PARTY IN THE U.S.A.

            Is the dream dead? As a class, we read the introduction of The American Dream in the 21 st Century by Hanson and White which discusses the endurance of the American Dream and its ability to withstand anything. Now, we are reading a book that discusses the death of the American Dream and how it is no longer alive. This opposition of ideas exposes the differentiation of ideals in our society today. The question I have now: who is right?             In a way, all the authors are. Noam Chomsky in his Requiem for the American Dream argues that the class mobility that the American Dream once was made up of has collapsed. The idea that “You’re born poor, you work hard, you get rich” is now unattainable (Chomsky, xi). We live in a world where it is no longer possible for everyone to get a decent job, buy a home, get a car, or have their children go to school. To this extent, I agree. America...

            The American Dream. Something we’ve all heard of, maybe even something we’ve all discussed in a class or two. It may even be something we’ve thought of for ourselves. We’ve all imagined the future, whether we were eight years old and all we wanted to do was be a high school athlete, we were fifteen ½, counting down the days until we could drive ourselves places and get away from our over-bearing parents, or maybe it’s this year, and we are looking forward to graduating from college and getting our first “grown up” job. No matter the age, circumstance, or background, we’ve all imagined the future. Some of us have planned more ahead than others, but nevertheless, we all have our own version of the American Dream.             Sandra Hanson and John White have theirs. In the introduction of their book The American Dream in the 21 st Century , Hanson and White made it clear that the American ...