The New American Dream: Accumulation and Spending of Money
Melisa Savasta Wickham
English 3 Honors
3 May 2013
The New American Dream Sitting on the wrap around porch of the little corner brick house with the smell of perfectly bloomed lavender and lilies while telling stories to the neighbor kids about life across the sea the thought of the journey to America crosses my mind. This is the type of story that used to be the American dream. People from all over the world dreamt about traveling to America to give to their families what they couldn’t back in their original home countries. Now in our modern day society the American dream has been significantly altered. The overwhelming amounts of technology, money, and sex appeal now dominate this country. The accumulation and spending of money is now the new American dream. People say money doesn’t buy happiness but today we live in a generation where people seem to think money makes the world go round. Previously the root of the American dream was “the story of doing well, of conquering disease and going to the stars and defending freedom” as said by Roosevelt in his first inaugural address. But that value that Americans used to cherish so greatly has altered. “The fast life I done seen on the screen is addictive. Money and clothes I done dreamed about…” this is proof from one of the great rappers of our generation, Jermaine Cole, that society has programmed its youth to be more materialistic and to have thoughts that revolve around money. One cannot even leave the house without having a first hand encounter with the materialism of our generation. The youth of the world are not to be seen without a cell phone, smart phone, or music player in hand or within reaching distance. As quoted in the song The Great American Dream by David Massengill “Is TV more beautiful than the Mona Lisa” in our generation TV probably would be considered more valuable than the Mona Lisa. Everything is about immediate satisfaction with the youth these days and the beauty of taking
English 3 Honors
3 May 2013
The New American Dream Sitting on the wrap around porch of the little corner brick house with the smell of perfectly bloomed lavender and lilies while telling stories to the neighbor kids about life across the sea the thought of the journey to America crosses my mind. This is the type of story that used to be the American dream. People from all over the world dreamt about traveling to America to give to their families what they couldn’t back in their original home countries. Now in our modern day society the American dream has been significantly altered. The overwhelming amounts of technology, money, and sex appeal now dominate this country. The accumulation and spending of money is now the new American dream. People say money doesn’t buy happiness but today we live in a generation where people seem to think money makes the world go round. Previously the root of the American dream was “the story of doing well, of conquering disease and going to the stars and defending freedom” as said by Roosevelt in his first inaugural address. But that value that Americans used to cherish so greatly has altered. “The fast life I done seen on the screen is addictive. Money and clothes I done dreamed about…” this is proof from one of the great rappers of our generation, Jermaine Cole, that society has programmed its youth to be more materialistic and to have thoughts that revolve around money. One cannot even leave the house without having a first hand encounter with the materialism of our generation. The youth of the world are not to be seen without a cell phone, smart phone, or music player in hand or within reaching distance. As quoted in the song The Great American Dream by David Massengill “Is TV more beautiful than the Mona Lisa” in our generation TV probably would be considered more valuable than the Mona Lisa. Everything is about immediate satisfaction with the youth these days and the beauty of taking
Cited: Cole, Jermaine. 2Face. Rec. 2010. N.d. CD. Drake. "The Motto." Rec. 29 Nov. 2011. N.d. CD. Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. Massengill, David. "The Great American Dream." Rec. 1982. N.d. CD. Meacham, Jon. "Time Magazine." Keeping the Dream Alive (2012): n. pag. Web. Saigon, Miss. "The American Dream." Rec. 1989. N.d. CD. Volf, Ramona. Personal interview. 3 May 2013.