Although the two novels share a common theme, the authorial purposes contrast in nature. Both Steinbeck and Fitzgerald depict the illusion of the American Dream; Steinbeck however conveys the belief that American society in the early 20th century severely retards individuals’ opportunity of attaining the American Dream. Fitzgerald focuses on expressing his disdain toward the wealthy, and uncovers the downside of the extravagant lifestyle the rich possess. Nonetheless, Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby encompass the fallacy of the American Dream and tell a story of desperate individuals struggling to capture a dream just out of reach. Throughout The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald consistently uses characterization to provide an in depth view of the characters in the story.
‘I’m sick and tired of facts. You can twist ‘em any way you like.” ‘Twelve Angry Men shows that truth is elusive.’ Discuss The 1950s saw America swept up in the ideological turmoil of the Cold War and the subsequent witch- hunt of the McCarthy trials. It is within this climate that theatrical productions such as Reginald Rose’s ‘Twelve Angry Men’ were created. Twelve Angry Men demonstrates the idea that facts, not personal views and assumptions are essential when dealing with justice. The drama’s focus is on a jury’s deliberation over a young man’s fate and the crucial role truth plays in relation to the decision.
Many others however, as in the story Death of a Salesman, view it as something that has to be achieved in order to be successful. The play takes issues with those in America who place too much pressure on gaining, rather than more worthy principles/values. The American society is symbolized by Miller’s work and shows us how a dream could turn into a nightmare. Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman, depicts the author’s life and the psychological problems that brings the collapse of
Once an LSD consumer, Ken Kesey, defines the importance of freedom throughout his world renowned Post-Modern novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. One element of Postmodernism in the novel, is the effect of society against the individual. Society and government power systems become the machine and our postmodern anti-hero rages against that machine (Bendingfield). In the story, Chief, the narrator, in the book is a damaged ex-soldier who sees the machine enemy all around him. The reader takes it as metaphor, but Chief who is a paranoid schizophrenic, sees it as reality.
This leads to Willy fatal flaw in Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy – his hamartia throughout the play – his self delusion. He is obsessed with living the American Dream, with being successful, with materialistic success and being well liked – the whole American Dream. He fails to see that he is the opposite. As Fletcher says in Death of a Salesman ‘ Miller dramatically presents the complex moral world of mid-nineteenth century American values and beliefs’. Juxtaposed to this is his older brother Ben.
Rachel G True Identity The short story “Flight Patterns,” by Sherman Alexie, tells the story of William, a victim and culprit of stereotyping, who indulges in the typical American life. Alexie, throughout the short story, incorporates vivid diction and characterization in order to introduce readers to the fact that present-day reality involves extreme amounts of stereotyping. The purpose of such incorporation is to allow readers to understand the significance of race to a society. In simpler terms, by analyzing the characterization throughout the short story, one can see that race is a leading factor that causes stereotypes. Race, due to its stereotypical nature, should not be used to portray an individual’s true identity.
Americanized Americanized composed by Bruce Dawe is a satirical poem that directly attacks the American ways of life and how countries are losing their cultural identity by conforming to the American standards. Americanized is also how the basic human relationships have been perverted by consumeristic culture, and how a consumer-driven society that dehumanizes its citizens and robs them of their individuality. Throughout the poem Dawe uses an extended metaphor: The mother being America and the child representing a smaller, developing country which is slowly being embedded with the American ways and values. Dawe uses irony within the title of the poem which sets the tone as it is spelt the American way, ‘Americanized’ with a ‘z’ instead of the Australian way ‘Americanised’ with a ‘s’. This reinforces the idea that we are losing our cultural identity by conforming to American standards including their way of spelling and punctuation.
Schlesinger points out that many came to view the unifying American melting pot phenomenon as an Anglocentric conspiracy to undermine and devalue other ethnicities. Although there was one glaring failure of American democracy; the racist exclusion of blacks from the promise of the American creed. Mr. Schlesinger goes on to enumerate the events which took place over the past half century which, from the springboard of the new creed of cultural pluralism, have brought America to what he sees as a dangerous era of multiculturalism with the potential to rend the nation . He begins with the culmination of World War II and its effect of confronting Americans with their own bigotry in light of the Germans' racially motivated atrocities toward the Jews. Soon thereafter came the collapse of white colonialism.
COMPARE and CONTRAST two critiques of ‘the American Dream’. REFER to The Great Gatsby film adaptation as well as Death of a Salesman. In each text, IDENTIFY the specific social comment made. The American Dream is strongly exemplified in Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of The Great Gatsby and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, in which it is not so much calling into question the pursuit of the American Dream, but the dream itself. The two texts provide social commentary on matters such as looking toward the future to pursue an ambition, cheating to attain what is desired, and the result of dreams becoming obsessions.
Communism in the Cold War "The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want, they spread and grow in the evil soil of the poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died. We must keep that hope alive." as said by Harry S. Truman on march 12, 1947 in The Truman Doctrine. While Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy all had the same same Cold War intention of ending communism, their ways of achieving their goal were different.The Cold War was an angry dispute between the United States and the Soviet Union about whether we should spread or contain communism (Ayres 817).