1. Questions

english

Can you proofread my essay? Can you also help me with making the essay run smoothly? I am having trouble transitioning my ideas. Thanks!

In Justice Brennan’s essay, “Majority Opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson,” he writes, “Pregnant with expressive content, the flag as readily signifies this nation as does the combination of letters found in ‘America.’” Anne Fadiman expresses a similar statement in her essay, “A Piece of Cotton,” when she offers that the flag is “‘polysemous.’”

By what the two essays reveal about the flag, these statements make known the many representations and discussions about the flag’s symbolism in American culture. The interpretation of a flag varies from person to person. Not only that, our different backgrounds may influence how we think when we view a flag. This is evident in Jesse Gordon’s photograph “What is America.” Gordon captures a photo of an individual from different country holding up a small American flag. Below their picture is a caption of their definition of America, which includes freedom, money, imperialism, diversity, open-minded, jazz, ketchup, original ideas, religious freedom, plastics, possibility, choice, business, consumerism, fun, lost opportunities, ignorance, my adopted country, needs healing, hope, excess, sundar (beautiful), everything, and ahhhh! The beauty of the flag comes from the many definitions derived from it. Viewers can easily see from Gordon’s visual that the definition of a simple flag stretches beyond the flag’s universal meaning: the fifty white stars, which represent the fifty states, the thirteen stripes, which represent the thirteen original colonies, and the significance of the color red, white, and blue. The definition goes beyond the color white that stands for purity and innocence; the color red that stands for hardness and valor, and the color blue that stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

For people who have experienced confinement in their country, the American flag serve as a representation of their freedom or liberty. America, to most immigrants who flee from their country to go to America, means to them a life of freedom and prosperity. The typical slogan that is used to describe America is that it is “The American Dream.” America is thought so, because it has provided the immigrants with a better life and a dream come true. America thus becomes the world’s happiest place on earth to those who long for freedom. Because of this, to them, the American flag icon stands for the happiness that America has provided them when it has given the immigrants freedom.

The 9/11 event that has affected many Americans also holds a unique meaning for the American flag. The flag serve as an icon for commemorating that terrifying moment witnessed by many Americans when millions of lives were killed during crash into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Furthermore, the flag represents the outcome of outpouring of public displays of patriotism, nationalism, and commiseration for the 9/11 victims. The flag is a symbol for the tragedy and is a symbol for respect towards the devastated families and friends.


I took the time to make some changes. I tried to clarify some points. Can you proofread this one instead and see if there is anything I should change? Thanks!

In Justice Brennan’s essay, “Majority Opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson,” he writes, “Pregnant with expressive content, the flag as readily signifies this nation as does the combination of letters found in ‘America.’” Anne Fadiman expresses a similar statement in her essay, “A Piece of Cotton,” when she offers that the flag is “‘polysemous.’”

The American flag is always looked upon and interpreted for what it “stands for” in American culture. However, the interpretation of any flag varies from person to person. Not only that, our different backgrounds may influence how we think when we view a flag. This is evident in Jesse Gordon’s photograph “What is America?” Gordon captures a photo of different people from different country holding up a small American flag. Below their picture is a caption of their definition of America, which includes freedom, money, imperialism, diversity, open-minded, jazz, ketchup, original ideas, religious freedom, plastics, possibility, choice, business, consumerism, fun, lost opportunities, ignorance, my adopted country, needs healing, hope, excess, sundar (beautiful), everything, and ahhhh! The beauty of the flag comes from the many definitions it embraces. Viewers can easily see from Gordon’s visual that the definition of a simple flag stretches beyond the flag’s universal meaning: the fifty white stars for the fifty states; the thirteen stripes for the thirteen original colonies; and the significance of the color red for hardness and valor, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice.

For people who have experienced confinement in their country, the American flag serves as a representation of freedom or liberty. America, to most immigrants who flee from their country to go to America, means a life of freedom and prosperity. The typical slogan that is used to describe America is that it is “The American Dream.” America is thought so, because it has provided immigrants with a better life and a dream come true. America thus becomes the world’s happiest place on earth to those who long for freedom. Because of this, to them, the American flag stands for the happiness that America has provided them when it has given the immigrants freedom.

The 9/11 event that has affected many Americans also holds a unique meaning for the American flag. The flag serves as an icon for commemorating that terrifying moment witnessed by many Americans when thousands of lives were lost during the crashes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Furthermore, the flag represents the outpouring of public displays of patriotism, nationalism, and commiseration for the 9/11 victims. The flag is a symbol for the tragedy and is a symbol for respect towards the devastated families and friends.