Custom «The American Dream» Essay Paper Sample

The American Dream, for many, represents the reality that we are able to achieve whatever we work hard for. The pursuit of happiness is achievable for those who sincerely work for it; this is the American dream. This is happening for many and while still not happening for many others. This is the basis of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun poem. She talks about the false hope that happens for many who have failed dreams. The author depicts the movement of the blacks from the ghetto life to the North in search for better life. Many, however, do not realize this dream and find disappointments instead. The poet records the happenings in the poem by showing a young family moving from the ghetto life to the North in search of better life.

The young family in the play represents the plight of many families who are moving from ghetto life in search of better life in the modern towns and in the North. For close to 230 years, America has been said to be a land of freedom and justice for all. In the play, the young family demonstrates that the American Dream is not all it is said to be. When their father dies, they wait for his insurance check for long as they struggle with the hard work they have known all along. Each family in the world has the desire to achieve the best out of life and all their life they are in pursuit of this dream. Happiness is what so sought by all and sundry. In the play, Lorraine Hansberry makes use of the main characters to bring the main theme of the play: In pursuit of the American Dream. She sheds light of this matter through Mama, Benethea, and Walter.

Through Mama, Lorraine Hansberry uses the dream of her wanting to buy a house to bring out the desire she has for her life. The status of people in the United States has been seen by many as a separator of people. People are in constant pursuit of their desires so as to get promotion to the upper classes.

There is Walter who Lorraine uses to bring out the way African Americans struggle in their pursuit for American Dream. This character demonstrates the way African American men struggle to provide bread for their families while at the same time achieving their own dreams. Instead of him making the money from the insurance to make better lifestyle for his family, he pouts until he has his own way. He not only lets himself down when he loses his money but also his family. His inability to use the money wisely demonstrates his inability to bring benefits to his family. He constantly fights with his family. He does not understand the fact that the problems that face his family are his problems too. Instead of listening to his family and helping them to solve the problems, he ignores them and often clashes with them. He was supposed to fight for them in order to achieve the American Dream. When the family use the little money they have to better their lives, Walter realizes that it does not take money alone to achieve a dream. Instead it is a joint effort and understanding among the family members. When he defies Mr. Linder, he realizes that they would have been able to achieve a lot if he would have cooperated with them. Even though they did not get the much desired dream of getting the best out of life, he realizes that getting the best out of life need synergy amongst the members and parties working for it.

Fitzgerald work is a description of the struggle to attain the American Dream. Carraway shows the story of the son of farmer who is turned racketeer having the name Jay Gatz. The wealth he gains, in an ill-motive way, is for the sole-purpose of pleasing his sophisticated woman who is after money. The name of the woman is Daisy Fay Buchanan. The illusions he has over money and power are woven perfectly in this poem. It shows the character of Fitzgerald as having callousness and moral irresponsibility of the affluent society of the year 1920.

The life in America by then was going through a revolution of culture and lifestyle. In this era, there was a boom in the economy. There was extravagant expending in America. Many rich spend their monies away in parties and acquisitions. Profits were made in legal and illegal ways. The poet contrasts the dream that is portrayed by Gatschy and the reality. He destroys the American Dream that you can achieve what you work for.

In the poem, Let America be America, the poet shows us the fact that life is unfair for the lower class American. It shows the struggles that the minority groups in American have to undergo to realize their dream. In the poem, the disadvantaged Americans are in constant chase of the wind with the aim gaining better returns out of life. This is not the case for most of the lower-class citizens. They have a hope that in future, they will be able to achieve whatever they will want in life. It talks of the freedom and the justice for all for the American citizen that never was.

Although Hughes believes that there is no American Dream, there is. There are underdogs and Negroes who enjoy better lives. They have not achieved this through pretence or relaxation. They have struggled to achieve the status they are. In some parts, he puts it more plainly (Hire, 2004).

In all this literature, there is one truth that is depicted in them. Many people in America are looking for better work and opportunities. They want to improve their lives through hard work. Many have realized this dream while still many are yet to achieve. Coupled with the fact that America is a country striving to defend their position as the super power country, life is expected to be high and harsh. Many are struggling to be in tandem with the realities of life. With this, the whites and blacks have different capacities in their quest for their freedom and better life. In one of his line, Hughes says, but the American Dream does exist. And the dream must be fulfilled.

Many of the lower class individuals in America have been struggling to be like their white American colleagues. The segregation that has been practiced in this wealthy nation makes it attractive even to their own. Many Americans, especially the Negroes and the Blacks have constantly been chasing this dream for long. For some, the effort has been futile while to others it has been achievable. In the literature that has been seen, there are pieces that have been successful while others have not managed to go through.