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The American dream and factors that favor it
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The American Dream is different for everyone, though it is most commonly associated with success, freedom, and happiness. The concept of the American Dream seems to have dwindled from where it was in the past few generations. It has gone from success, freedom, and happiness to having lots of money and the nicest possessions. It has been said that Americans are no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses, and instead looking at celebrities and the characters they portray in films or on television and therefore expect to have greater, more expensive possessions. Americans today do in fact look at celebrities and the characters they portray and expect more possessions, but also still do try and keep up with the Joneses. Ever look at your neighbor’s new car and want one of your own? It is still very common to see your neighbor pull in their driveway with a new Porsche Boxster, then look at your Honda Accord LX and think of going and getting a nice new car that is comparable to the Porsche. There is no standardized description of being rich. Some people see money as the only way of measuring how rich someone is, whereas some don’t even see money as a factor in the equation. How to measure wealth is up to each individual. When one thinks of the American Dream, thoughts of success come to mind. When one thinks of success, it not only refers to one’s financial status, but also socially, and in health. Thoughts of freedom come to mind. As our Star Spangled Banner tells us, America is “…the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Freedom is often associated with America. Also, happiness comes to mind when referring to the American Dream. With all of this success and freedom, how can you not be happy in America? All of these aspects of the American Dream are debatable. They do not all have to be present to fulfill the American Dream. One doesn’t have to be financially well off to be successful. Having a happy, healthy family would definitely satisfy the requirements of the American Dream. If you don’t have a family, being happy with how you run your life would satisfy the requirements for the American Dream, also. These aspects are all possible trade-offs, but they can all be present, too. The idea of the American Dream from a few generations ago is different from what it is today. All of the aspects of the American Dream were fulfilled before, but recently the m...
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...f Ernest Hemingway. Not everyone has the same thoughts, that’s why it is an opinion. Money is not a matter to many people. Fitzgerald’s remark reflected his life, and how he had all the money in the world, but didn’t have anyone special in his life. The American Dream is still alive though it is not what it used to be. One can be successful, have freedom, and be happy, and fulfill their version of the American Dream. Keeping up with the Joneses is still part of our everyday life. Some of us may take it to further extremes than others, but there will always be the desire to have something better than everyone else. Society today tells us that we should have the best of everything and if we don’t, we are part of a lower class of people. We are sucked in by these beliefs because we as Americans do not want to be shown up, and want to be part of the higher class. You don’t have to have lots of money to be rich. You can have a billion dollars and have no one to share it with, and not feel rich. If you don’t have anyone special in your life, that doesn’t mean that you aren’t rich. There are many factors that go into whether a person feels rich or not. It is all up to the individual.
In Dante’s Inferno hell is divided into nine “circles” of hell; the higher the number correlates to the grimmer the sin and the pain you will endure. However, I do not completely agree with Dante’s version of hell, perhaps due to the difference in time periods. In this essay I will be pointing out my concerns with Dante’s description of hell and how I would recreate hell if I were Dante.
He had meticulously described it to illuminate the Bible’s interpretation, especially for the degrees of sin. For instance, during his journey through Hell, he had traveled through nine rings, each containing different forms of sin. Within the rings, Dante had met individuals who were cast into Hell for adultery and heretical beliefs. However, Dante had not only described who he saw, but also the quality of their lives in Hell. D’Epiro states, “The poet’s most famous portrait of flawed grandeur is that of Ulysses, whose sins as a false counselor have caused him to be enveloped in flames like a human torch.” (99) Dante had wanted to put an emphasis on how perilous Hell was because of the time period’s grasp on religion in 1320.
Through his architectural work, Palanti expresses a unique/particular style; his work exhibits an “inclination toward heavy ornamentation and a deft handling of mass and proportions” (Neumann 142). By a small twisting of definitions, this description can easily apply to Dante’s writing style. One must only look to the elaborate, meticulously wrought world of the Inferno to see that Dante is a master architect in his own right. He builds his vision of hell so scrupulously and so inventively that it not only persists, but continues to inspire so many years after its construction. Alice K. Turner credits Dante’s “architectural ingenuity” with the Inferno’s lasting popularity (33). His construction of Hell is a “direct inversion” of the Ptolemaic universe model, in which nine spheres orbit the earth in concentric circles (Turner 135). Rather than descending outward toward the Heavens, Dante’s nine circles of Hell funnel inward toward the center of the earth. Each circle is lower and smaller in circumference than the last, resembling “amphitheater bleachers,” according to Hilger. The landscape variations run the gambit from open green fields, to swamplands, to scorching desert, to forest, and more (Turner 133). The rich manufactured scenery of Hell includes “underground embankments, moats, castles, [and] paved trenches;” Dante’s attention to detail
“When I get older, I will be stronger, they’ll call me freedom just a waving flag” (K’naan). Being wealthy, having freedom, being able to control your own destiny, some say material possessions, and others say having power are the real values of the American Dream. For many people, especially Americans, their American Dream is based basically upon reaching a higher standard of living. James Truslow Adams gives us useful information about the American Dream. He states in his book The Epic of America which was written in 1931, that "The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” His idea or information still stands out today. Everyone is looking for a better life, a better future for his/her kids. They want life to be richer, fuller, and better.
The American Dream is a term that has been used since the beginning of America’s history. It is a term whose meaning has been adjusted decade after decade as the world and our nation continues to change. The American Dream originated as a way to express the mystique of the American West that lay empty, a promise land. But, over the years, it has been extended to include the opportunity to become rich through hard work and the opportunity to break all racial, ethnic, and class barriers in order to give everyone an equal opportunity for success.
The American dream can be defined as the promise of living in America with opportunities for all, regardless of social class, and according to their ability and effort (Schnell, 2010). Proponents of the American dream believe that there is equal opportunity for all in the American society to achieve success. Success is not pegged on social status, race, or creed, but rather on an individual’s own efforts. The definition of the American dream has unique interpretations to different people. The most common meaning is that of a life of abundance and prosperity, characterized by economic rewards that enable one to live a middle class life of comfort. Here, success is measured by material possessions such as beautiful homes, cars, a high income, and the ability to spend on luxury items. America is considered a land of plenty, and as such, many who come to the United States in search of the American dream have this form of success in mind.
Dante Alighieri presents a vivid and awakening view of the depths of Hell in the first book of his Divine Comedy, the Inferno. The reader is allowed to contemplate the state of his own soul as Dante "visits" and views the state of the souls of those eternally assigned to Hell's hallows. While any one of the cantos written in Inferno will offer an excellent description of the suffering and justice of hell, Canto V offers a poignant view of the assignment of punishment based on the committed sin. Through this close reading, we will examine three distinct areas of Dante's hell: the geography and punishment the sinner is restricted to, the character of the sinner, and the "fairness" or justice of the punishment in relation to the sin. Dante's Inferno is an ordered and descriptive journey that allows the reader the chance to see his own shortcomings in the sinners presented in the text.
The romantic idea of the American Dream is in a period of change. While it used to represent an ideal lifestyle that any citizen could achieve if they worked hard enough, that lifestyle is becoming a hard reality to achieve for the majority of Americans. Timothy Egan wrote that living the American Dream meant you could “buy new cars, take decent vacations, and enjoy full health care benefits” (106). Homeownership, a spouse, and a few kids are also commonly described in the American Dream, as well as having a job of which you could feel proud.
The idea that this country offers so much opportunity that can be obtained by anyone provides people with the ability to dream their own dreams. The American Dream can be a motivational fire, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, one must focus on building a balanced life for themselves, participate in honest work and practice their craft to have marketable skills are just stick out from the competition. People work their whole lives making money so they can satisfy their desires. The idea of being able to purchase the items people always dreamed of is an achievement in itself. Having a great family owning a home and having beautiful things to fill it with is a common dream amongst people. Many people take pride in what they possess. People want to own nice homes, nice cars, and nice clothes. Some need to look successful in order to feel successful. These people feel successful when they can admire what their hard work has given them and when they can see they build something their kids can also benefit from.
With America actually being seen as the land of assurance, the American dream is usually associated with the freedom and opportunity of gaining prosperity, recognition, power, triumph, and contentment. On the surface, this dream appears virtually delighted, offering individuals the exceptional hope of accomplishing success despite of one’s race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is accurately what it seems to be the chance of perfect lying nearby the corner. However, the actual nature of this dream prohibit the pleasure of the victory one has earned, as the desire is always demanding one to work a slight harder and gain a slightly more.
The American Dream has changed; it is no longer the same as it was fifty or even one hundred years ago. Today, people not only search for prosperity and wealth, but they also search for happiness, equality, and determination. The American Dream is for everyone, not just the rich. The term “The American Dream” is a term used to describe the American way of life in general. It is a noun stating “the idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” Dreams are not limited to just one social class, everyone has a different version of the American Dream but they all work together in a community to create an organized, working society. A dream is a cherished aspiration, ambition, or idea that is open to anyone.
The idea of an American Dream is older than the United States dating back to the 1600’s, when people began to have all sorts of hopes and aspirations for the new, largely, unexplored continent. In 1776 the American Dream was rooted in the Declaration of Independence “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, which among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Where many of the citizens have expanded upon the definition to include things such as freedom, fulfillment and meaningful relationships. Where the American represents the desire to live a better life than the previous generation did, and about giving their children a better life-pertaining to “the system works.” The idea of America being a melting pot where everyone can live peacefully together. This version of the dream is based more on avoiding things such as poverty and loneliness. “The American Dream” has a lot to do with America being a country of immigration, and these immigrants all hoped to live a better life in the new world. There’s nothing dreamlike about how Americans perceive the American Dream. Nothing surreal, or vague, or involving the stereotypical family of four, three bedroom home with a white picket fence, or harried white rabbits in waistcoats. The American dream is simply complex connect-the-dots matter. For many
Inferno is the first and most famous of a three part series by Dante Alighieri known as the Divine Comedy that describes his journey to God through the levels of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise written in the early fourteenth century. Scholars spanning over nearly seven centuries have praised its beauty and complexity, unmatched by any other medieval poem. Patrick Hunt’s review, “On the Inferno,” states, “Dante’s extensive use of symbolism and prolific use of allegory— even in incredible anatomical detail—have been often plumbed as scholars have explored the gamut of his work’s classical, biblical, historical, and contemporary political significance” (9). In the story, each of the three main characters, Dante, Virgil, and Beatrice, represent
What is the American Dream, and who are the people most likely to pursue its often elusive fulfillment? Indeed, the American Dream has come to represent the attainment of myriad of goals that are specific to each individual. While one person might consider a purchased home with a white picket fence her version of the American Dream, another might regard it as the financial ability to operate his own business. Clearly, there is no cut and dried definition of the American Dream as long as any two people hold a different meaning. What it does universally represent, however, it the opportunity for people to seek out their individual and collective desires under a political umbrella of democracy.
Dante uses this poem to communicate the way in which he views human evil and how he classifies and judges each kind of evil. To achieve this classification and judgment, Dante uses strict doctrinal Christian values. In other words, the worst sins do not necessarily violate human happiness or harmony on Earth, but instead disrupt God’s will in Heaven. For example, Dante considers violence to be a lesser sin than fraud. This is because fraud more greatly opposes God’s will; God wa...