The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States.docx

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States.docx

《The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States.docx（5页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

TheAmericanDreamisanationalethosoftheUnitedStates

TheAmericanDream

Introduction

TheAmericanDreamisanationalethosoftheUnitedStates,asetofidealsinwhichfreedomincludestheopportunityforprosperityandsuccess,andanupwardsocialmobilityachievedthroughhardwork.Thisincludestheopportunityforone'schildrentogrowupandreceiveagoodeducationandcareerwithoutartificialbarriers.Itistheopportunitytomakeindividualchoiceswithoutthepriorrestrictionsthatlimitedpeopleaccordingtotheirclass,caste,religion,race,orethnicity.

ThistermwasfirstusedbyJamesTruslowAdamsinhisbookTheEpicofAmericawhichwaswrittenin1931.Hestates:

"TheAmericanDreamis"thatdreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement.Itisnotadreamofmotorcarsandhighwagesmerely,butadreamofsocialorderinwhicheachmanandeachwomanshallbeabletoattaintothefulleststatureofwhichtheyareinnatelycapable,andberecognizedbyothersforwhattheyare,regardlessofthefortuitouscircumstancesofbirthorposition."ThisideaoftheAmericanDreamisrootedintheUnitedStatesDeclarationofIndependencewhichproclaimsthat"allmenarecreatedequal"andthattheyare"endowedbytheirCreatorwithcertaininalienableRights"including"Life,LibertyandthepursuitofHappiness."

Themeaningofthe"AmericanDream"haschangedoverthecourseofhistory,andincludesbothpersonalcomponents（suchashomeownershipandupwardmobility）andaglobalvision.HistoricallytheDreamoriginatedinthemystiqueregardingfrontierlife.AstheRoyalGovernorofVirginianotedin1774,theAmericans"foreverimaginetheLandsfurtheroffarestillbetterthanthoseuponwhichtheyarealreadysettled".HeaddedthatiftheyattainedParadise,theywouldmoveoniftheyheardofabetterplacefartherwest.Inthe19th century,manywell-educatedGermansfledthefailed1848revolution.TheywelcomedthepoliticalfreedomsintheNewWorld,andthelackofahierarchicaloraristocraticsocietythatdeterminedtheceilingforindividualaspirations.Oneofthemexplained:

“TheGermanemigrantcomesintoacountryfreefromthedespotism,privilegedordersandmonopolies,intolerabletaxes,andconstraintsinmattersofbeliefandconscience.Everyonecantravelandsettlewhereverhepleases.Nopassportisdemanded,nopoliceminglesinhisaffairsorhindershismovements....Fidelityandmeritsaretheonlysourcesofhonorhere.Therichstandonthesamefootingasthepoor;thescholarisnotamugabovethemosthumblemechanics;noGermanoughttobeashamedtopursueanyoccupation....[InAmerica]wealthandpossessionofrealestateconfernottheleastpoliticalrightonitsownerabovewhatthepoorestcitizenhas.Noraretherenobility,privilegedorders,orstandingarmiestoweakenthephysicalandmoralpowerofthepeople,norarethereswarmsofpublicfunctionariestodevourinidlenesscreditfor.Aboveall,therearenoprincesandcorruptcourtsrepresentingtheso-calleddivine'rightofbirth.'Insuchacountrythetalents,energyandperseveranceofaperson...havefargreateropportunitytodisplaythaninmonarchies.”

ThediscoveryofgoldinCaliforniain1849broughtinahundredthousandmenlookingfortheirfortuneovernight—andafewdidfindit.ThuswasborntheCaliforniaDreamofinstantsuccess.HistorianH.W.BrandsnotedthatintheyearsaftertheGoldRush,theCaliforniaDreamspreadacrossthenation:

“TheoldAmericanDream...wasthedreamofthePuritans,ofBenjaminFranklin's"PoorRichard"...ofmenandwomencontenttoaccumulatetheirmodestfortunesalittleatatime,yearbyyearbyyear.Thenewdreamwasthedreamofinstantwealth,woninatwinklingbyaudacityandgoodluck.[This]goldendream...becameaprominentpartoftheAmericanpsycheonlyafterSutter'sMill.”

In20thcentury,HistorianJamesTruslowAdamspopularizedthephrase"AmericanDream"inhis1931bookEpicofAmerica:

ButtherehasbeenalsotheAmericandream,thatdreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryman,withopportunityforeachaccordingtohisabilityorachievement.ItisadifficultdreamfortheEuropeanupperclassestointerpretadequately,andtoomanyofusourselveshavegrownwearyandmistrustfulofit.Itisnotadreamofmotorcarsandhighwagesmerely,butadreamofsocialorderinwhicheachmanandeachwomanshallbeabletoattaintothefulleststatureofwhichtheyareinnatelycapable,andberecognizedbyothersforwhattheyare,regardlessofthefortuitouscircumstancesofbirthorposition.TheAmericandream,whichhasluredtensofmillionsofallnationstoourshoresinthepastcentury,hasnotbeenadreamofmerelymaterialplenty,thoughthathasdoubtlesslycountedheavily.Ithasbeenmuchmorethanthat.Ithasbeenadreamofbeingabletogrowtofullestdevelopmentasmanandwoman,unhamperedbythebarrierswhichhadslowlybeenerectedintheoldercivilizations,unrepressedbysocialorderswhichhaddevelopedforthebenefitofclassesratherthanforthesimplehumanbeingofanyandeveryclass.

MartinLutherKing, Jr.,inhis"LetterfromaBirminghamJail"（1963）questfortheAmericanDream:

“WewillwinourfreedombecausethesacredheritageofournationandtheeternalwillofGodareembodiedinourechoingdemands...whenthesedisinheritedchildrenofGodsatdownatlunchcounterstheywereinrealitystandingupforwhatisbestintheAmericandreamandforthemostsacredvaluesinourJudeo-Christianheritage,therebybringingournationbacktothosegreatwellsofdemocracywhichweredugdeepbythefoundingfathersintheirformulationoftheConstitutionandtheDeclarationofIndependence.”

TheAmericanDreamindifferentfieldsoftheUSA

Literature

Thetermisusedinpopulardiscourse,andscholarshavetraceditsuseinAmericanliteraturerangingfromtheAutobiographyofBenjaminFranklin,toMarkTwain'sTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn（1884）,F.ScottFitzgerald'sTheGreatGatsby（1925）,TheodoreDreiser'sAnAmericanTragedy（1925）.OtherwriterswhousedtheAmericanDreamthemeincludeEdwardAlbee,JohnSteinbeck,TheAmericanDreamisalsodiscussedinArthurMiller'sDeathofaSalesman;theplay'sprotagonist,Willy,isonajourneyfortheAmericanDream.TheAmericanDreamhasbeencreditedwithhelpingtobuildacohesiveAmericanexperience,buthasalsobeenblamedforinflatedexpectations.Somecommentatorshavenotedthatdespitedeep-seatedbeliefintheegalitarianAmericanDream,themodernAmericanwealthstructurestillperpetuatesracialandclassinequalitiesbetweengenerations.Onesociologistnotesthatadvantageanddisadvantagearenotalwaysconnectedtoindividualsuccessesorfailures,butoftentopriorpositioninasocialgroup.

Sincethe1920s,numerousauthors,suchasSinclairLewisinhis1922novelBabbitt,andF. ScottFitzgerald,inhis1925classic,TheGreatGatsby,satirizedorridiculedmaterialisminthechasefortheAmericandream.Forexample,JayGatsby'sdeathmirrorstheAmericanDream'sdemise,reflectingthepessimismofmodern-dayAmericans.AlotofpeoplefollowtheAmericanDreamtoachieveagreaterchanceofbecomingrich.SomepositthattheeaseofachievingtheAmericanDreamchangeswithtechnologicaladvances,availabilityofinfrastructureandinformation,governmentregulations,stateoftheeconomy,andwiththeevolvingculturalvaluesofAmericandemographics.TheAmericanDreamhasbeencreditedwithhelpingtobuildacohesiveAmericanexperience,buthasalsobeenblamedforinflatedexpectations.In1949ArthurMillerwroteDeathofaSalesman,inwhichtheAmericanDreamisafruitlesspursuit.Thenovel"RequiemforaDream"byHubertSelby, Jr.,isanexplorationofthepursuitofAmericansuccessasitturnsdeliriousandlethal,toldthroughtheensuingtailspinofitsmaincharacters.

Politics

ScholarshaveexploredtheAmericanDreamthemeinthecareersofnumerouspoliticalleaders,includingHillaryClinton,BenjaminFranklin,andAbrahamLincoln.In2006U.S. SenatorBarackObamawroteamemoir,TheAudacityofHope:

ThoughtsonReclaimingtheAmericanDream.ItwasthisinterpretationoftheAmericanDreamthathelpedestablishhisstatewideandnationalreputations.Politicalconflicts,tosomedegree,havebeenamelioratedbythesharedvaluesofallpartiesintheexpectationthattheAmericanDreamwillresolvemanydifficultiesandconflicts

Publics

RecentresearchsuggeststhattheUnitedStatesshowroughlyaveragelevelsofoccupationalupwardmobility,andlowerratesofincomemobility,thancomparablesocieties.Blandenetal.report,"TheideaoftheUSas‘thelandofopportunity’persists;andclearlyseemsmisplaced."Accordingtothesestudies,"byinternationalstandards,theUnitedStateshasanunusuallylowlevelofintergenerationalmobility:

ourparents’incomeishighlypredictiveofourincomesasadults.IntergenerationalmobilityintheUnitedStatesislowerthaninFrance,Germany,Sweden,Canada,Finland,NorwayandDenmark.Amonghigh-incomecountriesforwhichcomparableestimatesareavailable,onlytheUnitedKingdomhadalowerrateofmobilitythantheUnitedStates.""ThischallengesthenotionofAmericaasthelandofopportunity."

ToamajorityofAmericans,theAmericanDreamismoreaboutspiritualhappinessthanmaterialgoods.Majoritiesstatethatworkinghardisthemostimportantelementforgettingahead.However,anincreasingminoritystatedthathardworkanddeterminationdoesnotguaranteesuccess.Onthepessimisticside,mostAme