The Disillusionment Of The American Dream - 1050 Words

Yin Yin Li LA11/Lovre January 7,2016 The Disillusionment of the American Dream The Roaring Twenties is when the Americans, especially wealthy people, are being so wasteful on spending money and are addicted to alcohol and drugs. During that time, many people have hopes for the American Dream. The American Dream is a belief that a better life could be achieved through hard work. Different people have different understandings of American Dream and different ways to pursue their dream. Some key ideas of the American Dream are equality, rights, opportunities and the pursuit of happiness. In the book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the American Dream is an unattainable illusion and the materialism led to the corruption of the American Dream in the Roaring Twenties. Gatsby, Daisy and Myrtle all have been fail to achieve their dreams in the book and destroy by the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s, one of the main characters, American Dream is corrupted and ended in failure. His dream to become rich and then win Daisy back, who is in love with Gatsby five years ago but now is married to a rich man named Tom. When Nick, the narrator, comes back from Daisy’s house, his cousin, he sees Gatsby â€Å"stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way,...I glanced seaward -- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far way, that might have been the end of a dock†(Fitzgerald 21). The significant green light symbolizes Gatsby’s dream of having Daisy.Show MoreRelatedThe Disillusionment of American Dream in Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night19485 Words   |  78 PagesThe disillusionment of American dream in the Great Gatsby and Tender is the night Chapter I Introduction F. Scott Fitzgerald is the spokesman of the Jazz Age and is also one of the greatest novelists in the 20th century. His novels mainly deal with the theme of the disillusionment of the American dream of the self-made young men in the 20th century. In this thesis, Fitzgerald’s two most important novels The Great Gatsby(2003) and Tender is the Night(2005) are analyzed. Both these two novelsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Displaying the Corruption of the American Dream742 Words   |  3 Pagesthe American Dream In the 1920’s many people left their countries to come to America seeking for the American dream. The American Dream meant being successful and happy. Many people started to learn that they couldn’t find that happiness without the money. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the characters based their lives off of wealth and materialism, forgetting what the real idea of the American dream was. Throughout the story, Daisy, Gatsby and Myrtle illustrated disillusionment of theRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman: Illusion In An American Tragedy Essay1738 Words   |  7 Pagessolution to his problem: illusion. They build dreams and fantasies to conceal the more difficult truths of their lives. In his play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller portrays the hold of such illusions on individuals and its horrible consequences. Through the overly average, overly typical Loman family, Miller shows how dreams of a better life become, as Choudhuri put it, â€Å"fantasies to the p oint that the difference between illusion and reality, the Loman’s dreams and the forces of society, becomes blurred†Read MoreAmerican Writers Like Zora Nealle Hurston, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, And Ernest Hemingway947 Words   |  4 Pagesintellectuals and the broader public in those years. Many American writers like Zora Nealle Hurston, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and Ernest Hemingway grew skeptical and weary of the general public during the 1920s, but during the Great Depression, were moved by the hardship they witnessed, the nation began to empathize with and work through the struggles of ordinary Americans. If the 1920s was marked by cultural division and by the disillusionment of intellectuals, than the thirties were markedRead MoreLavish Lifestyles in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald1772 Words   |  7 Pagespeople destroy themselves in the process of achieving you goal. In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives a sca thing critique of the lavish and foolish lifestyle of affluent Americans, and of the inanity of the American Dream, the dream of equal opportunity for upward mobility--basically, the dream of wealth. The irony of this is that Fitzgerald himself lived like many of the wealthy character in the book, despite his contempt for the lifestyle. The story, narrated by a man named NickRead MoreDisillusionment In Literature1616 Words   |  7 Pagesenlightened, a band-aid is ripped off to reveal the frightening world people live in. They begin to see the gory inner workings of systems meant to keep the blanket of naivete over their eyes. In a world of uncertainties, disillusionment is this blanket of protection. Disillusionment is â€Å"a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.† (Merriam-webster) An unwelcome/traumatic event usually spurs this blanket of disappointment to be pulledRead MoreEssay on Gatsby and Hamilt on.1294 Words   |  6 Pageshighlight the disillusionment of the â€Å"American dream.† Fitzgerald voice’s his disenchantment with the whirlwind pace of the post war jazz age. A decade later many art movements attached to unrest with modern American ideals. Pop arts forefather, Richard Hamilton, capitalized on this idea through his artwork as seen in Hamilton’s most enduring piece, Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? (1956). Both Hamilton and Fitzgerald mock the modern idea of the American Dream, the prosperityRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1789 Words   |  7 PagesThe American dream was originally about discovery, individualism and the pursuit of happiness. However, in the 1920s depicted in the Great Gatsby easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream. During the Roaring Twenties when the ideal American lifestyle was being portrayed and everything was at an all time high. After the e nd of the First World War, moral and social values diminished and portrayed the Jazz age in which moral degradation and the recklessness of the 1920s. As a resultRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The Harlem Renaissance1594 Words   |  7 Pagesworld, a beautiful little fool . . . You see, I think everything s terrible anyhow . . . And I know. I ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything. (The Great Gatsby, pg. 20) There was a loss of innocence, disillusionment and lack of faith in the American Dream. This became the movement known as Modernism. WWI was the first â€Å"total war† in which modern weapons spared no one. The casualties suffered by the participants in World War I dwarfed those of previous wars. The armed forcesRead MoreWhos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Articulates the Crises of Contemporary Western Civilization867 Words   |  4 Pageslead posthumous lives. These are souls that have been lost as a consequence of the national myth of American Dream. In their delineation the authors simultaneously attack and present the potential dangers of the unquestioned generalized acceptance of and participation in this myth. This concern finds resonance in Edward Albees comment when he describes his work as an examination of the American Scene, an attack on the substitution of artificial for real values in our society, a condemnation of

An Analysis of Titians Painting Venus with a Mirror

Venus With a Mirror Introduction Venus With A Mirror was done by Italian master Titian (oil on canvas) in 1555. Currently Venus With A Mirror is in the National Gallery of Art in the Andrew W. Mellon Collection. The painting is 124.5 x 105.5 centimeters (49 x 41 x 9/16 inches). Titian Biography and Background The Italian master was born in 1477 in Pieve di Cadore, Italy and died August 27, 1576, in Venice, Italy. According to the Encyclopedia of World Biography (EWB) he was either born in 1477 or in 1488 (both dates are given). Reportedly Titian (Tiziano Vecellio was his full name) began studying painting at the age of 9; he and his brother initially were learning in the workshop of mosaic artist Sebastiano Zuccati, but soon Titian had the opportunity study painting with Giovanni Ballini (EWB). Soon thereafter Titian collaborated with Ballinis brother Giorgione; the two worked on frescoes for the German Merchants Exchange. It is said that the work of Titian and Giorgione was so similar that it was hard to tell them apart. The first actual commission that Titian received was to produce  ¦three large frescoes in the Confraternity of St. Anthony in Padua, Italy. Next Titian began his great mythological works, including Flora (Florence) and Sacred and Profane Love (EWB). Those pieces were well received and next it is said that Titian firmly established his hand as a quality interpreter of classical mythology when he completed The Andrians, the Worship of Venus

Prufrock and Modernism free essay sample

Prufrock and Modernism Modernist literature is the representation of the societal crises and disorientation which was resultant of the burgeoning  industrialisation and mechanisation of society in the 20th century. This instigated an evolution of thought which challenged the preconceived notions and boundaries enforced by society and gave rise to new perceptions in relation to the world. Modernism is marked by experimentation, and in particular the manipulation of form. This is evident in T. S Eliot’s dramatic monologue, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which depicts the modernist ideals of internal reflection and the fragmentation of thought, which further serves to mirror the fractured and chaotic nature of world. The modernist ideal of representing the tumultuous inner workings of the mind conveys the alienation and displacement that an individual experiences in an industrial society. Eliot creates an artistic portrait of such a society through the depiction of the superficial bourgeois social values upheld by upper middle class society in the 20th century which undermine Prufrock’s ability and make him insecure. Prufrock’s suffocation with this society is evident in his emphatic evaluation, ‘I have measured out my life with coffee spoons’. The symbolism of the coffee spoons implies an unsatisfying and carefully calculated life of relative insignificance and yet the query ‘so how should I presume? ’ reflects his inability to break free of these shackles. The fragmented structure of the poem and the switch between active and passive personas, coupled with the use of rhetorical question ‘so how should I presume, communicates the irresolute nature of Prufrock’s mentality and highlights his inadequacy. Eliot also implements the modernist technique, the stream of consciousness to demonstrate the fact that Prufrock’s insecurity is the reason for his indecisiveness, ‘Time yet for a hundred decisions and for a hundred visions and revisions, before the taking of a toast and tea’. The juxtaposition between Prufrock’s neuroticism and the mundane taking of afternoon tea magnifies the need for security in an ever-changing world of full of change, which further reiterates the modernist ideal of a chaotic and fractured world. Existential nihilism is a modernist concept which is explored in the poem, this is vividly portrayed through the synecdoche of a crab, â€Å"I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the silent seas†, in which he wants to lie in oblivion rather than face the constraints of existence. The concept of existential nihilism is reflective of modernist practices as it creates a new meaning that is contrary to traditionalist opinion in that it refuses to accept an absolute reality though the allegorical nature of the crab. The poem is also reflective Prufrock’s desire for self-realisation, a common modernist theme which is reflected in the rhetorical question â€Å"Do I dare disturb the Universe? ’. His consequent spiritual alienation is manifested physically thorough the descriptions of the urbanized city, â€Å"half-deserted streets†¦spread out like a patient etherised. † The simile uses the harsh streetscapes of the newly industrialised America to emphasise the mental bleakness caused by Prufrock’s dread of isolation. The juxtaposition of the refrain, â€Å"In the room women come and go talking of Michelangelo† with these streetscapes further highlights the spiritual damage caused by materialistic societies. This serves to highlight the influence of changing societal values on an individual’s psyche which is an integral element of modernism. Modernism is also commonly seen to have allusions to mythology and other literature. This is evident in the comparison that Prufrock creates between himself and prince Hamlet ‘No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be’, this once again highlights the ambivalence of Prufrock’s personality but unlike Hamlet, Prufrock fails to come to a final decision. At the end of the poem, Prufrock’s confesses that he doesn’t think the mermaids â€Å"will sing to me†. The isolation of this line from the rest of the poem is a physical manifestation of Prufrock’s emotions, the fact that even in fantasy does Prufrock become rejected reflects his mentality and hints of emotional instability and a possible inferiority complex. The modernist age catalysed a great reformation in psychology and the correlation between mythology and the human consciousness is reflective of the theorisation of Carl Jung, who was a prominent modernist psychologist. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock also implements recurring motif in relation to hair. Prufrock is seen to have an obsessive tendency in relation to his hair, which is a representation of male virility. Prufrock’s implied emasculation signifies that he is sexually inferior which places further emphasis on his introverted nature. The quotation ‘They will say: â€Å"How his hair is growing thin! ’ reflects his perception on what society thinks of him and the use of objective correlative in the quotation ‘Arms that are braceleted and white and bare’, is representative of a women and the object of his fearfully hesitant preoccupations. In the quotation ‘Do I dare to eat a peach? ’ is symbolic of female genitalia, and in asking his question, Prufrock once again reiterates his sexual inadequacies. In terms of modernist psychology, Sigmund Freud is seen to have claimed that sexual desire as the primary motivational energy of human life; this may be a reason as to Prufrock’s evident tedium and apathy towards life, as his inadequacies poison each aspect of his existence. The reformation in psychology is therefore seen to have a tangible influence on modernist ideals of the 20th century In conclusion the modernist period, and indeed its literature, is seen to have brought about a new visa of thought and ideologies which have challenged preconceived notions and boundaries to create a new and distinctive meaning. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is seen to have drawn inspiration from not only mythology and classical literature but prominent modernist psychology, which is reflected in the ideals portrayed in the poem. The poem is a clear indication of the influence of a changing and chaotic world on an individual and the feelings of alienation and displacement felt as a result of such. The poem is also a clear indication of the fragmented nature of the human psyche and the intricacies of the human mind. This is established through the implementation of modernist ideals and practices which shape and intensify the inner workings of Prufrock’s mentality.

Map to Success free essay sample

#1: Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. I’ve always loved a good map. I’ve always hated folding one. Naturally then, since the age of five, the bookshelves in my room have been filling up with atlases. Big, thick, heavy ones that seem to attract a layer of dust the moment I store them? Check. Tiny, flimsy, paperback ones that can be taken on car rides to the park, the grocery store, and everywhere else where knowing the capital of Zimbabwe is important? Check. Do I have a problem? Maybe, considering how obsolete they became even as I continue to acquire them. Do I care? Not particularly, as poring over those atlases has helped to shape the person I’ve become today. While other children were outside playing, I was inside, plotting my conquest of the people of Borneo and Belarus. We will write a custom essay sample on Map to Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Over years of learning every curve of every national border, every city on every river delta, I had built a knowledge bank on the subject that was far superior to that of any other kid my age. This conclusion was affirmed when I became the only fourth grader in the entire state of California to make it to the state level of the National Geographic Bee, a competition for fourth through eighth graders so nerdy that we made the Spelling Bee kids look cool. I didn’t win, but that was never truly the point to begin with. Geography gave me the chance to connect with my family. As the first rounds of the Bee approached each year, my dad would spend hours and hours of every weekend studying with me. I treasured the opportunity to learn with him. He usually left for work before I woke up in the morning and came home just before I went to bed, so these weekend sessions were one of the best ways for me to bond with him. Today, the two of us continue to have a mutual interest in the goings-on of the business world and the political world, which pushes our conversations pleasantly beyond the father-son standard of sports and cars. Independent of my family, studying geography has given me an insatiable hunger for news. I’m still one of the only teenagers to my knowledge that has subscriptions to The Economist and Foreign Affairs. I watch political debates with the intense curiosity my friends reserve for American Idol. Even my choice of sport was partially influenced by this curiosity. I’ve run cross-country for the past few years because I simply can’t stand the daily repetition of a basketball court or football field. Every single running practice is a new chance to explore parks and hills and neighborhoods I’ve never ventured to before. As I’ve matured and reached the uncertain border between high school and college, my interest in understanding the perspectives of those in different places and headspaces has served me well. I find it easier to contextualize what I learn in the broader spectrum of what’s happening in the world, and apply that insight in speeches and essays. Above all else, this interest in what the world around me can offer has led me to want to leave my mark on it as well. I want to be a leader, an entrepreneur, and a maker of change. My passion for discovering why the world is the way it is and where it’s going in the future can certainly help me to achieve these goals. Oh, and if you ever happen to visit Zimbabwe, impress the locals by reminding them that their capital is Harare.