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
2015-01-09
22
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.
【B7】
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
unclaimed land
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/rgdO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
AnAmericansurveyhasshownthateachyeareveryemployedpersonlosesthreetofourworkingdaysfromcoldsandalliedcomplai
TheAmericanscreenhaslongbeenasmokyplace,atleastsince1942’sNow,Voyager,inwhichBetteDavisandPaulHenreidshowe
WhichofthefollowingisNOTcorrectaboutRaulandhiswork?
WhichofthefollowingisNOTcorrectaboutRaulandhiswork?
Ateamofinternationalresearchershasfoundnewevidencethatanendangeredsubspeciesofchimpanzeeisthesourceoftheviru
ChinesearenolongerstrangerstoWesternFestivals.ManyChinesepeoplenowcelebratetheValentine’sDay,ThanksgivingDay,C
WhichofthefollowingisNOTthefunctionoflanguage?
ForgetexpensiveeducationalDVDsandprivatetutors,thesecrettosmartchildrencouldbesosimpleasgivingbirth【M1】______
ForgetexpensiveeducationalDVDsandprivatetutors,thesecrettosmartchildrencouldbesosimpleasgivingbirth【M1】______
Poetrydoesn’tmattertomostpeople.Onehastowonderifpoetryhasanyplaceinthe21stcentury,whenmusicvideosandsat
随机试题
()yououghttodoistoseeadoctor.
紫苏可治疗下列何种疾病
女性,孕37周,以重度子痫前期入院,治疗药物首选
某村村民在水库中捕鱼时打捞上一具尸体,村民立即向公安机关报案,公安机关立即赶赴现场进行勘验检查,因尸体已经高度腐烂,无法查清该尸体的身份,这给破案带来了极大的难度,但是可以肯定的是,该尸体背部以及腹部有刀伤,可以排除自杀,公安机关负责人认为该案侦破的难度很
房地产拥有者将该房地产委托给信托公司,信托公司根据委托者要求进行管理,帮委托者获取溢价,这是房地产的哪种投资方式()
房地产生产方式经历长时期的改革发展,综合开发后的住宅小区呈现的特点是()。
属于通用分拣机的有()。
根据我国《合同法》的规定,以下合同属于实践性合同的是()。
AgoodexampleofagroupofnationsworkingtogetherforthecommongoodistheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,orthe"CommonMar
Duringthetwentiethcentury,theUnitedStatesparticipatedintwomajorwarsthatrequiredthenationto【C1】________itsresour
最新回复
(
0
)