When thinking of how to personally define the American Dream, I keep coming up blank. I keep seeing the idyllic 1950s scene with the suburban houses, flamingo lawn decor, bright poofy dresses, and sunny skies. Back then I would define the dream and having a nice family, house, steady job, with not a worry in the world. On the other hand, the is most definitely not the case anymore. Sure, many aspects to it can be desirable but more pressing issues have shown. When researching other’s definitions, three, in particular, have stood aside from the rest. Webster’s Dictionary defines the American Dream as “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful”. This one is, by far, my favorite. This open-ended definition allows everyone to interpret it based on their prior history and goals for the future. In contrast, according to the New York Times, the general ideas of the dream have shifted. Back in the 1930s, the themes were primarily freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity. However, when talking with a few politicians in our government today, the themes have turned to “owning a beautiful home and a successful business”. The Times state that the 1930s definition “had more to do with morality than material success”. I find this extremely concerning. If the people who are leading our country have this material mindset, what does that mean for the rest of us? Investopedia’s defines it as “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone”. This definition is super important. My take is how they suggest that just because someone wasn’t born here, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't have the same opportunities and you and me. All of these definitions have the overall theme of success and just living the life that you want. If I actually had to define my idea “American Dream” it would simply be “a way of living your best life with the resources to do so at your fingertips”. I created this piece to embody some of the themes of my “American Dream”. I had posters show through the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty all in front of the American flag. I used vintage posters showcasing popular states and topics in our country. I placed them in the Statue of Liberty because I appreciate what it stands for. The torch on the statue represents enlightenment and showing the way to freedom. Freedom and equality are topics that I value a lot in life. I muted the flag because I don't necessarily feel strongly about what I associate it with. I feel that while patriotism can be a good thing, but it's just not one of my top priorities. Personally, I don’t like to identify just a single definition of the “American Dream”. However, I believe this piece showcases one of the many takes on the historically known ideals of anyone who lives in the United States.
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Even though women are affected by societal expectations on a day to day basis, they defy those expectations just the same. They do this by simply living their lives. Women can very easily go with society’s expectations. However, we are own people. We make our own decisions.
A great example of this is the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. In the narrative, the author goes through the hour in which a grieving widow learns of her husband's death. Once the truth is unveiled, she grieves, as someone would expect. After some time she asks for some time to herself. During this time, at first, she thinks this is the end of her life because she doesn’t see the point without her beloved husband. As time goes on, she recalls all of the hard times he caused her. She becomes excited and empowered by her new found freedom. Another example of women defying societal expectations is embodied by Miss Emily from the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. Miss Emily defied all expectations on a daily basis. She refused to adhere to simple systematic expectations, such as leaving her house every now and then, paying taxes and murdering people. However, she did not stop there. She then went on and made the townsfolk believe that her suitor (the person that she poisoned) was still alive and well. She then went even farther as to keep the body and in her room. In a nutshell, Miss Emily defied almost every societal expectation in the book. Both these women defied the societal standards that were bestowed upon them. Look around you or take a look at yourself and really think about societies expectations for women. We defy them. Social Expectations affect women in countless ways and it needs to stop. Our society is constantly putting down women or adding yet another standard to which we judge them. Different cultures have different expectations, however, they all that too many.
In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins, the author touches on many of these absurd expectations. The Protagonist is a serious condition and because she is a woman no one is taking it seriously. The two main men in her life, her husband and her bother, are just going along with it but don’t think anything of it. They are both physicians, therefore, they believe they know everything and are the pinnacle of knowledge. The author portrays them to believe that because she is simply a woman she doesn't know if she is sick or not and if by chance she is, they, of course, should lock her in her house and take away everything that keeps her sane. Alleged old beliefs, such as “women can’t possibly handle knowledge” shows a lot within this story. Her brother and husband believe this and unfortunately, there are still people in our society that also feel this way. This has been disproven countless times but still. Nothing. Societal expectations affect woman every day, in all environments. The social standards of woman have been built up throughout the years. This must end. |
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