In the essay “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Brandon king argues whether or not the American Dream is still alive and well in the USA. The author makes a strong case that the American Dream is, in fact, still held to a high degree of belief in America. Not only does he successfully argue that it is still alive, he presents information that shows how the Dream itself has shifted from a rags-to-riches story to one of a stable, happy life. Overall, King’s use of strong emotional appeals, coupled with his employment of sound reasoning and statistics make his argument that the American Dream has evolved over time very effective.
The American Dream is one’s idea of a better life. In "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes in “Let America Be America Again”, the principal priority is the America Dream, each of this authors has their personal concept of what is consider to be a better life and the sifnificance of dreams regardless of the diverse overwhelming struggles of life. Although in American Culture we tend to view the American Dream as a positive and necessary goal of citizenship, both L.Hansberry and L.Hughes explore the fantasy and the reality that brings trying to archive an attainable goal.
The “American Dream” is usually thought of as aspiring to change one's life for the better and materially better their situation. We think of it today as going to college and getting a cushy job, but for many in our American history it was much more simple. Many asserted their American dream by declaring their independence. The main similarity was that each had an audacious goal to improve their own life and the lives of some of those around them. Their pursuits of liberty were intimately entwined within the dramatic upheavals taking place in the land recently named America.
How has the American Dream changed from the 1920’s to now and how has the theme of the American Dream been supported by works of American Literature. We will see how the American Dream though time did not follow what the founding fathers set out for us in the declaration of independence and when they said, “The authors of the United States’ Declaration of Independence held certain truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". We will see how the American Dream suffers, what an American Dream is centered on, and how, for some, the American Dream is unattainable. In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and in "Harlem" by Langston Hughes we see the American dream depicted, as the loss and utter death of a distracted corrupt American Dream, as the love of the American dream, and as the American Dream for Blacks in a time of segregation and discrimination.
The theme of the poem, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes is about equality. There are multiple reasons and quotes hinting to why it's about Equality. For example, Hughes states in his poem, “There has never been equality for me, nor freedom in this “homeland of the free”” (15-16). From this quote we can see that he thinks everything isn’t equal. He put quotes around the homeland of the free to make it seem sarcastic.
Racism has been around for a very long time. It’s effect America’s history a lot. Throughout the years’ racism has improved but it’s still improving. African Americans have struggled a lot with prejudice. Prejudice is an adverse judgment formed without knowledge of the facts.
“Let America Be America Again” is a poem written by Langston Hughes during the Great Depression in July 1936. The poem takes you from a dream, the American dream to reality by spreading the awareness that the “American Dream” is about freedom, equity, and prosperity. On the other hand, a dream is only as real as you make it, and the author along with Americans feels that it is just that a dream. Throughout the poem, Lanston Hughes talks about the American dream and how different it is compared to the world he sees within the United States.
In the poem “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the use of connotations and the use of first-person point of view shows the realities of America suggesting Langston Hughes's message that America does not contain the land of the free and does not have equality throughout all ethnicities. First, Langston Hughes uses connotation to communicate his message that African Americans had endured inequality in the first part of the quote. This quote appears in the poem, in the third parenthesis within the poem. Before the quote, Langston Hughes explains America does not act as the land of the free as it promised it will. Then Langston Hughes goes on to talk about how equality has not appeared for anyone but privileged caucasians.
Background Langston Hughes wrote “Let America Be America Again” in 1935 and published it in 1936. The poem discusses many topics, but the common theme is inequality. He mentions several groups of people that have been mistreated and discriminated against including Native Americans, African Americans, and poor people. The poem serves as a plea for better and equal opportunities for everyone.
The American Dream is so essential to our country as it is an honor to reach your goals and make it a reality. The American Dream is the national ethos that people’s lives would be better and more abundant with many opportunities. The American Dream was more accessible to attain back in the days, however, changed over the years. Although the “American Dream” is still possible, many people, minorities are affected by the lack of improvement in social mobility in our society. The American Dream is still alive by being able to live a middle-class lifestyle and by obtaining it through perseverance and hard-work.
The content humans consume can have a great impact on their opinions regarding the world around them. In reading literature or consuming content about a specific culture, people may form their opinions about that group being portrayed based on the content they are exposed to. This greatly contributes to the formation of stereotypes, as works of fiction about a group that are not written by someone from that culture often do not represent the group accurately, which leaves people with an inaccurate idea of that group that they will likely never revisit, resulting in a negative stereotype. Incorporating multiethnic literature into the classroom, and consuming it in other contexts, will allow readers to gain a new perspective on the world, as
America is known as “The Land of Opportunity” and it established the concept of the American Dream in the 1900’s. The fight for this dream was prevalent even before it was given a name in 1930. The founding fathers wrote this belief into the constitution with the words “All Americans are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” .Some Americans believe that the American Dream can still be obtained in the 21st Century with hard work and perservance ; however, a majority of the American population among race gender and class has a different point of view on what America still provides to their citizens because economic insta8bility and lack of equal opportunity.
No matter who you are or where you have come from, you have undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And, still, today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important
Over the years, a dream that changed the way the world saw the U.S. was created and it is the American Dream. As the years passed and the U.S. was developing the American Dream as well developed or as many say changed. The American Dream is a term that was introduced in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America (Kamp 2). The term “American Dream” started with a meaning that was reachable: “a better, richer and happier life for all citizens of every rank”(3). Throughout the years the term`s meaning changed dramatically.
‘‘But maybe, just maybe, the new American dream is coming into view’’ (Hoffower and Kaplan). While some people might say that the American dream is not something people can achieve anymore, others say a new one is being born. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby comes from poverty to wealth and inspires others to achieve their version of the American dream. According to Ari Shapiro in her article ‘‘American Dream Faces Harsh New Reality,’’ the American dream still exists, but it is changing over time.
