“The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.” -Azar Nafisi. When you want to succeed so bad that you lose sight of the dream where will the path take you? Down a spiral of nothingness--no end, you’re stuck. As generations change and adapt so does the definition of the American Dream. To me the American Dream means to make a difference, to find success in the world and to share it with those I love.
The American Dream started as a white picket fence, 2 kids and a dog. Dad gets up every morning and goes to work-- the nine to five, while mom stays home taking care of kids, cleaning, and cooking all the family meals. It began to slowly evolve when people began to focus on equality. Women began to fight for their rights and thus a change in the American Dream. Eventually, we got to a place where prospering in life with money, fame and objects became the new dream. If you didn’t dream of nice cars and piles of money there was something wrong. We began to be the “gimme, gimme” generation. It went big or go home-- yet again the dream had evolved.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."” (King, I Have A Dream). It is believed that a main component of the American Dream is to be free and equal. Many people throughout this nation strive to be looked at as equals. You can see this all throughout the timeline of American history. You see is when Martin Luther King Jr. led the African American population to equality and again when Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton led the women’s rights movement. We as a country and as a culture are always changing and always trying to find the next better dream.
“In succeeding generations, deep into the twentieth century and even now at the start of the twenty-first century, various intellectuals-- literary writers and cultural historians alike--would wrestle with their own confusion about what it meant to be an American…” (Weales, 37). Often times we as Americans struggle with what that actually means. When an outsider looks at America they think land of the free and home of the brave, and while that’s true we as a country also have many flaws. As generations change and adapt we can see how our perspective becomes altered and our mindset changes. The American Dream has been evolving along with generations. You can see that in the four generations of women still alive in my family.
My great grandma said that her American Dream consisted of getting married, having lots of kids, taking care of the house--cooking and cleaning, and caring for her husband. As times began to change and women became more power hungry and independent the dream was modified.
Stay tuned for Part two next week!
