American Dream
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The American Dream
Author: Lawrence R. Samuel
language: en
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Release Date: 2012-08-27
There is no better way to understand America than by understanding the cultural history of the American Dream. Rather than just a powerful philosophy or ideology, the Dream is thoroughly woven into the fabric of everyday life, playing a vital role in who we are, what we do, and why we do it. No other idea or mythology has as much influence on our individual and collective lives. Tracing the history of the phrase in popular culture, Samuel gives readers a field guide to the evolution of our national identity over the last eighty years. Samuel tells the story chronologically, revealing that there have been six major eras of the mythology since the phrase was coined in 1931. Relying mainly on period magazines and newspapers as his primary source material, the author demonstrates that journalists serving on the front lines of the scene represent our most valuable resource to recover unfiltered stories of the Dream. The problem, however, is that it does not exist, the Dream is just that, a product of our imagination. That it is not real ultimately turns out to be the most significant finding about the American Drea, and what makes the story most compelling.
The American Dream as a subject in speeches
Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1,7, University of Duisburg-Essen (Politische Theorie), course: Politische Rhetorik, 10 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The American Dream has always been a central subject in political speeches. Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were not the only presidents who referred to it in their speeches. Quite possibly every presidential candidate and president related to it when they accepted their nominations and when they outlined their political programmes at their inaugurations. Ever since it has become part of the tradition of political rhetoric in the United States, one can say how centrally important the American Dream (still) is and what great influence it has on the American people. So what exactly is the American Dream? Peter Freese calls the attempt of defining it "subjective and imcomplete", especially because he is of the opinion that the vision and beliefs transferred in the American Dream change with the times. However, he quotes Hartmut Keil by using his definition of the American Dream with a lot of its beliefs and convictions that are substantial parts of it: "Individual success, advancement, materialism, personal success, neighborliness, naturalness, individuality, freedom, equality, equal opportunity, search for identity, national purpose, American consciousness, democratic dream, dream of paradise (...), moving force, liberation of humanity, world's salvation"; but he comes to the conclusion that there is not the possibility of a precise definition in case one does not want to list nearly every aspect of "American society". Still, the fundamental values and virtues that build the basis and are the core function of the American Dream, are the main part of American political rhetoric. The metaphor of the American Dream has always been used by being glorified by politians in their speeches, and mostly with the promise of fulfilment s
The American Dream
Cullen particularly focuses on the founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence ("the charter of the American Dream"); Abraham Lincoln, with his rise from log cabin to White House and his dream for a unified nation; and Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality. Our contemporary version of the American Dream seems rather debased in Cullen's eyes-built on the cult of Hollywood and its outlandish dreams of overnight fame and fortune.
