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Every country on this beautiful sphere that we call earth has its own view on society. All countries around the world views America as being the land of the free and the land of being able to express yourself, but their just looking through a microscope .Whether those countries know it or not America has flaws. One of Americans biggest flaw is racial discrimination against people of color. When Jim Crow laws were introduced in the 1890’s it had a lasting effect on people of color socially, mentally, and their opportunities.
Our Distorted Reflection Growing up, I dreaded going to school. People shouting at me, people pointing at me, snickering at me. Never being ordinary. I would get home and go to the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror, tasting salt water on the tip of my lips.
The Destruction of the American Dream The American Dream for many individuals, is a goal. Some achieve it, others result in failure. So what is the American Dream and why does it seem so appealing to the average person? The American Dream is the idea that anyone can work hard and achieve wealth and success in America.
In “I hear America singing” by Langston Hughes we see the American dream depicted as the American Dream for Blacks in a time of segregation and
America is well known as the land of the free and the home opportunity. Although it is said everyone is equal in every way, that has not always been the case. Langston Hughes is a poet who tried to emphasize the idea of equality among all human beings. Hughes underlined the basis of the American Dream with what is and what should be in the societal era he lived in. In hindsight he believed his poems helped others realize the injustices that all minorities had to face during this era.
‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ On the 28th of August, in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial declaring to over 250.000 citizens that he had a dream. A dream that one day, all men and women, whether black or white, Jewish or Christian, would be treated as equals. More than fifty years later, King’s dream seems to be nothing more than that: a dream. Just last year, Eric Garner, a black man, is choked to death by the police force in Staten Island, New York.
All humans beings on this Earth who can read are you ready for 5 paragraph essay which I’m going to try to do around 70 minutes of my life are going to be wasted into this so I might as well try because my teacher is recording us without our consent, but anyway what this essays going to be about is two poems written by Langston Hughes. The names of the poems are “Harlem” and “Dreams”.
Impossible Dreams The meaning of the American Dream can be seen as ”A uniquely American vision of the country consisting of three central ideas. The American dream consists of a belief in America as the new Eden- a land of beauty, bounty, and unlimited promise; a feeling of optimism, created by ever expanding opportunity; and a confidence in the triumph of the individual.” Using this definition of the so called “American dream”, it seems to be a great representation of it at first, until you realize it includes everyone as the individual. From the beginning of the Civil war to the end of the War to End All Wars, the American Dream wasn’t possible due to the treatment of the Native Americans, the inequality between women and men, and the false promises given to the immigrants coming to our country in their time of need.
People hate to acknowledge that in today’s world, racism still exists and can be an uncomfortable topic to address. Some turn a blind eye to it, while others have to face discrimination each day. LaShyra, a college student, shared her insight as to what the American dream means to her and the reality some black people meet. She explained, “While I wish I could believe in the Constitution and the illustrious “American Dream,” my experiences as a Black woman are poignant reminders that such luxuries were and continue to be reserved for a select few”(Nolen.) LaShyra points out the past that America was built upon and how it has continued to affect life many years later.
There are still factors that have only been erased on the surface but still play a large role in the way that people of color are treated in America, and dictate to a certain extent, compromise the “freedom” that people have. On the other hand, we have white America, who have heightened chances of achieving anything that they please. This does not apply to every white American, as there are also white Americans who are living on or below the poverty line, and much like everybody else must put in a lot of effort to reach certain heights, however they have an advantage over all other denomination of people known as “white privilege” which are the societal benefits that people who can be categorized as “white” enjoy over the rest of the population and in the end, have a higher social status. Ultimately, people of color must work harder, and face many more setbacks in their climb to success than white Americans do, which is not fair,
The character of my collection of Langston Hughes poems is the ubiquitous exploration of dreams and their importance. Hughes’ covet for equality evident in ‘Let America Be America Again’ and his attempt to enlighten further emphasises his idyllic dream for America. Disillusionment is the discovery that something is not as good as it was believed to be, In ‘Let America Be America Again’ we get a feeling of this in the title.”again” implies Hughes wants America to return to something it once was, therefore insinuating America is not what it once was. ”Let it be the dream the dreamers dreamed” is an obvious allusion to the American Dream which inspired optimistic African-Americans to migrate from south to northern states in the 20th Century. However Hughes states “America was never America to me” he goes from speaking in general to being definitively specific (‘me’) elucidating the impression that the dream was glamorized like many African-Americans deemed it to be as they were not progressing and were repressed.
Everyone has dreams, but the thing is most people never accomplish them. Some people put off their dreams to the side because something more important than their dreams comes forth. They believe that is better to put their dreams to the side or give up on them and allow their dreams to fade in their minds. In “What happens to a dream deferred?” by Langston Hughes, the poet uses the title, tone, diction, and selection of detail, to express how people are affected by deferred dreams.
People also have this image of the American dream as a white Pickett fence, a dog, and two children with a nice house and two cars in the driveway nice job and a stay at home wife, when that is not what it is at all. When people talk about how they want that when they get to America they will get disappointed because what they pictured and wanted America to be and what the media paints it to be is not what it is. Sometimes it feels like the media takes over the American dream more and more and it becomes more materialistic every day. For the Americans that live here it becomes even more harder to achieve because the pricing of housing is only getting higher and seems like the paychecks are just enough anymore. It feels like once you feel like you got it in your hands it then
In today’s age and era the American Dream is dead due to no hard work, no determination, lastly laziness. When an immigrant comes to America, they have this perception that everything would be handed to them as if the government is their mother. To add on, it 's not only immigrants but Americans that think their American dream would be given to them for free (Hint.. Hint.. Socialism). Your American dream will only come true if you work hard and strive for greatness.
False Illusions "For many the American Dream has become a nightmare. " These words of Bernie Sanders are accurate to an extent. The American Dream is the idea that anyone, with enough resolve and determination, can climb the economic ladder, regardless of where they start in life. It is called the American Dream because the United States is depicted as the greatest nation in the world, that offers the most opportunity and freedom to achieve upward mobility in society. However, many people attach themselves too much to the hope of achieving this dream that they fail to realize the inequalities that take place in front of their own faces, which are the factors that are hampering them from this illusion.