Chuck Jones and the American Dream

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Copper 1 THE AMERICAN DREAM: CHUCK JONES Hannah Copper Teacher/Professor Mr. Myers English III 4(B) 2/1/13 Hannah Copper Mr. Myers English III 4b 1 February 2013 The American Dream: Chuck Jones The American dream was built on the concept that success and opportunity is available to anyone, despite where you come from, or how much money you have. Chuck Jones is a perfect example of the of the American dream. The world today remembers Chuck Jones as an animation pioneer and one of the great founders of modern cartoons, (right alongside Walt Disney). He has inspired and entertained many generations of children with his work, even today his cartoons air on television. Memorable characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tom and Jerry, and Wiley E. Coyote and the Roadrunner have all become popular icons of American culture. Jones’ inspiration came from a very strange place. A stray cat. At the age of 6, a boy by the name of Chuck Jones was visited by a strange looking stray cat, which he later called “Johnson”. Chuck grew fond of this peculiar grape-fruit-eating, leisurely swimmer of a cat. Chuck loved the uniqueness of Johnson; and all the strange goofiness of this cat would later create the essence of his cartoon characters such as, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and numerous others. Chuck Jones was born in Spokane, Washington, but later on his family moved to southern California. His interest in film started at a very young age. When Jones lived in Hollywood he remembered, “…peering over the studio fence to watch Charlie Chaplin at work on his silent comedies.” (Academy of Achievement) His parents encouraged the young Chuck Jones to follow his artistic passion, and so he did. In 1931, Jones finished art school in the middle of the Depression. “The whole United States was flat. To expect to get a job when three out of every

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