The American Dream In Letter To Coates

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The “Dream” in Coates’ letter is the manifestation of insatiable greed that results in the rape of the earth, the exploitation of the oppressed, and the destruction of all mankind (Coates 150-151). It’s very nature separates humanity into two categories: those who benefit from the Dream, and those who pay the price for its transgressions (119). Tangibly, the Dream is reminiscent of the Atomic Families of the Gilded Age, and what many people consider to be the pinnacle of the American Dream: suburbia, with its “perfect houses [and] nice lawns” (11). Yet underneath its golden veneer lies the countless blacks, Asians, Native Americans, whites – all those who have suffered to establish and maintain its reality. However, the Dream is denied by those

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