American Dream: The Roles Myth Play
Braelyn Hamilton
Mr. McCormick
English (4-B)
26 September 2014
American Dream: The Role Myth Plays
Every culture, race, and nation have their own unique myths, though all are untrue, they help explain why a certain group of people are what they are, or hope that they are. The American culture is filled with myths that we use to mythologize our ancestors by idealizing them, or endowing them with heroic qualities. We believe that we have inherited these mythical qualities because we too are Americans, and because we are striving to achieve some form of the traditional American Dream, which is defined as a perfectly content life. For we mythologize our ancestors with heroic qualities out of selfishness, believing that we too have inherited such qualities. Consequently, if we had inherited such qualities the traditional American dream would have become possible.
The stereotypical American dream is often portrayed as being perfectly average or having a life better than the previous generation. For example many may say that being married, having two children, and living in a three-bedroom home with a white picket fence is their American dream. Rather than being based on wealth or success, this version of the dream is based on avoiding poverty and loneliness. We use these myths to encourage our own dreams, and to feel, we to hold the key to success as did our ancestors.
Do to our history we feel that since we are both Americans, we hold the same heroic qualities our ancestors once held. We use these myths as tools to push forward our dreams, and to make other dreams possible. Not a dream of motor cars and high wages, but a dream of social order in which men and women can be able to
Mr. McCormick
English (4-B)
26 September 2014
American Dream: The Role Myth Plays
Every culture, race, and nation have their own unique myths, though all are untrue, they help explain why a certain group of people are what they are, or hope that they are. The American culture is filled with myths that we use to mythologize our ancestors by idealizing them, or endowing them with heroic qualities. We believe that we have inherited these mythical qualities because we too are Americans, and because we are striving to achieve some form of the traditional American Dream, which is defined as a perfectly content life. For we mythologize our ancestors with heroic qualities out of selfishness, believing that we too have inherited such qualities. Consequently, if we had inherited such qualities the traditional American dream would have become possible.
The stereotypical American dream is often portrayed as being perfectly average or having a life better than the previous generation. For example many may say that being married, having two children, and living in a three-bedroom home with a white picket fence is their American dream. Rather than being based on wealth or success, this version of the dream is based on avoiding poverty and loneliness. We use these myths to encourage our own dreams, and to feel, we to hold the key to success as did our ancestors.
Do to our history we feel that since we are both Americans, we hold the same heroic qualities our ancestors once held. We use these myths as tools to push forward our dreams, and to make other dreams possible. Not a dream of motor cars and high wages, but a dream of social order in which men and women can be able to