Once There Was an American Dream

The American Dream is a concept that was brought up after WWII. It was meant to give people an equal opportunity to live and live well. This was used by giving soldiers grants to go to college and the all famous Levittown houses. People had houses and a car along with a big baby boom. The American Dream is used in many writings and ideas. Of course like other ideas of the world people carry their own thoughts of what exactly the American Dream is.

In the story by Octavia Butler, Kindred, Dana shows the American Dream in a time period where the dream had not existed. She spoke of how people are meant to be loved rather than bought and sold. Sacrifice is the big word I think of when I hear of the American Dream. Dana sacrificed her time and morals in order to do what she felt needed to. She went back again and again to the 1800's where she knew it was dangerous. To have the American dream Dana worked job to job. She married out of her race and just did everything that was potentially bad for her in the slave era. Her husband Kevin showed his American Dream qualities by moving from a "slave job," to being a second hand author making more money than before. This all shows determination and hard work can fix many problems.

When Dana comes into contact with her long dead grandmother Alice, it is seen that the two have a lot of qualities alike. Alice is a born free slave who wishes to express her opinion and the hell with anyone who dislikes it. Alice shows much of Dana bringing them two into almost the same exact person. This is really how Rufus sees it especially when he tries to keep Dana with him in the end.

This brings me back to the point of sacrifice and fear. Fear kept bringing Dana back to Rufus and fear would allow Dana to return back home. The American Dream is much like this. People fear for not time travel but for wants and necessities. It is human nature to fear for your children to never know hunger, for them to never know heart ache and pain. But it is only human to sometimes feel one of these or both. This plays throughout the entire story of Kindred, the alikeness's and desires.

In Benjamin Franklin's writing of The Savages of North America, it is shown how different cultures feel different ways about dreams and necessities. The American's felt that the natives should give them a few of their good men for them to join the "lovely perfect American Society." The natives felt as if they were to do that then their young men would be ruined for life. Where as the Americans felt the exact same way about their men. The American Dream deals with adding culture and other beliefs into ones own with respect.

When really looked at, the American Dream consist of so many different things that it makes it difficult to discuss only one topic. My idea of an American Dream consist of having the necessities and being happy with that. The idea of relative poverty comes into play with much of the American Dream. People thinking that just because they have somewhat less than the next person that they have to run out and quickly buy the next big thing. Back to the story Kindred, Dana and Kevin both show their willingness to sacrifice and show that there is a time to be happy with what you have rather than just dwell over the little bit you do not have.

When asking a Claremont citizen what they thought about the American Dream they described it as having a two car garage with two cars and a house that is owned along with the capability of buying what their kids need and want rather than only what they need. They felt that credit cards were also necessary to living the true American Dream. It is looked at through many people eyes that the Dream deals mostly with wealth and desires. In the beginning of the American Dream it was felt that just having enough to be what you want was purely happiness.

Frederick Douglass was a runaway slave who wanted to live as any other white did. He went off to write many stories of his slave owners and everyday life. When his slave owner found out where he was it was a big problem for Douglass because he had to run to England to keep from being caught and returned. After remaining in England Frederick's friends bought his freedom. This in itself shows the American Dream before the Dream actually existed. Human desire between slaves and working class has always been a lot of the same. In itself slavery and underpaid jobs are alike. Living pay check to pay check like the natives did in Sherman Alexie's book, The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is the one life people hate the most.

In his story people thought of the natives as a rich culture because of the stereotypical "Indian" owning casinos. Junior was one to talk about wanting more than what his parents had. He wanted an education and a life that did not deal with alcohol and depression constantly. Junior's desires were not selfish in asking for a million dollars but just enough to get by and be happy while doing it. He thought of dreams as a necessary part of life. We see this when he tells Penelope that her dream of traveling the world is not as far fetched as she believes it is.

Friendship is the one thing that we see helps out most people. Whether it be Junior, Douglass, Dana, or even Rufus, these people had a friendship that helped them live comfortably and be able to live life out well. It is when people decide to get greedy with materialistic things that the true problems start. If people could just keep a steady job and work their hardest many times things would be easier for them. Dana in Kindred, showed that she knew if she was to work some around the slave house that things would be easier on her. Even though she was not a slave and surely not from that time, she knew that sacrifice was the only way to happiness.

No matter what we look at in life it is shown that sacrifice is the only way to succeed in what you want. Back in November of 2009, there was a story of a couple who stole copper off the side of the road. This sacrifice of getting themselves into trouble was not as overwhelming as their fear of their children starving was. People are going to talk and say what they wish whether it be the truth or not. But until we are put into the situation where there is no way out how can we truly say that our morals would hold strong. The American Dream says we get what we need and most of what we want. Does that include the worse ways of obtaining them? Are people capable of making the correct decision based on only their self thoughts and religions?

Frederick Douglass spoke of God giving him his right to be his own man. Religion has always played a big role in the American Dream. People feel they are entitle to what ever it is they wish to have. But is this always true? Personally if you are not willing to try and help yourself in the most legal way of doing it first then it is almost pointless of begging others to do it for you. It is understandable that sometimes people lose jobs and are put into a tight spot where they hope and pray that they can keep a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. In Catawba County there is many different places that will help families in need out. Churches are great places to go. They can help with power bills and often times have food pantries for their communities to come to. I have often seen people who have plenty of money to buy what they need taking advantage of these places generosity. Can you turn someone away though? Is it right to speak up and say, "look I know your wealthy and do not feel you need to be here for this?" Other places are places like ECCM in Newton, NC. They can help out with a lot of the same things but with higher stipulations in which you must have to receive their aid.

At this time in day we see much of the American Dream vanishing. With the constant loss of jobs and lack of education, people are being forced out of their homes which is one of the main bases of the American Dream. Dana in Kindred, had not only lost her home but her entire life. This is the thing that were seeing so much of now days.

The main question that we as American's have to ask ourselves is that, is the American Dream really the Dream it was once meant to be? Will it come back to being what it should be? After the Dust Bowl many years ago, the stock market crashed and left people with nothing after working so hard for it. The rich remained rich and the lower middle class along with the working underclass just got poorer. This is the part of the American Dream we see going away. People are going into foreclosure and everything in between. This is setting America up for a hard fall that it has not seen in so many years. The younger kids from 18-25 will have to run this country and start over from nothing much like those people many years ago. This is what will make the American Dream the true dream come back. The work will be hard and the desire will be high.

The American Dream was not coined until the 1900's. But when looked at closely it seems that Thomas Jefferson knew exactly what he was talking about when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. In the Movie The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith makes a valid point. How did Thomas Jefferson know to put the pursuit of happiness rather than saying all men will achieve their highest dreams. The American Dream is meant to be worked towards and hopefully achieved but is never guaranteed. This is for the simple fact that we never know exactly what is going to happen. Tomorrow there could be war and famish. Things like this is something that always needs to be looked at and thought of before going out and over spending, only thinking of today rather than thinking of tomorrow.

The basis behind everything just told is that our hope for a true dream is not always going to be what we want it to be. It is a temporary indulgence that humans have made up to make themselves happy. Yes, it is an understandable wish. And it is something that people should do, dream that is. Can we make the dream true? Can we bring America back to being America? Yes, I believe its possible but things will have to start back from the bottom rather than just being put out in the open and handed to us whenever we wish for it to be.Works Cited

Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 2003.

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.