2. Week 4
What it Means to be a Citizen of the
World and the Evolution of the American
Dream
3. What it Means to be a Citizen of the World and
the Evolution of the American Dream
In the last two weeks, you’ve looked at literature from four groups that
have historically been excluded from the American Dream. There are
many groups that we have not talked about who have also faced
exclusion from the American Dream, such as Mexican Americans, Muslim
Americans, Jewish Americans, Latin Americans, etc.
This week, we’ll focus on two questions:
• What does it mean to be a citizen of the world?
• What does the American Dream mean today? Has it changed?
Should it change?
4. What it Means to be a Citizen of the World
This week, you are reading an excerpt from Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil
Government.”
Thoreau’s essay expands on the idea of freedom; in his essay, he writes about what it
means to be free and be part of a democratic government. He describes what he feels
to be morally correct. For example, he asserts that people know that the war with
Mexico and slavery were both wrong, yet they take no action; instead, they wait for
someone else to address the problems and go on with their daily lives (Thoreau,
1866/2017, Vol. 1 p. 906). They feel good about taking a morally superior position but
take no action to make things right.
Instead of waiting for someone else to initiate change using the very slow government
process, Thoreau advocates acting on principle and exerting one’s entire influence. He
proposes that refusing to pay taxes is one way to stop supporting unjust actions by the
government. He writes, “It costs me less in every sense to incur the penalty of
disobedience to the State, than it would to obey. I should feel as if I were worth less in
that case” (Thoreau, 1866/2017, Vol. 1 p. 912). He is saying here that the moral cost of
continuing to finance government actions he doesn’t believe in is higher than the price
of paying taxes.
5. What it Means to be a Citizen of the World
Thoreau’s essay focuses on his non-payment of taxes because he did not agree with
the governmental actions of the war with Mexico and the perpetuation of slavery. By
continuing to pay his taxes, he would be financially supporting actions he did not
believe in.
Let’s take Thoreau’s ideas a bit further. What he is saying is that it is our duty, not just
our right, to defy unjust laws in order to effect change. Realistically, refusing to pay
taxes or breaking the law may not be our best option to create change. However, by
saying nothing, by doing nothing, or by waiting for someone else to do something to
change injustice, even though we disagree with it, we are really supporting that
injustice, aren’t we? What small-scale impact can we have on causes we believe in?
What large-scale impact can we have?
Give these ideas some thought as you consider the works we are reading this week.
How are Thoreau’s ideas represented in Spiegelman’s Maus? How are they
represented in Cisnero’s “Woman Hollering Creek,” Frost’s “Mending Wall,” and
Hughes’s poetry? How do you see his ideas at play in works we read about other
groups historically excluded from the American Dream?
6. What it Means to be a Citizen of the World
What do you think? Is it our moral obligation as Americans to stand up for injustice? Is
it our moral obligation as world citizens?
7. Evolution of the American Dream
In Week 1, you learned the definition of the American Dream as
expressed by James Truslow:
“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be
better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each
according to ability or achievement . . . It is not a dream of motor
cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which
each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest
stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by
others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances
of birth or position.”
Let’s explore how this term has been adapted and used for various
purposes.
8. Evolution of the American Dream
In popular culture, the term “American Dream” has sometimes been associated with
these alternate definitions:
Focus on materialism – people work harder to buy bigger houses, fancier cars, etc.
Focus on fulfillment – there is less emphasis on wealth and more emphasis on a
simple life
Pay attention as you see the term used in different contexts such as advertising and
politics. How is the idea of the American Dream used to persuade?
11. Evolution of the American Dream
References to the American Dream are frequently used in speeches by politicians in
both major parties (Republican and Democratic). Listen to the rhetoric from
President George W. Bush, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, President Barack
Obama, and President Donald Trump on the following screens.
How do they view the American Dream, and how are they using the idea of the
American Dream to garner support?
12. Cultural Inclusion
In the last several weeks, we have touched on how women, members of the LGBTQ
community, Native Americans, and African Americans have been excluded from the
American Dream. We have explored how the idea of “hard work brings success” does
not always apply to everyone, and we’ve looked at ways the American Dream has
changed in popular culture.
How can we reconcile these new ideas of the American Dream into our original
definition? Do Thoreau’s ideas about moral responsibility fit in? If so, how?
And, finally, what do you think: Is the American Dream alive and well for all Americans,
or is it a dream from the past?
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