An Ideal within an Ideal

The Statue of Liberty is an ideal within an ideal. The statue itself can be said to be a symbol or an icon on to its own. It marks entrance into the United States and it once served as a beacon and welcome to immigrants. Today it is a moment to American ideals and history. However Lady Liberty herself tells another story entirely. She is the finalized product of generations of American’s use of idealistic symbols to portray American ideals. The image of Lady Liberty evolved alongside the nation, it went from the harsh and savage Indian queen, to the milder Indian princess, to the classical and sophisticated, even orthodox Greek goddess. However, lady liberty has never been an entirely accurate portrayal of American ideals. Instead it was a manifestation of how Americans wanted to be perceived by the world, in particular Europe. In early colonial days they wanted to be regarded as natives to the land and distinct from Britain, regal yet dangerous and brutal. As America became a nation and started rising as a world power Americans wished to viewed as respectable, and as having roots in European wisdom and culture. So the image or American ideals changed from an Indian princess to a Greek goddess. Lady Liberty symbolizes our idealization of American values. We want America to be viewed in a certain way so we create fictional images that glorify what we value as a nation and a culture.

First Blog! Hope it didn't have too many typos.