"the American dream: myth or reality?"

« PORTFOLIO Intro: Hello, today I will present my topic which is taken from the theme travel, territories and frontiers that belongs to the terminal program. First, I would like to define what the American dream is.The American Dream is the American Society’s belief that anyone can, through hard work and strength of mind, achieve anything they ever wanted.My key question is "the American dream: myth or reality?" To answer this question I will first show that the American dream can be possible.

Then, in a second time I would show that this dream can fade. I- The American Dream is possible On the one hand, the American dream is an idea rooted for generations in the minds of millions of people.

This idea subsequently inspired many authors such as John Steinbeck in his work "Of Mice and Men".

It is a novel written in 1937.We can see that the cover helps us to understand the idea of this dream because we see at the bottom of it the two main characters then we see at the top of the cover the house that could symbolize the dream to reach.

The long way between the characters and the house can symbolize the obstacles they will encounter and that may be able to end their hopes. In this story there are two main characters Lennie and Georges.

George and Lennie’s dream of working hard and saving enough money to buy their own farm symbolizes the concrete ways in which the American Dream serves as an idealized goal for poor and working-class Americans even in the darkest and hardest of times.

So they work hard to achieve this dream.Other characters in this novel are also trying to achieve their vision of the American Dream as Curley’s wife who wants to be an actress.We will see that their different visions about the American dream will be compromised. John Steinbeck is not the only author who will explore the complexities of the American dream.

Indeed a poet like Langston Hughes will show that when we aspire to achieve this dream, we do everything in our power to achieve it.He demonstrated this in a poem entitled Let America be America again that he wrote in 1935.Thus the poet shows that the American dream remains possible if we fight for our convictions and if we work to overcome the inequalities and injustices that we sometimes face.He invites everyone to believe in a future where America will truly be the country of freedom, equality and justice for all because we will see that in his vision of things Langston Hughes is reluctant to the existence of this dream. Until now, we have only seen the visions of characters or poets but what about the vision of real American people? Dorothea Lange’s "migrant mother" photograph captures the essence of the experience of migrants seeking to realize the American dream during the Great Depression.We see that the photographer chose to represent a mother and her children.

Indeed the mother knows difficulties since she is alone but despite this she remains a figure of courage and a model for her children.This image symbolizes resilience and the will to overcome obstacles to offer a better life to her family, values often associated with the American dream.Moreover, by also portraying a family we understand that to achieve this dream, the family is a major asset since it evokes a significant moral support in this quest for success So we see that through courage and mental strength, the most disadvantaged people like migrants can also have an idea of their own American dream and realize it.

It is this idea that is found in the song America from the movie West Side Story. This music shows that the dream is possible by highlighting the different perspectives and opinions of the characters on what America is and what it offers.

In the song, the young Puerto Ricans and the American Jets express their contrasting visions of life in America.The positive vision of this dream is put forward by the Jets which are American and we will see later that the Puerto Ricans are not of this opinion which can pose a limit in relation to the realization of this dream.Despite these differences, the song shows that America is a place where people come looking for a better future, even though they may face challenges on the way. Overall, "America" emphasizes that the American dream is an ideal that attracts and inspires people from all walks of life, even though they may have different interpretations of what it actually means.

The music highlights the diversity and conflicts that characterize American society, but it also highlights the hope and possibility of success for those who are willing.... »