American Dream How To Pursuit This Dream - 958 Words

The Pursuit of the American Dream What is the American Dream and how does one obtain it? That question can be answered in a multitude of ways. For some achieving the American Dream means living a better, richer and happier life. Others believe it has more emphasis on just living simply and having a fulfilling life; also having the opportunity to become anything one desires with little determination and hard work. In Watson’s Bread and Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream, immigrants, who came to Lawrence in hopes of obtaining a better life, stood up for their rights and fought for a better life. The immigrant’s path to the American Dream was a search for opportunity and dignity. When man is forced to live in†¦show more content†¦O’Sullivan reported the strike committee â€Å"developed leadership among the workers of the most surprising caliber and personality.† The committee established a relief system that assured no one starved during the strike. Child ren of the strikers were sent to live with sympathetic families in other cities so that the strikers would not be forced back into the factories because of hungry children, a tactic used successfully in Europe. On February 24th, a group of mothers accompanied their children to the railroad station. One group of women carried a banner proclaiming, We want bread and roses too. Roses signified the respect due to them as women, rather than just as cheap labor. The slogan caught on and provided the refrain for a popular new song—and the name of one of the most important events in American labor history. Police brutally clubbed the women and their children and threw them into patrol wagons. The ugly scene of February 24th was reported across the nation. Here it’s seen the Watson’s sympathies lie with the immigrants. And the immigrants have shown that they have the power to determine how this strike will play out. In mid-March, after nine weeks, â€Å"an agreement wa s finally reached† (Watson 206), between the workers and owners and the strike ends in their favor. The 1912 labor strike in Lawrence was the first time such large numbers of unskilled andShow MoreRelated The Great Gatsby - The American Dream Essay767 Words   |  4 Pagesis the character of the American Dream in which, in their respective ways, his principle heroes are all trapped.†, can be justified through Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and his short story â€Å"Winter Dreams†. In both pieces of literature, Fitzgerald explores and comments upon Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green’s pursuit of their â€Å"golden girls†. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is not easily achievedRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1707 Words   |  7 PagesStates, the pursuit of wealth through hard work is the main principle and guideline of life. Labeled as the American Dream, Americans are pressed to work hard and honest under the idea that they will have an equal opportunity to obtain riches and glory. But is the pursuit of wealth really as pure and honest as it may seem? Holding this same idea and question, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, a young man by the name of Nick Carraway begins his pursuit towards the American Dream. The novelRead MoreThemes Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1503 Words   |  7 PagesThe American dream is the ideal that every human that lives in the United States of America has an equal opportunity to fulfill success and achieve happiness. The failure of the American dream is an evident theme in the novel. The autho r, F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the character Jay Gatsby to symbolize the corruption that the pursuit of the American Dream holds. The American Dream highlights equality and is the quintessential idea that all humans are equal. However, this idea is perceived as an illusionRead MoreAmerican Dream in the Film, The Pursuit of Happyness Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pages The American dream is not fully represented in the same way as the ideas were initially raised. The ideas were primarily fabricated in the very beginning of our country. The propagandist role of any medium has changed just as much as the times have since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In contemporary America, film is the leading component of the propagation and detraction of the American dream. The film The Pursuit of Happyness (2005) supports the idea of the American dreamRead MoreThe Theme Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1297 Words   |  6 PagesIn the definition of the American Dream by Ja mes Truslow Adams in 1931, life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. If you have a dream in America, you can achieve it with old fashioned hard work. Whether it’s going from rags to riches or finding love, the American Dream can offer it. But the ever-popular American dream is easily corrupted. This is greatly shown in theRead MoreThe American Dream By Jim Cullen1265 Words   |  6 PagesInterpreted in multiple ways and forms, a quintessential aspiration has been the blueprint for Americans when engaging in perfection in politics, economics, and society. This â€Å"American Dream†, depicted by Jim Cullen, is a Puritan-inspired strive for opportunity presenting itself as an universal standard that constitutes to ultimate success. The reality of this Dream is a flawed repetition of a continuous pursuit of happiness, where one bleeds and sac rifices to be â€Å"happy†, and the constant modificationRead MoreOf Mice and Men and American Beauty Essay1435 Words   |  6 Pagesinsights into the American Dream are offered through the novella Of Mice and Men and the film American Beauty? In your essay you must consider the influences of context and the importance of techniques in shaping meaning. Of Mice and Men, a 1937 novella by John Steinbeck and American Beauty, a 1999 film directed by Sam Mendes, offer various insights into the American Dream and are both contextually driven. Both texts present the possibility of different pursuits of the American Dream and portray aRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1329 Words   |  6 PagesAn American Illusion After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was implemented in America, many immigrants from China, Japan, and India were stripped of their pursuit of the American Dream at Angel Island. The immigration station’s detainment of these rejected dreamers destroyed stories before they could happen. These stories of opportunity and the fulfillment of the American Dream make America what it is today. For instance, many immigrants today who are lucky enough to settle into America enterRead MoreMartin Luther King s I Have A Dream Speech891 Words   |  4 PagesSince Kindergarten, teachers have been teaching students about Martin Luther King Junior’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. Ever since children have been born, they have celebrated Independence Day by either going to a parade, or shooting fireworks. Although, at these young ages, children don’t quite know the real importance of each of them. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted every human being, regardless of their race to be treated fairly or just. Independence Day was the day on July 4, 1776 where fifty-sixRead More6. The Value/Danger Of Wealth. These Few Words By John1254 Words   |  6 Pagessuccess of a person, but the pursuit of opulence twisted foundation of the American dream by resulting in greediness. Money enticed people into accomplishing a directive due to its great worth, which could potentially result in good consequences or bad consequences. Wealth can bring about high values and through those high values it could pose the threat of false happiness and popularity, the motivations behind the pursuit of wealth, and the brokenness of the American dream. Happiness and popularity