...Harlem Renaissance: 2. Which selection from the Harlem Renaissance offers the most hopeful message? Why? What is the selection’s message and how does the writer convey its message so effectively? What devices does he/she utilize? Theme for English B by Langston Hughes has the most hopeful message in my opinion, because he wasn’t negative about who he was. He explains a bit about himself, like where he is from and what he likes. He realizes that is he not so different from everyone else in the class and how he has the same value as any white person. I believe that Langston Hughes’ message is that no matter what skin color we are, we all learn from each other and we are all apart of each other, which makes us American. Hughes’ conveys this...
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...Critical Response 1. The article "Keeping the Dream Alive" by Jon Meacham main subject is based on the American Dream. In this article, the author is talking about the American Dream. He says back in the post war era (WWII) life was much different than it is today. Back then people were better, richer, and happier. People made more money, the unemployment rate was a lot lower and overall life was a lot better. 2. The purposes the writer has for presenting this argument are pretty simple. He is trying to make a point that the American Dream began centuries ago. Immigrants who migrated to this great country had a dream in order to make their dreams a reality migrating to America would be their goal. It was more easily seen to succeed in America than in their country. 3. The position the writer takes would have to be looking back in history and creating an idea of how it must have been how people struggled to come to this great country. He also must had quite a good amount of research done to make his article approved. 4. The writer mostly supports ideas mainly with facts every piece of information was taken from pieces of history. Every fact he states was very well put together research was his main focus for this article. He had to look back and try to make a comparison of todays history relevant to way back. Seeing the some changes were made but people still kept the goal of the American Dream. 5. The evidence the writer presents to support the position he states would...
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...The Great Gatsby and The American Dream While many countries around the world are working toward equality of social status and avoiding a large gap between rich and poor, there is still a strong desire in people for social freedom through the accumulation of wealth and extravagance. The Great Gatsby’s depiction of the connection between material goods and the American dream is still relevant today. At first glance, the movie may seem to be about the failed relationship of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. However, the major theme of the novel is the accumulation of wealth for social status and the idea of being able to reach a high level of success regardless of family history or lack of money. To understand the connection between the two it will be necessary to have an analysis of the culture values in the 1920’s, what people consider to be the American dream, and finally if there is still a strong desire to achieve the American dream in today’s society. In order to understand the connection between The Great Gatsby and the American dream it is first important to have a good understanding about the movie and motifs of the movie/novel itself. The story takes place in a post war America in the 1920’s when Nick Carraway moves to New York to pursue his career in finance. Nick soon discovers that he is neighbored to the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby, who is known for his loud, lavish parties. Jay and Nick soon become good friends and Nick begins to learn the motifs behind...
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...Today I would like to talk about a literary topic tat I have taken from our sheet and mad our own. Mr. Kasten suggested discussing why a character would be considered one of the greatest literary characters. I instead want to discuss why the Great Gastby is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. When I was little, I loved to read, every Sunday my dad would take me to the library and I would get around 10 books or so that I would devour. Now this happened every week from the time I was in first grade to the time I was in 6th grade or so. My advanced reading skills would draw me to the young adult section, wher as a first grader I read the Princess diaries, a book that was meant for kids 13 and up. This was not me, I was around six years old. But every week I would still be drawn to the young adult section with books about the glitz and the glamour, these were books that you would never find in the kids section. Every week my dad would ask me : Why don’t you want to read any classics and I responded “because they are boring.” But that changed when I picked up the Great Gatsby...
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...emphasizes moral obligation, his letter was a call to action with the way people of color were being treated and he advocated for change. major themes from both plato and mlk are evident in michael jackson’s “man in the mirror,” Aziz Ansari’s monologue in Saturday Night Live, and *insert short story here* Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror is as relevant today as it was when he first released it in 1987. Jackson’s lyrics, “It’s time that I realize that there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan,” are relevant with the American dream, There are many people(immigrants) who come to the United States in look of an American Dream because where they are, there are no opportunities for them. A Letter from a Birmingham Jail was written in a time when African Americans wanted a change within the laws. They were treated unfairly and not until they began to take action, is when people decided to do more for this. Today these topics have risen up within the media therefore it has gained a greater attention within the nation. Media often creates a portal for those who are in wonder of what is currently going on around the world. As relevant as these lyrics were in 1987, they are even more powerful in today's times, not only with music, but in television. Taking a situation from a serious note to a comedic one, does in fact make more people pay attention to the certain situations happening around the world, well around the nation. Aziz Ansari’s stand-up bit in SNL on January 21 made...
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...Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. (1984) juxtapose two contrasting views of the Vietnam War and reveal a stark reversal of public opinion on the issue of the United States’ intervention. Merle Haggard’s country piece embraces American nationalism, i.e. the notion that citizens should support their country during times of war, and reaffirms the imagery of the American Dream, i.e. that hard work pays off with success. While Bruce Springsteen directly challenges those ideas in his piece and hints at the wave of disillusionment during the post-war period and the gradual shift of public opinion on the topic of American nation building that continues to echo today. The first point of interest...
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...Is The Death of a Salesman Relevant Today? The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, features a man who struggles to make ends meet, then in The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans, Neal Gabler writes about his financial complications. Together these two works prove the relevancy of The Death of a Salesman. Most Americans receive money when a family member close to them dies. An example of this in The Death of a Salesman appears when Charley says, “Maybe you’re in for some money” (45). Charley talks about an inheritance. An inheritance would provide money that was not budgeted and most of the time pay off debt. Then, in The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans, Gabler also waits for an inheritance to pay for his daughter’s education. He...
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...The American Dream, working hard and achieving your goal in gaining money and being in the higher social ranks, the upper echelon among the middle class. People back then seem to have a “get rich or die trying” type of attitude. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald a novel given in a point of view from a man named Nick who sees the American dream and how it can be hard to handle. The novel has a many examples of how if you don't know how handle your money right It can screw you over in the future and crush you even more if you can't find no love with it. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how the the American dream is good when living it but creates consequences once you start to chase it. In the novel a rich man named Gatsby throws huge parties in which the whole city comes out to join. According to text Nick says “There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” This meaning that he has money to throw big parties but rumors about the way he came up on his american dream are told by the people in his parties....
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...Unarguably, the American Dream means something different to everyone. Those who dream the American Dream, however, share a common aspect they all hope to achieve: happiness. Out of many factors which play into one’s happiness, one may be the relationships people share with others. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck both imply that the American Dream is primarily about achieving happiness through relationships such as family and companionship— A statement still relevant in modern society’s view of the dream. However, while Hansberry argues family is more important than achieving the dream, Steinbeck argues companionship is essential to achieving the dream. Hansberry reveals that having a family is...
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...on the ground, it could crack, break... eventually it won't exist anymore. However, the idea of the cup will go on forever. The idea, once thought of, cannot be undone. It cannot be broken or tainted. Plato also argues that we are the cave slaves. We live in a world of shadows, where we don't see the reality of ideas. We see the cup that can be broken, the shadows of ourselves. However, it is possible to climb out of the cave, to be released from our shackles, but the process is painful. When the cave slaves (ourselves) climb from the cave (perceive and understand ideas), we see the world for how it should be. We see that ideas are eternal and perfect, even though the physical world crumbles. I personally feel the allegory is relevant to our society today. It is seen in politics where politicians create this atmosphere so we hear what we want to hear, not necessarily the truth in the government. Politicians and congressmen feed us a hand full of information that makes us...
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...Jay Gatsby is a relevant character today, in 2015, as he was a relevant character in 2002 at the time of Cohen’s writing in the NY Times. In 2002, a lot of things were happening that made the American dream seem toppled. Kmart, then a large retailer, became the largest retailer to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Also declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy that year were WorldCom and United Airlines. The former Chief Financial Officer of Enron is indicted on several counts of money laundering, conspiracy, and wire fraud, among other charges (The People History, 2004). A lot of big money bombed in 2002, some of which were illegally gotten in the first place (Enron), and this reflects in Jay Gatsby – illegally gotten wealth that eventually bombs when Gatsby dies. But it is not so much the “ill-gotten gain” that makes Gatsby suffer as it is the disillusionment with what society valued up until the end of the first world war, when Gatsby got out of uniform and got into money. Up until the end of the first world war (1918), society was all about its old money and aristocracy, whatever leftover Victorian values there were, and the elegance and refinement that supposedly came with the generations of old money. And the new money that Jay Gatsby has does not put him in the same social class as the rest of the old money people, even though he has just as much (if not more) money than they do. They look down their nose at him for having “new” money, and find him to be gaudy, garish...
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...represent, and how does the symbol evolve over the course of the play? Examine the end of the play. Why is Mama returning for her plant the last action we see on stage ?Mamas plant represents her faith in her dreams. That regardless of their living arrangements and life’s struggles, but never to give up on anything. She took care of it every day it was a representation of her dreams to always live in a bigger and better house with a yard. It showed how strong she was throughout everything life gave her. That’s why she took the new plant to the new house to show that never giving up and keeping your faith her strength in believing in dreams that they come true. Struggle but to maintain your dignity. Dreams do come true. 2. How does the description of the Younger’s’ apartment contribute to the mood of the play? The apartment sets the mood because it sets the surroundings and the environment . It is a small apt with one window it gives the feeling of being cramped and trapped. It lets you know there in the ghetto and are poverty stricken. 3. How does the idea of assimilation become important? The family shows in the hope to succeed regardless of any obstacles. The struggles with their identity as with being African Americans. Beneatha with her academics to be a doctor to heal, and as well as her conflicts with Everyone. 4. Think about the role of money in the play. How does it affect different characters? It causes conflict within the...
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...leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. The theory of leadership states that there are three basic ways to explain how people become leaders. These theories are; some personality traits may lead people naturally into leadership roles. This is the Trait Theory; a crisis or important event may cause a person to rise to the occasion, which brings out extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person. This is the Great Events Theory; people can choose to become privilege leaders. People can learn leadership skills. The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to the organization. This is the Transformational Leadership Theory. It is the most widely customary theory today and the premise on which this assignment is based on. The purpose of this paper is to profile a prominent leader that I admire. I have chosen to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; this man has shown such courageous leadership within his community and eventually went nationwide to make a difference for the people. The words that he has expressed through him leading this country has prepared us for the future and other great leaders. “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that...
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...during the 1960’s. Both Tutu and King fought for African Americans who were treated unfairly in both South Africa and America. Tutu and King wanted to bring an end to segregation and apartheid and they felt the best way was through civil disobediences. Although they agreed the unfair treatment of African Americans needed to end, King’s approach to the topic was a lot more instructional and insistent. Tutu believed his job was not to lead people and show them how to achieve their common goal, but instead to let them know that he was on their side as well as many others....
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...Rob Williams Prof. Williamson Social Movements 17 December 2013 The DREAM Act When considering social movements, we think about a social or political development aimed at advancing a group of people or organization whose significance lies in their uniqueness. This advancement is not a literal, physical progression, but rather a symbolic movement with the intent to foster support and progress past some deeply imbedded issues. Today in the United States, we are at the center of attention for a social movement that is quite literally, a physical movement. Illegal immigration from Mexico and South American countries continues to be one of the most controversial and debated matters of public policy. The United States allows for an annual limit of roughly 675,0001 immigrants to legally enter our borders, which is extremely conservative relative to other countries. This very limited number forces the majority of immigrants from south of the border to either enter completely illegally, or overstay a temporary work visa issued by our government. While dealing with these illegal aliens serves to be a contentious problem by itself, an even more pressing issue rises to the surface when debating the rights of their children. Thomas Humphrey Marshall described the evolution of citizenship from civil, to political, and finally to social. This idea of social citizenship explained the governmental rights that citizens were guaranteed, “to live the life of a civilized being.”2 The two...
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