Throughout the piece, Ewen uses quotes from historians and scholars to enhance his argument that americans strive to attain the dream life. Ewen quotes Alan Dawley, a well known historians who says, “There was a class of white-collar employees who earned only subsistence salaries and their sense of pride lay in the prestige of being close to the social elite. These white-collar employees anxiously strove to assemble a stylistic affinity to wealth” (Ewen 186). The white-collar employees did not have much, but they took great honor in knowing they were closer to the elite than others and continued to strive for the highest level. Alan Dawley was a professor of history who received his degree from Harvard University who also wrote three books.
They work hard against many obstacles to try to obtain the so called "American Dream", but it isn’t enough. In the end, America isn’t what they had hoped for as they feel cheated. Internal
“We hold these 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.” Thomas Jefferson. The American dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to meet success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. George Hilton from mice and men, traveled miles to find a successful job. George also, dreamed about big houses and jewelry, but instead found a stable job.
In the poem “America” by Tony Hoagland, the author discussed the American lifestyle, and the culture presently in his own perspective and opinion. I agree with his opinion about the people in America, and the atrocious reality that we are living in today. This present reality that Hoagland addressed reflects my view and my perspective not just about the people who lives in America, but innumerable people that lives on Earth. Hoagland, not just criticized the lifestyle and the way Americans are living, but also the materialism that exists in most of the people.
“We are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation”(Obama,12). This is explaining that yes all Americans are working for their individual goals, but in the long run everyone is connected and affects our whole nation. Our nation may have a lot of wealth in money value but our real wealth is in each and every true American as stated by Obama in his acceptance speech. “This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich”(Obama,13). Obama is saying that our nation's wealth is not measured in how much money we have but rather in how many Americans live up to the American promise, have the true American spirit and follow good
The “American Dream” is a lifestyle that many citizens of the country fantasize about living. Yet, it’s shocking to think that this country is somewhere that poverty and luxury live only a block apart. The American culture is one that is despised by most and idolized by few. Some believe the nation to be ironically contradictive of how it is portrayed; they believe it to be an American nightmare rather than a dream. Others chase green cards and citizenship to socially move upward from blue collar customs to achieve a white picket fence lifestyle.
Dagoberto Gilb’s short story, Uncle Rock, follows, Erick, a reserved 11 year old boy and his attractive single mother trying to understand and look for the American dream they hopped for since they left mexico. Throughout their lives in America, different men with different types of social and economic backgrounds have been approaching Erick’s mother trying to strike a quick date with her. As a first generation Mexican American, Erick is still looking for his “voice” in his new adopted country, and he believes whatever he says would not change the fact that the men in his, and his mother’s life would shape the way they would live in America. Erick does show discomfort and unapproval with all the men that has been introduced into his life but does not acknowledge his thoughts with his mother that he wants a fatherly figure. Later on in the story, Gilbs introduce another man, Rogue, who Erick has mixed feelings about, but eventually comes to the conclusion that he is the right man for his mother when Erick finally has a
I’m going to be writing my paper on a song called “Crooked Smile” by J.Cole, J.cole or Jermaine Cole, was originally born in Germany. When he was 8 months old he and his mother moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina. He attended St. Johns University and graduated with great distinction, he got introduced to music when he was 12 by a family member and ever since then he has been infatuated with rap music and the art of storytelling through music. I feel as though the thesis of this song is simply this, why feel the need to impress someone who doesn’t care about you or why let your insecurities stop you from being great? I also sense that there is an underlying meaning inside the song that promotes not catering to the conformity of society, such as you don’t need a “perfect” body and an amazing face just to be a star to yourself.
The American dream is to start your life with little to no money and work your way into making a liveable salary. The American dream is often thought of by immigrants, many immigrants move to the U.S. thinking they follow the American dream. In the book The Great Gatsby, James Gatsby the mysterious wealthy character who dropped out of college and started his life as a young man. Gatsby could be compared to the immigrants in the thought of the American dream.
In the poem "Family Tree" by Tupac Shukar, explains about how it doesn't matter where you come from because that doesn't determine your future. For example in Lines 1-4, tupac says that everyone is born equal despite where they come from, even though where they are born are not equal one another. Lines 5-8 shows that beauty is everyone despite their the differences we where all created for a reason. There are going to be people who bully you, who bring your gaurd down, and who want to see you suffer, but you've got to be strong. In lines 9-12, Tupac says that great are those who become someone out of nothing.
He consistently is observing the phoniness of everyone and how they seem to have no regard for for anything except trying to become the best. He constantly refers to the “hot-shots,” who are not necessarily the upper class but, it’s how they act in society, consumed with these materialistic ideals. This theme is represented in the song by Snow Patrol in the line “Would you lie with me and just forget the world.” This to is about just wanting to forget about the competition and struggles in the world and just appreciate life. This is expressing the singers want for people to just forget about the materials and focus on nature.
The american dream is an ideal of everyone to achieve the hope of having a better life and making great amounts of money but in that sense they aren’t realizing what things they are leaving back and how much they’ll have to sacrifice or loose to gain that thought of American dream. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “ Harlem” by Langston Hughes both shows how the american dream gives hope but the pursuit of hope demolishes. Which is illustrated by the characters showing the corruption of wealth and their moral values. Gatsby the most wealthiest and meticulous person from West Egg which represents new money a society parades its cash through obvious utilization and luxurious drinking and partying but his american dream was only Daisy
These are what the modern world view is aiming for. So all in all we can see that our culture is so self-obsessed with money and power that they can't be convinced that anything else could ever be right. We also see how this song relates to this generation and to the Modern world view. Also how it stands behind the idea that we need to be better then everyone and make sure our status is known and that people will respect your money power and fame.
In Bentley's “Home” he believes that the struggle is worth it, and to him the American dream is the struggle. He believes that American is the struggling for more freedom. To Bentley we are the result from the past as stated in “If they could see us now.” Stanza 7 Bentley closes the song with “This is
The Preposterous American Dream Employers in our country today are extremely deranged for trying to make their employees live up to this preposterous thing referred to as the american dream. The American Dream is hard for low wage workers to achieve because of the way that employers treat them, other people treat them and they can not support themselves off of their income alone. This so called “American Dream” is the ideal that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The American Dream is not humanly possible for low wage workers to achieve off of one job alone.
