A Question of Purity

Shirley Geok-Lin Lim's poem, Learning to Love America, poem starts with a clearly cynical tone, "because it has no pure products". The emphasis of the word 'pure' causes the effect of cynicism because it is unclear what the narrator is trying to imply. Perhaps she means 'pure' in the sense that our products are tainted by foreign influences. America's diverse population would support this assertion. If our country represents a confluence of so many different cultures, how can we put forth any purely 'American' product if by definition our culture is impure? Or perhaps she means 'pure' in the sense of honest or honorable intentions. For ages the idea of the American Dream has pushed Americans to 'get ahead' economically by whatever means necessary, sometimes, unfortunately, at the cost of the freedoms of others. Rarely do we think how the processes we take part in to put forth a product affect others. For example, Walmart's current slogan is "Save money, Live better," but who does this freedom for Americans to pay less for everyday items conversely affect? The people who work for minimum wage to produce Walmart products probably don't live better because others are saving money. In this sense our commercial morals are less than pure. Although, the cynicism may feel harsh, I feel the weight of a very important question that the narrator of this poem asks readers to consider which is, what can Americans be proud of?