‘Institution name’
American Dream
American Dream - how many times have we heard these words resonated in movie, books, songs etc! No other single phrase in human history has given birth to so much hope and at times ridicule. So what constitutes this American dream which has given cause for such romanticism? There are four tenets that constitutes the American dream, according to Jennifer Hochschild they are
- Regardless of race, color or creed, everyone has a fair chance to chase and accomplish their ambition
- The pursuit of the American Dream is hoping and believing in success
- The pursuit is done through one’s own hard work and talent
- And this success should be achieved in a ethical way, in other words, success should be virtuous.(Hoshcild, 1996)
The summary of these tenets implies that everyone has a fair chance of achieving success, if they make use of their talent to full potential. But if we ponder on the word ’fair’ for a moment, we would realize that in the past history, not all Americans have had a fair chance to compete as equals with others. Starting from the colonization era, then later through the period of civil war, gilded age and post World War II, if we analyze the history of the USA, we see that few factions of the society have been left behind or were not given a fair chance to pursue the American Dream. Native Americans, Blacks and Women are some of those factions which had been denied for many years their basic rights, thus preventing them from pursuing the American Dream.
The American Dream in principle includes all the citizens of this great land, and no factions should be denied their right to pursue it. Though certain groups, such as those mentioned above, have been at times excluded from the American Dream, the Dream still prevails and continues to direct the way in which the national policies are to be shaped. Today millions of migrants are pouring in this country, in anticipation of attaining this dream and those previously excluded are now being included in this process. Thus, the individual’s pursuit of dream today is, finally harmonizing with the claims of the state.
The American art on the other hand does expose a tension between the history of the country, and the lust for innovation. The basis of the American Revolution itself is based on these premises, whereby it was a conflict between the tradition nostalgia of the Englishmen, versus the new political innovation. Though America is defined by its drive for innovation and technology, its roots are firmly adhered to all the values upheld in its past. Another byproduct of this emphasis on American Dream, is the mindless pursuit of wealth and fame, because success most often than not, is equated to both these things. This stress on gaining material wealth put the ethical aspect of the dream in the backseat, and this is the reason why most of the world views America, to be a nation in ruthless pursuit of wealth.
If you put in hard work and play by the rules, you should be given a chance to go as far as your God-given talent will take you. (President Clinton, Speech to Democratic leadership council, 1993)
Works Cited
Jennifer L. Hochschild. (1996) Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class, and the Soul of the Nation. Princeton University Press. Print.
THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. University Core Curriculum. 2002. Web. September 22, 2013. Retrieved from http://view.fdu.edu/files/amercnexpsyl.pdf
