Comparing The Great Gatsby And Ain T I A Woman

Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders once said, “For many, the American dream has become a nightmare” ("Bernie Sanders Quotes"). The American dream evolved during the early 1930s and was defined as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Amadeo). At first the dream was the wish to live the fullest life with the best opportunities for everyone but as Bernie said, it has turned into a nightmare. The American dream automatically comes with obstacles because where there is good, there is bad. The Great Gatsby, A Raisin in the Sun, and “Ain’t I a Woman?” are great examples of how Americans face obstacles when trying to reach the ultimate goal.

Truth gave this speech 80 years before the American dream was first publically introduced and defined, yet she was still preaching her own version. Sojourner tells the audience, “That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere” (Internet History Sourcebooks). At the beginning of her speech she talks about how men believe women should be treated but then she questions if she’s a woman because no one ever treated her that way. “I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?” (Internet History Sourcebooks). She goes on to tell all the things she’s done that make her a woman and how much harder she works than men even. Sojourner Truth’s American dream was equal rights and equal opportunity for not only black women but the black community in general. The only problem was her skin color