At a young age, everyone is told that imagination is one of the most important skill that a human being should develop. The reason why imagination is because it cannot be controlled. It is one of the things that the government cannot own or control. Due to that reason, it brings fear to the government because imagination does not have any limits or any boundaries. However, the American society does not consider imagination to be a necessity as a skill but they have converted this skill into a commodity or considers imagination to be childish. Le Guin, who is an American author who specializes in writing fantasy stories stated in her article, Why are Americans Afraid of Dragons that Americans are hesitant to accept fantasy because they are afraid of confronting reality rather than forcing themselves to endure it. Since the American society’s mindset is only focused on producing for mass consumption and mass profit, nobody has the proper mindset of disciplining their imaginations but rather the Americans …show more content…
have repressed it. Today, Americans do not consider fantasy stories to be tools to discipline their imagination because they are focused on making money and Americans do not want to be labeled as childish in society. Not even Best-seller fantasy stories cannot fulfill the function of disciplining the imaginations of the Americans because we have other things to worry about. One of the things that restricts American to discipline their imagination is being a slave to the American Dream.
The American Dream is the opportunity for prosperity and success through the hard work in America. Today, the American’s mindset of living in this world is driven by profit. In other words, we are all brainwashed to think that the only reason why we are living in this world is because of one goal, which is only making a lot of money. According to Le Guin’s article, Why are Americans Afraid of Dragons, she states that “Equally, in the businessman’s value system, if an act does not bring in an immediate, tangible profit, it has no justification at all. Thus the only person who has an excuse to read Tolstoy or Tolkien is the English teacher, because he gets paid for it. But our businessman might allow himself to read a best-seller now and then: not because it has a good book, but because it is a best-seller – it is a success, it has made money” (Le Guin
2). Money makes the world go around and many people deal with money on a daily basis. Since the Americans are so focused on making money, they start to get involved in the things that are only related to money or that makes money for themselves. Today, if you look at best-selling fantasy books, we only think about the money that the author has made. We only look at how successful the author is based on the money that the author has made, not based on his imagination that helped him write the story. Since we are so focused on making money and becoming rich, imagination becomes the small fish in a big pond and money becomes the big fish in a small pond. Money may be a problem of making the Americans devalue imagination or fantasy stories however, the American social construct also restricts Americans from developing their imagination. What is the social construct? The social construct is a system, where it categorizes people and how privilege the different groups over others. One of the social construct that the American society has created is about how to become a man in our society today. According to Le Guin’s article, Why are Americans Afraid of Dragons, she talks about how there are certain expectations of becoming a man. “The last element, the sexual one, is more complex… I believe that this antifiction attitude is basically a male one. The American boy and man is very commonly forced to define his maleness by rejecting certain traits, certain human gifts and potentialities, which our culture defines as “womanish” or “childish.” And one of these traits or potentialities is, in cold sober fact, the absolutely essential human faculty of imagination” (Le Guin 3). Having this type of expectation to become a man becomes very overwhelming to males. Having the fear of being rejected from society because we did something that was not considered to be “manly” is simply pathetic. Being so limited to the things that we want to do because of the construct, destroys our inner feelings of wanting to become childish. Since our society states that as a man, we cannot do anything that is considered to be womanish or childish, then imagination will be very difficult for males to train.
We were raised considering the jobs we could do in the future and the universities we may attend; we heard that hard work and dedication was the only essential to fly in this world. Everyone was aware of the standard of living that was expected and few hesitated to buy into the legendary dream. The American Dream itself is what we all grew up desiring. Suburban homes, multiple cars, hefty paychecks and fantasy vacations are its elements. The American Dream is exclusive and unsatisfying at its core.
"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. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret
Through the course of change in the world- either through prosperity, capitalism or greed- people have lost focus with the real meaning of 'the American dream'. It is no longer the gamely aspirations of living life to the fullest, providing a better life for yourself and or others; instead, a pursuit for those materialistic aspects in life.
In “The Great Dictator” Charlie Chaplin said “In this world there is room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men's souls.” What is greed? Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth. As a citizen of the United States, many have heard of the term the “American Dream”. James Truslow Adams, in his book “The Epic of America”, which was written in 1931, stated 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.” (Adams p.214-215). It’s according to this dream that many people acquire this goal of becoming successful at all cost in America. At all cost, meaning they would do anything to gain success. The U.S even though it is based on opportunity has fallen to greed. The U.S citizens have fallen to greed because of selfish desires, wanting to maximize profit, and a strong fixation towards self-growth.
Achieving the American Dream has been the ideal for people living in the United States for decades. People believed that the way to get there was through hard work, also known as the “Protestant work ethic”. The American Dream can vary depending on the person. Some people think that owning a house with a white picket-fence is the American Dream while others think that it is becoming a celebrity with a lot of money.
“.everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the objective of getting rich. Their chief interest is in commerce, and their chief aim in life is, as they call it, ‘doing business’” (Camus 4). Citizens’ unawareness of life’s riches and pleasures shows their susceptibility to the oncoming plague.
The American dream is undeniably longed for by all, who would refuse to live the life of their dreams? Dreaming is simple; achieving those very dreams is another story. However, even when there is faith for the dream, it always ceases to exist because of reality’s spiteful ways. Crooks may be unfortunately correct, the American dream only lives inside of your head.
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bills without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1).
Years ago, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. In recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression, unemployment and interest rates have skyrocketed. The “American Dream” is an idea that was once a commonly accepted ideology in this country. It has since become only a fallacy. The “American Dream” is no longer an attainable idea, only a fantasy. The “American Dream” is not a true dream that will ever be equally attainable by everyone.
The American Dream, recognized as being the earning of a college degree, the owning of one 's own home, taking vacations and experiencing upward social mobility, is a very important belief that helped create the success that America is today. Many people believe that anyone who works hard and has determination can achieve this American Dream. In this day and age, experiencing the American Dream is believed to no longer be as available to Americans as it once was. The economy and corporate America have had a strong impact on the availability to reach this state of success. Everyone wants to live the American Dream, whether they know it or not. I have never met a person who did not want to become successful. Even I had a strong belief that the
The American Dream, in my eyes, would be described as unrealistic. It's a notation put in people’s minds that an individual can achieve anything he or she sets his or her mind to do. Now the outlook is being perceived as pessimistic, then again, I believe “The American Dream” is overestimated. When I was a young child, I aspired to be a princess who lived in a castle with a handsome prince and live happily ever after; I aspired to be a princess until I was thirteen. Still, it was instantaneously disappointing when reality dawned upon me, I could never be a princess. Although it left me completely devastated, I soon realized, there’s a huge difference between dreams and reality.
The American Dream, as defined by Dictionary.com is, "the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available for every American." Unlike any other literary period, the Contemporary Period has taken the American Dream and contorted it into something completely obscene compared to its original form. The Contemporary Period began in 1939 and is still evolving in today's society. The American Dream was previously a goal that every American could achieve with hard work, but during the Contemporary Period the American Dream seems to be impossible to achieve. The dramatic shift of technology during the American Contemporary Period transformed the American Dream by giving it a more egocentric connotation along with affecting the daily lives of citizens, therefore establishing the aspiration for self-achievement, which can be revealed through the literature of this time.
The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity.
The American Dream was and always will be something that makes America great. It allows those with aspirations to make them come true. In America alone needs is a dream and the motivation to carry out that dream. Ambition is the driving force behind the American Dream. It allows any one that has an aspiration, a desire, a yearning, to carry out the individual dream. It knows no bounds of race, creed, gender or religion. It stands for something great, something that every one can strive towards. A dream can be a desire for something great. In America, the American Dream allows dreams to become realities. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "An American social ideal that' stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity". To live this dream is to succeed. It allows anyone, rich or poor to have the opportunity to succeed. It is the ability to come from nothing and become so me thing. To succeed at any thing you do, you must have patience and persistence. It requires hard work, persistence and a desire for something better. To have these qualities and the desire and ambition to carry the moutis part of the American Dream.
When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “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.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It