The American Dream By Edgar Allan Poe

People living during the great depression had dreams but on seemed to be the most popular but with their own twist to their dream. The American dream is in the Declaration of Independence stating “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. This dream is called the American Dream. The American dream is a set of standards in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success that can be achieved through hard work and determination. Steinbeck uses the American dream to give each character a goal to work toward to. Each character had their own American Dream. Owning some land so you could live independently, to tend the rabbits or to be playing cards with the other guys.

The United States was founded on a dream. A dream where we would could find our own land and be free from the tyranny of the British government. This dream was freedom. The freedom to become a Fortune 500 CEO that was born in the Southside of Chicago. The freedom to escape. The freedom to be who you wanted to be without anyone holding you back. Even the freedom to escape society and never turn back. The American Dream is basically just freedom. The ability to do whatever or achieve whatever you desire. This American Dream is not the same for everyone. It is unique to each person just as it was for Chris McCandless. In the book, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless goes on a journey to escape society and survive alone

The definition of the American Dream varies from person to person, however, its basic components include a healthy, happy family, a sense of safety and security, and a sufficient amount of money. People from all backgrounds strive to achieve their specific American Dream, however, actually achieving this proves extremely difficult since the nature of the American Dream is often unrealistic, fragile, or elusive. Many artists, authors, and poets use their art to explore or comment on this heavy, complex topic. Specifically, Truman Capote investigates the American Dream through his work of creative nonfiction, In Cold Blood, which centers on the violent murder of a Kansas family in the 1950’s. After interviewing law enforcement officers,

James Baldwin, an African American author, grew up in Harlem, New York. Baldwin had no one to share his love for literature with. Baldwin’s father was opposed of him following the literature career path James Baldwin however, did receive support from the mayor and his English teacher. Baldwin abandoned his parents home at the age of 17, to settle into

James Baldwin is looked upon by many as the first of the great Black writers to have had a significant impact on the Civil Rights movement. James Baldwin work was very important to the civil rights movement and he was influenced by the civil rights movement. Born in 1924, Baldwin moved to Paris, France in his early twenties and it was from there that he did most of his important writing (Boyd). Baldwin began his writing career as a novelist and his personal goal was always to attain a status as a respected novelist but it was his contributions as an essayist that provided him with his greatest level of respect. Beginning in the mid-1950s and continuing through the 60s, Baldwin wrote a series of essays that were not only critically acclaimed but were also considered to have significant impact on the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

James Baldwin was born on August 2nd, 1924 in Harlem, New York to a young single mother named Emma Jones. She never talked about James’s biological father because of his drug abuse and she didn’t want her baby boy to be put in danger by her ex-husband’s problems, but Emma went on to marry a Baptist Minister named David Baldwin when James was about three years old. James and his stepfather had a strained relationship and even though this was true James still tried to follow in his stepfather’s footsteps. James also referred to his stepfather as his actual father. When James reached his teen years he served as a youth minister in a Harlem Pentecostal church. He started at the age of 14 and stopped at the age of 16. As James went through high school, he demonstrated a true gift for writing and a true love for reading. The high school, he attended was DeWitt-Clinton High School in Bronx New York. Baldwin worked on the school Magazine with future famous Richard Avedon.

Some background information I found on James Baldwin was that he was born on 1924 and he died in the year 1987, James Baldwin was born in the Harlem district of New York City. James Baldwin the moved to Greenwich Village in New York. James Baldwin also met other authors, one of them was the author Richard Wright.

" I made high-pitched noises like a crazed animal , trying to scratch out the face in the mirror ." . (Chunk 2 , Paragraph 14 ) In the excerpt " Two Kinds " by Amy Tan , it talked about a little girl , named Jing-mei , who would rebel against her mother because she knew she wasn't going to be a prodigy . Her mother believed in the " American Dream " , but Jing-mei didn't believe in such thing . Her mother left China with nothing , she had lost everything she loved back in China , and she heard about the " American Dream " . In the end , the mother died . She died because her daughter , Jing-mei , had completely ruined her pride and her chance of becoming part of an " American Dream " . Her mother became silent and pale and passed away 28 years later . She performed playing her piano and when her mother passed away she went back to the piece she played at the performance and realized that it was half of a song and when she looked at the other half she realized her mistakes . Not obeying her mother's orders because of a single rebellious , ignorant act . " Two Kinds " uses central conflicts between mother and daughter to develop the theme that anger changes a person in many unknown and unfamiliar ways that one didn't know existed . Firstly , the main conflict are caused in many ways . The problem of / with the mother and Jing-mei is external as shown in paragraph 27 , 'When my mother told me this , I felt as though I had been sent to hell . I whined , and then kicked my feet a

What is the American Dream? Some describe the American Dream as a two parent family with two kids and a dog living in a home with a white picket fence. Others declare having millions of dollars and a beach home is the ultimate goal. So, what exactly is the American Dream? In the Conservative conference speech “We Will Be a City upon a Hill”, Ronald Reagan demanded that traditional values defined the American Dream while President Obama argued equality was quintessential. In both presidential speeches, they each discussed two vastly drastic interpretations of the American Dream however, their speeches both themed constructs seen in Jim Cullen’s book to support their arguments.

The American Dream is steadily changing as time goes on and some say this is a bad thing. As different generations come about the dream changes with the people. As stated by Dan Kadlec in the article “Millennials Put Their Surprising Stamp on the American Dream” the American dream is now seen as having control over your daily life. Today 's generation has seen some of the main aspects of the original American Dream fail greatly so they have made up a new dream. With the things Millennials have seen change and go wrong they only believe that they can achieve a day to day lifestyle, but should this really be the case? In another article named “The Hourglass Society” it’s stated by Stewart Lansley that the middle class is going backwards. The idea of the ‘hourglass’ is that there are large amounts of people on the top and the bottom, but not many at all in the middle representing the middle class. This article also states that the American Dream is now only a myth and this generation only has a “fear of failing”. Many say the American Dream is dead but is the dream really dead or are people too afraid of failure? Millennials of today have seen so many bad things happen to their parents that they just settle and this shouldn’t be the case. The American Dream is only going to die if we let it happen.

The American Dream rejoices with the stories that begin with humble beginnings and end with prosperity and success; the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a story of upward social success and increased affluence and freedom. Douglass narrates his own life and tells of his failures, thoughts, and accomplishments over the span of his life. He began his life at the bottom of society as a slave. Through hard work, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and the ability to maintain and fight for his beliefs, Frederick Douglass attained the goal of the American Dream and eventually became a free man. Douglass’s transition from uneducated slave to free citizen was slow, and began when he would pay children in his neighborhood with bread to learn how to read. As a child Douglass recognized the value of education and would sacrifice so much to be able to learn to read, in part to spite his slave owners. With this foundation, he knew he could become accomplished. He used his self-taught education to encourage other slaves to learn and become literate. This foundation and bank of knowledge allowed Douglass to escape from slavery and become a free man. The early scenes in Douglass’s life prove to influence and encourage his success throughout his lifetime, which, in turn, provides further support of the value of the American Dream.

How would one feel if they spent their entire lives working towards an unattainable goal? That goal is the American Dream, a term that can be loosely defined as one’s attempt at what they believe is success, whether it be a family, high-paying career, a beautiful home, or all three. The American Dream can be whatever one makes of it. James Baldwin and William Buckley strongly debated this issue with underlying similarities but ultimately Baldwin had a stronger argument. This House Believes in the American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro, was a historic 1965 debate about society’s mistreatment of the African American race throughout history. Baldwin highlighted that white Americans innately believe they are still superior to African Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream holds more weight while Buckley attempted to discredit him. Baldwin drew scrutiny to the social injustices faced by blacks in their daily lives especially in their pursuit of the American Dream and attempted to direct white America’s attention to the issues that desperately need a solution.

The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen has equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. However, ideas of the dream have evolved throughout time from the 18th century up to present day. The general population’s view and my view of the American Dream both have altered throughout time. My idea of the American Dream has developed from not only today’s views on The Dream, but also from the evolutionary process the meaning has been through.

“We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable; that all men are created equal and independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Thomas Jefferson). When America was granted their freedom no one thought that it would become the country it is today. However without the smart thinking of our forefathers we would never be the nation we are today. As a newly formed nation Thomas Jefferson advertised relocation to America via the declaration which stated America promised three important things, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those three promises have always remained true as America progressed and the

James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, in New York in the city of Harlem. He died on December 1, 1987 in Saint Paul De Vence France. In 1953 he had published a novel Go Tell It On The Mountain, that had showed his vision on the topic of race, spirituality, and humanity. He had also created other novels called Giovanni’s Room, Another Country, and Just Above My Head. He was also known for his essay works such as “Native Son” and “The Five Next Time”