...What It Means To Be an American……. Lets just think about it there are over 1 million people in the world and if you were to ask every person what does it mean to be an american you're going to get over 100 different answers. There is no true answer to what being american really means but if you ask me what's my perspective on what it means to be an american it would have to be,being able to have dreams and turn those dreams into reality. Being an American can also mean much more like, freedom of speech, freedom of color and freedom of judgment. In the essay What is Freedom? It say in paragraph 7,” Freedom means I want to do, not what the government wants me to do.”Too me that means not giving up your dreams....
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...what it means to be American What defines an American? An American is someone who is free to go on their own path and strive for what they want, knowing that they can accomplish their goal. One of the great things about America is the freedom to choose your own path and live your life to your standards. To be free of the restriction and oppression of the former land. Many immigrants from this land were people with dreams and hopes of a future to be free of what they had left behind. in the poem “The New Colossus” when the author says “give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”she saw the statue of liberty she saw freedom and opportunity to start living the life she wants. An example of of this would Goerge from Of Mice and Men. The author quotes that george's dream is to “Have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs.” He believes in his dream...
Words: 1249 - Pages: 5
...the remnants of sundown exile, the systematic expulsion of African Americans once it was dark; deemed as dangerous, they were once forced to leave the boxed quarters of $110,000 median income every night… official or not, this sundown policy was in place less than thirty years ago, and its racist crumbs remain. The town, named Lake Oswego, was nicknamed Lake No Negro—fitting considering the town is 90% white and only 0.7% African American—and while sundown no longer means expulsion, there is still, to this day, protests of new trains, bus stops, and apartment buildings because, and only because, it would let them in. The town evokes a West Coast sense of racism, not articulated or verbalized, instead perpetuated through nods or looks or words like...
Words: 1488 - Pages: 6
...English 1101 14 January 2016 The American Dream The “American dream” is what we all strive for. Immigrants come to the States in hopes of trying to achieve their dreams and better themselves for their families. But in all honesty what is the American dream? It was once said that you could come to America and go from rags to riches; you could come with nothing and achieve everything. So, is the so-called “American dream” dead, alive, on hold, or is the definition of the said dream changing? This has been a searing topic and a widely debated discussion since the recession started. Brandon King seems to think the American dream is in fact alive and is simply just changing it’s meaning due to our economic hardships. He “would redefine the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future” (611). King believes now people are tolerable with a middle-class lifestyle and just want to have a stable employment. To him, the American dream is very much alive; it’s just morphing and changing the meaning due to prolonged economic circumstances. King uses logos to adapt a form of credibility and prove he is knowledgeable. He quotes study after study and provides statistics from the year 2005 to 2010 which all makes his argument very convincing. King starts both ethos and logos for the essay when he gives a background for the American dream. “The original term ‘American Dream’ was coined during the Great Depression...
Words: 553 - Pages: 3
...What is the American dream? Does everyone have a dream? Is it just a dream and someone lives in America while having a certain dream? I think the American dream is a lot of things. I think its ideals of equality, freedom, and especially opportunity thats held to be available to every single American. Yet what is the reality of the American dream? Does everyone get the opportunity to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams, and have the equality they deserve? In this essay I will be discussing the reality of the American Dream in Hansberry’s A Raisin In the Sun. The book the Raisin in the Sun has a bunch of characters talking about their dreams, and whether they believe to achieve them or not. Some we don't know if they did achieve them....
Words: 401 - Pages: 2
...People often dream about the perfect house with a white fence around it. In that house they usually have it filled with 2 kids, husband or wife, and a dog in the yard watching over the family. With mom watching the kids as they are are running around on the deep green grass and smell the fresh air, no troubles, no stress. She looks over at and sees dad is outside cooking on the grill. As soon as she opens the door to go outside with glasses of cold sweet lemonade, she is hit with a wave of delectable smells something from the meat sizzling on the nearby grill, the delicious scent wafting in the air. That is the American dream. But not everyone has the opportunity or chance to even experience that dream. For me as a child, my dream was to...
Words: 912 - Pages: 4
...The Musketeer in Me—Vikas One fundamental rule of reincarnation is that you do not know your past life. Well, it seems as though I broke that rule. In fact, I am absolutely certain that my past reincarnation was none other than d’Artagnan, the fourth musketeer. Knowing that is a gift. It makes the arduous process of describing the entirety of my personality in 500 words or less, possible. I can simply toss Alexandre Dumas’ biographical recount of my past life and say, “That’s me,” and those two words would mean everything. They make me that noble and heroic Gasconian that set out to Paris with nothing more than a yellow, hairless pony and a dream of grandeur. Alas, times have changed. The Musketeers, dueling, and horses, they have all become relics of the past. A new era and new circumstances bring a different life. Now, I am a first generation, 17-year-old American living in Jersey. My yellow, hairless horse is an old, squeaky Toyota Camry: its modern equivalent. My stunning silver-gilded rapier and armour have been replaced by a BIC pen and legal pad. However, all those changes are superficial. Inside, I still dream of the same grandeur. I dream, with every fiber of my body, that one day I will become a Newtonian giant holding a Nobel Prize. That one day I will support the innovation and ingenuity that fuels our evolving world. The only challenge is that there are millions of people that share the same dream as me, so what makes me different? Well, even if the...
Words: 636 - Pages: 3
...For over two hundred years the American Dream, or national ethos of the United Sates, revolved around a set of ideals put forward in the Declaration of Independence which declares that all Americans are equal and have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” For immigrants arriving on these shores, regardless of social class or circumstance of birth, it was a given of the time that prosperity, success, and upward social mobility for all (excluding slavers) was obtainable and could be achieved through honest, hard work. Today that dream is not dead, although recently there has been a death of soaring rhetoric and a paucity of hope. So while the American Dream may at the moment be on life support and in critical condition,...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...and the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Narcissism och den amerikanska drömmen i Arthur Millers en handelsresandes död. Fredrik Artan Faculty of Arts and Education Subject: English Points:15.0 Supervisor: Magnus Ullén Examiner: Anna Swärdh 2014-06-18 Serial number Abstract This essay focuses on the theme of the American Dream in relation to narcissism in Miller’s Death of a salesman. The purpose is to demonstrate that a close reading of the main protagonist, Willy Loman, suggests that his notion of success in relation to the American Dream can be regarded as narcissistic. This essay will examine this by first observing how Willy´s notion of success is represented in the play, then look at how his understanding of it can be viewed from a narcissistic standpoint. The results I have found in my analysis show that there is a connection between Willy’s understanding of success and his narcissistic behavior. He displays traits such as grandiosity, arrogance, need of specialness and denial of emotions. His relationship with other characters reveals his lack of empathy, manipulation and exploitation of others as well as his need of superiority and fear of inferiority. The conclusion is that Willy and his notion of success could be considered as narcissistic. Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................1 The American Dream..........
Words: 6899 - Pages: 28
...Literary Analysis Essay on Fences The sport of baseball is an extremely integral aspect of the book Fences. Troy Maxson, our protagonist in this play, was a baseball player. It is Troy’s belief that the only reason he never made the major leagues was because he has the wrong color skin. Throughout the play, it is noticeable that Troy is still bitter over this and continuously makes references to current players and how he is much better than them. Troy’s life is a difficult one, and the connection between baseball and Troy’s trying life leads me to my point. The use of baseball in Fences is to symbolize the American dream and it being unattainable to Troy Maxson. First, how is it that our American pastime can be directly related to and represented as the American dream? There are several connections between the sport and the American dream that lead me to my thesis. The article Baseball as History and Myth in August Wilson’s Fences does a great job of connecting these two seemingly unrelated subjects. This article starts with a great quote by John Thorn saying, baseball has become “the great repository of national ideals, the symbol of all that [is] good in American life: fair play; the rule of law; equal opportunity; the brotherhood of man; and more.” Fair play shown through sportsmanship between the two teams, rule of law in “objective arbitration of disputes,” equal opportunity as each team is given a chance on both offensive and defensive sides each inning...
Words: 923 - Pages: 4
...In the essay “Stephen Cruz” Studs Terkel gives a strong opinion on the American dream. He says, “The American dream, I see now, is governed not by education, opportunity, and hard work, but by power and fear. The higher up you go, the more you have to lose. The dream is not losing.” (Terkel pg. ) This is interesting to me because I have never viewed the American dream with a negative outlook. History classes always put the idea that the American dream was a fantasy of a perfect life. It went along the lines of having a nice house, white picket fence, expensive car, beautiful family, dog… and the list could go on. After reading “Stephen Cruz” I’ve come to recognize the illusion that the American dream has been made out to be. When Studs Terkel...
Words: 669 - Pages: 3
...Abstract This paper seeks a philosophical insight of democracy in general and American democracy in particular by unfolding the paradoxes entailed to whittle a credible conclusion. It attempts to explore contradictions of democracy whether democracy is a best system of governance? Is true democracy possible? Has it to be moral in character? Why other systems of governance tend to challenge the basic fabrics of democracy? Why democracy has turned out to be more productive than other forms of government? Then focus shifts to paradoxes entailed in self evident truth of American democracy. Is American democracy a representative of a true democracy? Does it cater the smaller factions of society? Has the democratic system fostered the rights of liberty, justice, life and pursuit of happiness to good effect for masses once challenged by terrorism, racism, poverty and recession? What good it has brought to its people? Why does America deserve to lead world community? Finally, conclusion is inquired about by addressing the question that How American dream can be pursued in its true democratic meaning? Isn’t it strange that few render democracy as the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people? On the other hand, for some, it is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging law of God; the idea of freedom. Idea of democracy as rule of people traces its expression from...
Words: 2171 - Pages: 9
...Aim High Allison Reid Saint Joseph’s College William Zinsser’s essay, “The Right to Fail,” is a dangerous article for young people to read. It discusses how he believes that children and adolescents have too much pressure on them to succeed by attaining an education. Zinsser goes on to send the message that it is okay to quit and become a free thinker. He states, in the beginning of it, that, “for the young, dropping out is often a way of dropping in” (Zinsser, 1967). I think that to encourage the youth of tomorrow to not pursue an education is irresponsible. I disagree with Zinsser because I have been that “drop out” and it is a hard road to follow. This great country we live in provides everyone the opportunity to succeed. Zinsser is trying to downplay “go get ‘em” attitude that Americans are so well known for. He is encouraging people to be just average. We are nothing without a dream, a goal, or a vision of our future that is better. Zinsser says, “We need mavericks and dissenters and dreamers far more than we need junior vice-presidents, but we paralyze them by insisting that every step be a step up to the next rung of the ladder” (Zinsser, 1967). This statement from Zinsser says to me that it is more important to dream than to do. I think it is important to dream about what you want to do, set your goals, and go out and achieve them. An education is a great way to do this. From the day you start kindergarten, a framework for success is being laid...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...Coat of Arms Essay I have finish my coat of arms for my senior project. In my coat of arm, I choose computer, house, star, and heart for my shield elements. On the side I have a crown, a book, a ribbon, and two dragon. Inside my shield I have a computer, which represent my future job, and what I am going to study in the college. I use blue as my background because I think the knowledges of computer is like ocean, it is big and deep. Another picture is a star with the flag of the United States of America. This star is represent I have a American dream, I want to accomplish my dream, and I love America. I pick bronze as my background color because it represent the land of America, where the American flag is standing. The heart with fire is my third picture because I think I have a warm heart. I like to help people, and I want to keep this kind heart forever. I pick dark blue as my background because I...
Words: 510 - Pages: 3
...Sektion A: 1 +2 Language, tone and style are compared between the following texts: “What is the American Dream”, a background essay from The Library of Congress Learning Page website, 2002. “Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lessons From 25 Years as a U.S Citizen – Learn English, participate in Politics, and give Back”, a comment from U.S News & World Report website, 2008. Both texts discuss the thought of the “American dream”. The texts have various opinions, but also different style and language. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s text is written in an informal language compared to the other text. In Arnold Schwarzenegger’s text the noun often comes before the verb. For instance “I became, I will, I came, I worked” This makes the language seem enumerating. He talks directly to the reader in active sentences and there are traces of spoken language in the text, for instance: “That made me feel so good, speaking only a little English”. The language is ordinary and easily understandable. The text is personal and directed towards the feelings of the reader. In the other text the language is formal. There are many passive sentences which make the text seem professional. The words are various and complex, which signals a better language. In short Schwarzenegger’s text is meant to hit the reader on a personal level. He talks about his own experiences in his life and this makes him seem sympathetic and human to the reader. The other text has a better language. This text is not supposed...
Words: 803 - Pages: 4
