首页
登录
职称英语
The American Dream: Myth or RealityI. Orign of the term:A.
The American Dream: Myth or RealityI. Orign of the term:A.
游客
2023-12-11
51
管理
问题
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
I. Orign of the term:
A. began to be widely used in(1)______(1)______
B. first appeared in a(2)______ written by Horatio Alger(2)______
C. message sent by the story:
Regardless of the background, people with honesty, hard work and
(3)______would always succeed.(3)______
II. Basic definition of the American Dream;
— a better quality of life and a higher standard of living
-— better jobs, more(4)______, or ownership of land or a home(4)______
III. Associations;
A. -- in the past: desire to improve the quality of one’s life
-— today: an out-of-control(5)______and materialism(5)______
B. desire to create opportunities through hard work
— a hallmark: the classic(6)______(6)______
— an example: Abraham Lincoln
C.(7)______ and their stories and quests: often a narrative of(7)______
upward mobility
D. Historically,it can be associated with(8)______(8)______
— the frontier; symbols of(9)______ and a fresh start(9)______
— the negtive side: meeting resistance from native American Indians
E. equality
— an example: Martin Luther King Jr. ’s(10)______(10)______
— a harsh reality: not everyone had the same opportunities [br] (10)
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. In the previous lectures on American history, we have discussed about the founding of the nature, the civil war, the development of its political system and the change in its people’s beliefs. I enjoyed greatly reading your papers and some of your ideas even trigger my thoughts. And I noticed that in your papers, more and more of you mentioned the American dream. That is the topic of today: The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
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.(2)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.(3)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. No matter what your background, 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. 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.(4)This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However, 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.(5)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, more benign view of the American dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work.(6)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.
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 many feel great pride about their 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.(9)Throughout most of the 1800s, 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; 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.
A more recent interpretation of the American dream has to do with equality.(10)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. If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American dream only a myth?
Well, I feel time often goes fast in the lectures and hope you have the same feeling. We’ll have to stop here and continue our discussion next time. Remember to finish your reading assignment before our next meeting and get ready to share with me your thoughts on American dream. See you next time.
选项
答案
rhetoric
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3262541.html
相关试题推荐
WhichofthefollowingisnotthebranchofAmericanFederalgovernment?A、Execut
InrecentyearsAmericansocietyhasbecomeincreasinglydependentonitsun
InrecentyearsAmericansocietyhasbecomeincreasinglydependentonitsun
InrecentyearsAmericansocietyhasbecomeincreasinglydependentonitsun
WhatIsAnAmerican?"Ican’tmakeyouout,"HerryJameshasMr
WhatIsAnAmerican?"Ican’tmakeyouout,"HerryJameshasMr
WhatIsAnAmerican?"Ican’tmakeyouout,"HerryJameshasMr
WhatIsAnAmerican?"Ican’tmakeyouout,"HerryJameshasMr
WhatIsAnAmerican?"Ican’tmakeyouout,"HerryJameshasMr
______isthefirstAmericanblackwomanwriterwhowontheNobelPrizeforLite
随机试题
A概率密度满足
患者男,35岁,体重60kg。双上肢、躯干、双臀、会阴部被硫酸烧伤。现场急救,医
强迫症的发病年龄通常为()A.青少年期 B.童年期 C.中年期 D.
各种运输方式内外部的各个方面的构成和联系,就是( )。 A.运输系统
某房地产估价机构接受委托,评估位于历史文化街的一座临街小型商铺的市场价值。该商铺
公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展,是我国社会主义初级阶段的基本经济制度,党确
下列哪项因素不能剌激肾素分泌? A.肾缺血B.血浆Na+浓度降低C.交感神
原发性肝癌经淋巴道最常转移至 A.肝门淋巴结B.腹主动脉旁淋巴结C.左锁骨
病例摘要:患者,男性,60岁,农民。因乏力、腹胀9年,加重1个月入院。 患者乏
患者,女,30岁。腹胀20天伴低热、乏力、夜间盗汗前来求诊。体检:腹部轻度膨隆,
最新回复
(
0
)