincoln,Abraham."TheGettysburgAddress."19Nov.1863.Address.

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