What is “THE

AMERICAN DREAM”?

Powerpoint adapted by Suzanne Conti

Is FREEDOM?

EQUALITY?

INDIVIDUALISM?

MOBILITY?

AMERICAN DREAM• Land of Opportunity• Rags to Riches—Anyone can become rich,

famous, and powerful.• Jobs and education are available to all who

want them.• Meritocracy (rewards) = skill + effort.• Through hard work, courage and

determination, one can achieve prosperity. Americans can live better than their parents did.

Emma Lazarus is best known for "

The New Colossus", a sonnet written in 1883; its lines appear on a bronze plaque in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty[1] in 1912.

• "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the

• homeless, tempest-tossed

• to me, I lift my lamp beside

• the golden door!"

Coming to America

• America is called the “Melting Pot” because of the immigration here from all over the world. Even though immigrants spoke different languages, had different cultures, and held different beliefs, the one thing they all had in common was to pursue the “American Dream”…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

• The American Dream is the dream of a land where all people can succeed through hard work. It is also an idea that suggests that all people have the potential to live happy, successful lives.

• Let’s view a few video’s about the “American Dream”….

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v83imxeoCI4

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHB1KvEOOzg

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBFfrGNrrQc

• Originally, the focus was on hard work and religious freedom. Today, however, the focus seems to be on material prosperity and fame.

• The American Dream is deeply rooted in American society.

• Several critics have pointed out that this dream is not attainable to all because of the inequality rooted in class, race and ethnic origin.

• The phrase “The American Dream” came into the American vocabulary starting in 1867 when writer, Horatio Alger came out with his book “Ragged Dick.” It was a rags-to-riches tale of a poor orphan boy in New York City who saved his pennies, worked hard and eventually became rich.

• It became the model that through honesty, hard work and strong determination, the American Dream was available to anyone willing to make the journey.

Dream Makers

• “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hour”.

- Henry David Thoreau

Arnold was born to a police officer and housewife in Austria, and later emigrated to the U.S. speaking no English He went to community college and started acting. Now he is a multi-millionaire, married into one of the most elite families in America—the Kennedys, and is governor of CA. He has said “In this country, it doesn't make any difference where you were born. It doesn't make any difference who your parents were. It doesn't make any difference if, like me, you couldn't even speak English until you were in your twenties.”

Ralph Lauren—maker of Polo; son of Russian immigrants who became a fashion mogul billionaire, started working in his teens to buy fashionable clothing.

Oprah, raised by her grandmother in rural poor Mississippi, is a billionaire with a book club, television show, several charities, and many other endeavors.

Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the U.S., was famous for his Witicisms and for discovering electricity using a kite. He was born the son of a candle maker (one of 17 children) and came to stand before kings and Presidents. He is also on our $100 bill.

Finally, Tei Fu Chen is a Taiwanese immigrant who went from living in his car to building a billion-dollar herbal foods empire.

The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson.

The general sentiment is that people are better off than their parents and that it is possible to start out poor and work hard to become rich.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable

Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”

It all begins with a Dream . . .

• You see things and say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were and I say, “Why not?”

• ~George Bernard Shaw

Chinese Stowaways die while trying to enter the U.S.

WHYTAKE THE

RISK?

American Dream?...

Or, a Tale of Two Cities?

Before we assemble into groups to determine the “American Dream”… let’s watch a few

videos that show China trying to live the “American Dream”.

http://wallstreetpit.com/50624-abc-nightly-news-from-china-

part-1-videos

Let’s answer some questions…..

Let’s read an article about Let’s read an article about

Let’s read an article about Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy?By Belinda Luscombe Monday, Sep. 06, 2010

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2016291,00.html#ixzz1ALeq0BJm

1. Define: benchmark, Nobel Prize, adversities, temperament, plausible, expendable, citizenries 2. What is the difference between the two types of happiness described in the article? Why do you think we are capable of

these two different feelings? 3. “Having money clearly takes the sting out of adversities.” What adversities have you been through? Would more money have helped make your life better during those adversities? 4. What are some possessions that are important to people? Try to think of how much things cost. Do you think that at

$75,000 people can have everything that they really need to live well? 5. Have you ever felt “deeper satisfaction…about the way your life is going”? What are the sources of that feeling? Are they based on comparisons with other people? 6. When you are an adult, do you think money will indicate to you how your life is going? If not, what will? 7. When people take jobs that pay more than $75,000, are they doing so to obtain more possessions? 8. If people stopped caring about overall life satisfaction, would they continue to pursue jobs that paid more than $75,000? 9. Besides making money, what else does the desire for deeper satisfaction with how life is going motivate people to do? 10. Besides material well-being and overall satisfaction, are there any other motives for living life in certain ways?

REFLECT :How accurate is the “American Dream”? You will work in groups of 3-5 to decide:*What does the “American Dream” mean in today's world? Is it the same for all Americans? Is it a myth? Is it simply a quest for a better life?*Why do some see their dreams fulfilled, and others see their dreams wither and die?*How has the “American Dream” changed over time? *What factors affect these major events in history (political, economic, educational, social, etc.)? * What is your personal “American Dream”? What is your groups personal dream, as a whole?

Culminating Activity

*You will work in a team of 3-5 members, working together to come up with a definition for “The American Dream”.*Your group will write your finalized definition as a “mission statement”.*Each member will choose a different venue to reveal your groups “American Dream” statement (see handout for specifics).*Each group will unite venues to create a PowerPoint presentation, and upload it to edmodo.com. *Each group will present their interpretation of the “American Dream” to the class, reflecting on the group’s interpretation and each individuals personal dream. ***This activity will continue throughout the reading of the play, “A Raisin in the Sun”.

“American Dream” ProjectThis will be an ongoing project throughout our reading of “A Raisin in the Sun”.

This is your groups’ job…

This project must be completed and submitted to edmodo.com PRIOR to theconclusion of the class reading of the play, “A Raisin in the Sun”. See the Class period edmodo submission group code (located on board).

Upon completion and presentation, other groups, as well as the presenting group will peer/self evaluate the projects, utilizing forms handed out on the day ofPresentation.

Have Fun! Be Creative and demonstrate Critical Thinking….

http://animoto.com/play/QKADlywZSFGBQF4ZGbVv5g

Handout and information on how to use animoto, photostory, and voki is also listed at the wikispaces link below:

All presentation “How To’s” and samples can be found at http://contienglish12.wikispaces.com

This is a sample animoto I created…

References

Powerpoint found on Internet/adapted by Suzanne Conti

Project found at http://online.sfsu.edu/~kferenz/syllabus/dreams and adapted by Suzanne Conti

Animoto.com

Voki.com

Youtube.com

Izzit.org

Googleimages.com

abc nightly news

Time.com