Gossip Girl Is An American Teen Soap Opera Based On The Book Series By Cecily Von Ziegesar

The American Dream is “a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Adams, 1931). It is the guarantee that with hard work and passion anyone can achieve upward mobility regardless of their origin. Many Americans believe in this promise, hoping that one day their first circumstance will not dictate the outcome of the rest of their lives. However the American Dream can be elusive without any real he American Dream eludes The novel Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the

The ideal American Dream can be portrayed in many different ways, though generally based upon the idea of opportunity for upward mobility within society. While people move to the top of society, they accumulate the perceived good things in life: the perfect partner, high social status and respect in the workplace to go along with the unlimited wealth and power. This idea is dated all the way back to the beginning of American literature. In the past, Americans started with the basic needs and only the things they needed to get by in life. Now families are transforming into a life view filled with the perfect life, nice car, large house, and the ideal family. In The Great Gatsby the main character Jay Gatsby was born into a family with no

When most people think of the American Dream they often visualize the typical white fence, the two children, and an overall perfect family. When people think of the American Dream they think of the dream jobs which consist of being a doctor, lawyer, or a widely known talk show host. The people who have the voice determine what is ideal in society and what isn’t. They try to sell you this pitch that the American Dream is obtainable and what you put in to the system, you get out; This is also know as meritocracy. The thought of achieving the American Dream through success and social mobility is the misinformed interpretation what the upper middle class likes to say, however its easier to say that when climbing the class ladder is a lot more difficult when born into a low advantaged family. It is absolutely impossible to reach the American Dream unless you are among the wealthy. Circumstances that work against an individual only further hinders any opportunity that person may have to “obtain” the American Dream. Negative factors not working in your favor will most likely determine your undesirable future and having a role model, such as Oprah, who seemingly embodies the American Dream, will lead to the unrealistic dream that her status is actually attainable. Some of the key elements we consider essential to achieving success, are now impractical and misleading, proving the many flaws in our American Dream that make it impossible to obtain.

“I think the American Dream used to be achieving one's goals in your field of choice - and from that, all other things would follow. Now, I think the dream has morphed into the pursuit of money: Accumulate enough of it, and the rest will follow” (“Buzz Aldrin Quotes”). The real American Dream is not an income level. The American Dream is the ability to rise through one's own work and improve the condition, no matter where the person started from. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and Cannery Row both contain characters that are misfits and outsiders who are lonely and are striving for the American Dream which they think is being successful by being rich, but the author guides people to understand that money is not the root of happiness and success is not necessarily based on being rich.

The American Dream is the national ethos that people’s lives would better and more abundant with many opportunities. Although the “American Dream” is still possible, many minorities, a vast portion of people in middle class, are affected by the lack of social mobility see the realization of the American Dream because of the advantages upper class have like being more wealthy. With money, the upper class can affordable anything they like high tier education in privates or better health insurance. This is a problem because not everyone in the world have the same chance to succeed. In “ LA’s Crisis: High rents, low pay, homelessness rising, and $2000 doesn’t buy much” by Steve Lopez and “Class in America -2012” by Gregory Mantsios share how the lack of mobility affects many individuals in the world. In conclusion, low income individuals are suffering within our society because of

In America people always will have the dream of becoming rich. 90% of the time it doesn't work the way that you wanted. The next step down is the middle class. The book The Great Gatsby is a story that revolves around a neighborhood of very wealthy people. A great example of Juxtaposition is the lifestyle between Tom and Nick.

Coates describes the American Dream as living in the suburbs and maintain a well-paying job. At the same point, he argues that the fundamentals of the dream come from the activities and lives of a white family. The dream is living in a home with a white picket fence and having cookouts in the summer. It is about block associations, driveways, and strawberry shortcake (11). According to Coates, the problem with the dream is many black people will change who they are and change their character in order to be accepted and eventually achieve this dream.

The main characters in the story show their aspirations to continue to climb up the “invisible” ladder to get to their definition of an American Dream. As a privileged women, growing up in West Chester, PA, my parents had given myself and my siblings all the opportunities in the world to strive to be the best. We were given a formal education, the chance to play sports, a car to drive when we turned 16, a job to work and save money and most important a skill set that allowed us as kids to move forward in life. We all strive to work hard and land a job that will secure us financially and emotionally throughout our life. My envision of upward mobility is different than both the characters in these books because at this given time period, things were completely different then.

Media and suburbs have defined and shaped American ideals in various ways, ranging from the ideal family structure in America, the ideal appearance and behavior of individuals to the ideal social arrangement and division in America. Media defined the America dream as the ability of a family to live in suburbs and follow the gender-specific functions in American society. Through overwhelming representations of suburbia in media, suburb living was shaped as an American ideal in the 1950s. Media portrays an ideal American home-life as one that involves home ownership in suburbs, which represented social status, guaranteed family stability and happiness. Therefore, the lives of middle-class families in suburbs have been widely depicted in sitcoms

A large colonial house with shutters and white picket fence in the suburbs, mom putting a warm apple pie on the windowsill to cool as dad gets home from a long day at work. This is the image that usually comes to mind when I think of the “American Dream”. The American dream is a theme seen throughout American literature. The “dreamer” usually desires to rise from rags to riches while gaining power, love and high status. Throughout different time periods there have been many different variations of the dream although the principles of freedom, the desire for something greater and self-sufficiencies have been a constant. Two of the ways the dream can be obtained are through one’s self-actualizations or money and materialistic means. The modern day focuses on material items and monetary values are symbols of being successful in achieving the American dream. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s money provided him the company of people. Jay Gatsby is a self-made man who came from no money. He had a plan to achieve his dream of being successful, and succeeded. He becomes so blinded by extravagant possessions that he becomes blinded to the fact that money cannot buy happiness or true love. In the book Fitzgerald shows how ones focus on power, wealth and materialistic things can ultimately corrupt ones dream.

Fussell mentions, “Style and taste and awareness are as important as money” (27). Two people can make the same amount of money however if one purchases organic foods while the other sticks to conventional foods, he who purchases the organic food is viewed on a higher pedestal socially than he who does not. What this implies it the deception that people have the ability to choose who they want to be or how they decorate himself, deciding on the lifestyle that they want. The middle class seems to suffer from an anxiety of having to portray themselves as better than they really are by buying into more honorable products or surrounding himself with aesthetics associated with a higher status because they are trying to mask their insecurity financially. “Worried a lot about their own taste and about whether it’s working for or against them, members of the middie class try to arrest their natural tendency to sink downward by associating themselves, if ever so tenuously, with the imagined possessors of money, power and taste” (41). The “American Dream” connotes to one being able to change his world around and start the life he wishes to live. This idea is implemented into many individuals which leads them to believe they can move up on social ranking no matter of their background. Unfortunately, moving from one social class to another is unlikely which causes those specifically in the middle class to indulge in an upper class lifestyle so that they can fit the mold. To protect his esteem, one may create a perception of himself publicly as better off in order to receive admiration and approval from others. Basically, in order to be looked upon with more honor, members of the middle class conceal their insecurity with their social standing by flaunting a lifestyle or greater standard of living, inherited from an upper

In addition the American Dream meant that you were born rich and had money to do whatever you wanted in the 1920’s. In the book Fitzgerald explains the ways some people achieved the American Dream like Gatsby, who did illegal stuff to have the dream or Jordan who cheated in a golf tournament. You can also see how the rich treat the lower class of people in this quote “It’s a bitch, here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it said Tom.” (Fitzgerald 28). The wealth that Tom has in the story makes him think he is untouchable to the people who have less money than him like Wilson and the man who was selling the puppies to Myrtle. Nevertheless, East eggers are the people who live the American Dream because they got their money given to them also known as old money but then there is the West eggers, which are the ones who are achieving their dream and get but some got their money by cheating and bootlegging and west egg is also known as new money. Fitzgerald uses the different neighborhoods in The Great Gatsby to show and explain the differences in the economy's but also explains the differences in the

The idea of the American Dream is a concept that many people have struggled with against themselves to prove that it not only exits but can ultimately be achieved. Countless generations of people have devoted their lives and work towards this dream. But, what is the American Dream? Can someone actually profoundly feel the fulfillment of what the American dream means and is to be achieved, or are we actually following a manipulated stereotype that was created within our own minds? The American Dream is commonly defined as someone working their way up from a low economic or social level towards prosperity, wealth, or fame. The novel “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald embodies many themes however the novel’s most significant theme relates to the American dream and the corruption it brings. This achievement of reaching the “American Dream” is commonly portrayed by having money, a big house, a car, a happy family, and other upscale possessions. Fitzgerald shows how this dream is full of materialism, and how materialism corrupts the lives of people by ultimately making it hard for them to see reality objectively. The characters Myrtle, Daisy, and most prominently Jay Gatsby have all been corrupted and destroyed by this dream. As a result of being so materialistic Fitzgerald’s characters start idealizing not only their way of life but their feelings, too. In the praised satirical novel, “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald successfully exposes the underside of the unattainable and

The exact definition of what the American Dream consists of is a widely discussed topic. To some, the American Dream may be a big house, fancy cars and having a high salary while to another, it may just be happiness. Each and every person’s dream is different and modified according to their thoughts and goals. However, these dreams have one thing in common, the presence of wealth. The American Dream is laborious to achieve without a luxurious upbringing as seen through citizens living in Silicon Valley and the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry.

A blue house, red shutters, and a white picket fence with a border collie. Three kids are running around in the front lawn up on a hilltop. That is what the American dream is right? The American dream is truly in the eye of the beholder. One might think that the American dream is an apartment in downtown Los Angeles, but others might want the smell of fresh cut grass in a small suburb. It’s whatever the person who is working for it wants it to be. As we can see in the play, all of the main characters might be striving for an American dream, but none of them are striving for their same American dream.