首页
登录
职称英语
The American Dream: Myth or Reality? Though the term "Americ
The American Dream: Myth or Reality? Though the term "Americ
游客
2023-12-06
36
管理
问题
The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
Though the term "American Dream" is widely used today, there exist many
problems we seem unable to provide answers. A more important question arises: Is the
American Dream a myth or a reality today?
I . Introduction: the occurrence of "American Dream" —origin: first appeared in Horatio Alger’s novel, Ragged Dick
—the message from the novel: Everyone could succeed in America if they are hard
working and【B1】______【B1】______
—【B2】______: the hope to have a better life and a higher living standard【B2】______
II. Evolution: new versions and【B3】______of the term【B3】______
A. the basic definition mentioned above: desire to improve life
—in the past: started out on a smaller scale
—today: causes an out-of-control consumerism and materialism
B. more【B4】______view: desire to create opportunities by hard working【B4】______
—hallmark: the classic "self-starter"
—example; former President Abraham Lincoln
C. associated with【B5】______and their stories【B5】______
—Americans are fascinated by their stories.
—Americans feel pride about their own families, who worked hard to create a
better life for【B6】______.【B6】______
D. associated with westward expansion in the U.S.
—frontier: a vast expanse of【B7】______in the West【B7】______
—positive side: opportunities for dreamers
—negative side【B8】displacement of______【B8】______
III . Recent interpretation: be relevant to【B9】______【B9】______
—Dr. Martin Luther King: equal opportunities for all Americans
—a harsh reality: not everyone had the same opportunities
—a myth: if people were【B10】______opportunities for race, ethnic background,【B10】______
or gender. [br] 【B5】
The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
Good morning, every one. In today’s lecture, we will look at the American Dream. As we all know, the term "American Dream" is widely used today. But what exactly does this concept mean? Where does the term come from? When we talk about the American Dream, whose American Dream are we describing? Is the American Dream the same for all Americans? Has the meaning of the term changed over time? Is the American Dream a uniquely American concept? Questions like these can complicate a seemingly simple term and lead us to an even more important question: Is the American Dream a myth or a reality today?
The term "American Dream" began to be widely used in 1867. The term was used in a famous novel written by Horatio Alger. The novel, Ragged Dick, was a "rags to riches" story about a little boy who was orphaned and lived in New York. The boy saved all his pennies, worked very hard, and eventually became rich. The novel sent the message to the American public that anyone could succeed in America if they were honest, worked hard, and showed determination to succeed.(1)No matter what your background was, no matter where you were from, no matter if you had no money or no family, hard work and perseverance would always lead to success.
Today, the message from Alger’s novel is still a prevalent one in this country. It is still used to define the American Dream.(2)A very basic definition of the American Dream is that it is the hope of the American people to have a better quality of life and a higher standard of living than their parents. This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However,(3)new versions and variations of the American Dream have surfaced since Alger’s novel was published. For one thing, the basic definition I stated a moment ago—the idea that Americans are always seeking to improve their lifestyle—also suggests that each generation wants more than the previous generation had. Some people would argue that this ever-increasing desire to improve the quality of one’s life may have started out on a smaller scale, in the past, but today has led to an out-of-control consumerism and materialism. According to this view, we not only want more than our parents and our grandparents had, but we also want more than our friends, our co-workers, and our neighbors have.
Another,(4)more benign view of the American Dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work. A hallmark of the American Dream, some would argue, is the classic "self-starter," the person who starts out with very little in life—little money, few friends, few opportunities— and works hard to make his or her way in the world. A classic example of this type of American Dreamer would be former president Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin, was largely self-educated, and yet worked his way up in the world to eventually become a United States president.
(5)This view of the American Dream has also been associated with immigrants and their stories, their quests for a better life in a new country. Americans have long been fascinated by immigrant stories, and(6)many feel great pride about their own families who may have come from other countries, worked very hard, and created a better life for future generations. The immigrant story is most often a narrative of upward mobility. Immigrants, seeing this country as a place of new opportunities and possibilities, play a large role in narratives—both fiction and nonfiction—about pursuing the American Dream, and indeed, we could point to many success stories.
The American Dream has also, historically, been associated with westward expansion in this country. Throughout most of the 1800s,(7)the notion of the frontier—a vast expanse of largely unclaimed land in the West-symbolized new opportunities and a fresh start to people. Many a Dreamer set off for the West in search of land, jobs, gold, or other opportunities, often with next to nothing in his pocket. Unfortunately, this idea of new opportunities in the West had a negative side. The American West was not unpopulated;(8)Native American Indians already lived there, along with other immigrant groups, and these people were often displaced—or met with violence—if they interfered with the visions or ideas of westward-migrating Americans.
(9)A more recent interpretation of the American Dream has to do with equality. Civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , used some of the rhetoric associated with the American Dream to urge people to work for equal opportunities for all Americans, not just some Americans. A harsh reality was becoming clear to some people, especially in the 1960s and 1970s: not everyone had the same opportunities.(10)If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American Dream only a myth? You can continue to think about this question after my speech, and give me your feedback on my blog homepage.
That’s our main point today. Thank you for your attention!
选项
答案
immigrants
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3248936.html
相关试题推荐
______hastheworld’soldestwrittenconstitutionandpoliticalparty.A、America
Withsocialdevelopment,theChinesefamilieshavewitnesschanges,thoughs
AllofthefollowingareAmericanJewishwritersEXCEPTA、IsaacBashevisSinger.
WhichofthefollowingisconsideredanAmericanmasterpiece?A、TheLastoftheM
______isthemostimportantofallAmericancrops.A、WheatB、CornC、CottonD、Ric
TheRedScarein1919and1920wasatypicalexampleofAmerican______.A、religio
Althoughitmighthavehappenedanywhere,myencounterwiththegreenbanana
Althoughitmighthavehappenedanywhere,myencounterwiththegreenbanana
Australiawasoriginallyonecolonyof______.A、AmericaB、CanadaC、EnglandD、New
[originaltext]M:Thoughshouldchocolateloverseverywhereherejoicingtoday,
随机试题
[originaltext]Theproblemofleisureisnew.[9]Untilveryrecenttimespeo
Normallyastudentmustattendacertainnumberofcoursesinordertogradu
ThescientistGalileoclaimedthattheearth______aroundthesun.A、movesB、mov
()的变动可以反映本期的产品供求状况,并对下期的产品供求状况产生影响。A、当期国内消费量B、当期出口量C、期末结存量D、前期国内消费量C期末结
下图坝体分区中,Ⅴ区混凝土应考虑抗裂和()等因素。 A.抗渗 B.抗侵
福建靠近北回归线,形成暖热湿润的温带海洋性季风气候。()
教育科学研究的本质特征是( )。A.整理知识 B.创新 C.经验描
即将开展的以社区为本的康复计划,将康复过程中一些比较简单的和非专业化的训练及护理
盈利能力比率用来衡量管理层将销售收入转换成实际利润的效率,体现管理层控制费用并获
下列不属于工程计量依据的是()。A、企业定额 B、质量合格证书 C、设计图
最新回复
(
0
)