Digital Story Continued

Arthur Ellermann: A Changed Life <-------------  a link to my digital story.



What does it mean to be American? Over the course of this blog post I will be talking about what I think being American means to my grandfather, and what it means to me.

The story of my grandfather, Pop what the grandchildren call him, I feel that at the core is very American.

My grandfather's story does not start off like the stories that we have read in class, with people immigrating to this land trying to live the American dream. My grandfather's family has been in this country for many generations. I do not know when my ancestors came to this country, but that does not make my grandfathers, or even my own story  any less American than the ones that we have read in class.

There is always a beginning to this story and here is my grandfathers. My grandfather was the child of two teenagers who were forced to get married because his mother was pregnant. They were only married a few short months before my grandfather was born. In his early life my grandfather struggled. He saw everyday what his parents went through to support their family. I feel that this part of my grandfather's story relates to the ideal of America, because he overcame such a hardship at the beginning of his life.

Pop wanted a better life for himself and his future family. He decided that he wanted to go to college and better himself. But it was not possible for my great-grandparents to pay for college for my grandfather. Pop decided to enlist in the army to help him pay for college. My grandfather knew that he wanted a better life, and to obtain a better life and future for himself he knew he had to go to college. Joining the Army was the only way my grandfather could send himself to college.

I see my grandfather joining the army to pay for college, almost equal to immigrants coming to America for a chance at a better life. Isn't that what America is supposed to be, a chance to have a better life. My grandfather saw opportunity in joining the army, just like many immigrants see opportunity in coming to America.

When Pop had his stroke in 2012, he was very lucky to have been able to go to hospital within the first twenty-four hours of it occurring. his life, and everyone in the family lives have changed, but we are all thankful that it was not worse. My grandfather is still alive, yes his life is not what it used to be, but he is still living.

The stroke has changed all of our lives. There is no question about it. Everyone has a different routine now, but in relation to the American dream, I feel that everyone is still living it. I see my family everyday. Everyone gets to see Pop, we do not have to go visit him in a nursing home, or worse the cemetery. My family gets to still live the American dream, and the patriarch of this family is still around.

My family has always identified as Americans first.  We come from all different parts of Western Europe, like Ireland, England, Netherlands, and France to name a few. The dream that many people have of America, is one that my family lives everyday. My family is living the quintessential American dream.

But to know my own American Identity, is very hard. I feel very lucky to be a young white middle class woman. But at the same time I feel as if I do not know who I am. I feel lost on the scope that is my American Identity.

This question is very hard for me because I was born here, my family has been here for generations. I have not faced the hardships that my class mates and their families have faced. I am very fortunate for that.

I feel very lucky to have been born into something that people want so badly to achieve. I'll never know the struggle or hardships that come with immigrating into this country. But that is one of the reasons that my ancestors came to this country. They came here to provide a better life their families and the furutre family members. I'll never have to know the struggle and hardships of immigrating to this country, because my family has been here for generations.