Anand 1 Varun Anand An and LNG 405 K.
Field 6 May 2010
The American Dream Since America’s America’s inception, competition and success have been entrenched as cornerstones of society and have been embodied by the glorified concept known as the American Dream. As one reflects upon the fabled history of the American Dream, its metamorphosis from the pure ideals of hard work and happiness to the marred deformity of wealth is e vident. However, fortunately for America, hope remained to capture cap ture the “city on a hill” envisioned by our forebears and to uniquely present the American Dream for every aspiring dreamer. The honorable beginnings of the American Dream began from people across the globe, not solely America. The people of America are “individuals of all nations [who] are melted into a new race of men[---Americans]”(Crevecoeur). Immigrants fled to America in the fervent pursuit for freedom and elusive success. They sought to earn “the rewards of industry...[through industry...[through rigorous] labor”(Crevecoeur). Americans, forged forged products of global cultures, were unified by the adversity that accompanied the birth of a nation. Through their quest to form a great melting po t accessible to all, their “bold and enterprising”(Crevecoeur) qualities emerged without a selfish counterpart. As more immigrants poured in, the religious and lingual bonds that unified the American peoples were strengthened. Once America rebelled against the imperial power of Great Britain, the ideals of “life, liberty, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”(Jefferson) were further ingrained in American society. society. Through the unanimous una nimous Declaration of Independence, Independ ence, Americans expressed their fury
Anand 2 over the trampling of their intrinsic rights. Great Britain often deprived the colonists of opportunities to advance in society; therefore, our forefathers articulated the significance of equality and universal opportunities (Jefferson). By breaking away from its mother nation, America itself served as the example of the American Dream to future generations. Americans, as a unified body, body, epitomize the ideals of the American Dream: investing risk, hard-work, perseverance, and courage to hopefully reap from the invaluable benefits and happiness of their endeavors. The American Dream is only possible through hard-work and persistence. Across the nation, the principle that “a man is relieved [only] when he has put [all of] his heart into his work and done his best”(Emerson) spread rampantly and established itself as a pillar of the American Dream. The concept that harmony and cooperation, along with traditions is the key to preserving the ideals of America is stressed (Emerson). However, as time passed, seeds of self-interest planted themselves in the minds of many opportunistic opp ortunistic Americans. Americans. Throughout American history, history, each individual, or groups of people, sacrificed an entity in order to realize their ambitious dreams. Black-Americans sacrificed their lives and well-being in order to capture the "equality...in the air [they] breathe" (Hughes). They were victims in the swirling world of corruption enveloping them. They were "tangled in [the] ancient endless chain of profit, power, [and] gain" (Hughes). They shattered the selectively permeable barriers of racism with their combined strength and hope in order "to build a 'homeland of the free'"(Hughes). In spite of their discriminatory obstacles, Black Americans nationwide redefined music and gained true happiness happ iness through the Jazz Age. However, their White counterparts were not all as successful in their free quest for happiness. Even though "Richard Cory...had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style"(Simon and Garfunkel), he could not achieve his and his forefather's ultimate goal: happiness. He sacrificed his life in order to achieve
Anand 3 the American Dream, and he failed. While Cory died as a lasting remembrance of the attempt to achieve the Dream, the narrator exemplifies exe mplifies the qualities of the new and corrupted Dream. He strives and wishes to possess great wealth and power, all the while oblivious to the ringing need of joy and fulfillment. His failure to understand the resonating reason beh ind Cory's suicide furthers the assertion that the corrupted dream blinds the "d reamer" of the true necessities in life: happiness and family (Simon and Garfunkel). The transition from the pure American Dream to its corrupted counterpart is embodied in Mama’s unfortunate realization. Freedom, the crux of the American Dream, has been supplanted by the idea that “money is life”(Hansberry). “Individualism and competition [has] displaced community and cooperation”(Jillson). In The
Great Gatsby, Gatsby foolishly invests his energy and life into a quest for love driven by corrupted means. His ultimate goal is to attain Daisy’s love and to enjoy pure happiness. However, in his search for the American Dream, Gatsby forfeits his hard-earned money and time in the blind pursuit of a superficial and deceiving opportunist. He abandons any true ideal of love when his immature affection overwhelmes him. Unfortunately for Gatsby, his fervent displays of compassion, such as the extravagant parties, were all for naught as Daisy proves that she was not worth any sacrifice. Gatsby pays for his crucial error with his life (Fitzgerald). As more immigrants inundated America with the hope of their dreams, the barriers to the American Dream were reinforced and America “threatened to deny hope and opportunity to [many]”(Jillson). From the dawn of time to the 20th century, century, women have been be en portrayed as the inferior sex. However, those predetermined opinions certainly did not inhibit women to ov ercome their limitations and gain equality. equality. Abigail Adams, the wife of revolutionary John Adams, spearheaded the attempt for equality in the new nation. Their American Dream for equality was crushed by
Anand 4 the men behind the fortified glass barriers. However, women persisted and maintained the same level of perseverance envisioned by the original dreamers. They fought to abolish the ingrained beliefs of domestic women and sought to establish a new opinion of the women race: the equal colleague (Adams). Black-Americans also faced a similar climb to equality. Throughout American history, history, if they were not enslaved, they were exiled to the “Black bathroom,” to the “Black water fountain,” and to the “darker...kitchen”(Hughes). They were incessantly taught that they were an inferior race and that “God didn’t seem fit to give the Black man nothing but dreams”(Hansberry). However, they took it in stride, “laugh[ed]...[ate] well...grew strong”(Hughes) and responded with vigor, “but He did give us ch ildren to make them dreams seem worthwhile”(Hansberry). Soon, Black-Americans will have achieved their American Dream---equality. Dream---equality. Their growing resentment of the White race translated into passion for their cause. They used their emerging vindictiveness as an impetus to co ntinue their quest “against the darkness of tyranny, poverty, poverty, and injustice in [America]”(Jillson). Black-Americans “too, [are] America”(Hughes); therefore, Black-Americans are also vital cogs in the democratic machine of America, and their battle for fair footing reflects America’s America’s similar situation in the War of 1812. During the war, America was the victim of disrespect and insults regarding their capability as a nation. However, similar to Black-Americans, America battled their “superior” in order to validate their existence as an equal equa l world power. Just as America fought to integrate itself among the world powers, the Younger family overcame adversity and dispelled their status as an interloper while they attempted to assimilate themselves in the all-white Clybourne Park. The Younger family is the epitome of the American Dream because they work extremely hard, as shown by their collective work in kitchens and a nd in limousines, and by the end of the play, they all realize that happiness is the true American Dream. Our forefathers, the original American
Anand 5 Dreamers, intended for the pure American Dream to be open for everyone, regardless of race or sex. The thousands of immigrants who flooded the nation also shared the ideal that the Land of Opportunity was not restricted to anyone, but rather free for all. Our forebears hoped that the ideals of hard work, perseverance, and unity among all would persist amid the various chan ges surrounding the American Dream. The feeling of belonging to America is still present in this modern age. To those people who search for a country like America, “the path to citizenship is important”(Cooper) because it represents the final barrier for true assimilation in America. The ideals of patriotism exemplified “while singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’”(Cooper) portray the unification envisioned by our forebears. Regardless of any physical changes this nation may have endured, America “remains a country defined by the diversity of its people”(Cooper). America can revert back to its humble beginnings “by being ever truer to our initial values and aspirations---to make ‘life, liberty, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’---the happin ess’---the right and real possession of every American”(Jillson). American”(Jillson). If Americans can instill the invaluable truth that happiness pave s the way to any success, America can reconstruct its golden doors and shine to the world as the “city on a hill”(Jillson). Even though technology has carved the Dream to be more competitive, the ideals of pure happiness remain intact. The “American Dream is about fulfillment”(Trunk), not monetary income. If Americans can live their life based on how content they are, rather than how much money they possess, the original American Dreamers would be beaming with pride. The ideals of the American Dream established in the 18th century have remained proud amid the corruption and unique personal experiences of the American Dream. The American Dream escaped from its blackened existence and proved to the world that through hard work,
Anand 6 persistence, and the quest for fulfillment, the American Dream maintained the aspirations visualized by our forefathers.
