The Diamond as Big as America
For many decades, America has been viewed as a beautiful and perfect diamond on the world stage. The Land of Opportunity”, was a place of progress, wealth, and diversity that led the world in industry and ideas, from the production of groundbreaking technologies to the implementation of widespread equality.
Similar to a diamond, America was seen as a perfect, colorful, and pure utopia that was generations ahead of other nations, yet although the clarity, color, and rich quality of the outer shell of a diamond allures all, it is still lifeless inside.
America, a country whose primary export was once its culture and values, has now begun to implode, becoming nothing short of a land of chaos. Political polarization, wealth disparities, poor education are fueling a nation that may have never been this divided ever in its history. A country whose foundations were built on liberty, equality, and happiness has elected leaders who have dived headfirst into the pool of hypocrisy to take 10 steps back into a worsening America. America, I would argue, has passed its “Golden Age” and is no longer a symbol for the characteristics of a diamond.
Upon the discovery of the diamond in “The Diamond As Big As The Ritz”, Braddock and his family endured significant pain to protect the diamond and their wealth, symbolizing the notion that perhaps a diamond creates more pain than it does happiness. The visions and hopes people have for America can cause more pain when those expectations are not realized. As John Unger proclaims “There are only diamonds in the whole world, diamonds and perhaps the shabby gift of disillusion”.
America and the ideals its foundation is built on may indeed be one perfect diamond, or it might simply be a “shabby gift of disillusion” bestowed upon its residents.
Similar to a diamond, America was seen as a perfect, colorful, and pure utopia that was generations ahead of other nations, yet although the clarity, color, and rich quality of the outer shell of a diamond allures all, it is still lifeless inside.
America, a country whose primary export was once its culture and values, has now begun to implode, becoming nothing short of a land of chaos. Political polarization, wealth disparities, poor education are fueling a nation that may have never been this divided ever in its history. A country whose foundations were built on liberty, equality, and happiness has elected leaders who have dived headfirst into the pool of hypocrisy to take 10 steps back into a worsening America. America, I would argue, has passed its “Golden Age” and is no longer a symbol for the characteristics of a diamond.
Upon the discovery of the diamond in “The Diamond As Big As The Ritz”, Braddock and his family endured significant pain to protect the diamond and their wealth, symbolizing the notion that perhaps a diamond creates more pain than it does happiness. The visions and hopes people have for America can cause more pain when those expectations are not realized. As John Unger proclaims “There are only diamonds in the whole world, diamonds and perhaps the shabby gift of disillusion”.
America and the ideals its foundation is built on may indeed be one perfect diamond, or it might simply be a “shabby gift of disillusion” bestowed upon its residents.
I really liked how to compared America to a diamond and how you talked about the idea of illusions and "disillusions" is really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about both the foundations and current state of America and related both to the characteristics of a diamond.
ReplyDeleteThe analogical connection of the perfect outside preconception of America and a diamond being the same along with the lifeless inside is quite deep with many layers of understanding.
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