Statue of Liberty: A Lie?

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Statue of Liberty: A Lie?

As I sat on a park bench in the middle of Manhattan, eating a pack of stale peanut butter crackers, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about the woman I had met the day before. The lady I met seemed to be a strong woman of high morale, but after our interaction I came to the conclusion that she was living a lie. Well-known and noticeably the tallest female in the community, many people looked up to her as somewhat of a motherly figure. I'll never forget the tattoo on her ankles that partially read:

…. cries she with silent lips.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

She was a very old woman who really didn't look as old as she was. As we stood side by side, we had a long interesting debate about violence, values and where we thought the United States was headed as a nation. She kept saying how she had been around a long time and how she has personally witnessed the downfall of America; however, she seemed unemotional. Suddenly, tears began to flow down her solid face; or maybe it was rain? What bothered me the most was her body language, which spoke to me like a smart remark. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something about her struck me as being hypocritical. She told me her name was Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty is a national symbol of freedom for the people in America. Many Americans interpret Lady Liberty in different ways depending on their gender, ethnic, racial background and other social factors that influence our personal opinions of the United States. After personally evaluating how Lady...

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...ican values, when at the time females weren't even allowed to vote. There it is! Evidence shows that Lady Liberty is a contradiction because her message hasn't been consistent with society's beliefs.

Most Americans firmly embrace the Statue of Liberty, but never stop to question its validity as a representation of America. Lady Liberty is portrayed as being an icon of America but I feel she is one of the largest unchallenged contradictions in our present society. The statue of liberty's main objective depicts America as something it is not. At times I feel angry when looking at the statue because I feel as though we are lying to ourselves by accepting a false reality. It's very unfortunate that "Americas ego" is the cause of so many deaths. Personally, I feel that until we honestly accept the truth about ourselves, we will forever be a misrepresented nation.

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