The American Dream Is Still Alive Essay

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Everything changed in August 1963. America was mesmerized with the famous speech “I Have a Dream” delivered by Martin Luther King. People from all over the nation gathered for one single motive, social justice, and with that citizens of the United States yearned hope for a better tomorrow; a tomorrow in which they could see a breaking dawn to a day full up roaring opportunities for everyone disregarding their ethnic background, gender, sexual preference, or economic standing. This soon led to what is now known as “The American Dream.” America’s reputation for being the land of endless possibilities has captured both foreign attention as well as native patriotism. Success here in America is defined as having a good social position and a plethora of …show more content…

Currently, the ambiguity of whether or not “The American Dream” is still alive is emerging. In this paper I will demonstrate how propaganda plays a key role in making it seem as if “The American Dream is still alive by deceptively promising upward social mobility and integration into society through the use of advertising techniques such as patriotism. First off, advertisements aim to deceive United States inhabitants into thinking that they can move up the social stratification. Jack Solomon, a semiotician depicts, “Americans, dream of rising above the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. And therein lies the paradox” (Solomon 402). This connotes that, without inequality there is no such thing as being at the top in terms of social status. Advertisements create the falsehood that in America anyone can make their dreams as far as owning luxurious goods to be considered part of the upper class, a reality. The Chevrolet advertisement printed in red, white, and blue ink with the word “HOPE” printed under the image of

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