American Dream Poetry

I think that the poem I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes reminds me the most of what we have been talking about in class concerning the American Dream. The most important line in the whole poem I think is the last line, "I, too, am America." To me that statement recognizes that all of us make up America and the American dream. The ability to have the freedom to dream.
Glenn

America

by James Monroe Whitfield

America, it is to thee,
Thou boasted land of liberty,—
It is to thee I raise my song,
Thou land of blood, and crime, and wrong.
It is to thee, my native land,
From whence has issued many a band
To tear the black man from his soil,
And force him here to delve and toil;
Chained on your blood-bemoistened sod,
Cringing beneath a tyrant's rod.....
(It keeps goig)



This poem i think has to do with the american dream because i believe everyone should have the chance to pursue their individual american dream. and as it says "to tear black man from his soil, and force him here to delve and toil." They were not given the chance to pursue their american dream like everyone should. So i believe they were robbed from that chance. but as of today tho, everyone should have that equal chance and they should take advantage of it.

American girls and american guysWell always stand up and saluteWell always recognizeWhen we see old glory flyingTheres a lot of men deadSo we can sleep in peace at nightWhen we lay down our headMy daddy served in the armyWhere he lost his right eyeBut he flew a flag out in our yardUntil the day that he diedHe wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and meTo grow up and live happyIn the land of the free.Now this nation that I loveHas fallen under attackA mighty sucker punch came flyin inFrom somewhere in the backSoon as we could see clearlyThrough our big black eyeMan, we lit up your worldLike the 4th of julyHey uncle samPut your name at the top of his listAnd the statue of libertyStarted shakin her fistAnd the eagle will flyMan, its gonna be hellWhen you hear mother freedomStart ringin her bellAnd it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on youBrought to you courtesy of the red white and blue. "Toby Keith" Freedom Fighter for the American Dream

The lyrics to this song really strengthen the thoughts and ideas of the american dream. Toby Keith is freedom fighter for the american people and his songs help those who lose hope regain confidence in the overall american dream.

The American Dream poem. :]

THE AMERICAN DREAM

America America
The land of the brave
I love you so dearly
But they treat you so bad
The politicians and business men
Treat you like mad

What we once loved is suddenly fading
Our dreams won't come true
Our lives broken for you

We need to preserve the great nation
And turn it from bad
For you are our hope
And everything for we stand

By: Gary R. Hess


I think this poem is on the complete opposite spectrum of what i usually blog about. I'm more positive & all about the "life's what you make it" train of thought. I feel as if this poem expresses what most students opinions are based on. More of the "work hard, do what you can, it's your problem if you don't succeed" thought. Which, all in all, is true. I tend to lean more to the positive side of things & avoid the negative. This poem points out the negative things America has become, will become & will continue to become if we, Americans, don't make a stand to change it. It's more of a summary of whats happening, or has happened instead of a "get at what you want to accomplish & achieve that American Dream."

:)

Dream Big....

Dreams
by Langston Hughes


Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.



I know this doesn't necessarily say anything about the "AMERICAN Dream" but i still think it fits. This poem tells me that if no one pursued their dreams then we would have no America. I think it means that life would be pretty dang close to pointless if nobody had a dream that they wished to accomplish one day.

THE AMERICAN DREAM
By: Sergeant Aaron M. Gilbert
Through all the fires,Through all the pain,The Marines stand tall,To fight once again. Always on call,The Presidents own.Always fighting,To protect our home.My life for our freedom,My freedom to you,These are gifts that we give,For the Red White and Blue. We die for you,We die for them,We do not complain,About where or when. For this is our job,To fight around the worldAnd give the gift of our freedomTo every boy and every girl.And yes peaceful solutions,Can not always be found,To free a trapped people,From the terror around. So we fought in this war,With resolve in our hearts,To help Iraq's peopleHave a new and free start. So speak of your "Peace,"And how war is so wrong,But shut your face when we're calledTo give out the freedom we've won. For you did not fight,And you did not bleed.And you did not die,For the American dream.

This is a poem I found on the internet. To me it speaks a great deal about the American Dream. We speak of how wrong it is to be in Iraq or how wrong it is to be gay. Who are we to say what is right or wrong. The only thing that we should talk about is how lucky we are to be able to express and achieve our own dreams in America.

Week3: American Dream Poetry

Here are some links to a few poems I think show a strong connection to the American Dream. Read any or all, and post your thoughts, please. :) If you would like, you could also locate and post a poem or song you think fits our discussion of the American Dream.

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes (What kind of connection do you see between those two poems?)

Let America be America Again by Langston Hughes (This one is a little bit longer, but it is WELL worth the read, especially in connection with our discussion of King's "I Have a Dream Speech.")

A Dream Within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe (Thanks to Wilson for bringing this one to our attention. What kind of dream do you think Poe was describing?)

Create your own post and comment on at least one post by next Monday, March 2.

The Great Gatsby

I thought that it was confusing at first but after a while before I finally got to know who was who. Then from that point I made some opinions of the characters that were invovled particularly, Tom and Daisy. Tom was just mean, and that was wrong that he went off with another woman, which lead to three people getting killed, and Daisy was careless to teh point of not caring about some of the more important things in life, she said "women are just to be happy little fools in life, but I think she was using that as an excuse for her behavior. Then all the other characters were reasonable to a degree and I think that Nick Caraway was one of the only ones to truly know most of the facts about Jay Gatsby. Those were the most noticeable characters that I could think about when I was writing this post.
Glenn

Charicter Analysis

I thought the movie was intresting. I definatly realized some things about the American Dream that I had never really thought about before. My opinions about the different charicters from the movie are:
Jay: Seems like a pretty good guy. I think he enjoyed being rich but wouldn't have minded giving it up in necessary. He was more concerned with his relations with other people than his own fortune and fame.
Daisy: I didn't really like her personally. I think that she was rich and snobby and that got in the way of who she was and who she could have been.
Tom: I thought he was absolutely disgusting. For starters, why would you cheat on your wife? And then kill the guy who accompanied the death of his girlfriend. Shouldn't his wife be more important to him? People like that are just kind of like scum to me.

The Great Gatsby

At first I thought that Daisy and Tom were a nice couple that enjoyed each others company. I quickly realized that I was wrong. I think that they married each other mostly just for show. I think that they felt like they had to marry for money and power. They had to please other people, and felt they couldn't marry the people that they loved.
To me Jay Gatsby was one of the few people in the movie that seemed real (maybe due to bad acting). Jay didn't act fake to please other people, like so many other people in the movie. Even though he could have been with girls a lot better than daisy, in my opinion, he never moved on because he loved her. He is the only one that has a chance of being truly happy.
Daisy didn't know what she wanted. She loved Jay but didn't want to continue in her relation ship with him because of his financial hardship. I really don't know how to describe her. Her character confused me through out the movie.

The Price of Love

My initial impression of the characters in The Great Gatsby was that they all had very intricate, and unique personalities. I thought Jay Gatsby was a very well spoken, and some what mysterious man. I really did not care for Daisy. She seemed to be very naive, and just went along with whatever anyone told her. To me tom seemed like a very likeable guy. Although, as the story progressed i became more and more displeased with him. How can one man tear apart the life of the two women that loved him?

The Great Gatsby

My impression of Jay Gatsby was that he seemed to be a really good guy. Even though he had lots of money and probly could of had any girl that he wanted he didnt care about that because he loved Daisy. This was really unlike most of the other men in the movie. He waited for Daisy and liked her for her and not for what she had. My impression on Daisy was that she didnt really think of anyone except herself. She loved Jay but even said herself that rich girls dont marry poor boys. This kind of showed me that she cared to much about what other people thought and she thought that money was going to make her happy. I didnt think that any one in the movie really seemed to be happy in their life except Nick, and Nick was the one that wasnt extremely rich. I think this movie is a really good example that money cant bring you happiness.

Gatsby

Upon first impression Daisy and Tom are a rich couple just enjoying life. They go to parties as a careless, free couple. I think Jay Gatsby was an optimist. He hoped for so long that he could love Daisy. He held parties hoping she would arrive, cut out newspaper clippings trying to find where she is, and bought her clothes from London (the most beautiful things she's ever seen, so I hear). Daisy is a likable character until later in the movie, she didn't even go to Gatsby's funeral. She and Tom acted as if nothing happened at all. It's her fault that he died (and the one guy Mrytle was with - I hate him).

Jay Gatsby seemed to be one of the nicer guys in the movie as i seen (i missed a day) . It seemed like he appreciated love more than others ever would in the movie. He was a respectful man and was very successful in almost anything and everything he did. But he wasn't stuck up about it. Daisy and Tom having affairs behind each others back. not believing in divorce, but they cant be satisfied with each other and they have to turn and find love from somewhere else. i think it would be better to get a divorce. but anyways. Daisy seemed about herself sometimes, I believe she could be a likeable person if you knew were she was coming from. Tom was a jerk and personally i didn't like him. He wasn't respectful and he was very selfish. Hitting a girl... not cool. He definitly has a lot of maturing to do. he doesn't really know what he wants, He wants two loves but thats not really how it works.

The Great Gatsby...Weird

The movie, to me, was absolutely hilarious. I found many things funny. The characters were very...well I'm not sure. Jay seemed like a pretty good person to me. On the other hand, Tom was a horrible person. If I were Daisy, I would have divorced him a long time ago. (Even if it wasn't approved of by my religion.) Daisy was a likable person at first. As the movie progressed I thought she turned into somewhat of a shady person.

The Great Gatspy

I think that romanitcism is the most prevelant theme shared among the characters in this movie/book. While Jay has convinced himself that the beautiful, exuberant Daisy is the women of his dreams and will wait for him till the end of time; Daisy is in lust with the nostalgic idea of a man in uniform and the romance of anticipation. Their month of new relationship bliss obviously didn't translate over eight years of silence, especially since they didn't know much about each other to begin with. Afterall, "rich girls don't marry poor boys." Myrtle and her husband seemed to have at one time loved each other, but Myrtle longed for the lavish life every girl dreamed of. Her husband's love wasn't enough to buy her a happiness deemed politically correct in a roaring, larger than life society. Tom wanted to live vicariosly through the important people around him, his trophy wife by his side, catapolting the pair into the limelight of 1920 culture. The ironic part about Jay's deep and surreal obssesion with Daisy, and the money that would surely bring her back to him is that he couldn't have cared less about his immense wealth. The parties and money created a facade that brought about the realiztion that he didn't actually know Daisy. Nick's idea of himself is comprised of the friendships around him, finding that money doesn't always mean happiness, and love is very rarely unconditional.

Great Gatsby, The

My opinion on Jay Gatsby:
He seemed like the kind of man who really seeked for what he wanted in life. Someone who strived to be the best he could be, & appreciated what he had. He came off as someone who treated others with respect, no matter what they'd done to him. He was sincere with others (Daisy, included), & wanted nothing but success for others. He "role-modeled" his life in a way that showed others that he could succeed.

Opinion--About Daisy:
If she wasn't stuck on herself as much as she came off to be, she'd be likeable. She seemed to be clueless & ditzy about almost everything. Once she realized Jay Gatsby loved her--always had--she came to a quick conclusion that she really didn't love her husband, Tom. ?? Okay? Good call, Daisy.
About Tom:
I'm not a fan of someone who claims they love someone, cheats, & once their 'love' brings it up that she loves someone else, they get all sorts of worked up & defensive. Tom wants both Daisy & Myrtle. The best of both worlds. He can't get it. Darn the luck.
It was difficult for me to follow the story lines of everyone. Hope this made sense. :)

American Dream

In my opinion, which matters most to me but least to most, the american dream is just the pursuit of happiness and good fortune. The achievment of these goals is the completed dream. When i hear the phrase "American Dream", I think of the people that come to this country to achieve happiness and great wealth. I think that once these people arrive here they realize that it's not what it's cracked up to be. Yes we are the all mighty nation of fame and good forutne, but on the other hand we, the people of the united states, are a very unhappy bunch. It sometimes seems that the most is never enough. If we just took a step back and looked at what we have, then we might realize that we are living the american dream. We are prosperous and the opprotunities to further that prosperity are at our finger tips. We are the sculpters of our own master piece that is our life.

The Greatest Gatsby of All Time

The Great Gatsby is a story in which the world has never seen. Romance, love, and affairs tarnish this great American story with black stains of coffee. Up in the high clouds of Mordor sits the great Gatsby himself, all alone, covered in a blanket of stars. The love of his life, Daisy May (Adam Curl's yorkie dog, sister of Angie), did not marry him because of his low social order, alas, now the great Gatsby is one of the richest men in all the country of Elden. I think the true love that is occuring between them is perfectly normal for anyone who is in love, but is it possible to fall out of love? Gatsby rides at midnight, all the way to the land of Mirkwood the slate of time spoke: "Ride you hard to Erkenbrand!"A spear was pressed to boyish hand;"We'll hold 'til aid returns - now fly, be gone! "Withawill the colt was named, and to the ways of men untrained, but now he bore the only hope they had.

American Dream

The American dream is to live a life that's free. To me this expression means living a life where you're free to do waht you want, and to make your own choices in life. An example I can think of of someone pursuing the American dream is a person from another country trying to get into the United States. For them life is so unbareable where they are that they're willing to do whatever it takes to get out. It takes a great deal of pain to acheive this dream. It takes blood and sweat, tears and hardwork.

The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of how much some people have to have certian social class. Gatsby and Daisy love each other, Jay knows how many years it's been since their last encounter and, keeps scrapbooks of her life. Yet Daisy did not marry him because of his low social standings. Its ironic though how Gatsby ends up having more money than Daisy could dream of having. Daisy is to materialistic and it comes back to haunt her. Tom is arrogant, always making sure those who have less than him know it, such as Daisy's cousin. I think Gatsby is honest and lonely. I mean he hosts party's at his house just to watch them occur. So I think Tom and Daisy deserve the hand they have been delt. If they would have married for love and not for a social standards they would both have love and happiness, instead they are living with people the don't like and having love affairs with people that will never be theirs.

Gatsby's Appreciation for Love

The Great Gatsby, so far in my mind is a web of lies and deceit. Tom and Daisy are prime examples of the unethical behavior that is in pretty much every scene of this movie. Both hold love affairs behind there marriage. there wealth and arrogance show that marriage should not be based on riches alone. Jay although is pure at heart and has loved daisy for quite along time. Gatsy, not always being of wealth, would have at sometime appreciated such things as the love of another.

Week2: The Great Gatsby

I've really enjoyed reading your posts. Thanks for sharing. :) If you haven't already posted and commented on the first prompt ("Welcome"), please do so still for partial credit. We want to hear your thoughts! Just be sure to title your blog accordingly so we know if you're writing about the American Dream or The Great Gatsby. I also appreciate everyone being so flexible while I'm gone for my grandma's funeral. You're the greatest!

Task #2: For your next post, I want to hear your initial impressions of the characters in The Great Gatsby. What do you think of Jay Gatsby? Do you think Daisy is a likable character? Why or why not? What about Daisy's husband Tom? Really, I'm just asking for your supported opinions about the characters. Also, be sure to COMMENT on someone else's post. This is due by Monday, Feb. 23, at 8:00 a.m.

American Dream

To me the american dream is different for everyone. Everyone has different dreams and desires to achieve in their life. I do think that the media has a big impact on what they betray as the american dream and alot of people try to achieve that dream instead of their own personal dreams. So the american dream to me is how america allows everyone to have their own dreams. People in America have the freedom to become and succeed in anyting that they want to do in their life. Even though the media says the american dream is one thing, there are still people out there that are achieving thier own american dreams.This is why i think that the american dream is different for everyone.

Achieve & Succeed.

To me, I believe the American Dream is more than the 'lifestyles of the rich & famous'. I think if you've set you're mind to a specific goal, dream, achievement--& succeed--& making that your American Dream, it is what it is. It's more than making it the best of the best by what others have set it to be. Or whatever standards have been put on it. I think if it's something you strive for, and it be the best for you--it's the American Dream. :)

I think the American Dream is different for everyone. Some people may define it as success while others might define it as happiness and contentment with their life. I dont think we should judge someone elses dreams or define their success. Everyone has their own measure of success and happiness and whats right for them.

Defining the American Dream

I think that my view of the American dream has changed at least a small part since the beginning of our class discussion last week. The American Dream to me is achieving your goals but it is also a dream for the whole nation. MLK's dream was that everyone could live in peace and without segregation no matter what the color of their skin was. I believe that the American Dream can be based on just about anything as long as it results in happiness. That includes happiness for yourself and the nation both. I think that it is wrong to judge others opinions of the American Dream. Just because it may be different than yours doesn't mean it's completely wrong. I feel that since we haven't been taught a true definition of the American Dream, then we should be open to multiple ideas that come along.
-Elizabeth S.

Our American Dream

This whole discussion has really made me think about what the "American Dream" really is. I believe that it is a dream of money and happiness. When you look at the big picture, it comes down to how much money you have, but look at the smaller, more individual picture, and you see all the many different kinds of happiness there is. Everyone has their own meaning of this "American dream" and that's what is so cool about it.
About the judging part, i would definately say that is it very wrong to judge people off what their dream is. Just because some one's dream is different than yours doesn't mean they should be judged for it. Everyone has a right to their own views and opinions, and a dream is one of those things that is a right.

American Dream

To me, the American Dream is having the opportunity to be able to pursue your own dream without being discriminated against. Just being able to go after whatever it is you want in life would be unthinkable in many countries. While living in America, men and woman are given an equal opportunity to accomplish their life goals. I think that the American Dream has pretty much the same base for everyone. Even though everyone may have their own individual dreams that they wish to accomplish i believe that they are all based around finding happiness in life. People shouldn't be judge for their dreams but there will always be some people who will pass judgement no matter what. Whether or not you accomplish your dream is completely up to you.

American Dream

I believe the American dream is different for everyone. For MLK it was that all men, black and white, would be treated equally. For another person it could be starting a buisiness and for one man it might be to provide a safe home and food for his family. As we all are different in America, so are our dreams. I think that there are several kinds of "American Dreams." Not just the cliches that are born into society (ex: a son a doctor or a daughter to be a nurse).

(pink font. yay.)

American Dream

I believe that the American dream that people come here for is different for every one, but the American Dream is a compilation of many dreams. Though I agree with what one of the boys said that the American Dream is the freedom to dream. I don't think we should not judge people for their dream that are like Nick's where are different from the average expectations.
Glenn

The Dream

I believe the American dream is every individual persons dream put together. Everyone has different dreams that come in every different shapes and sizes. your own dream makes up who you are and pursuing that dream gives you that happiness in life. I believe the ultimate american dream is just being happy with yourself, your life and those around you.

I always thought that everyone's American Dream was all together diffrent than everyone elses. While I firmly stand by that opinion I am also now seeing that while we all have different goals in life, things we want to accomplish or live for. We also all want the same basic things in life, as someone previously stated, finding happiness and becoming successful at whatever we do in life. So I think as American's we all want to find those two things, but as individuals we all dream for diffrent things. I beleive that's the beauty in the American Dream.

American: The Melting Pot of Dreams

We have come along way as a country and are continuing to push on to greater heights.  We all strive to perfection as best as we all can.  In my opinion, it seems like money is a huge part of the American Dream because money has become such a huge part of American life.  Everything in this world, in the long run, centers around money and how much of it you have.  Although some of us are not born into a lot of money I think that everyone is given an equal oppurtunity from the moment they are born into this world.  Everyone has the ability to do great things with their lives and i think that this is the starting point of an american dream.

A Treat

Switching Perspectives

Throughout this discussion I have been thinking about what the American Dream is. At first I thought it meant that everybody wanted the same dream. After hearing so many sides to the story, I have come to realize that it's not about everybody having the same; it's about everybody being able to have their own. Having this freedom is something that other countries make impossible for its inhabitants. I am a very lucky person to be able to reach for my dreams. Being a singer is all I have ever wanted. Living in this country I have a million opportunities that I can take to help me reach that dream. The American Dream isn't about what dream we reach, it's about the freedom to do so, as peers have said.

Sharing The Dream

I stand where I have so firmly stood throughout this discussion. The American Dream is simply the freedom to dream and the oppurtunity to pursue that. Through the stereotypes of sex, race, and social status I truly believe that the real American Dream stands as a symbol of hope and happiness for anyone who just wants to reach out and grab it. It's not the American Dream because its a dream we all share, its called the American Dream because we share the freedoms to dream.

My Dream in America

As I drive to Kansas City, getting ready to board a flight and jet
across America to actualize a dream that's been a long time coming, I
wonder to myself what constitutes an "American dream." In my menial
teenage life, getting on SYTYCD would be the pinnacle of dreams, but
is the opportunity to do it just as incredible? I think so, and I
think that's the beauty in America. For a boy in the genre of
entertainment usually reserved for women, to get the opportunity to
compete to be "America's favorite dancer" is something that has
quickly changed my opinion on what it means to be American and have a
dream. I truly appreciate the freedoms handed to even us deliquant
teenagers, and have taken forgranted the people that HAVE supported my
dream. The dream made possible by being American.

Week 1: Welcome

Hey all! This will be our class blog for the rest of the semester. This will be a great way for you to share your writing skills and insights on what happens in class.

So here's the skinny. Each week you will be required to CREATE one new post and RESPOND to at least one other post. At the beginning of each week I'll give you some direction, if you need it. Otherwise, I just want you to be thinking about and responding to what happens in class.

Other items to note: This is a great opportunity to share with one another, but keep in mind...this is monitored by me. Don't say anything inappropriate or rude or unnecessary. This blog is for learning purposes, and I really think it will be an important tool for our classroom community. SO have fun!

Your FIRST assignment: Share your thoughts on our discussion of the American Dream last week. What do you think the American Dream means? Is it the same for everyone? Should we judge others' dreams? Take those questions, and go from there. Also be sure to give us your first name if your profile name doesn't already provide it. Due date: Create your post (click on "New Post" in the upper righthand corner) and respond (click on "Comment" at the end of a post) to at least one other by 8:00 a.m., Monday, February 16.