The American Dream Essay Research Paper CONTEMPORARY — страница 4

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American society and may not be a desirable thing for many people to do. So is the American Dream dead or alive? The notion of the American Dream encourages people, particularly new immigrants, to reach for it themselves. There is still a firmly held belief that in the US anyone can be a success, and can achieve The Dream. The concept of the American Dream is sold to every citizen along with the belief in the might and power of the US, patriotism, the American flag and the all-American apple-pie. Belief in the Dream is sufficient to keep it alive in the hearts of most Americans even if the reality of achieving the Dream is different. The dream of the poor Hispanic farmer will be very different from that of the Wall Street banker, to that of the inner city African-American single

parent family and, different again from the family in the leafy outer suburbs. The most under-represented section of the American population, the native Americans, are probably least likely to achieve their version of the American Dream. Poverty, seclusion and total destruction of traditional life has seen their Dream wither. On reflection, the American Dream lives on, even if it remains just that, a dream, for the majority of the population. REFERENCES Bartlett, P; American Dreams, Rural Realities: Family Farms in Crisis, university of North Carolina Press, USA, 1993 (Reading Pack) Feagin, J & Vera, H; White Racism, The Basics, Routledge, USA, 1995 (Reading Pack) Hochschild, J; Facing Up To The American Dream: Race Class and the Soul of the Nation, Princeton University

Press, USA, 1996 (Reading Pack) Klein, J; The Race Course, Mother Jones, Sept/Oct, 1997 (Reading Pack) Skolnick, j & Fyfe, J; Above The Law: Police & The Use of Excessive Force, Free Press, USA, 1993 Stern, K; A Force Upon The Plain: The Militia Movement and the Politics of Hate, Simon & Schuster, USA, 1996 (Reading Pack) Sugarmann, J; NRA: Money Firepower and Fear, Washington National Press, USA, 1992 (Reading Pack) VIDEO – Martin Luther King: The Legacy VIDEO – Hoop Dreams VIDEO – Troublesome Creek