The essay depicts immigrants' dreams as they attempt to apply for citizenship in the US. This is the concept that James Truslow Adams, who coined the term "The American Dream," described in The Epic of America. It draws attention to the numerous visions that people have held throughout history. Numerous poetic works that highlight some of the most important features of the composers' period and their aspirations for life convey these visions. In order to determine how far the American people have come in realizing this goal, the paper compares these works. It also explains how the American dream is currently manifested and what the aspirations of the present generation are for the nation of America.
The main body of this work highlights various elements of the American dream that are resultant from the promise of the founding fathers of the nation. These elements include freedom, justice and social equality. The work analyses the aspirations of all Americans with regard to these basic elements and seeks to ascertain whether the present state of the United States’ social structure is in accordance to the promises of the nation’s founding fathers. It also gives a comprehensive breakdown of the effects of the efforts of the people of the nation towards the development of these elemental values of an ideal society.
This work lauds the efforts of individual Americans for their contribution towards the achievement of this dream. Not all the benchmarks may have been attained, and this is acknowledged in the work, but analysis has been presented to show that the country is on the right track towards the achievement of these ideals. The work further goes on to applaud the achievements of the American nation as a whole and to extrapolate these visions through to the future.
Introduction
The American dream is a phrase that has been used by every person that ventured to the United States to find themselves a better life (Adams, James Truslow 35). It entails the promise of a free and equal society where every person has an equal voice and equal opportunity to attain whatever he or she want regardless of social background. This is the promise that the founding fathers gave the nation and is the desire that drives every immigrant. Achieving this dream, however, is not an immediate event but a process of sacrifice and it is imperative that this process is analyzed at every checkpoint to ascertain it is in accordance to the aspirations of the people of America.
Freedom and discrimination
America was founded on the principle of liberty (Hughes, Langston 73). The country was meant as a haven from oppression and has been one of the most attractive attributes of the nation. In the poem by Hughes, he describes a black servant that, despite being free, is discriminated against by their master. Racial discrimination has plagued the American nation since the abolition of slavery. However, significant steps have been made towards the achievement of equality between races with the Civil Rights Movement being one of the most successful movements towards that cause. Racial discrimination has thus reduced drastically since, and this is a step ahead towards racial equality. The present social landscape of the United States of America constitutes people from all occupations and all the races of the world. The country also has a diverse and all-inclusive government that is indicative of the progress towards equality for all regardless of age, sex, race and even sexual orientation.
Diligence and hard work
Whitman describes hard-working residents that all share a love for the country in their proclamation and singing. One of the key aspects of the American dream is the promise of a better life that includes better economic stature. Whitman ascribes the achievement of the dream to the hard work and diligence of the individual citizens. This is evident in the present economic environment of the United States as it dramatically favors the creation of wealth but only through the diligence of the citizens and this is an achievement of the promise of the American dream. In the poem ‘Chicago,' Sandburg describes a city that, despite negative perceptions by others, works hard to achieve the promises of the American dream. Achievement of this vision is therefore not obtained just by immigrating to the country but by diligence and taking full advantage of available opportunities.
Life and culture
The American dream also encompasses within it a vibrant culture that all are invited to belong to. James Truslow Adams coined the term “American dream’ describing this as a better, richer and fuller life. Being a pioneer in most modern trends, the United States offers exactly that to all citizens. With inventions and innovation in science and medicine to evolving trends in entertainment and recreation, the United States is a hub where all cultures meet to produce a single beautiful mosaic of cultures that is unparalleled elsewhere in the world. The songs of the people in Whitman's poem are even more indicative of the vibrant culture that transcends all social and economic classes of people. This is a big step towards the achievement of the American dream today.
Social order
Adams, in his text, describes a land of social order. Social order is achieved by the appropriate dispensation of governance. This allows every person to be involved in governance processes such as policy-making and resource disbursement (Carl Sandburg 96). This would further ensure that individual interests are factored into the collective interests of the country. This was another promise by the founding fathers of the nation with the institution of democracy. Subsequent governments over time have pursued this extensively. Presently, the United States enjoys a very stable government because of the diligence of leaders towards achieving this dream, and all citizens feel the benefits. However, more can be done towards attaining this social order (Whitman, Walt and Lisa Tracy 109). The United States occupies a pedestal above all other nations with regards to this social order, and that is a positive step towards attaining the standards of governance that every American dream of.
Conclusion
The institution of America as a nation after independence provided a very attractive haven for people from all walks of life. This is because of the promise of relief from oppression as well as immense and equal opportunity for all. America thus became a hub for all kinds of people and cultures to interact and in the process benefitting themselves and the world by extension. The nation is responsible for pioneering most modern trends and innovations because of the environment of opportunity and enablement present in the country. Presently, the American dream is that of an ideal society that not only provides an opportunity for its citizens but globally; a community of perfect order without discrimination or any hindrance from achieving anything one aspires. Being a serial pioneer, America is well on its way to achieving this dream and thus paving the way for future generations to enjoy this prosperity.
Works cited
Adams, James Truslow. The epic of America. Transaction Publishers, 2012.
Hughes, Langston, & I. But. “I, too sing America.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes 46(1970).
Sandburg, Carl. Chicago Poems. Vol. 32. University of Illinois Press, 1992.
Whitman, Walt & Lisa Tracy. I hear America singing. Philomel Books, 1991.
