under+the+shadow+of+greatness

Both of these poems evoke a sense of something bigger than the words alone. The American character has an innate sense of grandness, a feeling that Americans are bigger and better than everyone else. We love ourselves so much that we share our culture throughout the world attempting to convince everyone else of our greatness.

These feelings create a hubris which surrounds anything Americans do. And while it's true that we often overstep our boundaries it is also true that America is a great country. We have our failings but we also have moments where we show true greatness.

While it's nice to vent sometimes about this country we live in, it is hard not to sometimes stop and think about what an amazing place we live in. There are plenty of problems in the world, and let's not fool ourselves, America has created our fair share of those problems, but everyonce and a while we step up to the plate and do the right thing. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall flat on our faces but there's always the sense that eventually someone, or something, will lead us to our true potential.

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