...During the 1930’s, James Adams invented the term, “American Dream”-the opportunity given to everyone to reach their dreams through perseverance and meaningful application. (Apposition) The remembered NBA player, Michael Jordan, exemplifies the meaning of the American Dream through his life. In his highschool years, Michael Jordan tried out for the basketball team, but he was not able to make it on the team. Through daily practices, and an endless amount of effort, the boy who was not able to make it on a high school team turned out to be NBA’s most valuable player. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck clearly expresses his emotion on how he believe the idea of the American Dream is a complete myth through the characters of his novel. John Steinbeck argues that the American Dream will never become a reality due to racial, sexist, and social class issues. John Steinbeck shares his thoughts about the American Dream through the character Curley. In the book, Curley is characterized as a rude and ill-mannered man,...
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...Although the odds of dying from a terrorist attack in America are extremely remote, after the attacks of 9/11/2001 and the overwhelming show of concern by American citizens, Congress hastily put together a bill outlining the workings of the U.S. Patriot Act. The United States Patriot Act of 2001 was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001. President Barack Obama signed the Patriot Sunsets Extension Act of 2011, which created a 4 year extension of 3 key parts of the Patriot Act. Warrantless searches of business records, roving wiretaps, & conducting surveillance of individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to any specific organized terrorist groups. The Patriot Act dramatically reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search all records, documents, histories, etc., without the restraints of the normal operations of judicial law which most citizens assume will always protect them. The National and State Governments and their agencies work together to implement the Patriot Act with as minimal an “obvious” intrusion as possible into ours, the American citizens lives. It is obvious the security must be there, but with a minimal amount of perceived disruption to constitutionally given freedoms and rights. US citizens have become accustomed to, and expect their rights and freedoms, no less. THE USA PATRIOT ACT--GOOD OR EVIL? The USA Patriot Act--Good or Evil? The USA Patriot Act of 2001 is an act of Congress that was signed...
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...America's most cherished myths. As a term, myth is much misunderstood; hearing it, many people take the word to mean "lie," when in fact a myth is a story, a narrative, that explains individual and national realities--how a person or a country came to be, why certain things happen in the course of a life or of history, and what fate may have in store for us. Myths are a peculiar hybrid of truth and falsehood, resentments and ambitions, dreams and dread. We all have personal myths running through our heads, and some chapters would withstand fact checking while others would fail miserably. Nations are the same way. In America, the underlying faith is that in a truly free and democratic society, every man and woman has the potential to realize greatness, that freedom and openness liberate and ennoble ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things. The Triumph of the Common Man is a myth deeply rooted in American culture, and unlike some popular myths, it is true enough. Tom Hanks may have played a fictional character in "Saving Private Ryan"--the small-town American called to arms--but World War II was won by a million citizen soldiers very much like him. There is, unfortunately, another, less admirable myth that Americans concoct to explain crises and disasters. It is rooted in the paranoid streak that runs through pop culture, the conspiracy theories that blame some sinister (and usually make-believe) Other for whatever went wrong. In 1950, many frightened Americans wanted to know:...
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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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...book written by Dr. John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed. Both are experts in the Muslim world, and people’s attitude towards them. Chapter five opens with the statement, “Our world isn’t safer; it’s more dangerous.” In the same paragraph, it mentions that a source of this danger is terrorism, and will most likely remain a threat for a while. A key point mentioned in the first paragraph is that in order fight against terrorism is the abilities to put our biases aside and understand both views of the issue. This introduction is followed by a series of myths and realities. One of the myths given is that “They Hate Us Because of Our Freedom”. “They” meaning Muslims, and “Us” meaning the western world. The common belief amongst the West is that Muslims hate our society. As stated in the text, “they hate us...
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...The American West is referred to as a place of freedom and opportunity, but when perceiving this belief through the perspective of immigrants, it was far from that. To begin, when viewing the document “gold Rush Days”, it is evident that miners awaited riches due to the popular stories where they could “just shovel up gold.” However, most people returned to their homeland in a matter of days, due to the fact that the riches they expected were not easily found, and thus, tarnishing the assured opportunity in the American West. These lofty expectations were common and derived from wonderful stories people were being told, but arriving to the land was a dreadful experience. For example, in the document "Letter from a Homesteader" Gro Svendsen...
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...I am going to talk about the concept of myths and heroes. First of all, I would like to give a definition of this notion. A myth is a fictitious story which narrates the foundations of a given community. These narratives can convey the ideals of this community and create or perpetuate inspiring heroic figures. In this case, the concept of myths and heroes then serves a more profound purpose in our culture than mere fictional stories. To illustrate this, I have chosen to focus my thought on people's successful careers, that is to say people who started from scratch and reach the top of the social ladder. How can myths and heroes influence people's careers ? Aiming at answering this issue, I will exhibit a rags-to-riches life which is a symbol of the American Dream. Then I will show that political heroes could inspire society as well. First and foremost, one cannot deny that society is based on founding myths, a collective identity forged around common landmarks and shared values. As elsewhere, but even more so the myths of “The American Dream” in the United States is a great example. Indeed it promotes the idea that not only is personal fulfillment due to honesty and hard-working but it is based also on God’s will. As a captain of industry and a generous philanthropist , Rockefeller is a case in point. He was a role model who likely fostered the American spirit of competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship. In the same token, we studied the rags-to-riches life of Oprah...
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...How is the great Gatsby about the failure of the"American Dream"? The American Dream is a myth that people struggle to achieve each day of their lives but will never achieve. It cannot be achieved because it is an endless race for perfection .In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby; all the characters are attempting to become happier. The characters are divided into two groups: the rich (upper class) and the poor (lower class); though the main characters only try to make their lives better, but they are ruined by the harsh reality of life. America is founded on the principle of liberty, the notion that everyone is free to say and write what they want and that everyone is equal. Some people assume that since so much freedom is allowed, at least one person is exercising that freedom to its fullest. They work their whole lives to try to be like that person, but that person does not exist. They want to be as rich as him, and as powerful as him. These people are called the wealthy. The Great Gatsby illustrates the story these people, and how they are corrupted by the potential of seemingly limitless freedom. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple in East Egg, seem to have everything they unhappy and seek more wealth. Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything they could imagine, they are dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(Fitzgerald 10) and reads "deep books with long words...
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...the life of Muslims in America. The following excerpt is taken from an interview with Fatima, a female Muslim worshipper after the Friday prayer. “Because I wear the head scarf I usually get the hateful stares. I just cannot stand that. I fear for my life. Muslims are harassed and targeted. I know that many Americans hate Muslims and Muslims are the victims of hate crimes. I am afraid if America get too paranoid...
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...Of Mice and Men Essay Of Mice and Men is a classic American novel that addresses many topics including discrimination, disability, and the American dream. Several topics that were potentially controversial at the time. Each character in the story has something that holds them back or limits them in some way. This holds them back from completing their goals or achieving their dreams. The two main characters George and Lennie are an exemplary representation of this. George is an average man who looks out for Lennie, a very large man with the mind of a child who is unaware of his tremendous strength. They consistently move from ranch to ranch in search of work because Lennie continues to get in trouble somehow. Lennie enjoys petting soft things...
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...Irvin Painters novel "Sojorner Truth: A Life, A Symbol", is a book about one of the most influential and important black women of the nineteenth century. The story of a slave turned legend and the basis of her representation of the freedoms that African Americans struggled to gain. Painter digs deep into the history of Truth, giving in depth information about how this once female slave turned herself into a leading woman in the abolitionist movement. The text is better illustrated by Painters use of illustrations to strengthen his points, giving the biography a little more of a novel feel to it in terms of reading. One of the things that Painter did well was the use of in depth research and use of different sources to be able to tell the truth from fiction. Nell Irvin Painter is the author behind the book, and has...
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...J.W.: "Jamestown may have been the first English settlement here in our country, but it represents everything that modern America stands against. The colony's survival relied upon assistance from Native Americans and the exploitation of slave labor. Everyone marks the Pilgrims' arrival in Massachusetts as the genuine foundation of our great nation - to this day, we still follow ideals of puritanical work ethic and communal self-sufficiency." J.S.: "That may have been the rhetoric we all were taught in kindergarten, but that does not make it true. The Pilgrims are renowned for seeking freedom from oppression, but in reality, what they truly desired was the freedom of oppression. Anyone who disagreed with their overly strict ideals was outcasted...
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...Exam: Definition of the 4 notions Myths and heroes: A myth can be defined as a story about gods or heroes, it can be a popular belief or a tradition or a false notion. A hero can be a mythological figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements, a superhero or maybe a role model or an icon. Examples can be: - a patriotic or national hero (sportsman, politician, human rights defender.....) - a fictitious hero (superhero or film star) - an icon or role model (fashion, tv, music) - a defender of common values - a politician/king/queen who has achieved international recognition Locations and forms of power: (also called Places and forms of power or Seats and forms of power) In politics and social science, power is the ability to influence people's behaviour. In order to live together members of a community accept rules, regulations, laws. This helps to create social cohesion but can also lead to conflicts and tensions. Even when authority seems absolute, there are always counter-powers which question it, aim at limiting its excesses and resist it. Examples can be: - the power of the media (reality tv, internet v written press) - Financial power (the power of money) - Inequalities between blacks and whites - the fight against oppression and segregation (South Africa, USA) - The American Dream - The Civil Rights movement and political recognition : Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X (can also be linked to the notion of Myths and Heroes) Idea of Progress The...
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...emotion cannot be perfectly recorded, myths and false perspectives are created. In his book, “The Best War Ever,” Adams explains how Americans believed World War II was a clean, glorious and courageous victory, when in reality it was not. The era became viewed as “America's golden age, a peak in the life of society when every thing worked out and the good guys definitely got a happy ending" (Adams, 2). Besides the general population's idea that the United States was saving the day by going to war, the main tool of distorting the reality of war was propaganda. The “greatness” of this war spread so quickly, “the censors hardly needed to tell the film producers that war movies should showcase American heroism and patriotism and that the enemy must be cruel, devious, and unprincipled” (Adams, 11). The impact of the media's spinning the war lead to a positive demeanor in the nation, eventually proving the propaganda to be a necessary evil. World War II, for America, was a testament to the work and reward of the American dream. The media portrayed society during the war as succesful, hard working, and finally coming out of the slumps brought on by the Great Depression. In line with the “melting pot” stereotype of America, people from all ethnicities were fighting for our country (Adams, 11). After the recession, Americans needed a common enemy to bring them together as a nation. The war provided an enemy that was portrayed as barbaric, leaving Americans with little hesitation in fighting...
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...As the world continues to progress in this new millennium, the signs of American traditional values have been used to uphold set beliefs of moral encompasses. American culture creates the opportunity of free expression allowing a unique set of rules for a group of individuals, such as LGBT supporters, to challenge the traditional scope of American culture. In contrast to Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Bloody Mary, etc…bathroom accessibility has created new challenges for American culture by opposing traditional bathroom procedures. Although separate restroom quarters have been created to uphold safety and other regulations, the myth of a man using a women, or vice versa, have created new challenges out of old myths. Recent controversy, LGBT...
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