Map Analysis

When I first saw this image I had no idea what it was meant to be. Then I read the description that came with it. These are maps of the United States as drawn by teenagers in Las Vegas. The teenagers were asked to draw what they thought the outline of the United States looked like, much like the activity we did on Wednesday! As you can see not one of these maps are the same, some are similar but they're are never the same. Are these maps simply just what we see in front us, a bunch of drawings by American teenagers who don't quite know what their country looks like? Or do they hold a deeper meaning, are these maps sending the message that we seem to be bombarded with? Everyone in the United States is different but their common factor is that they are American and proud to be. Does it show that every individual in America perceives the country differently and being American means different things to different people? I feel it can be looked at in both ways, at a first glance these maps do look like a collection of cows on page and do suggest that the majority of these teenagers don't know the outline of their own country but I also believe there is a deeper meaning to these maps. Each person drew their interpretation of a map of the United States and this was their task, draw what YOU think a map of America looks like. No one told them draw a map of the United States as it is physically. Therefore it was always open to interpretation and does to some extent show that America means different things to its people.