It is not the actual states that put the “United” in the United States; it is the people of America that put the “United” in the United States. Through a well-organized essay, “One Nation, Slightly Divisible,” David Brooks describes the diverse ways of life between Republicans and Democrats. Brooks effectively uses strong nonbiased points to assist the reader in agreeing and understanding his every thought. This allows Brooks to easily reach his intended audience- anyone interested in the diverse ways of life between Republicans and Democrats. America is a united nation despite the differences between people and their culture. This idea of one united nation, that is slightly divisible, is portrayed effectively through Brooks’s essay. “One Nation, Slightly Divisible” has a title that directly introduces the topic of the essay. The organization throughout Brooks’s essay is clear and all of his ideas are well thought out. “One Nation, Slightly Divisible” begins with a short excerpt about Brooks’s background, giving the reader the ability to know Brooks on a more personal level and understand where his experiences are coming from. Brooks uses a gripping first sentence that makes the reader want to read more. This first sentence states, “Sixty-five miles from where I am writing this sentence is a place with no Starbucks, no Pottery Barn, no Borders or Barnes & Noble” (487). This is an effective way of drawing the reader in because it makes the reader think about where Brooks physically wrote the essay, and draws the reader further into the piece. He begins by describing Red America (Republicans) followed by Blue America (Democrats). The first two introductory paragraphs are well organized, with this great organization, Brooks does a wonderful job of describing his intended purpose for the paper.
While Brooks effectively reaches his intended audience, he also explains the main point of his essay which is describing the differences between Blue and Red America. Brooks always directly compares the two types of America. If he describes one color of America, he gives examples of how the other color of America is different. Specifically, when Brooks, a Blue American, says, “We sail; they motorboat. We cross-country ski; they snowmobile. We hike; they drive ATVs. We have vineyard tours; they have tractor pulls” (487). Even though by saying all these things, Brooks may seem a bit stereotypical, he does take the time to describe the two different cultures. Brooks is also able to reach his intended audience by using effective tactics to increase the reader’s faith in him. Brooks gains his credibility through telling the reader truthful, interesting facts throughout the essay. For example, Brooks says, “I shuttled back and forth between Franklin and Montgomery Counties because the cultural differences between the two places are great, though the geographic distance is small” (489). Brooks effectively draws in the reader throughout the whole essay. He allows the reader to visualize the two very different colors of American life through his convincing examples and intriguing statements.
To organize his essay, Brooks clearly divides all of the sections of the paper with clear subheadings. Brooks works hard to ensure that the different ideas do not mash together and become one cluttered idea. An example of when Brooks differentiates the sections is when he goes from the portion of the paper about the differences between the two Americas and starts the section “Crossing the Meatloaf Line.” At this point he alters his main focus and begins to talk about the actual political map and how different counties or states are different colors depending on the way they voted. He stays along the same lines of what he was saying in the previous section, but there is a significant change in thought, and the subheadings make it very clear. A portion of Brooks’s essay, “From Cracks to a Chasm?” is used to describe how America is truly one united nation. The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are good examples of when America was truly united, lacking its usual red and blue color differentiation. Brooks traveled to many diverse areas after the attacks, and he could not sense any significant variations between people’s answers to tough questions he asked about the attack no matter their party affiliation. Through Brooks’s research and experiences after the attack, he said, “…the evidence seemed clear that despite our differences, we are still a united people” (492). Throughout the majority of the essay, Brooks describes how the people of America are different, but in the section about September 11th, Brooks shows how all Americans can pull together into one united body in the face of national tragedy. While Brooks is talking about how America is united, people may think that he is not looking at the whole picture, but when the essay is examined, Brooks does take everything into consideration.
Some may say that Brooks was stereotypical or biased throughout his essay, but when the essay is analyzed, it is apparent that Brooks is in no way stereotypical. He gained trust through thorough research and strong life experiences. Brooks says, “People in Blue America…tend to live around big cities on the coasts. People in Red America tend to live on farms or in small towns…” (487). According to MSNBC Exit Polls, in big cities, 63% of people voted Democrat (blue) in the past 2008 presidential elections. This proves that Brooks is credible when stating that Blue Americans typically live in big cities. Brooks is not biased in any way; he tells the good, the bad, and the ugly about both sides of America. When describing Red America, Brooks says, “In Red America the Wal-Marts are massive, with parking lots the size of state parks…even in July you’ll come upon stores selling fake Christmas trees” (488). To explain both sides, Brooks, from Blue America, gives the negatives of his “home” America. He describes how Blue Americans may not be as well-rounded as Red Americans when he says, “We [Blue Americans] don’t know who Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins are, even though the novels they have co-written have sold about 40 million copies over the past few years…Very few of us know what goes on in Branson, Missouri, even though it has seven million visitors a year” (488). One would think that Brooks would favor his America, but as shown through these quotes, he does not take a bias when he looks at either Americas. Brooks uses real evidence throughout his paper and does not take sides. Brooks pulls the whole essay together in the last section, “A Cafeteria Nation,” by describing that even though there are many differences between everyone throughout America, all Americans work and live together with a minimal number of conflicts. Brooks does a remarkable job in organizing his essay, “One Nation, Slightly Divisible” through many different techniques. Brooks is able to relate the audience to one of the two sides of the paper through his effective description of both Americas. The readers feel as though Brooks is almost describing them, or describing a typical person of their beliefs. Brooks’s style throughout the essay uses great organization, life experiences and examples, which assist him to reach his intended audience.

Works Cited

Brooks, David. “One Nation, Slightly Divisible.” Signs of Life in the U.S.A: Readings on
Popular Culture for Writers. 6th ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 487-494.
“United States - President - Politics - 2008 Election Results - Exit Polls - Msnbc.com.” Breaking
News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science,
Technology, Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com. Web. 15 Sept. 2010.
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