The Corruption Of The American Dream In The 21st Century

In the year 1766, the United States of America declared its independence and a country full of energy was created. Generally, America has continued to be a thriving country since independence, with many avenues of opportunity. However, Orwell disagrees as he writes that, “the truly characteristic thing about modern life was not its cruelty and insecurity, but simply its bareness, its dinginess, its listlessness.” Even though contemporary society lacks these characteristics, as the American Dream is alive and prevalent and as the entire country is involved with political affairs, contemporary society has Americans that have begun to lose their human nature.

The American Dream has continued to be present and flourishing in 21st century America

This is true as the country is seen as a land of freedom, especially with the citizens enjoying a great amount of rights. Indeed, the First Amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law...abridging freedom of speech,” (Bill of Rights, 1st Amendment) indicating that Americans have the opportunity to express their ideas. The concept of free speech is a necessary thing for humans, particularly Americans, as contemporary society often presents controversial or opinion based events. However, the exact opposite exists in 1984, since civilians have, “no freedom of choice in any direction whatever” (Orwell, 211). Evidently, Americans have the liberty to say and do anything, whereas Orwellian society is restrictive. In addition to the abundance of privileges for the American people, the country has economic opportunity. According to The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for August of 2016 was 4.9% (“Unemployment Rate”). Statistically, this is a low number and indicates that many Americans have a secure job, allowing for a stable income. In comparison, the country of

Unlike some other countries, America allows its citizens to have the opportunity to be an involved participant in political happenings. Specifically, the 15th Amendment states that, “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State” (The Constitution of the United States). The democracy in America allows for its citizens to have influence in the political sphere, as the outcomes will directly impact them, and the voting results are heavily dependent on this right. The reverse of this occurs in Oceania in the novel 1984, as the author, George Orwell, depicted society as being run by, “Big Brother” and “the dictatorship of the Party” (Orwell, 2, 12). While Winston experienced a dictatorship, in American society, the President holds elite political office and the country is run as a democracy. Furthermore, the people of Oceania are not allowed to have any other views or thoughts and they had to, “dissemble their feelings” (Orwell, 17) as a natural action. While this is reality for Oceania, in contrast, Americans possess the right to have different viewpoints on politics, especially the major division of republicans versus democrats. Even though all Americans might not enjoy elections or anything related to politics, Ronald Reagan believed that, “the right to vote is the crown jewel of American liberties” and that America, “will not see