The 1920's is perhaps the most ironic of periods in American history. With the passing of 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act creating the Prohibition, which was supposed to reduce crime but only served to usher in a period dominated by organised crime and made millionaires and celebrities out of the most vile and violent low-life's the country had to offer - Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, "Lucky" Luciano and Arnold Rothestein, to name but a few. In the novel it's alluded to that Jay Gatsby is a bootlegger just like Capone and Luciano, and the character of Meyer Wolfshiem is a clear allusion to Arnold Rothestein, as both are rumored to have fixed the World Series.
It is in this period that people started to notice the cracks in the American Dream and started to doubt the ideals, on which America was founded - if you work hard, you could earn respectability and a decent living, just like the character of Richard Hunter did in Horatio Alger's novel Ragged Dick. This cultural zeitgeist is captured at the heart of Great Gatsby, the most obvious example being George Wilson, who works hard in his garage but never manages to move beyond his blue-collar origins, which when contrasted with Gatsby's astronomical rise in fortune through bootlegging, shows clearly the cracks in the American Dream. As Jefferson once warned, America has become corrupted by the city, it has gone from a place of discovery, individualism and pursuit of happiness, to a materialistic, morally corrupt, greed obsessed culture typified by the gangsters of the time, and one that looks the same today as it did back then.
Featuring a character who fixed the World Series, further highlights the corruption of America, because if the All-American sport could be tainted by greed and crime, then how long before this corruption consumed every aspect of American life. The effects of the "Black Sox Scandal" of 1919 can still be seen many years after, the 1989 film Field of Dreams (70 years after the scandal) features ghost of the Black Sox, in particularly Shoeless Joe Jackson, looking for redemption for their crimes in rural America, as if that was the only place they possibly could escape the corruption that had tainted them and kind find America again, paralleling Nick's flight from the city and return to the Midwest at the end of the novel.
Perhaps by highlighting the corruption of the American Dream, is the reason gangster films, such as The Godfather, and TV shows such as The Sopranos, and Prohibition era Boardwalk Empire (featuring historical figures such as Lucky Luciano, Arnold Rothestein and Al Capone) have remained a prominent part of American culture to this day - 2012 saw release of Lawless and Killing Them Softly, and 2013 sees the release of The Gangster Squad.
While it is undeniably a love story, it is in its depiction of the decline of the American Dream and the corruption of America that transforms The Great Gatsby into a Great American Novel.
Fatalism in The Great Gatsby.
Within The Great Gatsby there is a pervading sense of foreshadowing that dictates the conclusion of the novel. The sense of inevitability is driven by the by what the reader understands through the ideology present in the book.
Jay Gatsby is symbol of the rags to riches of the American Dream, he has achieved wealth, prosperity and social consequence displayed through his lavish parities. However the very fact that the novel takes place after Gatsby's rise in fortune indicates unresolved elements in his life. This implication of Gatsby's unfulfilled life, alludes to a character flaw of always wanting more, and this hubris is traditionally a narrative technique that supports the fatalistic demise of a character.
This is evident also in the character of Myrtle, a character that desperately strives to escape her inferior social status. Myrtle's pursuit of wealth and significance brought her into the company of Tom Buchanan, an event that again took place before the start of the book. Having seemingly secured the life she so desperately sought, Myrtle proceeds to reap its benefits whilst at the same time clung to it with a borderline manic devotion. As a consequence of her status, background and character Myrtle's death is an inevitability within the narrative as she is unable to take the place of Daisy as she wishes. Her character cannot be accepted as either the mistress or wife of Tom and only prospect is to remain Wilson's wife, a fate that becomes impossible to return as a result of her actions.
Daisy's character is another example of fatalism within Gatsby. Whilst she rekindles her romance with Gatsby and has desires to run away with him society would not have accepted this relationship; society would have ostracised herself and Gatsby. The indications of character the reader is shown indicate that Daisy hasn't the strength of will to abandon her husband, child and wealth, this then foreshadows her future with Tom and symbolises Gatsby's fate as he has devoted himself to her, and without Daisy he has only one fate.
One theme that I found whilst reading the Great Gatsby, is the theme of loss or the threat of loss. Throughout the book there are instances of loss or the threat of loss. The most prominent form of loss detailed in the novel is the loss of life. These instances are the death of Myrtle and the subsequent death of Gatsby.
The fear/threat of loss is also prominent in the novel with many characters in situations that could result in them losing everything. One such situation is that of Daisy. She is in an abusive marriage and her husband Tom is having an affair, the most logical course of action would be to leave Tom, however she does not because she would not only lose her status in her community, she would also lose her child. Another instance of this is that of Myrtle, Tom's mistress. In her situation she is a lower class women playing with the money of an upper class man, but she is at a constant threat of losing that as Tom could leave her at his own will and move on to another woman, and Myrtle would be straight back into the situation she is desperately trying to escape from. In the end Myrtle loses something that is more important than money, her life.
The theme of loss and the threat of loss, follows the idea of American doubt very well. The idea that America is not the secure nation where social mobility is a possibility, but is instead a unstable platform that at an instance can drop an individual from the highest point in their society and drop them to the bottom.
These ideas are very relevant to America today, an economically weakened America that is clawing its way through the mud of debt and economic crisis, where homers face the threat of being repossessed, where workers face the threat of losing their jobs and the prominent ideal of the American Dream, is more of a fantasy for all but the most well off individuals that led to the situation that America finds itself crawling away from.
"Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Because Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. In Chapter 9, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation." - Taken from SparkNotes - 'The Great Gatsby' - http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html
Elaborating on that, Fitzgerald cleverly used the metaphor 'The light at the end of the tunnel' to represent Gatsby and his goal.In relation to the idea of the American dream in this instance, it represents the dream in a more personalised view. Over years, when people have been asked what they believed the dream actually means, they refer to the generic view that is means success, wealth, etc. Whereas in Gatsby, the dream is taken on a personal journey for him to win back his true love. It's interesting how in the very last paragraph of the book, Nick makes reference to the green light and suggests how that must have been what the first settlers saw America as when they first arrived here. This suggests new beginning, so it almost leaves the reader with a positive outlook for the story as, although Gatsby is dead, it implies that Nick's life is having a do over and will become something of greater importance now that he's starting over.
I have chosen to focus on how the themes in the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald such as adultery and divorce may at the time be seen as a more serious offence than in today's society.It is arguable that in today's society these themes in the novel are perhaps seen as tame compared to some of the books on the bestsellers list today such as Fifty Shades of Grey.It is possible that the themes in the Great Gatsby that are meant to carry the 'shock factor' do not have the same impact on a 21st century audience.
In the novel It appears quite obvious that Daisy wants to be with Gatsby and Tom wants to be with Myrtle, and yet there does not appear to be mentioned the idea of divorce. There are several reasons for this, the first being the impact it would have on the characters status in society, in the 1920's divorce was still seen as a rather negative shameful thing, Daisy and Tom had wealth and status within society and it appears they may not have considered a divorce for those reasons. In the case of Toms character he would never marry Myrtle as he would be marrying down in society which again would be the subject of gossip. It is possible also that for Daisy she may have stayed with Tom because she feared losing her child.In today's society divorce is arguably no longer a totally negative thing. This can be seen in the new phenomenon of a divorce party; a party to celebrate the end of a marriage.
In today's society if adultery is discovered its a serious issue however unlike in the novel it could be resolved with divorce which as previously mentioned was not an option for the characters. In my opinion the fact that in the novel many people know about Tom and Myrtles affair and yet say nothing perhaps reflect the idea that's is a very taboo subject that people don't speak off. However this could also be seen as reflection of how adultery is accepted at the time;no one appears to say otherwise.
Monday 3 December 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tFPkhT9QUA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fPcE6XSiSo
The first video here is a Macys black Friday commercial with Justin Bieber. It is interesting how although Justin Beiber’s fan base is mainly young girls yet here in this commercial we see Men, Women and children fainting at his infamous ‘wink, nod ,smile’, this appears to be an attempt to appeal to all audiences. The commercial also sees an African American man faint at the sight of Bieber, in perhaps an effort to include the minority groups in this advert. Almost at the end of the commercial it is mentioned that if you buy the product $2 from the sale will be donated to charity. The fact that this is briefly mentioned at the end suggests that is not the reason people are going to buy the product; it almost appears to be an afterthought. In fact like the charity the perfume itself is barely mentioned suggesting that people will purchase whatever Justin Beiber puts his name to. The second video is Justin Bieber’s official commercial for his fragrance ‘Girlfriend’ Although Canadian Bieber is portrayed as the all American boy on a road trip with a girlfriend. There is no girl seen in the video as any Beliebers out there are made to feel he is their boyfriend! It gives the impression that by buying this product you could be hanging with Justin Bieber going on road trips across America. Again like the first video the product itself doesn’t really have centre stage it’s the celebrity selling it, almost like they all have ‘Bieber fever’ or something!
Nothing screams Christmas than the first time you see the Coca Cola trucks rolling across your screen to the chanting of "holidays are coming". In this advert we see many signs of Coca-Colas American-ness, none more obvious than the product being the consumer product most synonymous with America, more than anything else.
Founded in 1886 in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the iconic Coca-Cola is now sold in over 200 countries world wide, grossed over $46.5 billion worldwide in 2011, owns 4 of the 5 top selling global soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Diet Cola, Fanta and Sprite) and it is claimed that 94% of the world now recognise the logo and the word Coke is second most recognised worldwide after "okay." After all at one point it was believed that drinking Coke meant you were more likely to support their foreign policy, and along with McDonald's having Coca Cola in a country shows it's been Americanized - as can be seen with good old Father Christmas, who was originally green until Coke turned him red. Also note the top comment on the above YouTube video is "oh, I am so looking forward to see this commercial on Czech TV every Christmas."
The magical light decorations on the trucks and sparked on the house and trees as they pass by signifies its American-ness by demonstrating the consumer influenced over dramatics of holiday celebrations in America. It too portrays the myths of the modern American Dream with the joy seen in the faces of people the trucks pass by, especially the father and son at the end of the advert sitting in their pick-up (a typically American vehicle) demonstrating that America is a place where joy and happiness can be achieved more so than any other country - through the purchasing of consumer products of course, showing that the advert too represents the modern consumer culture that has developed in, and by, America post-WWII.
AmEx (a.k.a
American Express) is a multinational financial services cooperation located in
New York, founded in 1850. The company is renowned for its credit cards, charge
cards and traveller’s cheques and is said to account for approximately 24% of
the total dollar volume of credit card transactions in the US.
The clip
above is a commercial from a 2000 American Express commercial released on the
night of the first Oscar Awards of the millennia. The man in the restaurant is
writer/director and actor M.Night Shyamalan, who that year was nominated for ‘Best
Director’ and ’Best Writer, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen’ for his
classic film The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis. Unfortunately, he
lost his awards to Sam Mendes and Alan Ball for American Beauty.
Shyamalan is also famous for films such a Signs (2002) and The
Village (2004).
I found this
commercial, along with many others for American Express and I found something
they all had in common – film and celebrity. It is a topic that without even a
second thought we will immediately relate to America, seeing as its film industry
is the largest in the world. But this commercial isn’t only revolving around film;
it’s also linked with another large aspect of America – the money. Put them
together in a commercial and they represent some of the most respectable
factors of the world’s most powerful nation.
The clip is
set in a restaurant and a very high class one too. Could it even, deep between
the lines, be portraying the American dream?
M. Night
Shyamalan is from Pondicherry in India, can he came to America to succeed and
it would seem that he definitely has reached success and living the high life.
The commercials below are just a small minority of other American Express adverts. One is from 1985, starring American author, Stephen King, author of Carrie, The Shining, IT and many other classics that were ground-breaking in American literature and have all been made into Oscar winning movies. The second, is a littler longer but stars characters from 'The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman'. Superman particularly is an excellent representation of America as the superhero figure brings out the superiority America feels they had over the rest of the world.
During the global economic downturn that started in 2008, the city of Detroit was one of the hardest hit cities, with virtual collapse of Detroit's motor industry. Now after being bailed out by Obama and now on the rise again, commercials by car companies based in Detroit such as Chrysler follow a similar theme of the idea that just as Detroit has risen from the ashes, so too can the rest of America and become a "strong" nation once again.
This first commercial, featured during halftime of the 2012 NFL Super Bowl, one of the most watched annual sporting events not only in America, but in the world. The commercial features American Film icon Clint Eastwood talk about how during the economic downturn, America was a divided nation where blame was thrown around and there was little in the way of thought on how to recover. The commercial continues on to talk about how America is now entering its "second half" where the nation will continue to be rebuilt through the unity of the American people and the commercial uses the resurrection of Detroit as a sign that although difficult there is a way for America to rise form this economic crisis. This commercial does not advertise a single car, it is more like the Levi's jeans commercial shown in last week's lecture. The commercial is a statement towards American values that will help rebuild the nation, values such as unity and the strength of the American nation and its people, as it states in the commercial, America is not a nation that can be knocked out with a single punch. The main basis of this commercial is to inspire those who watch and although it does show the cars of American car companies these take a back seat (no pun intended). This commercial, as well as many of the newer American car commercial finish with the tag line "Imported from Detroit". The way I interpret this statement is that its not just about the cars, its about the people who made the cars and the values the workers of Detroit have shown to help stabilize the industry of Detroit, values that are at the heart of America such as unity and hard work, values that were forgotten during this crisis.
Other commercials for Chrysler feature "famous" figures of Detroit such as rapper Eminem and Detroit Lions (NFL) Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Each commercial is for a specific Chrysler car, but both commercials show values of not only the people of Detroit, but also the people of America. The first of these commercials is focused on the idea of humble beginnings and how they can be used to gauge an individual's success whilst staying true to who you are. Ndamukong Suh is a good example of this ideal because he goes from being a normal collegiate athlete to one the future stars and dominant defensive forces in the NFL and whilst he appears intimidating and awe inspiring the humble act of visiting home is how the commercial and the tagline in the video description is thus, "Show where you are going, without forgetting where you are from". What this tagline shows is that regardless of who you become you should never forget where you come from, this fits in well with American values and history due to the immigrant nature of the first American people and it also fits in well with the evolution of cities such as Detroit because in whatever direction Detroit heads in, it will never forget its base in the automotive industry for that is why it is called Motor City. The final commercial featuring Eminem focuses again on how the values of hard work are a crucial part of America and how that value of hard work has taken Detroit out of "hell" and brought it back into prosperity and a positive future. My interpretation of the presence of Eminem in this commercial also shows the value hard work, because Eminem came from virtually nothing, growing up poor in Detroit and having to fight his way into a predominately "Black" area of the music industry. The main underpinning values of these commercials is not solely about the cars, the cars are empty shells that have been injected with the values of the American people, the most important part of these commercials is to inspire unity though out the America and to help support America's economic resurrection through values of hard work, and the use of Detroit as a blueprint to that resurrection and the cars are the product of this Motor City resurrection.
American Apparel is a company that presents its American-ness in a number of ways. As vertically integrated company, American Apparel's headquarters is in Downtown LA. From here they: design, manufacture, market and distribute all in the same place. The company's employes earn approx. $12 an hour with benefits, helping its primarily immigrant work force live a sustainable life in the US. The principles behind the companies business model indicate a code of ethics that has been removed from other large companies in the US, a prime example being Apple who produce all their products in China. American Apparel on the other hand encourage and cherish they all American roots.
The companies founder and CEO Dov Charney has retained primary control over his company and is an active participant in the day to day running of the company. He ensures the preservation of the company's vertical integration and Charney's authority in the company allows its continued use of its business model and at the same time American Apparel is able to become involved other large companies would avoid in order to remain neutral. This is evident in its Legalise LA and Legalise Gay campaigns. The slogan T's have become symbols of protest in political movements in the states and American Apparel donate the shirts to relevant charities to show support if the issues.
The way in which American Apparel is run and its interaction with current political issues illustrates the morals and beliefs that the company stands for. The website details how its treatment of employees '...is often a path to the American Dream for their families.' This conveys that despite its modern interpretation of what it means, fundamentally what it stands for is the very idea of what it is to be American that had persisted in society, through ideologies such as: no class divide, equal opportunity and a land that welcomes immigrants.
The 'American dream' has become somewhat a symbolism of American culture and it's famous optimism of the country and it's future. The video above is the music and lyrics to the 1971 hit by Don McLean - 'American Pie'. Based around the events of a changing America through the late 50's to the 70's, the song basically shows the heart break of the end of the American dream. It was the fifties - the postwar years - where the idea of the American dream was at it's heights and America was the dominating country in terms of economy and prosperity. The sixties, however, were a time of drastic changes in America and that is exactly what McLean emphasises in the lyrics. He called the sixties "the death of America." even the opening line for the chorus "Bye bye, Miss America pie." relates to that. He uses the saying "As American as apple pie" and twists it, converting it in the song to come across as a final farewell to all things American.
Chorus - American Pie
Bye bye, Miss American pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Those good ol' boys drinking whisky and rye
Singing "this will be the day that I die,
This will be the day that die."
Historically, it was in the 60's that some of the biggest events of the Civil Rights Act history took place. Of course, even today there is still racism in many parts of America, but is that what the American dream is about?
It would seem that some still believe in America that the dream is only possible if you work hard... And have skin like snow. This strongly contradicts the ideas that Horatio Alger depicts in 'Ragged Dick'. Dick, even as as a child living in poverty is still given the hope of not necessarily success, but respect in his future, by working hard - which is fair enough.
However, if we were to look at something like segregation in the US, we see that no matter how hard someone works - if they were black (in the 1960's), they would never be able to reach their full potential. Take the 2011 American drama film adaptation of 'The Help' staring Emma Stone and Viola Davis. Even just this poster alone tells the story of how it once was. The two white girls are able to sit down, relax and do as they please, whilst the two black women after forced to stand and work.
In the realm of the 'American dream' if someone were to work as hard as the black maids and servants did, then they would very quickly find themselves in a much higher position and to continue rising until they reach they're goal or at least a respectable position, similarly to Dick. But no, because they are coloured, suddenly it makes it impossible for them to break the barrier enforced by society and become successful.
To paraphrase Friedrich Nietzsche "The American Dream is dead. And greed has killed it." Just take a look at this famous speech given by Michael Douglas's character Gorden Gecko in Oliver Stone's 1987 film Wall Street. Which is all the more chilling given the current economic climate, and the state of the banking industry as a whole in this modern age, as it typifies the corruption Jefferson warned about in his famous letter to Madison, over 200 years ago. Horatio Alger Jr. tried to address this as well in his novel Ragged Dick, trying to remind readers that in the heart of the madness that was the Industrial Revolution, the American Dream was all about having a respectable job and being comfortable, not about being super rich. However somewhere down the line that message has been lost, in an America where the rich keep getting richer and the poor, well they get poorer. Where veteran's from a war (2nd Gulf War), which conspiracy theorists believe is all over oil, to make even more money for the super rich, can't find work, and where companies move factories abroad, cutting jobs, just because people in those countries will work for pennies, in order to boost profit margins. It's safe to say Jefferson and the founding father's would be turning in their graves if they could see the country America had become.
Although it's safe to say that the corruption of the American Dream has been going on for much longer than just in recent years, crime has undoubtedly become synonymous with it, and has been romanticised as being the only way to achieve it in some cases - with greed corrupting the dream to be about making as much money as possible, which isn't what de Creveceour and the others originally imagined it as. Just look at the way Jesse James was romanticised in the dime novels as being a Robin Hood type character, stealing from rich and giving to poor, when there was no such evidence he or his gang had done anything of the type. To quote Oscar Wilde "Americans are certainly great hero-worshipers, and always take their hero's from the criminal classes" which goes along with the idea that many believe the American Dream cannot be achieved without committing crimes - glorified bank robbers during the Public Enemy Era such as Dillinger, Baby Faced Floyd and Bonnie and Clyde, the prohibition era gangsters such as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano and of course the modern day crooks, the bankers up on Wall Street. Which is perhaps why Crime and Gangster films remain popular to this day - Lawless and Killing Them Softly both gangster films came out this year, and The Godfather films, The Departed, Once Upon a Time in America, Goodfellas, and TV show The Sopranos, remain extremely popular to this day. The concept has even been parodied in film, a notable example being the 1983 remake of Scarface, with the traditional rags to riches gangster tale, running parallel to social criticism of excess.
It's probably safe to say the original vision of the American Dream has long since died, ironically since members of the middle class have achieved that such vision, a respectable job and comfortable life just like in Ragged Dick, but greed has overwhelmed that original vision, to quote Scarface "The American Dream comes with a price tag."
Contemporary statement;Michelle Obamas "Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it, and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we're from, or what we look like, or who we love," Michelle Obama said. "He believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you. You reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed."
I have chosen this statement because I feel it is very similar to the message of Ragged Dick. Dick worked hard and 'walked through that doorway of opportunity'. He was helped by others such as Frank's uncle,Mr Greyson and Mr Rockwell, these men had all come from poor backgrounds and had made a decent living for themselves. It appears they all saw themselves in Dick and if it was not for their help Dick arguably would not have become "spectable". Dick then goes on to help others to succeed like he did just as the statement says, he helped Fosdick by giving him a place to stay and he also helped Tom Wilkins pay his rent. In terms of Tom Wilkins,Dick saw helping him as paying back Franks uncle for the money he had provided Dick with "when you are a prosperous man,you can repay it in the form of aid to some poor boy,who is struggling upward as you are now". Unlike in the book the statement suggests anyone can live the American dream "no matter who we are,or where we're from, or what we look like". The books interpretation of the American dream appears to discriminate against minority groups such as Micky Maguire and Bridget the servant girl, these characters are both stereo-typically Irish. Both characters are not portrayed as being able to achieve the American dream and are arguably obstacles that try and stand in the way of Dick achieving the dream for himself. An example of this would be Micky's constant put downs about Dicks new clothing as he felt "our hero was putting on airs" and the fact Bridget was implemented in the stealing of the bank book; although she was innocent she was the first suspect perhaps because of her position in society.
For some the American Dream is a sham. In many ways the 21st century is a time of crisis. From its beginning America was devastated by 9/11 and the resulting Iraq war created vehement outcry from the global community. The recession and various incidents in big banking has crippled the economy. There is unease evident from every element of American society: immigration, military, national security, economy, healthcare etc. This environment and its negative influence has created a harsh and cynical view of the American Dream. Prosperity whilst undoubtedly still present in American society has become steadily exclusive and often Partisan. A current example would be the 2012 election, the issues debated illustrate the problems facing America today, high unemployment, benefits for those on the poverty line and women's rights. Theses elements are indicative of the disparity caused by the ideology of the American Dream and its reality within society.
The website The American Dream, (http://endoftheamericandream.com/) indicates just how severe the crisis in faith over the ideology has become. The strength of the response to its perceived collapse is shockingly fatalistic. The importance of the ideology itself whether seen as myth or reality is still viewed through a very personal lens. As such, its failure embodies a form of betrayal to the American public, who envision its defeat as a catalyst for a crumbling of society on a apocalyptic level, as evident on the website. Adverts line the page offering advice on seemingly incredible topics, such as: necessary supplies, survival kits, solar panel power systems and preparation guides. This is an example of a very extreme reaction to the disillusionment linked to the American Dream, but its existence signifies just how much of an impact on American society the idea has. In comparison to Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick, the very notion of the American Dream's collapse juxtaposes to Alger's implication of the everyman being able to make a good life. Through this view, Alger's idea of 'luck and pluck' becomes moot, as the infrastructure is unable to support the key aspects that are promoted by Alger and the American Dream. Alger's message for adults is also conflicted in this extreme reaction as the individual becomes concerned solely for their own security and survival, their obligation to ensure the well being of others is disregarded.
Whilst this extreme and seemingly disproportionate response to the supposed end of the American Dream, can be viewed as somewhat ludicrous, the principals behind are evident in every day society through the media. The modern audience has a fascination with apocalyptic, dystopian environments. Primarily this is witnessed in TV shows, films and books. The post-apocalyptic setting has become a zeitgeist for the current media, what was once a more cult industry has evolved into a predominant genre. The presence of which perhaps indicates and exaggerates the loss of identity that has been created through the destabilising of the American Dream. However, it could also be said that the dystopian/apocalyptic landscape is in fact a resurgence of belief in the American Dream, as it presents a new frontier for society to counter, effectively establishing a more modern visualisation of the American Dream that acts upon the unrest in America's infrastructure.
TV shows: The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, Revolution, Jericho and Falling Skies.
Films: Romero - Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead etc..., The Road, The Mist, Children of Men, 28 Weeks Later, Resident Evil, Soylent Green etc...
Books: Warm Bodies, Hunger Games, World War Z, The War of the Worlds, The Handmaids Tale, The Stand etc...
This video, taken from a George Carlin stand-up comedy show clearly lays out a huge sense of doubt in the ideal of the "American Dream". Carlin states that the everyday American is blind to the oppression that he/she is under, from the people who have the real power and control over America (large corporations). He carries on to state how these corporations do not want individuals who can realize the oppression they are under, but obedient workers, who will simply go to work and ignore the fact that have little to no pensions, working "shitty" jobs for "shitty" pay and the fact that these corporations have the American people "by the balls" and how no one notices and no one cares.
This sort of viewpoint would go directly against the ideas put forward in Ragged Dick, ideas such as the morals of the American Dream and the social mobility that can stem from it. Through the eyes of people who share a similar view with George Carlin, there is no "American Dream" it is a facade that has been created to give the American people a faint hope, when it is more of an "American Farce", there is no social mobility, you get a job and become another cog in the machine that is Corporate America and the American people are essentially trapped in a false reality, much like a fantasy. Its not real, just a "Dream".
Guns are
undoubtedly one of the most well-known representations of American culture, but
as symbolic as a gun may be – how wonderful has the 2nd amendment ‘The
right to bear arms’ really become?
It would
appear that many think the right to gun ownership in the US is truly a gift
from God. Maj. L. Caudhill wrote a letter title, ‘The Gun is Civilisation’ that
I being labelled as ‘The best pro gun argument ever’ and in all honesty, it is
a very well written statement and even had me thinking otherwise about the way
guns have become a necessity for Americans:
“When I
carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m
looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only
persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be
unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who interact with me through
reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force
from the equation... and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.” –
last paragraph, ‘The Gun is Civilisation.
Just as I
read the title: “The Gun is Civilisation’, I rolled my eyes because,
stereotypically, Americans would refer to something as dangerous and
publically unacceptable as guns as being something that should involve and
reach out to everyone.
Texas is
second in the Guardian’s table for the highest number of gun related murders in
the US during 2010, California was first. Having a friend from Texas who first
lived in California gave me the opportunity to ask her what her opinion was on
the current gun situation in Texas.
“I know that in the state of
Texas guns are legal and I'm glad, because where I live we have a lot of
break-ins and its great to have something as self-defence, but at the same time
most of the deaths we have here are caused by guns. I don't have a problem with
people buying guns here... Most of the time if someone shoots someone with a
gun they most likely didn't buy that gun, they stole it.... And also here in
Texas, hunting is a BIG tradition... I doubt you will find a Texan who doesn't
go hunting or who doesn't go to a shooting range..... We're psycho. I will say
this. If someone owns more than three guns and they're American, they most
likely go hunting or they just like to collect guns. My brother (16 yrs old) owns 6
guns, 60 pocketknives, 3 cross bows, and 2 tomahawks and it’s not like he likes
to hurt people. He just like collecting weapons, he's fascinated by them... He
has a case for each gun/knife/crossbow/tomahawk he has... He said "I don't
know how to explain it other than it’s just a hobby - something I like to
collect" – Tracy Smith, 20, Texas.
Again, this is quite an optimistic view on the
legalising of guns, although the idea of collecting weaponry for a hobby at
such a young age I couldn’t help but find worrying. When I questioned her on
especially something like the ownership of the crossbows, she simply replied. “We’re
fans of the Hunger Games.”
So some may think that guns are life savers, which may very
well be true, however, there is no questioning that no matter how good they are
made out to be, they are still lethal weapons that are dangerously easy to get.
In an article written by Linda Feldmenn for ‘The Christian Science Monitor’,
she discusses how the Colorado cinema shootings would help Obama in his run for
a second term for presidency. It was said that Obama was trying to protect the
second amendment by ensuring that those who are capable of handling a gun
responsibly may own one; however, those who can’t will not be allowed to
possess a gun. This advert below stars one of the survivors of the Batman
screening shootings from earlier this year, Stephan Barton.
'Demand a Plan'
The Brady Campaign was founded in 1974 after it's founder, Mark Broinsky was robbed and treated at gun point. The campaign is strongly fighting against gun violence and is trying to get guns banned from households and everyday uses. I found that I didn't need facts or pictures to be shocked by this. Just the banner alone was enough. At the time I print-screened this, 207 people had been killed in America today because of guns.
After all this, I can't help but see and agree for both sides. I found that Caudhill's letter was very powerful and evoking. I also found it very persuasive and it made me swing slightly in the pro gun side of the matter. However, I couldn't agree more with Obama's aim to at least make sure that those who are incapable of handling a gun responsibly are banned from owning one.
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