Being inside the working force isn’t all fun and games for everyone, especially people who aren’t living the “American Dream”. The dream that every American has; this dream may be different for a lot of people, but to me it means getting a career that you love to wake up to everyday that also pays the bills. Jan Beatty’s poem “My Father Teaches Me to Dream” describes a working class man who just doesn’t enjoy the lifestyle that he has. He isn’t living the “American Dream” because he doesn’t love what he does as a job. The artwork “Postpartum Depression in Fathers” shows a father holding his baby son looking as if he is about to cry, staring deep into his son’s eyes. This work of art represents the poem “My Father Teaches Me to Dream” perfectly by having this father venting to his son about his horrible job, but inadvertently using reverse motivation hoping that his son does …show more content…
Jan Beatty begins to leave little hints in the poem that show signs of hope that this poem isn’t just about a depressed father complaining. These signs aren’t easily found, because they are rather inferred by the author. These signs show that this father actually loves his son very much and is saying this speech as if to motivate his son to work towards his dreams and put in the effort to excel in the job market. Once this idea is in mind, the title of the poem begins to make sense by how his father is teaching him to dream, just in a different way that is unique and that not a lot of people are familiar with. This strategy is called reverse motivation, its similar to someone saying to the reader that you can’t accomplish something, which in turn just ends up motivating the reader to prove him or her wrong and do it anyways. Similar to the famous quote, “Tell me I can’t, then watch me work twice as hard to prove you wrong” from Inspiring Quotes via Twitter. (cite
In Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author portrays herself as a minimum-wage worker in part of America’s “working poor”. Before writing this book, Ehrenreich was ensconced as part of the middle-upper class. As a journalist, Ehrenreich worked multiple minimum-wage jobs at The Maids, Woodcrest Residential Facility, Walmart, Hearthside and Jerry’s. All of which she had no prior experience performing except for waitressing. By working these minimum-wage jobs, Ehrenreich lives the life of the lower class and interviews others on how they undertake their daily lives. The American Dream is defined as “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. Her experiences at the bottom 10% of the working class shows various examples of why the American Dream can no longer be attained today.
Aspiring to be free, to be successful, to be a picture perfect family, and to be happy; these are the traits of the American dream. Although, in one 's mind a specific picture forms when reading about the American dream this does not mean everyone is seeing the same landscape. A prevalent theme in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is the potency and prevalence of diversity on the American dream. In each of these compelling works, connoisseurs get a taste of life from different demographics’ viewpoints and a measure of what it means to be yearning for the diverse definition of American ideals.
Scott Hightower’s poem “Father” could be very confusing to interpret. Throughout almost the entirety of the poem the speaker tries to define who his father is by comparing him to various things. As the poem begins the reader is provided with the information that the father “was” all of these things this things that he is being compared to. The constant use of the word “was” gets the reader to think ‘how come the speaker’s father is no longer comparable to these things?’ After the speaker reveals that his father is no longer around, he describes how his father impacted him. Details about the father as well as descriptions of the impacts the father has distraught on the speaker are all presented in metaphors. The repetitive pattern
It is the natural inclination of all men and women to dream. In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” the American dream is sought after by many different characters. However, the main theme in the story is how these dreams are unattainable, and how because of the Great Depression, all American dreams were dead. But what is the American dream? A unitary definition does not exist, however, the meaning of living the American dream is something that differs for everyone. For some people, the American dream might be acceptance and equality. On the other hand, for others, it might mean fame and fortune. In the short story called “Of Mice and Men” the American dream seems unreachable for a number of characters, such as George, Lennie,
In the articles, “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold by Brandon King, the author argues his opinions on the American dream and how it still alive and attainable, although he realizes that the dream is not the same as it was before. At the time King wrote this article, he was a student at the University of Cincinnati in 2011, three years after the stock market crash in 2008. With the timing of the stock market crashing, this gave King the idea of writing about the American dream and how it is today. When the article was published in the college book “They say, I say” we the reader saw that King redefined the American Dream as "the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future." Replacing what he described
In the "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman describes her postpartum depression through the character of Jane. Jane was locked up for bed rest and was not able to go outside to help alleviate her nervous condition. Jane develops an attachment to the wallpaper and discovers a woman in the wallpaper. This shows that her physical treatment is only leading her to madness. The background of postpartum depression can be summarized by the symptoms of postpartum depression, the current treatment, and its prevention. Many people ask themselves what happens if postpartum depression gets really bad or what increases their chances. Jane's treatment can show what can happen if it is
The American Dream has long been thought the pinnacle idea of American society. The idea that anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or financial status, could rise from the depths and become anything they wanted to be with no more than hard work and determination has attracted people from all around the world. Two writers from America’s past, however, have a different opinion on the once-great American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck have given the public their beliefs on the modern Dream through the novels they have written, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men, respectively. One novel placed during the Great Depression and the other during the Roaring Twenties both illustrate how their author feels about the Dream
In the poem the speaker tells us about how his father woke up early on Sundays and warmed the house so his family can wake up comfortably. We are also told that as he would dress up and head down stairs he feared ¨the chronic angers of that house¨, which can be some sort of quarrel between his father and his mother in the house. This can also lead the reader to believe that the father may have had been a hard dad to deal with. However the father would polish his son's shoes with his cracked hands that ached. This shows the love that the father had for his son and now that the son has grown he realizes what his father did for him. The sons morals and feelings have changed him because as he has grown to become a man he has learned the true meaning of love is being there for one's family and not expecting it to be more than what it is. Consequently this teaches him a lesson on how much his father loved him and how much he regrets not telling him thank
I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, "yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?" Mama, that ain’t no kind of job…that ain’t nothing at all (Hansberry pg.73).” When considering Willy’s circumstance, he insists that he is crucial to the company he works for, “if old man Wagner was alive I’d a been in charge of New York now (Miller pg. 4)” and that he should be a leader by now rather than simply being an employee. These quotes exemplify the idea that believing you deserve better than you currently have is a powerful force that encourages the struggle for the American dream.
As poverty grows throughout the United States, it continues to make it more difficult for our future leaders to become successful if they do not have the equal opportunity to pursue their personal American Dream. David H. Freedman discusses his thoughts on the American Dream and how poverty can get in the way of such success by asserting, “In the view of proponents, that money could also benefit people who aren’t poor but aren’t affluent either. They’d gain access to higher education, an escape route from oppressive jobs and relationships, greater opportunity to invest in their children’s well-being and education, and time to spend on artistic or other mostly nonpaying endeavors” (David H. Freedman). Devastated by the dreams of others freedom and success can still be achieved through the American Dream, even if poverty has affected someone as long as the self-determination to make decisions that will benefit in the future outcome of what they feel is the American Dream. Against the odds of barriers that lie in the way of success; such as, poverty, education, even sometimes religion and ethnicity, the American Dream is still achievable according to Steve Tobak, a well known writer, as he described “The American dream is not a guarantee, there has to be hard work to achieve a goal. There are many factors that play into having the feeling of the American Dream” (Steve
There is much competition to achieve success, the American Dream isn’t easily handed over so you’ll have to work hard to achieve it. In the poem,
As time has went on the meaning of the American Dream has altered. When Adams trademarked the term the American Dream, the idea of it was for people to become “better and richer and fuller,” (Adams 412), but now as 20th century inventions have been introduced to society the dream has changed. People want what others have and what is portrayed as glamorous and prestigious. A prime example is Gary Soto’s recollection of his childhood obsession with wanting to be like the families he saw on the television saying, “I very much wanted to imitate [the families from Leave It to Beaver and Father
Barbara Ehrenreich conducts an experiment and documents it in her essay “Serving in Florida”. Ehrenreich attempts to answer the question: Is the American dream still alive? She places herself in a minimum wage job at a restaurant named Jerry’s and attempts to understand the working class. Adam Shepard also conducts an experiment, in his book Scratch Beginnings, where he begins with only twenty-five dollars, a sleeping bag, and the clothes on his back. He places himself in a homeless shelter and begins to reach his goal: $2,500, a house, and a car. Shepard and Ehrenreich attempt to seek the American Dream through a working class perspective. Ehrenreich implies working class employees are demeaned by sharing the stories of her coworkers to prove the American dream is dead. By exploring his co-workers and his own experiences, Shepard contrasts Ehrenreich’s argument and implies the American dream is still alive, as long as you have the right attitude.
Yuriana Hidalgo Introduction to Literature Prof. Paula Cameron Poetry Assignment November 11, 2014 Identity and Rites of Passage In the poems “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland, “The Journey” by Mary Oliver, and “Carrying a Ladder” by Kay Ryan, the three poets described the struggle that society is going through. Each poem is full of meaning, as the reader keep going can see the images, can sense the tone, the language that makes the reader feels identified with the poems. Everyone lives in a society full of problems and struggles, even though we tried to fight; there are always obstacles in the way. Nothing in the life is easy and never will, but we can’t give up we have to keep fighting to survive.
The concept of the American dream has been related to everything from religious freedom to a nice home in the suburbs. It has inspired both deep satisfaction and disillusioned fury. The phrase elicits for most Americans a country where good things can happen. However, for many Americans, the dream is simply unattainable. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams,” Dexter Green, a hardworking young man born into the middle class, becomes wrapped up in his pursuit to obtain wealth and status in his life. These thoughts and ideas represent Dexter’s fixation on his “winter dreams,” or, the idea of what the American Dream means to him: gaining enough wealth to eventually move up in social class and become somebody, someday. As Dexter attempts