The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every U.S citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity. To others the American dream may be significantly different which is seen in “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, that is significantly evident in the Gravediggaz - “Diary of a Madman” or explained by Etheridge Knight in “Hard Rock”. In this essay, we’ll compare what song and poetry tell us about the American Dream by examining works by songwriter Bruce Springsteen, the hip hop group Gravediggaz, and writer Etheridge Knight. In “Born to Run”, by Bruce Springsteen, the American dream is almost described as a death trap or a never ending obstacle that is impossible to reach. In Springsteen's song “Born to Run”, the importance of the American dream is evident in lines 1 and 2 when …show more content…
The views on society is significant when it is described as being able to change someone's personality until they act the way society wants them to. In lines 1 and 2 Knight gives us the general perception of Hard Rock when stating “Hard Rock / was / “Known not to take no shit / From nobody,” and he had the scars to prove it.” Meaning that Hard Rock was a tough individual who knew how to stand up for himself when he needed to. In lines 8-10 the confirmation of Hard Rock begins when Etheridge states “... The doctors had bored a hole in his head / cut out part of his brain, and shot electricity / Through the rest….” Therefore meaning the doctors that should helping Hard Rock are actually conforming him to a certain standard that is accepted. One Hard Rock returned “The testing came, to see if Hard Rock was really tame. / A hillbilly called him a black son of a bitch / And didn't lose his teeth,....” After Hard Rock returned he was to to test to see if he had really changed to the way that the doctors or society wanted him to