2. American Dream
Even though, the American Dream is different for each
individual, it is always about everybody having equality,
an ample amount of prosperity, successful in their
career life as well as their personal life, and living the
happy and cheerful life that they could only dream of.
3. The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
Oppressive and LiberatingJay Gatsby’s interpretation of
the American Dream was to
be extremely wealthy mainly
for getting the love of his
life, Daisy, and also to fulfill
his interpretation of himself
before he met Daisy. Before
Gatsby met Daisy, he had a
“new Gatsby” in his mind,
who would be very
successful for himself, but it
all changed once he met
Daisy. After meeting her, his
dream was just to become
wealthy so
that Daisy would be willing
to spend the rest of her life
with him. Gatsby was able to
get filthy rich; however he
was not able to fulfill his
biggest dream, Daisy.
Regardless of all the effort,
dedication, and the hard
work that Gatsby put into
trying to get Daisy to spend
her life with him and to
marry him, he failed
miserably. Even after he
died, his dreams were not
fulfilled.
5. “Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange
The mother portrayed in the pictures from the previous slide
is the perfect example of the many families in the United
States in the 1900’s. The pictures were taken by Dorothea
Lange in 1936. The pictures show that the mother has four
children. The living conditions that they live in are really
disturbing. Her children do not even have proper clothing;
the baby is wearing socks which have holes in them. It just
shows how desperate she is. In the mother’s eyes, you can
see that she is searching for the American dream. The dream
in which, her children and her would be living a happy,
peaceful, successful life. However, not only does she live in a
tent, but also she has no place to work. The farm that she
worked on was closed out, causing her to sell her car’s tires
in order to get food for her children and herself.
6. “Dream Variations” by Langston
Hughes
To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me-
That is my dream!
To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done
Rest at pale evening…
A tall, slim tree…
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.
7. “Dream Variation” by Langston Hughes
In the poem, “Dream Variation,” by Langston Hughes, the
narrator’s dream is to sit under the tree since the sun rises
until night falls. He does not want to do much work. He is
just like Gatsby in the sense that he wants “easy (fast)
money”. He wants to have a successful life just like the white
people in his community and not be discriminated for being
African American. In reality, he has to work really hard in
the burning, hot sun to get where he wants, but that is not
even possible because of the discrimination among white
and black. The night, for the narrator, is a pain, since it
makes him remember that he is black and not white. All he
wants is equality, he wants to live his life like the white
people in his community live their life.
