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The myth of the american dream essay
The myth of the american dream essay
Essay on the failure of the american dream
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Susan B. Neumen’s main purpose or motivation in writing the article, “The American Dream: Slipping Away?” indicates that all children should be trained properly in education. Many people come to America because it captures opportunities and striving for better dreams. Even if they are in poverty or privilege everyone should be given the right resources to absorb and succeed. Although those who have achieve their dreams, the American Dream had become more problematic for many others to accomplish. Neuman also added research and statistics on parents and children in two neighboring cities how they are different.
In 1940s, California was described as a dream land or a land of opportunity. The literature and film industries of the Los Angeles showed quite conspicuously stability at that time. The image of the Los Angeles was the place of the opportunity and success. In the Nathanael West’s book, The Day of the Locust, the story starts with the actors marching in the Hollywood (West 59). Massive number of people out in Hollywood waiting to be hired or luckily be hired.
Throughout the history of literature, many authors have tried to reveal a clear understanding of the American Dream. And whether it is possible to achieve lies all in the character the author portrays. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye are prime examples of this. F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger, the authors of these titles, respectively, fashion flawed Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield, with one important desire: the longing to gain what they can’t have; acceptance and the feeling of belonging. Each being different in their own ways as well.
In the novels, modernism characteristic: sense of disillusionment and loss of faith in the American Dream is demonstrated through two distinct man, whose life are greatly different from each other. At the beginning George believes that he can achieve his American Dream–to have a decent life, and a place of his own. “O.K.
The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald portrays the decline of the American Dream during the 1920s. By Fitzgerald's symbolism of the discriminatory treatment towards the people with “new” money, the conditions of Gatsby’s house, and the green light, the American Dream is shown as a failure based off of the desires and goals of Gatsby. The most noticeable symbolism of the failure of the American Dream is where the people reside. Those living in East Egg represent aristocracy while those living in the West Egg represent the flashy lifestyle of those that are considered “new” money.
The concept of an American Dream has been around for a long time. The way people live their lives should be based on their passions, but many times people form false passions around objects and money. In The Professor’s House, by Willa Cather, a situation is given of a man who lives in a society built up by a 1920s American chase for money and success. This way of life eventually leads the Professor to become dissatisfied with his life despite achieving the perceived elements of success in 1920 America. Cather provides a solution to the problem the Professor faces inside the character Tom Outland.
Today in 21st centuries, world becoming smaller and smaller. It has been trending to move one country to another for opportunity and successes. The American Dream is one of the best examples in the case of migration. It had been flowing in 1960 and 1970 that people came to America for hope of successes. Thomas’s “Fear and Loathing in Lass-Vegas” has a story of himself and his Attorney whose went to the city of sun-shine to achieve their goal of the American Dreams.
The Oxford Dictionary defines the “American dream” as, “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. The American dream hasn’t evolved since the coining of the idea; the dream is still to have a steady job, a nice house, and a pleasant family. However, that dream does not appeal to everyone. Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild looks back upon the incredible journey of Chris McCandless. The story of a well-to-do young man who after graduating from a high-ranking university, donates all of savings to charity, burns the cash in his wallet, abandons all of his material possessions, and cuts ties with all of his family and friends to embark on his own personal odesseye in nature to carry out an adventure living in
The setting mainly took place in south of Soledad, California, near the Salinas Valley, during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Salinas Valley had many substantial farms during the Depression. This was essential because colossal farms employed a massive number of workers, often up to hundreds. Since farm workers with no steady employment, would often head to these communities, it was logical that Salinas Valley was George and Lennie’s destination. Migrant farm workers were perfect examples, to highlight the solitude and loneliness engendered by the Depression. These men had no place to call home, and had only a few belongings to call their own.
Due to her book "Hollywood: The Dream Factory. An Anthropologist Looks at the Movie Makers" Hortense Powdermaker is regarded as one of the pioneers of ethnography. Published in 1951 by Secker & Warburg in London, Powdermaker here aims to demystify the affect of movies on the audience and establishes the hypothesis "that the social system in which they are made significantly influences their content and meaning" (Powdermaker, 1951, p.3). After living in Hollywood for one year she concludes that the internal structures resemble those of a totalitarian system in which the struggle between business and art is reflected in the meaning of its movies. It suggests that the values of studio bosses and producers dominate while the artistic values of directors and writers are strongly restricted.
The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is known by many Americans as an epitaph for the American dream. It is about the life of Willy Loman, an aging and failing salesman, chasing after his ambitions to become the most popular and successful individual in his field of work. Surprisingly, the story set behind the curtains also mirrors the lives of many modern Americans today. The play, performed in the 1940s, dealt with how people’s expectations for perfection were insubstantial and impractical, and how these expectations bred dissatisfaction and doubt. Unfortunately, this mentality still persists in the current American society.
A majority of the population thinks they want the traditional American dream the cliché of a picture-perfect life, dream job, and the beautiful home. What we truly long for is freedom from our government. Pop culture mirrors this through movies and media. Such as themes like the collapse of the government, the rebirth of the American dream, and end of the world scenarios. Pop culture reflects these fears that private and public entities will turn on our society.
In the film Sunset Boulevard many characters struggled with wishes, lies and dreams of fame and fortune. The film states the corruption in Hollywood and that people will do anything to get ahead. With hope and delusion each character tries to gain happiness, while only being self-destructive and isolating themselves. The characters ultimately deny their problems and confuse those around them. One character in the film who struggles with her wishes, lies and dreams is, Norma Desmond, a washed up actress.
In the video, we can appreciate different realities that these people have to face every day, it might not be very different from our own reality but it is indeed a more challenging one. There are many families in the U.S. struggling each day, working to have a better life, to achieve “The American Dream”, but these particular families that life in Detroit and Oakland have more difficulties than most people. Their health is deteriorating by extreme pollution causing them asthma since an early age. Obesity is a major problem that is cause by the consumption of cheap food that they can only afford. Crime and Vandalism is part of their daily lives.
In the film Sunset Boulevard many character struggled with wishes, lies and dreams of fame and fortune. The film states the corruption in hollywood and that people will do anything to get ahead. With hope and delusion each character tries to gain happiness, while only being self-destructive and isolating themselves. The characters ultimately deny their problems and confuse those around them. One character in the film who struggles with her wishes, lies and dreams is, Norma Desmond, a washed up actress.
