Sacrifice Of The American Dream

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The American Dream is an aspiration that millions of people reach for in their lifetimes. The idea that living in America will assure happiness and success is a reason why many people migrate to this country. In actuality, the many people searching for it may not fulfill this dream lifestyle that America hypothetically offers. Like in the poem Harlem, by Langston Hughes, and the songs “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “Racing in the Street” by Bruce Springsteen, the main characters are battling with the idea of the American Dream and the life that it offers. Harlem describes what happens when you put a dream off and this dream may as well be the American Dream. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” describes what it feels like to lose the life the …show more content…

With great dreams comes great sacrifices and the ultimate sacrifice is putting that dream on hold. There are many situations that get in the way that force individuals to step away from their dreams and take care of their personal issues. Everyone has the aspiration to fulfill their dreams, but sometimes dreams are set aside for various reason, and some people never return to continue fulfillment. In the poem Harlem, Hughes writes, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” (Hughes). One of the many sacrifices when in search of the American Dream or any dream in general is the potential of it being put off. Like Langston Hughes says, the dream may dry up like a raisin in the sun, but in actuality the dream is never lost, the remnants are still there. It is simply set aside so when the time is right to continue on with the dream the individual can pick up where they left off. As the dream sits on hold it loses its importance, or it dries up. Putting off a dream is one of the biggest sacrifices someone could make no matter the circumstance. People are sacrificing what their lives could have potentially been. Hughes talks about all of the feelings that come with putting off a dream and describes what could potentially happen to a differed dream. Ultimately, the poem is about the sacrifice of giving up this American Dream and choosing a different …show more content…

The song depicts the energy and the adrenaline the main character gets from racing, but it also shows how it affects his girlfriend. This song depicts a choice the man has to make. Live the life a racecar driver or set aside his dream and give his girlfriend the ability to have the American Dream. The racecar life was not ideal to the girlfriend and Springsteen sings about her sadness and desperation of living the life of a racecar divers girlfriend. The girl craves to live a normal life, or the American Dream, but her boyfriend ultimately has to decide if he wants to sacrifice his dream to give his girlfriend hers. Springsteen sings, “But all of her pretty dreams are torn,” clearly show how concerned and broken this girl is because she craves a different lifestyle (“Racing Streets”). The main character in this song must sacrifice something in order to keep his girlfriend happy, or the girlfriend has to sacrifice a normal life to assure happiness of her boyfriend. Overall, someone must sacrifice his or her

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