Bored In The Usa Poem

With social media playing a huge role in society, us Americans are becoming more materialistic. We are being influenced by people who give us these unrealistic expectations in life and always making us want more in life than what we have. We try living up to these expectations by buying elaborate accessories, when in reality they serve no purpose to us, making us feel empty on the inside.  Like Steinbeck said, “We trample friends, relatives and strangers who get in the way of our achieving it; and once we get it we shower in on psychoanalysts to try to find out why we are unhappy” (Steinbeck). Despite all of this, us Americans still claim to be realistic, yet we pay $800 for a phone just so we can be like everyone else. We buy name brand clothes that are overpriced. We pay $7 for a cup of coffee. The list goes on and on. The American Dream Steinbeck relates to is not something someone can buy, rather is it something you earn. As Steinbeck said, the American Dream is “yearnings toward what we wish were and hope we may be: wise, just, compassionate, and noble. The fact that we have this dream at all is perhaps an indication of its

Claude McKay was a black man born in Jamaica, he choose literature very on in life and kept with it. He moved to the United States at age twenty three to study at Tuskegee Institute and was immediately shocked by the blatant racism prevalent in Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to New York and shortly after became co-editor of The Liberator, a famous abolitionist newspaper, he wrote some of his most revered poems while working there. He was part of the Harlem Renaissance a movement that was a reawakening of artistic and cultural talents of African American people in the United States and helped to reinvigorate their pride in being black.

In “America the beautiful” the author’s use of diction creates an uplifting spiritual tone in the poem.The author uses the same words “oh beautiful for…”focusing not on America's flaws but on the beauty. For instance the start of stanza 4 she writes “o beautiful 4 heroes proved in liberty strife who more than self her country loved and marymor than life”.She apads for the people who believe in freedom of america by sacrificing their lives for their

Only a couple of decades ago, hard work and determination guided people to obtain a piece of the opportunity America is all about. Lately there is a surge in having our fifteen minutes of fame and work less, buy more. There are Americans who feel that materialism is the way to obtain true American happiness. TV ads bombard the population with information on what is truly needed to be the best. All media outlets convey how to be more like the famous. Commercials inform on how this star uses this phone and this athlete buys this car. In trying to assimilate to others, some continue to spend even though they cannot afford it. In “Framing Class, Vicarious Living,

Born in Senegal around 1753, Phillis Wheatley became an important American poetic figure. At the age of 8, she was kidnapped and brought to Boston on a slave ship and upon her arrival to Boston, she was quickly sold to John Wheatley (Bio). Under her new family, Phillis adopted the master’s last name, taken under the wife’s wing, and showed her deep intelligence. Even though suffering from poor health, Phillis’s intelligence did not go unnoticed; she received lessons in theology, English, Latin and Greek. Being a slave did not stop Phillis from learning and experiencing her life, she participated in the master’s family events and eventually became a family member. The irony in this situation is

America is known to be the country of liberty. The definition of Liberty is simply the reason America was created; it is a place where everyone is treated equal with hopes of achieving their American dream. As a result, many people dream of coming to live in the wonderful country known for its freedom. However, America does not seem to hold that value as it used to. In the poem “Let America Be America Again”, the poet Langston Hughes expresses his disappointment with the country. The poem was written in 1935 where discrimination and inequality still exist. In the poem “Let America Be America Again”, the poet Langston Hughes uses repetition and alliteration in order to show desirement for a better country and disappointment of the country America came to be, and also imagery in order to exemplify the struggles of those who came to live in country they thought was dream.

Regardless if we are aware of it or not, not many Americans live the supposed American Dream of having a nice car, big house, well paying job, and have a secure family. In the renowned novel The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler he captures those Americans who live invisible in America that work so hard to suffer from the psychological effects of poverty. Not only does Shipler do that but he also indirectly talks about the “American Myth” and the “American Anti Myth through the lives on these individuals.”

The story of the song begins with how they came to the Land of the Free. The lyrics in the first verse, “Man, I was brave, sailing on graves Don’t think I didn’t notice those tombstones disguised as waves,” and “We all came America trying to get a lap dance from Lady Freedom,” shows how the author understood the deep intentions of immigrants. Even though people do not come over to America on ships anymore, he uses these words to compare the same dangers of coming to America. Back then, ships would carry travelers over to the colonies and many people died sailing on the ships, hence the phrase “tombstones disguised as waves.” Those who came were brave and left everything they had back in their home country while risking their life for a chance

Materialism is Terrible Americans tend to be materialistic people. We tend to judge each other by how much money we make we also judge by what we wear and what kind of house we live in. The character in the novel Into the Wild Chris McCandless, did not care for money or a nice big house. These things did not interest him into his pursuit of happiness. Materialism isn’t necessary to make people happy; Chris gave away his belongings and rejected his graduation gift and he still led a good life.

The Americans Dream’s inaccessibility has lead many individuals to turn towards nature to salvage a meaningful life from the disappointments of a superficial, mainstream society. Today’s America promotes a society that values dependence and conformity above one’s own aspirations, but it has not always been this way. In the beginning, the American Dream was encompassed in a larger idea of one's’ personal freedoms. Now, contemporary society at its core is the act of being pulled into these mainstream fads and as a result one is forced to give up his or her individuality. Emerson succinctly sums up these restrictions in Self- Reliance, “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock

When we think of America, we think of the land of opportunities, freedom, and equality. However, there's another side to all the sayings about America; some good, some bad. My story starts on the first day of kindergarten at Our lady of Fatima back in 2007. I felt nervous, and scared; it was the first time I've been near people who were different from me. Their appearance, the way they talked, and the clothes they wore all seemed weird to me. Especially the way they talked, I couldn't understand some of the words they were saying. Were they saying someone's one name? The reason why this felt weird to me was, because of my previous school in India, where I stayed for two years to learn about my culture and education. All the people I've seen

America has transformed into a materialistic greedy society. Forgoing a necessity just for a luxury to be cool or look good.Waiting in line all night for the latest sneaker to come out just so you can buy it ; to say you own it. Consumerism is the backbone of this society.Striving to look like their idols,they will stop at nothing to achieve that image.The song Wings by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis perfectly illustrates how our society is so driven by the latest trends.

Since the time that wealth could be amassed, lives of the “have not’s” has been greatly influenced by the power of the “haves” throughout the generations of society. Quick to claim as much as they could, people became slaves to their material surroundings. In the U.S., we’ve escalated that concept into a normal lifestyle. It’s really not a choice of lifestyle anymore either, not if you want to be an active member of society anyway.

Ode to Peterpan Young boy who doesn’t get old forever, With a big green leaf Beside tinker bell wherever Strongest boy I ever know Protects kids and girls Hates hook and full grown though Instil us hope That never ends Like finding a small hidden envelope Kids around the earth Wish you are there

Another aspect of the traditional American Dream is that we want to make life better for the next generation of Americans. However, it is impossible to deal with major issues in the world because of our obsession over luxuries. Constantly used luxuries such as video games, fiction literature, and television, all provide a false sense of reality, a false reality that does not have all the issues of the “real world.” We do not actually live because of these luxuries, we are driven away from what is happening right here in America—the hungry, the homeless, and the impoverished. Thoreau believes that we should only have four necessaries in life: “food, shelter, clothing, and fuel;” Thoreau says, “for not till we have secured these are we prepared to entertain the true problems of life with a freedom and prospect of success” (11). What Thoreau means in this passage is that we need to remove all of the luxuries in our life in order to think more clearly about the real issues in America that need to be addressed. By not worrying about