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American dream a myth essay
Winter dreams fitzgerald simplified
American dream a myth essay
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I once dreamt that I could fly, I could simply float over any building and nothing I so desired was beyond me, but it is just that, a dream. Freud would reassure you that this dream really meant that I had a desire to migrate or get away, this leads me to wonder what he would say about the American Dream. The American Dream is explained as the desire to be rich and look beautiful doing it, to live forever but never age, to be successful for effort not race. Fitzgerald was able to capture the inner voice of the American Dream in Winter Dreams. As you read about Dexter, the main character, you can get the full vocalization of the American through his work, love, and his failure. Dexter becomes a wealthy man at a very young age by striving to by the best laundry in town, because of his hard work he solidifies the idea of the American Dream. Dexter’s genealogy suggests that he was not “American”, which remedies the idea. “Dexter knew that to be careless in dress and manner required more confidence than to be careful. But carelessness was for his children. His mother's name had been Kr...
Dexter denies his background as coming from the middle class and wanting to have more in life. He started as a fourteen year old golf caddie and was the best one around. Dexter one day while working thought to himself that he could have so much more than just being a golf caddie. Then and there he decided to quit his job and move on with his life. As Dexter grows up and moves out west to fulfill his dream, there is a duality inside of him that ultimately is his own downfall.
After reading both, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Paradox and Dream” by John Steinbeck, it is extremely clear that both authors believe the American Dream differs from person to person. Though, the main similarity between American’s different versions of the American Dream is that each person wants more than they have. No matter the social status or salary, each person dreams of more; more money, a bigger home, a better job, etc.
During the summers, Dexter works hard at being the best caddie at the Sherry Island Country Club. This is foretelling of the hard work he will do to change his socioeconomic status. We are shown how dedicated Dexter is by the tears in Mr. Jones' eyes on the day he decides to quit (Fitzgerald, 120). After meeting Judy Jones, Dexter developed a stronger sense of urgency to change his status. Dexter is so determined to fulfill his dream that he opts to go to a "more famous university in the East" rather than the state university that was more affordable (Fitzgerald, 122). This is an example of his determination to lift his status in the eyes of others. While speaking with Judy, he uses his prestigious university as the starting point of his life. Unfortunately for Dexter, he cannot conquer Judy Jones as he has every
Winter Dreams There are many ways in which “Winter Dreams” is like and unlike a fairytale. “Winter Dreams” had the potential to have a fairy tale ending. Beginning the story, F. Scott Fitzgerald made the story seem predictable. The reader would have predicted a happy ending, like a fairytale. An ending where the ambitious young man gets the beautiful girl of his dreams.
The concept of the American Dream has always been that everyone wants something in life, no matter if it is wealth, education, financial stability, safety, or a decent standard of living. In addition, everyone will try to strive to get what they want. The American Dream, is said to be that everyone should try and get what they hope they can get in life. In the play A Raisin in the Sun the author Hansberry tells us about a family where each has an American Dream, and Hughes in the poem “ Let America be America Again “is telling us to let America be the America that was free for us to obtain The American Dream. Hansberry and Langston see America like as a place to find the dream desired, although they also see limitation to obtain the American Dream, such as poverty, freedom, inequality, racism and discrimination.
The “American Dream” is something that can affect anyone, good or bad. It creates a goal that some may be able to achieve. The American Dream is “an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; also the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal” (Merriam Webster). When the “American Dream” was first used it was in a book called “The Epic of America” written by the American historian, James Truslow Adams. When this book was written America was going through a difficult time, The Great Depression. In his book he used the “American Dream” to describe the complex beliefs, religious promises and political and social expectations (America Day Dreamer). The “American Dream” can mean many different depending on who you ask. It can be compared to many different types and styles of literature. It can go a closely along with different works of literature as well, such as “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. Despite all of the different definitions and ideals, each American is working harder and getting closer to the goal of the “American Dream”
In ‘Winter Dreams’, the ending is unexpected. Throughout the story, we are under the impression that this is the story of Dexter Green's love for Judy Jones. But at the end of the story, once Dexter finds out that Judy has lost her charms and settled into a bad marriage, we begin to wonder if this story is about something else entirely. Dexter does not weep for Judy. He weeps for himself, for the young man he once was and for the illusions he once held.
The American Dream: wealth, passion, power, love, an enormous house, luxurious cars, the finest clothing. The American Dream is something people have strived to achieve for centuries. The Great Gatsby is a novel of twisted love triangles, whose characters are trying to capture and live the American Dream. Dreams can fall to pieces when they are being perused for the wrong reason and the in the wrong ways. F. Scott Fitzgerald creates an ideal piece of literature that shows flaws, mistaken beliefs, and the ignorance of society in its belief of the American Dream.
Scott Fitzgerald wrote the story Winter Dreams and in it he showed that Dexter had the American Dream when started from the bottom and made his way to the top and had a very successful career. The story started out with Dexter working as a caddy at this fancy golf course. One day he all of a sudden decides that he doesn’t want to be a caddy his whole life. He wants more out of life even if he was the best caddy that this golf course has ever had. He wanted to be a successful career where he could make a lot of money. So he went to business school where he learned to be a great business man. It makes people see that even though...
In the nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, the author tells a story of the murderers and victims of a slaughter case in Holcomb, Kansas. Instead of writing a book on the murder case as a crime report, the author decides to write about the people. The people we learn about are the killers, Dick and Perry, and the murdered family, the Clutters. The author describes how each family was and makes the portrayals of Dick and Perry’s family different from the Clutters.The portrayal of the Clutters and of Dick and Perry’s families, was used to describe what the American Dream was for each character. In the beginning we learn about what type of family the Clutters were and how they represented the American Dream for the people of Holcomb.
Despite how impossible it is, every person tries to achieve his or her dream so they can be happy or successful. The American Dream is being more powerful or better than anyone was before. In his stories Fitzgerald argues that this “American Dream” cannot be reached. No matter what it is, be it topping the social ladder, or getting the girl, or just being satisfied with one’s life, it just cannot be reached. There is always something stopping one from achieving one’s dream. Whether it is disadvantages or limitations sprung from social status, or other uncontrollable barriers blocking the dream, it is not something that can ever truly be enjoyed.
The simple definition of the American dream is a state of happiness a person hopes to achieve by obtaining materialistic prosperity through hard work. This however has not always been the dream. In early America the dream of many was to venture west, find land, and start a family, but as time progressed the dream has transformed into a need for materialistic possessions such as a car or a large house. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals the how corrupt the American Dream has become and how truly irrelevant money and worldly possessions are to becoming genuinely satisfied. He does this through his portrayal of Gatsby’s confused love for Daisy or the idea of Daisy, Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s marriage, and the death of Gatsby.
“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. The American Dream, a long-standing ideal, embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal.
In conclusion, the American dream targeted the individual working hard in the pursuit to become successful and wealthy, with high-quality job and prosperity. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the American dream symbolizes being free from any kind of restrictions and the ability to have the pleasure in the wide-open Western edge. However, The Great Gatsby criticizes the American dream due to moral and social value decay of the society.
The American dream is an ambiguous notion, each person with their own unique opinion based on their current circumstance and past experiences. In my opinion, the American dream is about achieving happiness and contentment through pursuing one's personal fulfillment and validating one's self-worth, where one can achieve their fullest according to their capabilities and be recognized for their accomplishments, disregarding their race, ethnicity, or social status. The American Dream, although not easily acquired, is achievable through hard work and dedication. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, “I Have a Dream”, and John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, exemplify their personal views on this ambiguous subject.