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American dream development
The struggle of reaching the American dream
American dream development
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“The American Dream and Paths to Happiness” In America there is countless of different definitions of what the American Dream is, but according Xavier University “many Americans most commonly define the American Dream in terms of opportunity, freedom, and family” (Good). A great definition of what the American Dream is” no matter what your race you are, what country you come from, and what financial background you have you can be anything you want to be” said Sidd Singhal an investment banker (National: Defining the American Dream). While on their journey many Americans realize that the American Dream bring a different paths of happiness which includes alcohol, sex, and drugs. In both movies “Wolf of Wall Street” and “The Great Gatsby” are great representation of what the American Dream is and the paths of happiness that comes along with it. Both movies were released in the same year, have the same theme and one the main characters Jordan Belfort and Jay Gatsby are both played by Leonardo DiCaprio My focus in this essay is to compare both Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby to show the connection between the American Dream and the paths to happiness.
In the beginning of both movies one of the
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The parties mainly were focus on binge drinking, dancing, and socialization and gambling. At first Carraway felt strange going to a parties where everyone was of the upper class, but after some drinks of alcohol he was fitting with the crowd. Gatsby threw these parties to get the attention of his love Daisyit isn’t the money itself that brings happiness, but rather the opportunities and choices more money allows” (Smith). “Money gave Gatsby the opportunity to buy a huge mansion exactly across the sea from his love interest daisy, throw expensive parties to grab her attention, expensive clothes, cars to amaze her, and become one of the most famous person in the
In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald analyzes the character Jay Gatsby. Formally known as James Gatz (Goldsmith). Gatsby throws huge lavishing parties that everyone wants to attend (Murray). He has his servants go pick his guests up in his Rolls-Royce on the weekends, he has caterers, bright, fancy lights, he has an extravagant bar with all kinds of gins and liquors, and he has a voluminous orchestra (45-46). In all reality, his parties are not that extravagant because everyone is always extremely drunk and the parties are usually very boring to say the least (Murray). Not everyone who attends Gatsby’s parties was invited; most of the time people just heard about the party and then showed up randomly (47). Gatsby invited Nick Carraway to one of his parties and that is how they first met and became friends (47)....
The American dream is a wonderful phenomenon, it drives people to work towards a better life of prosperity and achievement. In both F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Cinderella Man the American Dream is a prominent theme. Even though the American Dream is portrayed in both, these stories have significantly different outcomes. Those who seemed to be living the American Dream in The Great Gatsby are (american dream ruins lives). On the other hand James J. Braddock attempts to achieve the American Dream, bettering his family's life and inspiring many that they too can achieve the American Dream. The American Dream is a dangerous one to have, when truly taken to heart people can truly live the dream, while others always want more than they have.
For some, simply having infinite wealth and popularity is enough for them to be happy. For others, they need something that money can’t buy. Two books that express these qualities are: The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both of these books describe the life of a wealthy man but each of them have different ideas of the American dream. Examples from these books will show how the American dream differs from person to person.
The American Dream. This concept is well known as the picture perfect family, nice house and the white picket fence. As well as succeeding and excelling in life and making the future generations lives better than the current one. This concept has contributed much of the immigration from as early as 1931 to present day. However, many immigrants immigrate to the United States in order to escape oppression as well as uprising and turmoil which may reside in their home country. Though society often places people none the less immigrants into categories from social class, heritage, and prejudice they share a common thread of hope as well as facing obstacles in their journeys and once they arrive to the states. An example of this common thread of escaping their homeland in order to pursue new experiences and hopeful new life yet experiencing different hardships are shown when looking at both the Mexicans and the Irish.
The concept of one’s journey to reach the so called "American Dream" has served as the central theme for many novels. However, in the novel The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the American Dream as so opulent it is unrealistic and unreachable. The American Dream is originally about obtaining happiness, but by the 1920's, this dream has become twisted into a desire for fame and fortune by whatever means; mistaken that wealth will bring happiness. Fitzgerald illustrates that the more people reach toward the idealistic American dream, the more they lose sight of what makes them happy, which sends the message that the American dream is unattainable. The continuos yearning for extravagance and wealthy lifestyles has become detrimental to Gatsby and many other characters in the novel as they continue to remain incorrigible in an era of decayed social and moral values, pursuing an empty life of pleasure instead of seeking happiness.
To do what makes oneself happy. The American Dream is represented in many different ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. Chris McCandless lived his American dream by walking alone into the wilderness of Alaska. The song written by Toby Keith, “American Soldier”, shows the price some pay for their dreams and ours to come true. Jay Gatsby died trying to acheive his dream and get the girl he loved, but died happy because he had pursued her until his death. The band All Time Low wrote a song called “The Reckless and The Brave” that brings a new light to how we go about achieving our dreams. So I believe that the American Dream is all about doing what will make you the happiest in the end.
“He walked down that whole double line with tears flowing, with guys clapping and cheering as he went” (Brooks). “Dignity and sadness in the working class” sets an affectionate tone throughout the article. “His best job came in the middle of his career, when he was a supervisor at the sheet metal plant. But when the technology changed, he was no longer qualified to supervise the new workers, so they let him go” (Brooks). The sheet metal plant company should have use their resource to train him on that new technology rather than let him go. Now he and his wife have to take care of an elderly women who has a tough time swallowing. In the twentieth century, twenty eight percent of all working class families are consider to me among
money. The reason i think this is because the reason people go through all those
Gatsby’s wild parties with an ample supply of alcohol illustrates his prosperous status which he deems as an attractive quality for himself. Gatsby’s socioeconomic status is represented in his luxurious lifestyle and the parties he throws, which are thrown for the elite. Gatsby’s able to provide guests with an endless amount of alcohol which ensures his popularity. His extreme parties give him a stigma of mystery and attractive charisma, which captivated the attention of the wealthy class of old money East Egg. Gatsby having easy access to alcohol during the tough days of the Prohibition era attract many people to him and especially to his parties. Nick gives a glimpse into Gatsby’s party saying, “In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from the other” (44). The festivity that is explained is absurdly extravagant, stocked with “gin and liqueurs” and tons of young “female guests” who can't even tell the difference between the liquors. Fitzgerald creates Gatsby's parties to represent wealth and prosperity in this time period. Without the use of alcohol, Gatsby's parties would not be as popular and his social ranking would decrease tremendously. Jordan describes Gatsby's parties by stating, “‘Anyhow he gives large parties,’ said Jordan, changing the subject with an urbane distaste for the concrete. ‘And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy’” (54). Upper class resident Jordan Baker, refers to Gatsby’s parties being quite large and extravagant, which says a lot coming from an upper class perspective. The Prohibition era made alcohol more tempting and desirable and Gatsby's parties made it more fashionable, and it was a desire that guests needed to get there hands
The American Dream is what everyone hopes that they can achieve. It is the perfect lifestyle of wealth and class. The pursuit of the American Dream can lead to prosperity or nothing. Many people end up with nothing in their attempts. Thesis: In the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, communicates the message that the American Dream is dead through Gatsby's attempts at accomplishing his dream, his reasons for failure, and his dream in general. Gatsby had a vision for his life and a dream and would not let anything get in the way of the wealth he wanted or a life with Daisy. Gatsby longed for wealth. Nagel said this about wealth and The American Dream, “Benjamin Franklin seems to have understood this substantial view of the American
In conclusion, F. Scott Fitzgerald effectively portrays the notion of the American dream in his novel The Great Gatsby. The American Dream is the familiar belief that anyone can attain success through consistent hard work and dedication. However Fitzgerald shows us that this is not the case. While the charming and mysterious Jay Gatsby possesses the respectable attributes of a dedicated hero, his dream unfortunately ends in tragedy. As for the rest of society, the wealth is vast amongst the upper class, leaving the working class vulnerable to extreme exploitation. Fitzgerald proves that the American dream is a paradox—that while the pursuit of the dream is noble and aspirational, its attainment is both corrupting and highly improbable.
Comparing the perspective of the American dream in the 1920’s to the American Dream in the 1940’s and present day seems to be a repeating cycle. The American dream is always evolving and changing. The American dream for present day is similar to the dream of the 1920’s. An Ideal of the American life is to conform to what our society has determined is success. Money, materialism and status had replaced the teachings of our founding fathers in the 1920’s. A return to family values and hard work found its way back into American’s lives in the 1940’s. The same pursuit of that indulgent lifestyle that was popular in the roaring twenty’s has returned today for most Americans, many Americans are living on credit and thinking that money and the accumulation of material items can solve all problems. Through film, literature, art and music, an idealized version of what it means to be an American has changed from money, materialism, and status of the 1920s to hard work and family values of the forties.
My great grandfather, Simon Harris, grew up in a small town. He grew up with two brothers and four sisters which his parents had to support. His family was low income. He had walked and hitchhiked his way to Decatur to be able to live on his own at the age of fourteen. He overcame many struggles, due to leaving his family at such a young age. But through his hard work and determination, he made it out of the life of poverty which he had grown up in. He did everything to his best ability. He worked hard and long hours, in order to make a better life for himself. He is an example that the American Dream is achievable, no matter how you are brought up, you just have to be willing to put in the effort. The American dream is the ideal that through hard work, determination, and some sacrifice, every US citizen should be able to achieve success.
“The American Dream is a term that is often used but also often misunderstood. It isn't really about becoming rich or famous. It is about things much simpler and more fundamental than that.” (Marco Rubio). So if the American Dream is not about money, what is it about? What is the American dream, is it the Pursuit of Happiness? The answer is buried in the term success. Defined by Merriam Webster the term “success” means “the correct desired result”.
In the Oxford Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as the traditional social ideals of the United States of America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. People have the right of life and liberty, but happiness is not a right. Happiness can only be given by the amount of effort a person gives. People who have determination to devote their Life and exercise their Liberty to the accomplishment of discovering their talent and use what they like doing to achieve a goal. The film, Pursuit of Happiness, shows the American Dream being achieved by the main character, Chris Gardner, by working hard and using his talents. Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness goes through overcoming obstacles which shows that the American Dream is possible through faith, perseverance, and a focus on family values.