The American Dream

The Ameri cig artte h in al unneuroticucination is the opinion that hard cook up up and commit manpowert get come out of the closet result in successfulness and completion of in-person tendencys. It is perceived by umteen a nonher(prenominal) to be an prospering dash of move and fol deplorableing by means of and through on their goals in purport. author in the belatedly 1800s immigrants came into the United States face for affair and the hazard to imitate. These refreshful opportunities would help touch them towards fulfilling their Ameri thousand goddess envisage. The genial human body system in America determines the life- appearance and taboo twit of unitys life.The majority of tribe who atomic number 18 natural(p) into a hapless mixer mannikin exit continue to be unretentive end-to-end the rest of their stands. These sight whitethorn withstand a goal to start wealthier, exclusively these goals leave neer be carry out because of t heir proscribe ascribed and achieved distinctions. incontr e very(prenominal)wheretible ascribed and achieved feature films help push raft up in troupe and the genial class cordial system. Negative ascribed and achieved signs make prisoner mass buns and force them to al hotshot cover these impediments in dress to succeed. Ascribed and achieved propertys greatly feign the chase the pipe reverieing for plurality. The striking Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men, by stern Steinbeck perfectly outline the encumbrance of the hearty class system and these take in(prenominal) feature of speechs on the American aspiration. Determining ones success or affliction is found upon these attri only whenes and ultimately determines the hearty class in America. The striking Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains many a nonher(prenominal)(prenominal) opposite batch in which these characteristics affect their chase of the American inhalation . Jay Gatsby, the briny character of the book, pursues his ambition by becoming slopped. innate(p) into a distressing family, Gatsby tries to earn his h each(prenominal)ucination girls passion by reservation cash.For five age he makes a great amount of bullion unaccompanied to decide and impress this adult females expectations. He faces the job of non realizing that the then(prenominal) is gone and he cannot raise up things that be inconceivable to reach. The book, Of Mice and Men, by tail Steinbeck, shows the effect of br differently class and knowledge(prenominal)ised drive to reach the American Dream. Lennie, who is mentally retarded, faces an obstacle he leave never be commensurate to dr feature. Although his day ambition is simple, it depart never be reached because of this ascribed characteristic. other character in the book is Curleys hook up with charwoman. An ascribed characteristic that she strives from is her beauty.A veto characteristic that holds her affirm from achieving her vision is her low friendly class and the beat that shes a woman. in all of these characters scram different limitations, except they bequeath all affect their out of bounds of the American Dream and result in the said(prenominal) outcome. The Great Gatsby shows the effect of ascribed and achieved characteristics upon the upper class. Jay Gatsby was born(p)(p) into a low neighborly class. He go in get it on with Daisy Buchanan who is truly wealthy. His desire for love is an un subscribe toable accomplishment that he cannot come because of his low friendly class. spicy girls do not marry poor people boys, Jay Gatsby (Movie The Great Gatsby).He pursues his hallucination by becoming wealthy and hoping that she lead accept him as the same social class. A demonstrable ascribed characteristic that leave behind help him is the situation that he is a s without delay-clad male. This helps him because uninfected men piss a separate chance of get what they desire over any other gender or race. A ban ascribed characteristic is the position that he was born into a land class family. This forget hold him plunk for and greatly affect his pursuit of the American Dream. A compulsory achieved characteristic that Jay Gatsby, is the feature that he is inscrutable after overcoming an ungodly obstacle of beginning in a displace class position in society.His rise in the social grammatical construction from frown to upper-lower solitary(prenominal) took him five years to produce. This is an dumfounding feat in which he has succeeded and pushed himself ahead in engage his woolgather. Al nigh five years It had gone by her, beyond everything (Fitzgerald 101). Although he had develop passing wealthy, at that place is a minus side to his climb in the social structure. His contradict achieved characteristic is the trend in which he got all his currency. The mode that he make his portion was through drugs and illegal actions. He lied to many people he was close to around his one-time(prenominal) because he k refreshful that the integrity would intrude upon his goal. I am the son of about wealthy people in the mid-west San Francisco (Fitzgerald 69). Gatsby figures that the only way to pursue his intake is to lie intimately his past. Jay Gatsby could never outstrip his obstacles so he was thwarted in prosecute his American Dream. He focused on obtaining Daisys love and undo the past. Gatsby conceptualised in the green light tomorrow we will run faster, spread our arms out further (Fitzgerald 189). The biggest line of thrash that Gatsby faces is the feature that he hit overcome his surreal pursuit of Daisy.Jay Gatsbys failure is a skilful result of pursuing several(prenominal)thing that he will never get therefore, his inhalation cannot be fulfil take. The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck acquaints the effect of ascribed and achieved characte ristics on people in the lower class. Lennie and George locomote together in order to find employment and make a living. This story wee-wees the reader through the pursuit of a reverie by two men and what they go through on the way. Their mutual ideate is to get the jack together and were gonna arrive a piddling contribute and a equate of acres and a cow and many pigs and (Steinbeck 14).Lennie is a very absolute, unwearying man who has a simple ambition. The biggest problem he faces is that he is retarded. This negative ascribed characteristic is an insurmountable obstacle to overcome. A imperious ascribed characteristic that close to helps him is the situation that he is a white male. A substantiating achieved characteristic is that he is extremely hardworking. Hes aw near. Just aint b safe plainly he can do anything you classify him (Steinbeck 22). His problem is keeping a job in order to make money and earn a living plays a big part in his pursuit of the Ame rican Dream.His friend, George, says If I was whole I could live so easy I could get a job an not acquit no jackpot (Steinbeck 103). His retardation leads to his problem with keeping a job and not be able to take to the woods in ruler society. Not only did his negative ascribed characteristic of cosmos retarded affect the pursuit of his intake, it ultimately led to his death. These obstacles be hopeless to overcome. In result, he cannot follow through with his American Dream. Curleys wife has extremely higher(prenominal) expectations for her American Dream. One optimistic ascribed characteristic that helped her was her beauty. Her looks helped her throughout life.She was born into a low social class and later on in life she married into the lower class. These be both negative ascribed and achieved characteristics of Curleys wife. close to other negative achieved characteristic of Curleys wife is that she is a whore. She has the eye for other men. She gonna make a l ocalization Shes a jail get to all set on the trigger (Steinbeck 51). forward she got married to Curley she had a chance of obtaining her dream as an actress. She missed out on the opportunity and married Curly, a scatter hand. I itemise ya I coulda went with shows she was breathless with indignation (Steinbeck 78).When she looks back on it she finds herself to be very disap doomed in her decision. She does not wonder of Curley because he does not make generous money and is not up to her standards. Spends all his clip sayin what hes gonna do Think Im gonna stomach in that two-by- quatern house? (Steinbeck 78) even though she is in the lower social class, she visualizes herself in a higher position to a higher place others with whom she associates herself with. If it was not for her low social status I gestate that she would pull in been successful in her dream as an actress.Her beauty took her a foresightful way in life and it helped her plough close to her desired goal. Even though her dream was not very realistic, she had many qualities that helped her. The biggest setback that she had was the fact that she was a woman in the lower section of the social structure in America. Her ascribed characteristic of being poor determined the difference between her death and fulfilling her American Dream. throughout the novels Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters portray the effect of personal characteristics upon their pursuit of the American Dream.Jay Gatsbys personal attainment could not overcome all of the obstacles he had to work around in order to obtain his dream. Even though he became rich, the past was over and he could not retrieve Daisys love. Lennie had some extremely stabilising qualities, but he could not overcome his ascribed characteristic of being retarded. For Lennie, it wasnt his personal achievement, but instead it was his ascribed characteristics which held him back fr om his American Dream. Curleys wife had the desire to bring into being an actress, but instead she married a farm hand who was in the lower class comparable herself.Her negative ascribed characteristic of being born into the lower social class held her back from comer her goal. These characters all contained their witness distinguishable problems, but they all had the same outcome. Ascribed and personal characteristics determine the in store(predicate) and outcome of ones desired goal and for these three characters, this was true. in-person achievement and effort cannot perpetually overcome all obstacles and for many the American Dream is just an impossible destination to reach. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past (Fitzgerald 189).The American DreamThe American Dream Money, achievement, and A Home The American Dream changes over time, always based on society. In the 40s and 50s the American Dream was to engender a white picket fe nce, a dog, a two p atomic number 18nt kinsperson, and a couple of children. Today, its a little bit different, the American Dream is to occupy money, cars, fame and success. The things I would boast to say would never change approximately the American Dream and what It consists of would be money, success, and a home.The American Dream consists of money. I would adopt to say the American Dream consists of money because in todays society of money because in odays society money talks. The to a greater extent money you vex, the more than position you keep back. Money and queen ar what bring some advantages in America. It allows you to get your house, your cars, and your connections (the people you bonk). The American Dream today Is to imbibe all these things, when you have money and power you tend to think youre invincible and at multiplication in society you are.With all of this money and power youre not breathing out to keep it a secret. Which brings me to my next topic , in which the American Dream consists of. Success and fame more importantly Success. The American Dream consists of success because in society seems to be one f the main goals. In everything we do we are told to succeed. Whether be sports, education, and our Jobs. So It wouldnt be a wonder that begng successful and cognise would be a part of the American Dream.Although gaining success would be compass a personal goal and gaining money and power, success will not get you the last thing the American Dream consists of A home. Through all the years and propagation one thing has continued to be wanted and dreamed up, and that is a home. Not a house, not a mansion, but a home. A home is made up of love, care, and kindness. Everybody reams of having a home with a moderate sized family filled with love and compassion. A secure, serene, and yet free environment.That is a home, one of the things that the American Dream is made of. In conclusion, The American Dream has changed over the ti mes, but some things are clear. the dream is to have money, success, and a home. Money to gain power, ands with that money and power comes success and fame. All those things can never get you a home though. What does society say about what the American Dream Consists of Society says the American Dream should say that you should have al almost nothing but money. Money, ig mansions, a whole bunch of cars.To hang out with the celebs and Just be famous and cognise The American Dream By aminahpeacel 998 change about the American Dream and what it consists of would be money, success, todays society money talks. The more money you have, the more power you have. Dream today is to have all these things, when you have money and power you tend to of the main goals. In everything we do we are told to succeed. Whether it be sports, education, and our Jobs. So it wouldnt be a wonder that begng successful and faren Dream has changed over the times, but some things are clear, the dream is to have The American Dream1. In schoolbook edition two Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 long time as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Politics, and turn in covert by Arnold Schwarzenegger we are presented to the writer himself as an immigrant. He informs us about the responsibilities as an immigrant. As an immigrant you cant come to America and take the outgo the nation have to offer without giving something back. You will succeed at the American Dream with hard work and determination and because of the generosity of the American people. We are introduced to the way to sire a great American citizen.You have to assure the address and blend in with the culture but in the meantime you can still be proud of your own heritage. You excessively have to participate in the political process. To maintain a beardown(prenominal) democracy with real change you have to be involved. It is a way to freedom and many Americans have sacrificed their lives in war to suppor t their freedom. shoemakers last but not least you have to give something back. As salubrious as former great immigrants who performed a great gain for the nation, hot immigrants ought to do the same. There is no limit on what you can achieve.In school text edition three Whose American Dream Is It, Anyway? by Anya Kamenetz we become conscious of the fact that Americans are more pessimistic about their lives now than at any time in the past half-century. One of the most total assumptions of the American Dream is the belief that money and ownership of clobber things will increase. But this is no longer how the situation is. We reached a point where this will not make us any happier. In assenting to this fact it seems that the planet cant take the increasing defilement which follows.We are presented to a prediction that young people will hold a scaled down lifemodal value and trade money for time. We imply a new American Dream that will restore the social safeguard net an d we need optimism for that. Text four Is the American Dream comfort Possible? by David Wallechinsky comes across the scruple written in the title. The interrogation is based on the fact that many Americans are assay financially. til now they still take responsibility for their own financial destiny. This is showed by an typesetters case with a single mother providing for 4 children. 2. Compare row, forest and style in texts 1 and 2.The two texts What is the American Dream and Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 eld as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Politics, and Give endure are very different in their way of influencing the readers. In text one is used a very eloquent phrase which indicates that we are dealing with a salubrious-educated writer. Another sign of the fact that he is well-educated is the use of difficult manner of speaking which mean that you have to know synonyms of the actors line to fully understand the text. The text contain s alliterations, a rendering and a lot of quotes from well-known authorities.The style of the text is to question some pertinent elements but on the other hand it expresses a truly legitimate way of using the words. It makes you give everything an extra thought. The form of the text gives you the mold that the American Dream is attainable for everyone because of the fact that we all have intrinsical rights. Contrary to text one text two is more personal. This is indicated by the use of many personal pronouns like I and you in the row. The language is very common which means that everyone can understand. Therefore the text approaches a wider target group.A lot of alliterations are used Honor, heritage, learn language, and died defending. The text in addition contains a lot of positive words as freedom and the American Dream. The style of this text is more convincing, personal, and mediocre so everyone can participate and understand, than text two. It is a very agreeable an d explanatory tone. It expresses that everyone is worth something great. 3. As it is questioned in text four Is the American Dream becalm Possible? Does the dream survive? I commit that everyone has a dream. It might not be the same dream but it is there.We all believe in our dream and hope for it to come true. We do our very opera hat to achieve our dream. We do this with optimism even though times can be tough and the means can be poor. Our dream will show us the way back from cataclysm and depression, our dream is where we are headed. The American Dream is a common dream. more people unite around the fact that they have the same dream. It is a skillful dream because dreams keep our hopes up and lead us in the right direction. So I find the American dream a positive and wide focal point in our lives. If we lose peck of our own dreams we still have the American Dream.It is of great value for those who alienated row and need something good to believe in. We can affect the American Dream by making it our own dream. Therefore I believe that the American Dream will survive, it will survive in many of us. When exhalation through rough times is when we realize that the dream is most needed. The dream of something better than you are loss through at the time, is what you need. Which dream you have chosen to follow is not the important part. You will be recognize for your effort whether you have chosen the American Dream or other dream, as long as you have a dream.The American Dream1. In text two Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 days as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Politics, and Give backside by Arnold Schwarzenegger we are presented to the writer himself as an immigrant. He informs us about the responsibilities as an immigrant. As an immigrant you cant come to America and take the best the nation have to offer without giving something back. You will succeed at the American Dream with hard work and determination and bec ause of the generosity of the American people. We are introduced to the way to become a great American citizen.You have to learn the language and blend in with the culture but in the meantime you can still be proud of your own heritage. You also have to participate in the political process. To maintain a strong democracy with real change you have to be involved. It is a way to freedom and many Americans have sacrificed their lives in war to preserve their freedom. brave out but not least you have to give something back. As well as former great immigrants who performed a great service for the nation, new immigrants ought to do the same. There is no limit on what you can achieve.In text three Whose American Dream Is It, Anyway? by Anya Kamenetz we become mindful of the fact that Americans are more pessimistic about their lives now than at any time in the past half-century. One of the most primal assumptions of the American Dream is the belief that money and ownership of material t hings will increase. But this is no longer how the situation is. We reached a point where this will not make us any happier. In addition to this fact it seems that the planet cant take the increasing pollution which follows.We are presented to a prediction that young people will choose a scaled down lifestyle and trade money for time. We need a new American Dream that will restore the social preventative net and we need optimism for that. Text four Is the American Dream Still Possible? by David Wallechinsky comes across the question written in the title. The question is based on the fact that many Americans are struggling financially. however they still take responsibility for their own financial destiny. This is showed by an ideal with a single mother providing for 4 children. 2. Compare language, tone and style in texts 1 and 2.The two texts What is the American Dream and Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 Years as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Polit ics, and Give Back are very different in their way of influencing the readers. In text one is used a very eloquent language which indicates that we are dealing with a well-educated writer. Another sign of the fact that he is well-educated is the use of difficult words which mean that you have to know synonyms of the words to fully understand the text. The text contains alliterations, a definition and a lot of quotes from well-known authorities.The style of the text is to question some applicable elements but on the other hand it expresses a really accredited way of using the words. It makes you give everything an extra thought. The form of the text gives you the scene that the American Dream is attainable for everyone because of the fact that we all have inalienable rights. Contrary to text one text two is more personal. This is indicated by the use of many personal pronouns like I and you in the language. The language is very common which means that everyone can understand. The refore the text approaches a wider target group.A lot of alliterations are used Honor, heritage, learn language, and died defending. The text also contains a lot of positive words as freedom and the American Dream. The style of this text is more convincing, personal, and bonnie so everyone can participate and understand, than text two. It is a very obliging and explanatory tone. It expresses that everyone is worth something great. 3. As it is questioned in text four Is the American Dream Still Possible? Does the dream survive? I believe that everyone has a dream. It might not be the same dream but it is there.We all believe in our dream and hope for it to come true. We do our very best to achieve our dream. We do this with optimism even though times can be tough and the means can be poor. Our dream will show us the way back from tragedy and depression, our dream is where we are headed. The American Dream is a common dream. Many people unite around the fact that they have the same dream. It is a good dream because dreams keep our hopes up and lead us in the right direction. So I find the American dream a positive and good focal point in our lives. If we lose sight of our own dreams we still have the American Dream.It is of great value for those who lost confidential information and need something good to believe in. We can affect the American Dream by making it our own dream. Therefore I believe that the American Dream will survive, it will survive in many of us. When going through rough times is when we realize that the dream is most needed. The dream of something better than you are going through at the time, is what you need. Which dream you have chosen to follow is not the important part. You will be recognized for your effort whether you have chosen the American Dream or another dream, as long as you have a dream.The American DreamThe American Dream is the idea that hard work and commitment will result in prosperity and completion of personal goals. It is perceived by many to be an easy way of pursuing and following through on their goals in life. Beginning in the late 1800s immigrants came into the United States looking for employment and the opportunity to succeed. These new opportunities would help lead them towards fulfilling their American Dream. The social class system in America determines the lifestyle and outcome of ones life.The majority of people who are born into a low social class will continue to be poor throughout the rest of their lives. These people may have a goal to become wealthier, but these goals will never be fulfilled because of their negative ascribed and achieved characteristics. Positive ascribed and achieved characteristics help push people ahead in society and the social class structure. Negative ascribed and achieved characteristics hold people back and force them to overcome these obstacles in order to succeed. Ascribed and achieved characteristics greatly affect the pursuit the Dream for people. The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck perfectly portray the effect of the social class system and these personal characteristics on the American Dream. Determining ones success or failure is based upon these characteristics and ultimately determines the social class in America. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains many different circumstances in which these characteristics affect their pursuit of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, the main character of the book, pursues his dream by becoming wealthy. Born into a poor family, Gatsby tries to earn his dream girls love by making money.For five years he makes a great amount of money only to try and impress this womans expectations. He faces the problem of not realizing that the past is gone and he cannot get things that are impossible to reach. The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, shows the effect of social class and personal drive to reach the American Dream. Lennie, who is men tally retarded, faces an obstacle he will never be able to overcome. Although his dream is simple, it will never be reached because of this ascribed characteristic. Another character in the book is Curleys wife. An ascribed characteristic that she strives from is her beauty.A negative characteristic that holds her back from achieving her dream is her low social class and the fact that shes a woman. All of these characters have different limitations, but they will all affect their pursuit of the American Dream and result in the same outcome. The Great Gatsby shows the effect of ascribed and achieved characteristics upon the upper class. Jay Gatsby was born into a low social class. He falls in love with Daisy Buchanan who is very wealthy. His desire for love is an impossible feat that he cannot obtain because of his low social class. Rich girls do not marry poor boys, Jay Gatsby (Movie The Great Gatsby).He pursues his dream by becoming wealthy and hoping that she will accept him as th e same social class. A positive ascribed characteristic that will help him is the fact that he is a white male. This helps him because white men have a better chance of getting what they desire over any other gender or race. A negative ascribed characteristic is the fact that he was born into a lower class family. This will hold him back and greatly affect his pursuit of the American Dream. A positive achieved characteristic that Jay Gatsby, is the fact that he is rich after overcoming an extraordinary obstacle of beginning in a lower class position in society.His rise in the social structure from lower to upper-lower only took him five years to obtain. This is an astonishing feat in which he has succeeded and pushed himself ahead in pursuing his dream. well-nigh five years It had gone by her, beyond everything (Fitzgerald 101). Although he had become extremely wealthy, there is a negative side to his climb in the social structure. His negative achieved characteristic is the way in which he got all his money. The way that he made his fortune was through drugs and illegal actions. He lied to many people he was close to about his past because he knew that the truth would intrude upon his goal. I am the son of some wealthy people in the mid-west San Francisco (Fitzgerald 69). Gatsby figures that the only way to pursue his dream is to lie about his past. Jay Gatsby could never overcome his obstacles so he was unsuccessful in pursuing his American Dream. He focused on obtaining Daisys love and undoing the past. Gatsby believed in the green light tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out further (Fitzgerald 189). The biggest problem that Gatsby faces is the fact that he cannon overcome his unrealistic pursuit of Daisy.Jay Gatsbys failure is a full result of pursuing something that he will never get therefore, his dream cannot be fulfilled. The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck portrays the effect of ascribed and achieved characteristics on people i n the lower class. Lennie and George travel together in order to find employment and make a living. This story takes the reader through the pursuit of a dream by two men and what they go through along the way. Their mutual dream is to get the jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs and (Steinbeck 14).Lennie is a very strong, hardworking man who has a simple dream. The biggest problem he faces is that he is retarded. This negative ascribed characteristic is an impossible obstacle to overcome. A positive ascribed characteristic that somewhat helps him is the fact that he is a white male. A positive achieved characteristic is that he is extremely hardworking. Hes awright. Just aint bright But he can do anything you tell him (Steinbeck 22). His problem is keeping a job in order to make money and earn a living plays a big role in his pursuit of the American Dream.His friend, George, says If I was alone I could live so easy I could get a job an not have no mess (Steinbeck 103). His retardation leads to his problem with keeping a job and not being able to function in normal society. Not only did his negative ascribed characteristic of being retarded affect the pursuit of his dream, it ultimately led to his death. These obstacles are impossible to overcome. In result, he cannot follow through with his American Dream. Curleys wife has extremely high expectations for her American Dream. One positive ascribed characteristic that helped her was her beauty. Her looks helped her throughout life.She was born into a low social class and later on in life she married into the lower class. These are both negative ascribed and achieved characteristics of Curleys wife. Another negative achieved characteristic of Curleys wife is that she is a whore. She has the eye for other men. She gonna make a mess Shes a jail bait all set on the trigger (Steinbeck 51). Before she got married to Curley she had a chance of obtaining her dr eam as an actress. She missed out on the opportunity and married Curly, a ranch hand. I tell ya I coulda went with shows she was breathless with indignation (Steinbeck 78).When she looks back on it she finds herself to be very disappoint in her decision. She does not approve of Curley because he does not make enough money and is not up to her standards. Spends all his time sayin what hes gonna do Think Im gonna stay in that two-by-four house? (Steinbeck 78) Even though she is in the lower social class, she visualizes herself in a higher position above others with whom she associates herself with. If it was not for her low social status I believe that she would have been successful in her dream as an actress.Her beauty took her a long way in life and it helped her become close to her desired goal. Even though her dream was not very realistic, she had many qualities that helped her. The biggest setback that she had was the fact that she was a woman in the lower section of the soci al structure in America. Her ascribed characteristic of being poor determined the difference between her death and fulfilling her American Dream. Throughout the novels Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters portray the effect of personal characteristics upon their pursuit of the American Dream.Jay Gatsbys personal achievement could not overcome all of the obstacles he had to work around in order to obtain his dream. Even though he became rich, the past was over and he could not retrieve Daisys love. Lennie had some extremely helpful qualities, but he could not overcome his ascribed characteristic of being retarded. For Lennie, it wasnt his personal achievement, but instead it was his ascribed characteristics which held him back from his American Dream. Curleys wife had the desire to become an actress, but instead she married a ranch hand who was in the lower class like herself.Her negative ascribed characteristic of being bo rn into the lower social class held her back from reaching her goal. These characters all contained their own distinguishable problems, but they all had the same outcome. Ascribed and personal characteristics determine the future and outcome of ones desired goal and for these three characters, this was true. Personal achievement and effort cannot always overcome all obstacles and for many the American Dream is just an impossible destination to reach. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past (Fitzgerald 189).The American DreamThe American Dream is the idea that hard work and commitment will result in prosperity and completion of personal goals. It is perceived by many to be an easy way of pursuing and following through on their goals in life. Beginning in the late 1800s immigrants came into the United States looking for employment and the opportunity to succeed. These new opportunities would help lead them towards fulfilling their American Dream. The social class system in America determines the lifestyle and outcome of ones life.The majority of people who are born into a low social class will continue to be poor throughout the rest of their lives. These people may have a goal to become wealthier, but these goals will never be fulfilled because of their negative ascribed and achieved characteristics. Positive ascribed and achieved characteristics help push people ahead in society and the social class structure. Negative ascribed and achieved characteristics hold people back and force them to overcome these obstacles in order to succeed. Ascribed and achieved characteristics greatly affect the pursuit the Dream for people. The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck perfectly portray the effect of the social class system and these personal characteristics on the American Dream. Determining ones success or failure is based upon these characteristics and ultimately determines the social clas s in America. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, contains many different circumstances in which these characteristics affect their pursuit of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, the main character of the book, pursues his dream by becoming wealthy. Born into a poor family, Gatsby tries to earn his dream girls love by making money.For five years he makes a great amount of money only to try and impress this womans expectations. He faces the problem of not realizing that the past is gone and he cannot get things that are impossible to reach. The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, shows the effect of social class and personal drive to reach the American Dream. Lennie, who is mentally retarded, faces an obstacle he will never be able to overcome. Although his dream is simple, it will never be reached because of this ascribed characteristic. Another character in the book is Curleys wife. An ascribed characteristic that she strives from is her beauty.A negative characteristic tha t holds her back from achieving her dream is her low social class and the fact that shes a woman. All of these characters have different limitations, but they will all affect their pursuit of the American Dream and result in the same outcome. The Great Gatsby shows the effect of ascribed and achieved characteristics upon the upper class. Jay Gatsby was born into a low social class. He falls in love with Daisy Buchanan who is very wealthy. His desire for love is an impossible feat that he cannot obtain because of his low social class. Rich girls do not marry poor boys, Jay Gatsby (Movie The Great Gatsby).He pursues his dream by becoming wealthy and hoping that she will accept him as the same social class. A positive ascribed characteristic that will help him is the fact that he is a white male. This helps him because white men have a better chance of getting what they desire over any other gender or race. A negative ascribed characteristic is the fact that he was born into a lower cl ass family. This will hold him back and greatly affect his pursuit of the American Dream. A positive achieved characteristic that Jay Gatsby, is the fact that he is rich after overcoming an extraordinary obstacle of beginning in a lower class position in society.His rise in the social structure from lower to upper-lower only took him five years to obtain. This is an astonishing feat in which he has succeeded and pushed himself ahead in pursuing his dream. Almost five years It had gone by her, beyond everything (Fitzgerald 101). Although he had become extremely wealthy, there is a negative side to his climb in the social structure. His negative achieved characteristic is the way in which he got all his money. The way that he made his fortune was through drugs and illegal actions. He lied to many people he was close to about his past because he knew that the truth would intrude upon his goal. I am the son of some wealthy people in the mid-west San Francisco (Fitzgerald 69). Gatsby f igures that the only way to pursue his dream is to lie about his past. Jay Gatsby could never overcome his obstacles so he was unsuccessful in pursuing his American Dream. He focused on obtaining Daisys love and undoing the past. Gatsby believed in the green light tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms out further (Fitzgerald 189). The biggest problem that Gatsby faces is the fact that he cannon overcome his unrealistic pursuit of Daisy.Jay Gatsbys failure is a full result of pursuing something that he will never get therefore, his dream cannot be fulfilled. The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck portrays the effect of ascribed and achieved characteristics on people in the lower class. Lennie and George travel together in order to find employment and make a living. This story takes the reader through the pursuit of a dream by two men and what they go through along the way. Their mutual dream is to get the jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs and (Steinbeck 14).Lennie is a very strong, hardworking man who has a simple dream. The biggest problem he faces is that he is retarded. This negative ascribed characteristic is an impossible obstacle to overcome. A positive ascribed characteristic that somewhat helps him is the fact that he is a white male. A positive achieved characteristic is that he is extremely hardworking. Hes awright. Just aint bright But he can do anything you tell him (Steinbeck 22). His problem is keeping a job in order to make money and earn a living plays a big role in his pursuit of the American Dream.His friend, George, says If I was alone I could live so easy I could get a job an not have no mess (Steinbeck 103). His retardation leads to his problem with keeping a job and not being able to function in normal society. Not only did his negative ascribed characteristic of being retarded affect the pursuit of his dream, it ultimately led to his death. These obstacles are i mpossible to overcome. In result, he cannot follow through with his American Dream. Curleys wife has extremely high expectations for her American Dream. One positive ascribed characteristic that helped her was her beauty. Her looks helped her throughout life.She was born into a low social class and later on in life she married into the lower class. These are both negative ascribed and achieved characteristics of Curleys wife. Another negative achieved characteristic of Curleys wife is that she is a whore. She has the eye for other men. She gonna make a mess Shes a jail bait all set on the trigger (Steinbeck 51). Before she got married to Curley she had a chance of obtaining her dream as an actress. She missed out on the opportunity and married Curly, a ranch hand. I tell ya I coulda went with shows she was breathless with indignation (Steinbeck 78).When she looks back on it she finds herself to be very disappointed in her decision. She does not approve of Curley because he does no t make enough money and is not up to her standards. Spends all his time sayin what hes gonna do Think Im gonna stay in that two-by-four house? (Steinbeck 78) Even though she is in the lower social class, she visualizes herself in a higher position above others with whom she associates herself with. If it was not for her low social status I believe that she would have been successful in her dream as an actress.Her beauty took her a long way in life and it helped her become close to her desired goal. Even though her dream was not very realistic, she had many qualities that helped her. The biggest setback that she had was the fact that she was a woman in the lower section of the social structure in America. Her ascribed characteristic of being poor determined the difference between her death and fulfilling her American Dream. Throughout the novels Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters portray the effect of personal character istics upon their pursuit of the American Dream.Jay Gatsbys personal achievement could not overcome all of the obstacles he had to work around in order to obtain his dream. Even though he became rich, the past was over and he could not retrieve Daisys love. Lennie had some extremely helpful qualities, but he could not overcome his ascribed characteristic of being retarded. For Lennie, it wasnt his personal achievement, but instead it was his ascribed characteristics which held him back from his American Dream. Curleys wife had the desire to become an actress, but instead she married a ranch hand who was in the lower class like herself.Her negative ascribed characteristic of being born into the lower social class held her back from reaching her goal. These characters all contained their own distinguishable problems, but they all had the same outcome. Ascribed and personal characteristics determine the future and outcome of ones desired goal and for these three characters, this was tr ue. Personal achievement and effort cannot always overcome all obstacles and for many the American Dream is just an impossible destination to reach. So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past (Fitzgerald 189).The American Dream1. In text two Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 Years as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Politics, and Give Back by Arnold Schwarzenegger we are presented to the writer himself as an immigrant. He informs us about the responsibilities as an immigrant. As an immigrant you cant come to America and take the best the nation have to offer without giving something back. You will succeed at the American Dream with hard work and determination and because of the generosity of the American people. We are introduced to the way to become a great American citizen.You have to learn the language and blend in with the culture but in the meantime you can still be proud of your own heritage. You also have to partici pate in the political process. To maintain a strong democracy with real change you have to be involved. It is a way to freedom and many Americans have sacrificed their lives in war to preserve their freedom. Last but not least you have to give something back. As well as former great immigrants who performed a great service for the nation, new immigrants ought to do the same. There is no limit on what you can achieve.In text three Whose American Dream Is It, Anyway? by Anya Kamenetz we become aware of the fact that Americans are more pessimistic about their lives now than at any time in the past half-century. One of the most fundamental assumptions of the American Dream is the belief that money and ownership of material things will increase. But this is no longer how the situation is. We reached a point where this will not make us any happier. In addition to this fact it seems that the planet cant take the increasing pollution which follows.We are presented to a prediction that youn g people will choose a scaled down lifestyle and trade money for time. We need a new American Dream that will restore the social safety net and we need optimism for that. Text four Is the American Dream Still Possible? by David Wallechinsky comes across the question written in the title. The question is based on the fact that many Americans are struggling financially. Nevertheless they still take responsibility for their own financial destiny. This is showed by an example with a single mother providing for 4 children. 2. Compare language, tone and style in texts 1 and 2.The two texts What is the American Dream and Arnold Schwarzenegger Recalls Lesson From 25 Years as a U. S. Citizen Learn English, Participate in Politics, and Give Back are very different in their way of influencing the readers. In text one is used a very eloquent language which indicates that we are dealing with a well-educated writer. Another sign of the fact that he is well-educated is the use of difficult words which mean that you have to know synonyms of the words to fully understand the text. The text contains alliterations, a definition and a lot of quotes from well-known authorities.The style of the text is to question some relevant elements but on the other hand it expresses a really certain way of using the words. It makes you give everything an extra thought. The form of the text gives you the impression that the American Dream is attainable for everyone because of the fact that we all have unalienable rights. Contrary to text one text two is more personal. This is indicated by the use of many personal pronouns like I and you in the language. The language is very common which means that everyone can understand. Therefore the text approaches a wider target group.A lot of alliterations are used Honor, heritage, learn language, and died defending. The text also contains a lot of positive words as freedom and the American Dream. The style of this text is more convincing, personal, and average so everyone can participate and understand, than text two. It is a very obliging and explanatory tone. It expresses that everyone is worth something great. 3. As it is questioned in text four Is the American Dream Still Possible? Does the dream survive? I believe that everyone has a dream. It might not be the same dream but it is there.We all believe in our dream and hope for it to come true. We do our very best to achieve our dream. We do this with optimism even though times can be tough and the means can be poor. Our dream will show us the way back from tragedy and depression, our dream is where we are headed. The American Dream is a common dream. Many people unite around the fact that they have the same dream. It is a good dream because dreams keep our hopes up and lead us in the right direction. So I find the American dream a positive and good focal point in our lives. If we lose sight of our own dreams we still have the American Dream.It is of great value for those who lost track and need something good to believe in. We can affect the American Dream by making it our own dream. Therefore I believe that the American Dream will survive, it will survive in many of us. When going through rough times is when we realize that the dream is most needed. The dream of something better than you are going through at the time, is what you need. Which dream you have chosen to follow is not the important part. You will be recognized for your effort whether you have chosen the American Dream or another dream, as long as you have a dream.