In furtherance of " What is an American ?"

It is impossible to encompass everything an American is in words... the diversity of America is formidable when considering how to articulate it. Even in "Travels With Charley," John Steinbeck skimmed the surface of what characterizes American people, and he traveled across the entire country making observations. I believe Walt Whitman's poem about the American people offers an interesting glimpse at one person's perspective, but I do not think (as Langston Hughes acknowledges) it includes many components of what an American is.