首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The American Dream: Myth or Reality? Though the term "American Dream" is widely used today, there exist many problems we se
The American Dream: Myth or Reality? Though the term "American Dream" is widely used today, there exist many problems we se
admin
2015-05-24
105
问题
The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
Though the term "American Dream" is widely used today, there exist many
problems we seem unable to provide answers. A more important question arises: Is the
American Dream a myth or a reality today?
I . Introduction: the occurrence of "American Dream" —origin: first appeared in Horatio Alger’s novel, Ragged Dick
—the message from the novel: Everyone could succeed in America if they are hard
working and【B1】______【B1】______
—【B2】______: the hope to have a better life and a higher living standard【B2】______
II. Evolution: new versions and【B3】______of the term【B3】______
A. the basic definition mentioned above: desire to improve life
—in the past: started out on a smaller scale
—today: causes an out-of-control consumerism and materialism
B. more【B4】______view: desire to create opportunities by hard working【B4】______
—hallmark: the classic "self-starter"
—example; former President Abraham Lincoln
C. associated with【B5】______and their stories【B5】______
—Americans are fascinated by their stories.
—Americans feel pride about their own families, who worked hard to create a
better life for【B6】______.【B6】______
D. associated with westward expansion in the U.S.
—frontier: a vast expanse of【B7】______in the West【B7】______
—positive side: opportunities for dreamers
—negative side【B8】displacement of______【B8】______
III . Recent interpretation: be relevant to【B9】______【B9】______
—Dr. Martin Luther King: equal opportunities for all Americans
—a harsh reality: not everyone had the same opportunities
—a myth: if people were【B10】______opportunities for race, ethnic background,【B10】______
or gender.
【B10】
The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
Good morning, every one. In today’s lecture, we will look at the American Dream. As we all know, 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. 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. 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.(1)No matter what your background was, 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.(2)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. This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However,(3)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. 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,(4)more benign view of the American Dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work. 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.
(5)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(6)many feel great pride about their own 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. Throughout most of the 1800s,(7)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;(8)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.
(9)A more recent interpretation of the American Dream has to do with equality. 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.(10)If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American Dream only a myth? You can continue to think about this question after my speech, and give me your feedback on my blog homepage.
That’s our main point today. Thank you for your attention!
选项
答案
denied
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/ExOO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
BermardBailynhasrecentlyreinterpretedtheearlyhistoryoftheUnitedStatesbyapplyingnewsocialresearchfindingsonthe
IntheUnitedStates,theMuckrakersattheturnofthe20thcenturyreferredtoagroupof______.
Whatisthefirstthingpeopleshouldrememberiftheywanttomakeagoodpresentation?
StrongaffinitytotheChineseandOrientalliteraturecanbefoundintheworksof______.
WhichofthefollowingfactorsisNOTmentionedbyEdwardinchoosingthelocationofahouse?
1Women,byvirtueoftheavailabilityofsuchoutletsascryingfortheexpressionofemotion,arelikelytosufferfromfew
IntroductiontotheSportsStudiesDepartmentThismini-lecturegivenbytheSportsStudiesDepartmentontheUniversity’sOpen
Tounderstandthemarketingconcept,it’sonlynecessarytounderstandthedifferencebetweenmarketingandselling.Nottooma
1DuringtheearlystagesoftheIndustrialRevolution,advertisingwasarelativelystraightforwardmeansofannouncement
我不敢说生命是什么,我只能说生命像什么。生命像向东流的一江春水,他从最高处发源,冰雪是他的前身。他聚集起许多细流,合成一股有力的洪涛,向下奔注,他曲折的穿过了悬崖峭壁,冲倒了层沙积土,挟卷着滚滚的沙石,快乐勇敢地流走,一路上他享受着他所遭遇的一切
随机试题
实体完整性规则是指关系中的元组在组成主键的属性上不能是_________。
MostAmericansdon’tliketogetadvicefrommembersoftheirfamily.Whentheyneedadvice,theydon’tusually【C1】______peoplet
患者,女性,38岁,上腹痛3d,1d前寒战高热,查体:右季肋下触及一包块,触痛,可随呼吸上下移动,该患者的诊断为
首先应进行基础治疗,下列做法中哪一项是错误的进行第二阶段的手术治疗的指征包括
代脉的脉象是()
中国人民银行的监督管理措施不包括()。
阿拉瓜利河位于巴西亚马孙河流域的北部,注入大西洋,全长只有220千米,下游河道宽约2千米,且河床较浅,沿河多沼泽。在特定时间,河口会出现涌潮。浩浩荡荡的潮水从河口沿河道逆流而上60千米,时速30余千米,潮高可达2~4米。下图示意阿拉瓜利河的中下游位置。据此
“授人以鱼仅供一饭之需,授之以渔则终身受用”说明教学应重视()
沟通网络是信息沟通的结构形式,常见的沟通网络有四种形式:在轮式网络中,一个下级同时与多个主管联系,但主管之间没有沟通的情形。在Y式网络中,第二级有两个上级与之联系,第三级与一个或更多下级发生联系。在环式网络中,每个成员仅与相邻者联系,而不能与更远的成员进行
Atpresent,therearemoreandmorewaysofgoingonholiday.Inmyopinion,therearetwotypesofholiday-makersHoliday-m
最新回复
(
0
)