Black America and the American Nightmare "The Myth of Sisyphus" parallels the lack of an "American Dream" in black America. In " The Myth Of Sisyphus, " Albert Camus describes the tragedy of Sisyphus, forever punished by the gods to push a rock up a mountain, watch the rock roll down the mountain, and then push it up the mountain again. In the words of Camus, "there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor." The "American Dream" is still alive for white Americans. They still dream of large houses, big paychecks, and hard work leading to a comfortable retirement. However, like an animal battling to fight extinction, the "American Dream" is on its last breath in black America . . . " Uh, you know that stuff we told you about apple pie and equal opportunity, spacious skies and rags to riches and making more money than your parents did? Well, uh, we forgot to tell you something. That was only supposed to apply to white people." Does the "American Dream" really exist in the black community or do blacks labor under the false impression that our lives will be better in the future? Am I wasting my time paying for a degree from college in a country where I have to put my skin color on every form I sign my name to? Sisyphus intrigues Camus because he questions Sisyphus' thoughts about his fate. " At that subtle moment when man glances backward over his life, Sisyphus returning toward his rock, in the sight pivoting he contemplates that series of unrelated actions which becomes his fate, created by him, combined under his memory's eye and soon sealed by his death." As Sisyphus returns to his rock, does he question his fate? Unlike blacks in America, Sisyphus created his own fate. Sisyphus is aware that he will labor in futility until the end of time. He is not under any false impressions that the gods will call his punishment off because of good behavior. He knows his fate and has accepted it. Do blacks also labor in futility, hoping that someone will go back and change history? Sisyphus accepts the rock as his future. This absurd form of acceptance is the only thing that keeps Sisyphus from going crazy. He is superior to his fate because he survives despite it. Do blacks in America also accept their fate?
Does life ever seem pointless and discouraging? In Albert Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Camus describes the correlation between Sisyphus’s fate and the human condition. In the selection, everyday is the same for Sisyphus. Sisyphus is condemned to rolling a rock up a mountain for eternity. Camus’s “The Myth of Sisyphus” forces one to contemplate Sisyphus’s fate, how it relates to the human condition, and how it makes the writer feel about her part in life.
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
Companies and businesses that sell alcohol have a common interest in the issue of whether the legal drinking age should be lower...
The phrase “The American Dream” is an incredible thing. The promise of that dream has convinced hundreds of millions of people that, as a citizen of this country, you can accomplish anything if you work hard enough. Whether you want to be a doctor, athlete, or even a president, those things should all be within your reach, regardless of your class or race! America is the nation where dreams can come true. Unfortunately, for a large number of people that believe this, this is a concept that does not apply to them. Many Americans find opportunities are denied to them because of their race. Others can be found living in poverty and far from anything that would be considered desirable. Statistics show that the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans earned 9 percent of all U.S. income in 1979. Did you know that the same 1 percent earns 24 percent of all U.S. income today? That is a staggering example of the income inequality in America. The American Dream is that if you work hard and have the ability you will succeed, but that has become an impossibility for millions of disadvantaged Americans because the income inequality has been steadily increasing since the 1970s and racism and poverty are constant barriers to their success and financial security.
In the article, “What is the American Dream in 2016”, by Sean Bryant, he writes about how the American dream barely exists. “The American Dream is still alive as we head into 2016. But it has changed
the “American Dream” a dream that is unreal. The American dream was intended for people of
Such when Camus writes, “All Sisyphus’ silent joy is contained therein. His fate belongs to him.”, but also contends that “Likewise, the absurd man, when he contemplates his torment, silences all the idols.” Within these quotes, I find a distinction between the acceptance of fate and the acquisition of circumstance which in both cases of Sisyphus and the absurd man, contends a claim of conflict between what we want from the universe, whether this is meaning, order, or reasons, and what we find in the universe which tends to be the uncertainty that is distinguished by
Taylor is careful to identify exactly which features of Sisyphus predicament account for the lack of meaning. He argues that the facts that Sisyphus task is both difficult and endless are irrelevant to its meaninglessness. What explains the meaninglessness of Sisyphus’s life is that all of his work amounts to nothing. One way that Sisyphus’s life could have meaning, Taylor proposes, is if something was produced of his struggles. For example, if the stone that he rolls were used to create something that would last forever then Sisyphus would have a meaningful life. Another separate way in which meaning might be made present is if Sisyphus had a strong compulsion for rolling the stone up the hill. Taylor points out, though, that even given this last option, Sisyphus’s life has not acquired an objectives meaning of life; there is still nothing gained besides the fact he just ...
Albert Camus version was different from the original. Albert Camus made it seem like Sisyphus’s punishment was a good thing. He made it look like Sisyphus accepted and acknowledged his actions and his punishment was merely a daily task. Sisyphus’s punishment from the gods, was for eternity, that he has to roll a rock up a hill and when he reaches the top, he has to let that rock roll back down the hill. Which made me think about what exactly is my rock. I thought to myself what do I do on a daily basis that I work hard for till I reach the top, then able to let it back down like Albert Camus version of the Myth of Sisyphus.
In the myth of sisyphus, we learn of his eternal struggle and and punishment bestowed upon him by the gods of ancient greece. He is shown as having to push a rock continuously up a hill for all of eternity as his punishment for loving life to much. This is what the guys considered one of the most gruesome punishments known to man. it is said that it is only gruesome when we are conscious of what we are doing as sisyphus was while pushing the rock and accepting his eternal fate. In our life we go through struggles and punishment that we can relate personally to sisyphus’ hardships in the after life. The question of absurdity comes into play when we are conscious of our lives in constant question of the significance of us personally to the world as Sisyphus is consciousness of his punishment.
Is the American Dream still viable? This question is comparable to the question Can one jump four feet in the air? because their answers are very similar: Maybe, if you put in the right amount of work-- and have certain helpful advantages. In the case of wishing to jump as high as one can, such advantages as longer legs, better balance, and some level of athleticism can help you, just as not having these particular attributes can hinder you. Similarly, such attributes as white skin, male genitalia (or perceived male genitalia), and a “richer”, more educated, and skillful background can help one pursue the American Dream. The problem, then, is that skin color and poverty are inherited, and gender is inherent. When we create a society where wealth
Long, Phillip W. "Anorexia Nervosa." Internet Mental Health. Jan. 1997. St. Joseph Medical Center. 19 Aug. 1998 .
Peter Maas declares organized crime the “biggest business in the country” (Maas). “The largest and best known organized crime group is the nationwide organization variously known as the ‘syndicate’, the ‘mob’, the ‘Mafia’, and the ‘Cosa Nostra’” (Nash, Jason O-155). Some activities of the Mafia include gambling, loan sharking, pornography, illicit drugs, and racketeering. The Mafia began in Sicily, but did not retain to just that one location. In fact, in the late nineteenth century many of the Sicilian members immigrated to the United States (Nash O-155). The Mafia in the United States contains members that are Americans with Sicilian ancestry (“Mafia” M-48). There are several Mafia groups in the United States. Law enforcement authorities agree that there are around twenty-five groups that operate in large cities across the nation (Nash O-155).
When I think of Sisyphus and start comparing him to people in my life one person that stands out is my uncle Jessie. In his younger years my uncle lived his life as he pleased, and that led to him spending several years in prison. After he was released from prison, he started a family. There are not too many prestigious careers that an unskilled felon can acquire, so my uncle Jessie became a welder at a local fabrication company. Instead of having a normal nine-to-five, forty-hour a week job he works seventy-two hours Monday thru Saturday. This job allows him to provide for and be close to his family, that is the only motivation for maintaining a job he hates. On my uncle’s one day off, his attention it devoted to his two kids and wife.
As a result of underage drinking, 5,000 adolescents under the age of 21 die annually due to intoxication (taking motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides, and other injuries while intoxicated into consideration) (paragraph 2). Later in life, underage drinkers are more likely to develop alcoholism, poor performance in school, and risky sexual behavior (paragraph 43). Although this research is not opposed to my argument, there is an importance to acknowledging it as proof of dangerous, underage drinking occurring significantly regardless of whether it is illegal. More importantly, this research stems from adolescents drinking without the supervision of adults and in uncontrolled quantities. Since adolescents must wait a long period of time to drink legally, I believe they fear they must take advantage of drinking opportunities by excess drinking and risk of safety due to their restriction to alcohol. Based on this mindset, I believe exposure to alcohol at a younger age in controlled environments would not only decrease underage drinking in large quantities, but injury and death related to intoxication, as