This Land Is Your Land Analysis

What is the American Dream? Different people have different interpretations of the American Dream. Take a look at Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and “Promised Land” by Bruce Springsteen, both songs about the American dream. Although both of these musicians had similar themes, they had different attitudes towards the American dream. While Guthrie’s attitude toward the American dream is that it should be shared by all people in America, Springsteen believed that every individual has to work in order to achieve the American dream.

Guthrie’s song, “This Land Is Your Land” has a cheerful melody and, in the beginning, the lyrics are joyous and innocent. He uses phrases such as “endless skyway” and “golden valley” to describe the opportunity that the American dream promises. Guthrie also repeatedly says that “this land is your land, this land is my land” and that “this land was made for you and me”, revealing his attitude

In the very beginning of the piece, Springsteen starts describing the hardships that he faces. He, like many other Americans, is constantly working to achieve the American dream. He says the “dogs on Main Street howl ‘cause they understand”, meaning that he works so hard that the dogs accompany his suffering with their voices. Despite these hardships however, Springsteen implied that he knows the hardships but will continue to strive toward the American dream. In the beginning of the piece, Springsteen suggests that he was just wasting time, trying to obtain something that is unobtainable. He says things such as, “I’m just killing time” and “chasing some mirage”. Then he says things like, “I’m gonna take charge”, “I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man”, and “I’m heading straight into the storm”, meaning that he won’t give up and he is going to work harder than ever to accomplish the American dream, his “promised