The American Dream In The Promise Of Happiness By Sara Ahmed

665 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is happiness

The Promise of Happiness by Sara Ahmed is a cultural assessment and exposition of the one of the most ask questions of life and most asked and written abstract concept of “What is happiness?” Sara Ahmed by no means is trying to tell us how to be happy or how to define happiness. Rather, as she states in the introduction of her book is “What does happiness do?” Ahmed, like the great Aristotle, both surmise that we need to align our actions, our cultivations of virtue and we need to align them all; as well as align ourselves with the good. The social directive of happiness constantly encompasses our life. Whether this is by trying to sell us life books, or by the Coca-Cola slogan, “Open happiness”. The idea that happiness can be bought and …show more content…

The American dream is one of the greatest ethos of the United States, established in the 19th century. This notion and inspiration stemmed because of the opportunities and possibilities that America allowed for, unlike other countries. The stereotypical white picket fence, nice car, two children, and a wife sparks for a lot of problems. There’s nothing wrong with having goals or aspirations, but not when it is almost an established goal for most Americans because it is only allowing for the green eyed monster: greed. Keeping up with the Jones’s is a great example that using objects as means of happiness is the wrong thing to do. Ultimately what ends up happening is that people keep wanting more and more. An example of this is when the new IPhone comes out. Every year the IPhone gets updated and only changes very slightly. People who just recently purchased the older model want the new one to keep up with their friends and society. Now you ask yourself is having the latest new gadget, in this case, the new IPhone is happiness? Now what about the person who buys the iWatch to complement their IPhone? People want that now. Society is creating a monetarized form of happiness, which isn’t really happiness. This is one the biggest topics that Ahmed is trying to tackle. She shows how people are being unhappy. Even though her goal isn’t to show us how to be happy, in doing she’s in a way telling us to not do certain things to avoid the propaganda of happiness that society has

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The American Dream: Slipping Away By Susan Neuman

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article The American Dream: Slipping Away? by Susan Neuman I found many things interesting to read, some even shocking. When Neuman speaks about a study done that found that middle and upper middle class families use a child-rearing strategy called concerted cultivation while working-class and poor parents use the strategy of natural growth, I realized that my mother definitely used natural growth. Neuman states, “These parents generally have less education and time to impress on their children the values that will give them an advantage in school. Their children often spend less time in the company of adults and more time with other children in self-directed, open-ended play” (pp. 166).

    Read More

  • The American Dream: Dead, Alive Or On Hold, By Brandon King

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Brandon King’s 2011 book excerpt “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?”, he redefines the American Dream as “the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future” (611). I would disagree with King’s beliefs, I think his definition is wrong as well as him saying that the dream is alive. When I hear the words ‘American Dream’ I think of the definition that dictionary.com gives stating, “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” In this sense I think the American Dream is dead, predominantly because there is no equality when it comes to United States citizens. There is no equality when it comes to the

    Read More

  • Selfishness In The American Dream

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    A life of luxury, the love of their life at their side, and a feeling of complete satisfaction is everyone’s dream. This dream has been given a name, the American Dream, to honor the land of opportunity where the idea was put into words. The American Dream, in its most simple form, means security. The stereotypical quest for bigger and better does not define the Dream, it’s the safety the goal ends up providing. However this relentless pursuit of this sanctuary proves to be fruitless. The American Dream conditions people to believe that what they have is not satisfactory and they must have more. This leads to unhappiness because the change required to initiate the Dream is impossible to set into motion, the goals people set are too ambitious

    Read More

  • The American Dream Jennifer Hochschild Analysis

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are some well-known examples of everyday people, such as Oprah Winfrey, who became wealthy and successful through hard work, giving credence to the idea that in America everyone has the opportunity to become anything they want to be by putting forth an honest effort. Although most people will find living an American Dream of riches to be out of reach, everyone has a dream of succeeding, and that is what unites us and makes our nation strong. Our common dream that anything is possible is the Spirit of America.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Why Happiness, Why Now By Sara Ahmed

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The society uses one’s happiness to seek their own. Starting with the ancient Adam Smith’s theory of a market economy where commodities are sold and bought in a market freely, where sellers and buyers exchange to achieve profit, and happiness is derived from profit. Thus “happiness is both produced and consumed” (Ahmed 3). Happiness is a matter of research for corporates of big companies. They try to figure out which product makes the buyers feel the happiness they need, so that they can produce more for their own profit. So, they cunningly make commercials with people having a good time. Which when watched by the buyers they get the false sense that their life would be so much better if they bought that small bottle of happiness. Once they buy their “Pandora’s box” they hope that underneath all the unnecessary objects there will be happiness, but they are dispirited at the end. Unknowingly the markets are making the society a more dull and sad place rather than distributing

    Read More

  • Belian's Happy Summary

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The next piece subject to assessment is Carlin Flora’s “The Pursuit of Happiness”. Her article’s thesis is reminiscent of Roko Belic’s in “Happy” where she proclaims that “if you aren’t living to your values, you won’t be happy, no matter how much you are achieving” (Flora 1). The key difference between Flora’s thesis and Belic’s, however, is that she provide her interpretation of “living to your values” as a direct message, which conveys her argument far more effectively. She also builds her piece on the basis that Americans are trying too hard to be happy, and as a result a sadness is flowing through. Flora’s other resemblance to Belic’s “Happy” is her target audience of Americans, and likewise her rhetorical strategies and evidence depict

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Film 'Happy' By Roko Belic

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In contrast to Aristotle, Roko Belic’s documentary “Happy” provides a fresh perspective that takes place far more recently. The film sets out to similar goals of Aristotle in defining the nature of happiness and exploring what makes different people happy in general. Unlike Aristotle, however, the film’s main argument refers to makes people happier. In this case, the film argues that merely “doing what you love” is what leads to happiness (Belic). The argument itself appears oddly self-serving, considering that message is what underlines the foundation of happiness, yet there is a subliminal message that a simpler lifestyle is what leads to what the film is trying to convince you of. The message itself is obviously addressed to Americans, considering

    Read More

  • The American Dream Exposed in The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Money constitutes the American Dream, because in America, to be successful in life means being wealthy. We live in an industrialized nation, in which money controls our very own existence. The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara establishes an argument about society’s injustice that entails financial opportunities by revealing the differences in living conditions between upper class and lower class. Another important point Stephen Cruz, a successful business person and a Professor at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, makes in his speech is that the American Dream is getting progressively ambiguous, because the vision of success is being controlled by power and fear which only benefit 1 percent of Americans. For most people, the American Dream is to be financially stable to the point of content; however, realistically the accomplishment of the American Dream is often obstructed by society’s limitations and influences from higher power.

    Read More

  • Happiness Explored in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with society's view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge.

    Read More

  • The American Dream In Typical American, By Gish Jen

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, Typical American, by Gish Jen, the life of Ralph Chang's journey in America is cleverly unveiled. Jen focuses the story around Ralph's trials and tribulations as an foreigner living in America. At the beginning of Typical American, Ralph's character is shown about what he thinks about America. It is shown that he does not really respect America's beauty. "... famous mountains lumbered by, famous rivers, plains, canyons, the whole American spectacle, without his looking up once" (7). However, he realizes that America can bring new opportunity for himself. He wanted to become successful just like his father. He wanted to prove to his father that he also can become a scholar just like him. He wanted to pursue the "American dream", the idea that America can offer the lifestyle that is desired by many immigrants. When Ralph and his wife visits America, they tried to stay as close as possible to their Chinese roots. They did not want to be the "typical Americans" that they hated. Ironically, they slowly become the typical Americans that they wanted to avoid. In the novel, Jen shows how Ralph and Helen transformed from their Chinese culture to the new typical American lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Speech on Happiness

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    But in this debate, one question still raises its head - What is happiness? Happiness is not actually leading a luxurious life, but the luxury of living a life. Happiness is not actually about expanding your business, but it lies in expanding the horizons of life. Happiness is not having a meal in the most famous restaurant, but having it with your most beloved family. It does not lie in attending honorable parties, but to attend a party with honor.

    Read More

  • The American Dream Expressed Through The Pursuit of Happiness

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bowman, James. "The Pursuit of Happiness." The American Spectator. N.p., Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Happiness Is A Choice

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Contrary to belief, genuine happiness is very rarely found at the bottom of a shopping basket or on the leather seats of a brand new car. Often we hear the cliché saying “Money can’t buy happiness” but this is in fact true. Whilst the elation and delight brought from finally owning a wanted item is extraordinary, you must remind yourself that your happiness should not become dependant upon your ownership of this item. Being happy is not something you can purchase from a shop or car dealership, it is the way you take on life. Unfortunately, happiness does not have its own aisle at shops and never will.

    Read More

  • Life Essay: The Meaning Of Life

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    Happiness means that you buy a life without money ,However many people are not happy because they don 't Know the importance of happiness. According to,(Fox 400)”Family is not an important thing. It 's everything .In point of view,the actor find happiness through love family .On my vision, I find happiness once I cooperative with my family. For example , when my young brother Mohammed remember father death he get depressed ,then we help him by going outside smell fresh air buy some candy .As a fact of matter, “the money can 't buy happiness”.Led to author ,

    Read More

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the contrary, a main reason why we struggle to find happiness is the fact that we are often blinded from its true definition, and convinced to seek it in places where it can’t be found. In today’s society, false pictures of what this concept really means have been painted in our minds by outside sources. One of the major causes of these fabricated characterizations is blamed on the media. When we watch the television and see someone who is well known walking around in a suit with a supermodel next to his side, we jump to the conclusion that he is a happy person. But, that isn’t always the case. Fame and fortune do not automatically guarantee happiness. It is such an intangible subject that it makes it hard for someone to fully grasp its true concept.

    Read More

More about The American Dream In The Promise Of Happiness By Sara Ahmed

Open Document