The Use of the Hyphen

First view video: "The Hyphen" by John Wayne (you can find it on youtube).
We had to support of oppose what Mr. Wayne said about the "hyphen"
Then read my answers to question:   In this video, John Wayne first defines what a hyphen is meant for and its functions in the English language. He defines its main function to be separating words thus leading to the concept of division of something from its parent self. He transfers this concept to the common notion of people being African-American, Jewish-American, Italian-American, and Mexican-American etc. According to John Wayne, this form of ideology has separated Americans instead of them being united in the nation that they are in. The fact that several Americans define themselves this way they may as well be called divided-American.

         Despite the nation of the United States having people of different ethnicities, they should be united in the land that they occupy. Division among the people has created only conflict and brought misunderstanding. As a nation, all the people should be as one large community. Harm has also been caused to many people in the form of discrimination. He then says that for them to be considered to be a nation, they need to behave as one people who are united despite all their differences. The little line, which is the hyphen, is what creates all the divisiveness.

The hyphen is a simple little line but it has created so much conflict between people in the United States. From the time that the Nazis dominated Europe to the time that Russia almost dominated the whole of Europe, the hyphen has been a detrimental factor in the lives of many people. It has caused wars, great fires, explosions from bombs and the great massacres to happen in human history. The choice that an individual makes on how to use the hyphen is up to the deciding individual. The perception of the hyphen should be positive and promote peace among people.

            John Wayne then says that the hyphen can be used as either a wall or a bridge. A wall in that it may hinder a person from reaching out to another and as a bridge in that it may help a person reach out effectively to another. It also saves time to use it as a bridge since it takes less time and effort to reach out to someone than hindering contact. He therefore encourages people through his message to use the hyphen as a bridge and not a wall. Using it as a bridge also helps to promote unity among the people of the United States and also the whole world. It will also help people to overlook their differences and focus on others based not on their ethnicity or origin. The mind and soul will also be strengthened to be free thus people can support each other in whatever they want to achieve.

            Using the hyphen as a wall only makes a person's life small and meaningless. It fills one's heart with strife and bitterness thus he/she won't relate with others well. The wise decision would be to use the hyphen as a bridge. People should realize that all men are equal and they stand taller now than they did before. The history of using the hyphen as a wall should be a lesson to every person and they should embrace the presence of each culture present in the nation. People should treat each other as brothers and sisters to make the world a better place.
Then read my classmates answer to video and question:
While John Wayne is proclaiming his love of America and patriotism, and being a full-blooded and complete American, I have to dissent and partially disagree with him here. While his “Hyphen” speech has good intentions overall, I disagree somewhat with what he is proclaiming. I have to respectfully object because John Wayne is telling Americans to forget their culture, identity, and origins and just call themselves American. I don't agree with this sentiment because even though I want everyone to come together and respect each other, I don't believe we should all be classified together as the exact same. That's ignoring the cultures we come from and the ways we identify, our traditions, etc. For instance, Native Americans have a unique and beautiful culture and sub-cultures, origins, identity, etc. We should stand and be proud of our origins and celebrate them and to not ignore our upbringing based on our race and culture. We should all get along except we shouldn't let go of our origins because they are what make us unique. John Wayne is correct about being American and not denying that we are Americans for living in America and to be proud of that. I just cannot agree with putting our identities into the background in a way. I am personally of mainly a combination of French, German, and British descent and I want to be proud of these cultures. I call myself an American and I want to get along with other cultures, backgrounds, and races. No one should dismiss their identity by simply calling themselves just an American. We cannot erase the experiences and immigration and the stories of many American immigrants. We also cannot forget who was in America first and owned the land which was the Native Americans. Every immigrant should embrace who they are and not forget their experiences and struggles into American life and culture.
WHAT YOU WRITE: expand my classmates specific points made, offer an argument to support a position taken in the answer, if there are ideas that need to be more clearly expressed then say so, if you think they misunderstood a concept or applied it incorrectly then identify it, or disagree with a position made in the answer