...The traditional definition of "The American Dream" is the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Certainly, nowadays, the American Dream has more than one definition. For some of those who have come into the United States legally and illegally from third world countries, it means different things, one of which is a haven from poverty and starvation where they can be cared for freely. While some work and become independent, some people do not perceive "the American Dream" as being defined by working; instead, "the American Dream" is one of a benevolent government which takes care of the person his/her entire life through various federal programs. However, this latter idea has not yet become part of the canon of American literature. In the 1920's, the American Dream became materialized and one's character had less to do with success and the achievement of the dream. As a satire against this elevation of material success as the defining term of the American Dream, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his seminal novel, The Great Gatsby in which he portrays a morally corrupt wealthy class in the Eastern United States. They are "careless people" (as the narrator Nick Carraway remarks) in a restless and driving society that have tainted values--Daisy marries Tom Buchanan because he gives her a $350,000 pearl necklace--taking what they can get unscrupulously and discarding anyone who does...
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...Everybody no matter where they come from has hopes and dreams of becoming extraordinary, but how much are we willing to fight for our dreams? And are we doing it for ourselves or are we just doing it for others’ approval? This is a short story called ‘’Two Kinds’’ (1997) by writer Amy Tan dealing with a mother and daughter who have two different ideas of what succes is. The short story is about a young Chinese immigrant girl called Jing-Mei who lives with her mother and father in the United States of America. The mother set voyage for America in the 1950’s after she had lost her family, her home and her first husband and children in China. She has hopes and dreams for herself and her daughter that the American dream surely will happen to them at some point. She wants her daughter to be a child prodigy while the daughter is trying to live up to her mother’s expectations. As I wrote earlier, the story takes place in the United States of America. Unlike her mother, Jing-Mei has lived her whole life in the U.S.A. Her mother did not have the same opportunities as Jing-Mei back in China, so she is frustrated that her daughter is not even trying to seize any of the many opportunities that she has got in her life, and that she is ignoring the fact that she can become anything, even a genius. She is sacrificing a lot for her daughter by cleaning for Mr. Wong and in return he will teach her daughter to play the piano. The only piano teacher she can afford is Mr. Chong who is deaf and...
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...Over time the American dream has proven to be a unique perception in which Americans have connected through personal experiences and life narratives. The American dream is not established in origin, religion or some form of history the American dream is molded and defined by unified values. The American dream shows its true nationality identity in the world through principles and morals which are embedded in self-reliance, self-actualization and individualism. This three principles make it possible for Americans to achieve overall fulfillment in their destiny. They are self-reliant and believe in the promise that through hard work and dedication life can be better and different. The provable documentations of these values in relationship to...
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... Brian Kelnhofer English/125 April 2, 2015 University of Phoenix Online Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is one of my favorite plays growing up and one that defines history. Achieving the American dream is sought by so many people in society with little regard to what makes us truly happy. Willy Loman, the main character, works his whole life to provide financial security for his family and dreams about becoming rich only to be left with nothing at the end. The major driving theme behind the play is the American dream; which Miller points out is an allegory, the fallacy of working hard your whole lives chasing the American dream only to die a lonely and depressed man. Death of a Salesman challenges the effects of the American dream in a negative way. The American Dream All your life you are told that to be successful in life you need two things: a career and money. This I find to be the American dream falsehood that today’s society is based on. The Death of a Salesman points out the flaws in that statement. Most Americans don’t work past 72 so we spend our whole life chasing a false dream only to die an unhappy and lonely person. Allegory Willy creates an illusion of what the American dream should be like when he witnessed the accolades of Dave Singleman prolonged success. Willy pressures his children to seek the same ideals but Willy doesn’t even understand the meaning of success himself. I really connected with this part...
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...Deviance is Socially Defined Social deviance is a term that refers to forms of behavior and qualities of persons that others in society devalue and discredit. So what exactly is deviance? In this essay the focus is how deviance is socially defined, not physiological deviations from the expected norm. Deviance is defined as, "The recognized violation of cultural norms." Deviance is an act of rebellion against set of rules, and expected behavior established by a certain society (Macionis, 2008). Deviance however is defined in many different ways. It is depended on the norms of the society, and region. Individuals become deviant when people label their actions as deviance. It depends on how that society defines deviance on individuals. The institution of rules and breaking rules in society is determined by strong social powers. Such stigma leads to social inequality in our society. Sociologists Theories Sociologists however defines deviance as behavior that violates an essential social norm. Deviants are people who go beyond the limits of socially acceptable behavior. Although the definition of deviance is simple, deviant acts in real life are hard to turn down. No single act, not even taking another person's life is forbidden at all times in any human society. Deviance is relative. What is deviant behavior in one place may be acceptable in another place. Different cultures have different levels of social order and control, therefore making what can be seen as...
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...activist Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his notorious speech, “I Have a Dream”, in the midst of societal strife across the United States. Throughout his oration, King lances at the status quo, one where African Americans are degraded and demeaned to the sewers of American society; instead, he proposes a new country—a new way—where African Americans will fight until they obtain the rights they were originally promised. In superb recognition of his audience, King uses a litany of devices, from metaphors to anaphora, in order to develop rage within the audience—a unifying quality that would undoubtedly drive a movement facing gusty headwinds. Intending to concisely state the purpose of his speech, Martin Luther King utilizes...
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...The American Dream is a concept that is constantly changing and it’s meaning varies depending on who is asked. As well as everyone having their own definition of the American Dream, there is a also a global understanding of what the American Dream is. There are multiple factors that go into figuring out what the American Dream actually is, so how can one come up with a single universal definition? Although it may be impossible to create one definition that satisfies everyone’s idea of the American Dream, one can look at the different parts that go into defining it to come up with a general understanding of what the American Dream actually is. As stated, this all depends on who you are. One’s race, class, economic status, and personality can...
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...metropolitan areas were rapidly colonizing as 1950s America exemplified a prolonged and radical cultural transformation necessary for all to enjoy prosperity. America upheld the impression of hope for centuries; yet not all the inhabitants of land of the free cooperatively supported equal rights. The mere confidence in holding on to a dream became difficult for individuals, as well as families, as unremitting rejection from society left many in poverty. Subordination of minorities in American generated a strenuous struggle by both African-Americans and numerous white Americans advocates who endorse the termination of racism and encourage egalitarianism. The awe-inspiring production A Raisin in the Sun became renowned as a historical reenactment of a handful of people most personal, influential, monumental, life altering moments in life that occur within their home. The play epitomizes real life’s situations about overcoming obstacles, defining one’s distinctive way of life, and handling idiosyncratic conditions at home in a reconstruction of the fictitious Younger family who animate life in 1950s America, moreover Chicago. The play was created by an African-American writer Lorraine Hansberry in 1959 who advocated for human rights which consists of racial minorities and women. In the day to day reality of the Younger’s situation, Mama, Beneatha, Ruth and Walter are able to come together in harmony realizing that together they are stronger than they are separately. The moral in A Raisin...
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...the nation that best educates its citizens” stated President Barak Obama in early 2009 as he delivered a speech to fellow Americans on a new education plan in which he praised and applauded the Republic of South Korea’s education system (Quaid Paragraph 4). Obama expressed his aspiration to lengthen school hours and school days for students across the nation by stating that “if they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America” (Quaid Paragraph 26). However, thousands of miles away in South Korea, citizens were flabbergasted. Individuals spoke up as cartoon artists for Chosun Ilbo voiced their opinions by illustrating two Korean students advising President Obama’s children to ignore everything their father has said about South Korea’s education system. Currently in the United States, approximately 25% of Americans do not graduate high school. While the remaining 75% do graduate with a diploma, on average 30% of them do not attend college (Cookson Paragraph 1). On the other hand, in South Korea a reported 93% of students fully graduated high school and more than half the students went on to college (Lynch Paragraph 3). PBS reported that in “… the world rankings of 15 year-olds released in November [2010], South Korean students scored second in reading while American kids were 17th. And they scored fourth in math. Americans came in at 31st (“In Hypercompetitive”). Based on statistics alone, one would generally come to the assumption that Korea’s...
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...in events and organizations such as the The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the American Dream. The United States of America failed to exhibit liberty, equality, and justice through international and domestic from World War...
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...The American Dream For generations, the American dream has floated around society in different forms. In the 19th century, it was viewed as an independent and cowboy-worthy lifestyle, whereas in the early 20th century, it corresponded to nationalism and unity. In today’s society, young generations often fantasize the lavish lifestyle of Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake while declaring it their American dream. The origin of the term dates back to 1931, where it was first coined in James Truslow Adams’ The Epic of America. Adams claims that the egalitarian nature of this dream began to take shape when the early Puritan colonists settled in America with the hopes of living in freedom from governmental persecution. Like the Puritans, millions of immigrants leave their country every year with the hopes of building a better life. Because of different generations’ perspective and individual values, it is difficult to assign a certain definition to the American dream. For example, to some people, the dream is often associated with success, while to others, it corresponds to future family stability. Whatever the version may be, America’s countless prospects guarantee every American the opportunity to achieve their dream through hard work and dedication. While every American has heard the phrase, “American Dream” at least once in their lifetime, every non-American has heard it at least a 100 times. The opportunity to live in America was, and still is, a privilege that most American-born...
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...“To be American (unlike being English or French or whatever) is precisely to imagine a destiny rather than inherit one; since we have always been, insofar as we are Americans at all, inhabitants of myth rather than history.” In the context of this quote attributed to Leslie Fiedler, being American means subscribing to a socially constructed national identity--to the collective American Dream. This observation expresses a core truth about Americans, and about an American greatness that is in fact exceptional, but it is also problematic in several ways. First, the public has never felt compelled to fix the meaning of the American Dream, a term that presumably everyone knows. Second, while Fielder’s assertion is true of Americans, it is not uniquely so: All people, in some sense or another, inhabit myths. Finally, while Americans have certainly imagined destinies for themselves, they also live in history. Everyone does. The American Dream is neither a self-evident falsehood nor a scientifically demonstrable principle. Beyond the abstract belief that anything is possible if you want it bad enough, there is no single American Dream. The theoretical basis for the American idea incorporates an explicit allegiance to the concept “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.” But as the history of slavery and the struggle for women’s rights make clear, the rights...
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...Through the entirety of this course, I have been able to expand upon my current knowledge of American historical events. My knowledge on post-civil war America was not very broad because I had mainly focused my studies on the world war era’s. However, many of the defining events that made America the nation it is today happened after the civil war and before the creation of modern America. This was a time of cultural and political change for the country. The events that were the most influential and important would have to be Westward Expansion, the Industrial Revolution, and the Roaring Twenties. The westward expansion was one of the defining times in American history. Americans from the colonial area decided to take a leap of faith and attempt...
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...school and go to college. “What are your dreams, Joseph?” my mentor asked. “I love helping others,” I replied. Throughout my life, this was my passion. First, I wanted to be a firefighter, then a chef, and now a doctor. Ultimately, I hope giving back in my own community through my future work in the healthcare industry. Aside from career goals, I hope to one day raise a family of my own and become a father that I dreamed of having. Growing up without a father, I had a hard time maturing into the shoes of an adult. Additionally, it has been hard finding a fatherly figure, but I have had supporters and mentors who filled in the void left by my father. In a way, growing up without a father has helped me shape my goals. Despite this tragic event, my dad had a dream, a vision that his two sons would achieve the American Dream filled with infinite opportunities that can be obtained with a higher education. However, his values in the American Dream was not mine, because I placed more value on helping others and on love rather than solely on a higher education. I never fully grasped the concept of being a “man”. Due to this, I am more open and intimate with my friends compared to other males. In addition, I am not afraid to tell others how I feel. It has shaped my thoughts to where I always put others in front of myself at times. I learned that it is ok to be whoever I want and I should not be pressured by how society sees what is normal. These defining characteristics have helped me find...
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...American history includes a multitude of international immigrants from countries all over the world including China, Mexico, and Britain. Many people migrate to America due to its vast amount of opportunities and to live out the “American dream.” This term depicts Americas freedom and independence that its people demand and worked hard to attain. America is also considered the “melting pot” because these immigrants make up the country and have helped redefine and cultivate the land. My ancestors once migrated to this land of opportunities in this very same pursuit of a successful, accepting lifestyle for their children. My family and I’s history represents American history because I come from a line of immigrants that redefined what love looks...
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