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 I. Orign of the term: A. began to be widely used in(1)______(1)______ B. first appeared in a
The American Dream: Myth or Reality I. Orign of the term: A. began to be widely used in(1)______(1)______ B. first appeared in a
admin
2013-08-05
53
问题
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
I. Orign of the term:
A. began to be widely used in(1)______(1)______
B. first appeared in a(2)______ written by Horatio Alger(2)______
C. message sent by the story:
Regardless of the background, people with honesty, hard work and
(3)______would always succeed.(3)______
II. Basic definition of the American Dream;
— a better quality of life and a higher standard of living
-— better jobs, more(4)______, or ownership of land or a home(4)______
III. Associations;
A. -- in the past: desire to improve the quality of one’s life
-— today: an out-of-control(5)______and materialism(5)______
B. desire to create opportunities through hard work
— a hallmark: the classic(6)______(6)______
— an example: Abraham Lincoln
C.(7)______ and their stories and quests: often a narrative of(7)______
upward mobility
D. Historically,it can be associated with(8)______(8)______
— the frontier; symbols of(9)______ and a fresh start(9)______
— the negtive side: meeting resistance from native American Indians
E. equality
— an example: Martin Luther King Jr. ’s(10)______(10)______
— a harsh reality: not everyone had the same opportunities
(6)
The American Dream: Myth or Reality
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. In the previous lectures on American history, we have discussed about the founding of the nature, the civil war, the development of its political system and the change in its people’s beliefs. I enjoyed greatly reading your papers and some of your ideas even trigger my thoughts. And I noticed that in your papers, more and more of you mentioned the American dream. That is the topic of today: The American Dream: Myth or Reality?
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.(2)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.(3)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. No matter what your background, 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. 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.(4)This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However, 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.(5)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, more benign view of the American dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work.(6)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.
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 many feel great pride about their 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.(9)Throughout most of the 1800s, 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; 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.
A more recent interpretation of the American dream has to do with equality.(10)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. If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American dream only a myth?
Well, I feel time often goes fast in the lectures and hope you have the same feeling. We’ll have to stop here and continue our discussion next time. Remember to finish your reading assignment before our next meeting and get ready to share with me your thoughts on American dream. See you next time.
选项
答案
self-starter
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Sa4O777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Ihavenostatisticsonthis,butconversationwithfriendsanddozensofperson-on-the-streetinterviewsIsawandheardlastmo
Whatmaterialswerenotusedforroadsurfacesduringthelastcentury?
FormanyyearsitwascommonintheUnitedStatestoassociateChineseAmericanswithrestaurantsandlaundries.Peopledidnot
TheheadofgovernmentofUnitedKingdomis
Mummiescaptureourimaginationsandourhearts.Fullofsecretsandmagic,theywereoncepeoplewholivedandloved,justasw
ItwassaidbySirGeorgeBernardShawthat"EnglandandAmericaaretwocountriesseparatedbythesamelanguage."Myfirstpe
Researchersinmanycountrieshaveobservedthatmiddleclasschildrenasagrouparemoresuccessfulintheeducationalsystem
Duringtheearlyyearsofthiscentury,wheatwasseenastheverylifebloodofWesternCanada.Peopleoncitystreetswatched
Untiltheverylatestmomentofhisexistence,manhasbeenboundtotheplanetonwhichheoriginatedanddeveloped.Nowh
这地方是个长潭的转折处,两岸是高大壁立千丈的山,山头上长着小小竹子,长年翠色逼人。这时节两山只剩余一抹深黑,赖天空微明勾画出一个轮廓。但在黄昏里看来如一种奇迹的,都是两岸高处去水已三千丈上下的吊脚楼。这些房子莫不俨然悬挂在半空中,借着黄昏的余光,还可以把这
随机试题
随着信息技术的不断发展,经过收集和分析的海量数据成了重要资源。人们每一次点击鼠标,每一次刷卡消费,就已经参与了数据的生成。每一个人既是数据的生产者,也是数据的消费者。这说明()。①量的积累达到一定的度必将促进事物的发展
猛烈的、短暂的、爆发式的情绪状态是()。
下颌阻生牙拔除时,其软组织覆盖牙牙合面超过多少时应切开
皮质激素类药物分子结构中C17-α-醇酮基与碱性四氮唑蓝试液的呈色反应,可用于
根据所给资料,回答下列问题。2015年6月底,全国光伏发电累计装机容量达到3578万千瓦,其中,光伏电站3007万千瓦,分布式光伏571万千瓦。全国各省(区、市)中,累计光伏发电装机容量超过100万千瓦的分别为甘肃578万千瓦、新疆570万千瓦、
根据我国现行建设工程总投资及工程造价的构成,下列资金在数额上和工程造价相等的是()。
请根据以上资料,选择以下栏目的正确选项:“运输工具名称”栏应填()。
小青常在课堂上玩手机,小娜提醒小青学校规定课堂上不能玩手机,可小青不听,因此小娜认为小青不是好学生。根据柯尔伯格道德发展理论,小娜的道德发展处于()阶段。
设f(lnx)=,求∫f(x)dx.
ByturnsI______andflushwithheat,andTheodoraisgreatlydisturbedaboutme.
最新回复
(
0
)