...Jeremiah Mertz American Lit Is the American Dream Still Alive F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Faulkner are commonly considered two of the best writers of the twentieth century. Their novels depict the lives and struggles of people and give insight into the life of the early 1900's. Their stories often concern the American Dream. In these stories it seems that both these authors are saying that the usual concept of the American dream does not result in happiness and is false. Many people associate accumulating wealth, power, and status as the American dream. In Faulkner's and Fitzgerald's stories this is not the case. Their stories state that the dream is not about accumulating wealth, power, and status as this does not make a person happy, but that creating close relationships and spending time with loved ones creates true happiness and that is what the American Dream truly is. Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" centers around the character of Emily Grierson. Emily Grierson was the only relative left of an aristocratic old southern family. These families had wealth, power and status. They were the families that controlled most of life in the old south. Despite the old south falling, Emily still had her wealth and status. She was well known around her town and everyone respected her. The town tried to support her the best they could after her father had died and even remitted her taxes as a sign of respect. Yet Emily was not happy. After her father's death she was seldom...
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...Savard English 101 1 April 2015 The American Dream In 1931, James Truslow Adams published a book titled "The Epic of America". He states that the American dream is a "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." Throughout the years since publication, the American dream was something many families were able to achieve, that is until, perhaps, starting around 2008 when the "Great Recession" hit. Many Americans lost their jobs due to the country's fourth-largest investment bank going bankrupt. There was a job shortage, many Americans were laid-off, income was falling, and poverty was rising. Seven years have passed and slowly America has been recovering, but has it recovered enough for the American dream to be alive? For the average American the dream is perhaps a owning a house, car, children, a stay at home parent, medical insurance, vacations, and savings for retirement along with savings for college tuition. In today's society, the American dream is unobtainable because a stay at home parent is rare, bills are a struggle to pay for, vacations are rarely taken, most are not able to save for retirement because of debt, and many college students have to work while in school to pay off their college tuition. The American dream is in fact alive, but out of reach for the average American. In the article "7 facts that show the American Dream is Dead", Eskow states, "There was a...
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...Views over the American Dream In the articles “The American Dream is Alive” and “Restoring the American Dream” the authors explain in detail their views over the American Dream. In the reading . In the reading, “Restoring the American Dream” Zakaria Fareed explains her view points on the American dream, and shares her solution on how to restore it. In the article “The American Dream is Alive” the American Dream well defined. The term ‘American Dream’ was coined during the Great Depression by James Adams to give people hope and a goal to be prosperous. It is the dream that everyone will have the opportunity to have a life better than the poverty of the Great Depression. It is the dream that a land can reverse poverty. The main idea of the definition of the American Dream is that all citizens have justice and freedom. In the article “Restoring the American Dream” the American Dream is similarly defined. The...
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...Critique: “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Although the idea of the “American Dream” may be outdated to some,Brandon King’s The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold effectively represents and explains the truth behind the american dream, and why people feel that way. Many liberals believe that the dream is dead because the income gap known as “income inequality” but despite the fact that liberals have that belief, income inequality actually helps people acquire the “American Dream”. Income inequality acts as a motivation for the less fortunate, or even a wake up call. So this gap is what help humans gain this area of success in life known as “The American Dream”. The “American Dream” is more than just making money or having a job, it...
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...For over two hundred years the American Dream, or national ethos of the United Sates, revolved around a set of ideals put forward in the Declaration of Independence which declares that all Americans are equal and have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” For immigrants arriving on these shores, regardless of social class or circumstance of birth, it was a given of the time that prosperity, success, and upward social mobility for all (excluding slavers) was obtainable and could be achieved through honest, hard work. Today that dream is not dead, although recently there has been a death of soaring rhetoric and a paucity of hope. So while the American Dream may at the moment be on life support and in critical condition,...
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...English 1101 14 January 2016 The American Dream The “American dream” is what we all strive for. Immigrants come to the States in hopes of trying to achieve their dreams and better themselves for their families. But in all honesty what is the American dream? It was once said that you could come to America and go from rags to riches; you could come with nothing and achieve everything. So, is the so-called “American dream” dead, alive, on hold, or is the definition of the said dream changing? This has been a searing topic and a widely debated discussion since the recession started. Brandon King seems to think the American dream is in fact alive and is simply just changing it’s meaning due to our economic hardships. He “would redefine the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future” (611). King believes now people are tolerable with a middle-class lifestyle and just want to have a stable employment. To him, the American dream is very much alive; it’s just morphing and changing the meaning due to prolonged economic circumstances. King uses logos to adapt a form of credibility and prove he is knowledgeable. He quotes study after study and provides statistics from the year 2005 to 2010 which all makes his argument very convincing. King starts both ethos and logos for the essay when he gives a background for the American dream. “The original term ‘American Dream’ was coined during the Great Depression...
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...the fact that we must work hard, I still have faith in the future. And I still have faith in America because I love America and I believe that we will continue to build a coalition of conscience that one day we will solve this problem” (King 1). According to Dr. Martin Luther King, in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Americans have to work together to accomplish their American Dream. Even though many people go through a lot of hard times, it should not stop anyone from reaching their dream. The “American Dream” can be attainable. The term “American Dream” has been existed for almost a century. The “American Dream” came to existence in 1931. Many people interpret the “American Dream” differently; a well-known interpretation of the “American dream” is “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration of Independence 1). Many immigrants that move to the United States look for a new life a fresh start, independence, and look for their dreams here because they cannot achieve their dreams from where their land. The “American Dream” is an opportunity to search for...
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...4.10.12 The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on hold 1. The writer’s central argument is that the American dream is not dead or on hold like many Americans think, but that the values and ideals of the American dream are still alive in today’s society. The writer point of view is that external factors such as the economy, has made people believe the American dream is unobtainable. According to the writer, that sentiment is not true because there are still opportunities in American to achieve the dream. 2. The writer uses many examples to prove her point. In his first example, the writer uses historical data pertaining to when the American dream slogan was created. The next example was a New York Times poll who’s goal was to see how many Americans felt it possible to start poor, work hard, and become successful. His last stat was on how many Americans were renting homes instead of purchasing them. The writer uses quotes from authors about his subject. He quotes Robert Reich’s “the year Wall Street bounced back” and Paul Krugman’s” The conscience of a liberal” The writer also inserted New York Times columnist Bob Herbert and D. Chapman into his paper. There were few comparisons and he used logical explanations to blend his argument and the evidence. 3. I think the writer is convincing because of the evidence he presented and his analysis of the argument. The writer always presented a point in each paragraph and thoroughly explained it. When the writer argued his...
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... The ambitious nightmare Is the American Dream still alive today? It all depends on whom you ask, and how you look at things. Everyone sees things differently and will interpret it that way; to one person the American Dream is just that, a dream and when they wake up it will be a nightmare, and to another it is an ambition, that just makes them want it more. By definition the American Dream is: “a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.” So, the question remains, is it still alive today, and is this really how people are living their lives? As sad as this answer may be, the truth is, probably not, like all good things they must end. The American Dream is a great thing to wish for however, it has been lost in time with the unwillingness to pursue it. The saddest thing is that some people believe the American dream is something that exists today; whereas some people in society have no idea that this dream exists. What ever happened to the zeal that drove America to the top? What happened to the aspiration of striving for greatness and becoming that greatness? That may be a question no one knows the answer too or it is an answer that people are unwilling to give. George Carlin once said, “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe...
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...The American Dream: Alive and Thriving Everybody is entitled to their own dreams and ambitions no matter their race, color, or gender. When the term “American dream” is heard, most people visualize an enormous house with a stunning car and a beautiful family. Others may think more simplistic, like a simple God given right: freedom. Everyone has their own definition of the American dream, but I have a different perspective. I see it as how I want my life to be in the future, and the steps I will take to get there. The American dream is about opportunity, and there are plenty of opportunities in this nation. To pursue a bright future, one must obtain education and acquire a satisfactory job. This nation provides people with exactly what they need, and as knowledge is obtained; changing, growing, learning and becoming the person that we want to be is taking effect. America is a place where the people are nourished and have the freedom to chase their dreams, which clearly means the American dream is still alive. In 2007, the president of Purdue University, Martin C. Jischke delivered a speech to a graduating class concerning the American dream. Jischke explained how difficult it was way back in the day to get an education and become successful. He also went on to explain the Great Depression. During that time there was hardly any money to afford an education, let alone be sent to college. When Jischke had the opportunity, he took it without hesitation and received scholarships...
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...undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours, it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And still today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important symbol to the American ideology....
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...so-called ‘American Dream’ dead, alive or on hold?” He believes that the ideals and values of the American Dream are very much alive even though many people have lost confident in the Great Recession. Under the difficult economic circumstances today, Brandon redefines the American Dream as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future according to the more intense spending habits of Americans. In order to living the American Dream, Brandon lists solutions to three main problems, inequality, economic insecurity and eroded faith in the American Dream. In sum, he believes that though existing, inequality is not a reason for the lost of American Dream in the poor and supporting the top businesses would help the recovery of economy. He also highlights the values and rules of the American Dream, which would help living and inheritance of this spirit. From my perspective, I agree with the main problems he concludes but for some of his solutions, I stand on the opposite site of the author. I think narrowing the income gap is very significant and so do supporting businesses, while the dependence of the spirit itself is in the less important position. Following are my analysis of each argument. According to the article, inequality is regarded as the most worrisome problem by many people. In contrast with economists like Robert Reich and Paul Krugman who believe that the concentration of wealth at the top would not help living the American Dream because it...
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...for better or worse, is centered around changes in policy and legislation. Especially in the last twenty or so years changes such as the recent ones of administrations and regarding social issues such as welfare and and healthcare have greatly impacted American lives. In addition to those changes our vision of the American Dream and how one obtains it has also changed drastically. It is hard to say if the changes are for the better or worse objectively. Surely they were better for some and worse for others, but either way the changes have been quite impactful. Changes in administration have the most obvious and overarching effect on the lives of “everyday Americans” whether we realize it or not. In the past few decades we have gone from Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush to Clinton to Bush Jr to Obama and most recently to Trump. The most obvious change regarding those administrations is that in past twenty or so years we have switched political parties four times. With each incoming party there are have naturally been different sets of values and goals,...
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...An American Author once stated that “The American Dream has run out of gas. The car has stopped. It no longer supplies the world with its images, its dreams, its fantasies.” this man was J.G Ballard. America has always been considered the greatest country, while most people would consider this to be true, it turns out for a small percentage of people this is not true. The U.S. National Debt has been doing nothing but increasing. The last time the debt had reached zero was Jan 8th 1835 when Andrew Jackson was president. As of now the us is $20,502,528,668,603 in debt. The U.S. is no longer the greatest country in the world, our education system is ranked 14th for worldwide education systems in reading, in math were 25th, and finally in science were 17th. Though many may consider the american dream to be dead in fact it's quite the opposite It's still alive and achievable despite these statistics. Drive and motivation have become a determining factor in achieving success. Fixed mindsets is where intelligence and talents are limited, this is why some believe the dream to...
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...in order to prove something? There are people who did this such as Christopher McCandless and Adam Shepard. These two young men both gave up their education to prove something. Chris and Adam both came from wealthy families and they both graduated college. Chris came from a family that was having problems. His parents would always argue and they were in an unstable relationship. Growing up he would read books from authors such as Tolstoy, Thoreau, and Emerson which inspired him in a way to see things differently. He was a caring young man and he helped many people throughout his adulthood. Although he was very humble and kind, he still was feeling terrible and trapped. On the other hand,...
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