Visual Symbols in My Life

By svacher

What does this visual symbol mean to you? Most people around the world recognize this as an American flag. But what this flag means to each person can be very different. It all depends on a person's background and experiences. For some people the American flag is a symbol of power,greed and violence. For others it means pop culture in the form of movies, music , fashion, and fast food. My background and experience defines it as freedom, liberty and a land of opportunity. My parents immigrated to the United States so that their children could experience religious freedom. When I see an American flag I can get very emotional. It brings up a combination of strong feelings including pride and gratitude. For my German born parents, it strangely does the same thing. Although my father was in the Hitler youth fighting against America and my mother's home was destroyed by American bombs during WWII, they proudly consider themselves American.