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. “Money is the root of all evil”(Levit). Man and his love of money has destroyed lives since the beginning of time. Men have fought in wars over money, given up family relationships for money and done things they would have never thought that they would be capable of doing because of money. In the movie, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the author demonstrates how the love and worship of money and all of the trappings that come with it can destroy lives. In the novel Jay Gatsby has lavish parties, wears expensive gaudy clothes, drives fancy cars and tries to show his former love how important and wealthy he has become. He believes a lie, that by achieving the status that most Americans, in th... ... middle of paper ... ...the 1920’s hopefully in the next decade we will repeat the American dream of the 1940’s. Works Cited "Ain’t We Got Fun - Lyrics - International Lyrics Playground." International Lyrics Playground - Songs From Europe, North America and Around The World. Foreign Language Lyrics, Christmas and Holiday Lyrics! Web. 20 May 2010. . Applebee, Arthur N. The Language of Literature. Evanston, Ill.: McDougal Littell, 2006. Print. "New International Version." Bible Gateway. Web. 19 May 2010. Rockwall, Norman. Freedom From Want. About.com. Web. 19 May 2010. . The Great Gatsby. Dir. Jack Clayton. Perf. Robert Redford, Mia Farrow. Paramount Pictures, 1974. DVD.
Sorvino, Mira and Stephens, Toby. "Nothing Great About This Gatsby". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Jan 13,2001. Pg. 1-2
The first half of the century had an abundance of different views toward the American Dream. In the twenties the dream was one of hope and materialism. Because WWI had just ended, the economy was in great shape and people were willing to spend. This spending led to a greedy society; everyone wanted to be wealthier than their
The American Dream, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, is the belief that everyone in the United States of America has the chance to be successful and happy if they work hard enough. This idea is one of the major reason why America is the place most people from all over the world want to travel to in order to pursue the American Dream. The American Beauty is a movie that tells a story of what it takes to pursue the American Dream. In the movie, many sides of the American Dream were depicted by different characters in different ways but with similar experiences involving the cost and challenges of pursuing success. Jane is a young lady in the movie who suffered from a dysfunctional family. The lack of love in her home, which was due to her parents’ drive for success, did not only make her an unhappy girl but also led her into seeking love and attention in the hands of a drug dealer.
The twentieth century has American dream has dramatically morphed from the pursuit of happiness the Framers of the Declaration of Independence intended. Ben Franklin sought happiness in the virtues morality, industry, and frugality, but others for others it was the pursuit of capitalism, climbing the social ladder, or filling your life with possessions. The complexity of the American Dream is that it has mean something different for each culture. Literature has been the vehicle for capturing the appraised dream for those in search of its security. The notion that there is opportunity for life to be richer and fuller for everyone has been replaced by the bitter reality of the American Dream, it is only a fantasy.
The American dream is the very foundation this country was built on. The belief that an individual can take their dreams and make them into reality . By actually taking the cards you've been dealt and changing your life with enough perseverance, self sacrifice and dedication and not relying on luck or chance. Initially, the dream is based on the concept of being able to achieve upward mobility in society regardless of your race, gender, economical and social background. It relies solely on the belief that everyone is considered equal. Unfortunately, it was an extremely long time before this country was able to succeed in providing those rights to all individuals. "Inequality, then, is less an inevitability than a choice… we can alter the course of inequality" (Leonhardt 543). What makes one person achieve and obtain the American dream over someone else or is it just one huge hoax?
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, the author wants us to grasp the way people lived in the 1920’s where their life was full of people who possessed the most stunning cars, elegant wardrobes and dream homes. Similar from today’s society, money is the center of many people’s lives. Believing that money and power is the most powerful thing to have is when people start to act selfish and cruel. According to the book and films there were many examples of infidelity, love, and trust towards couples and friends that struggle to find the right person. The Great Gatsby represented an era where becoming rich, having power, and partying all night was the biggest fad.
In the 1920s the change of the American Dream began to change for the worse. The Dream changed from “life, liberty, pursuit of happiness” to “anyone can get rich” because America grew as a nation. After World War 1 the creation of cars, telephones, movies, and
America has gone through many social, economic, and political changes throughout the years. One of the theories I will speak about, will thoroughly explain how the American Dream has shifted, from allowing people to have many opportunities to making it more difficult for people to achieve these dreams. Social class divides people apart from one another based on their status and income. This provides lots of inequality among people of different race and cultures. The second theory I am focusing on is based on the way social classes impact who children become in the future. The division of social classes divides the working class and middle class children based on the neighborhood, school, and families they come from. Based on my personal experience, I realized that social class plays an important role
After World War II, America had to take a step back and take a look at their country. The American Dream had been restored upon the atrocities of the war. In the 1930’s the American Dream was primarily focused on working hard, men providing for their families, and trying to rise from the depression. In the 1940’s, post World War II things changed and consumerism and feminism began to play a key role along with many other factors. There are many ways to describe the American dream and what aspects were influential to it, such as World War II, modernism, new technology and entertainment.
From families looking to flee harsh living conditions in their native country to American citizens wishing to escape impoverished conditions through hard work and determination, the “American Dream” is a concept that people throughout the world have aspired to achieve for hundreds of years. Regardless of birthplace or socioeconomic status, the “American Dream” promises success, prosperity and upward mobility to any citizen with ambition and work ethic. Hundreds of millions of American citizens as well as immigrants have flourished in the United States throughout the course of history in a society with a thriving middle-class. However, in recent years, this dream has become increasingly difficult to achieve for those who are not already wealthy.
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.
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.
Hook: Ask a question, quote from a famous person, personal story, state your opinion, use a definition, make a bold statement
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It