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https://fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/about-us-2/biography/
Author Bio
F. Scott Fitzgerald, most formally known as the author of The Great Gatsby, was born on September 24th, 1896. Fitzgerald suffered from having an inferiority complex throughout his adolescence and into his adulthood, not allowing him to fully have confidence in his actions. Whether it was schoolwork, relationships and even his performance in the military, these setbacks he faced contributed to the quality of his fictional writing skills. He presented some of his fictional writing pieces as autobiographical, due to many misfortunes that he had experienced throughout his life. Audiences were attracted to this relatability, however some argued it was a facile approach to writing. His writing hit its peak around the 1920s, where he depicted the many hardships and more realistic lifestyles that went on during the “roaring twenties”.

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The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920s, also famous for its names "the roaring twenties" and the "Jazz age". Closely taking place after the second industrial revolution, the appeal for city living and a high economic status spiked. Consumer culture had also been at high demand, causing an accelerated desire for new products and household appliances that had been promoted by the media. Although the economy flourished rapidly at this time, the unemployment rate and income rates stayed the same for those in poverty. This caused a wide gap between those who were wealthy and those suffering in poverty, which later contributed to why the stock market crashed in the great depression. As glamorous as this time looked to the outside eye with some great achievements, many things where also not brought to peoples attention. Fitzgeralds work brings some of these things to light, such as the wealth gap, poverty, the prohibition of alcohol and the overall culture of the 1920s.

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Immigration and its Effects on the American Dream by Trusha L.

Trusha L. is an American high school student raised by her both parents being immigrants. Because of this, she grew up surrounded by the struggles and experience them first hand. Regardless if they have gotten past a few struggles, it later influenced their political beliefs and what they stood for wanting in this country. After seeking out American culture and life, they came to their own conclusion that the American Dream is defined for those who work for success, even if the success doesn't all look the same.

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Immigration influences one's ideas about the American Dream. As the daughter of immigrants I have been able to see and get a second-hand experience of how my parents ́ hardships and battle scars have affected their political and social views. Although they may have already overcome the issues they were subject to, it created a filter on their beliefs and political opinions in that they tend to side with ideas that pertain to their previous struggles.

Both of my parents are from Sri Lanka, a small island off the southern tip of India that is full of beautiful scenery and agriculture, but torn by poverty and the remnants of a devastating tsunami and civil war. My parents, both born to low income families, faced issues like long walks to school, dangerous civil war zones, and limited resources. Their only entertainment was no more than a tennis ball, their siblings, and schoolwork. While this may seem miserable, these hardships instilled a good work ethic and valuable lessons in them. They took these values with them when they traveled to America to get an education, leaving everything they know and love with nothing but a suitcase and hardly enough money. Upon arrival, they struggled to remain functional in society, especially with the language barrier. All their lives they were taught in Sinhala and were forced to speak English at a college level. Through perseverance, they developed a filter that caused them to root for the minorities, and side with causes that are empathetic with people going through similar issues. Through their adversity, they unknowingly developed their interpretation of the American Dream by believing the idea that success often comes from the underdog that faced obstacles along the way.

People tend to side with the experiences that solve issues that were important to their childhood. My parents got their citizenship just in time for the presidential election of 2008. While I was only four years old and could not understand what was actually going on, I knew that it was an important time for the United States and for my parents. This would be their first time voting in a big election. Barack Obama, the first African-American president, was elected, and my parents had voted for him over John McCain. Obama fought for issues like the protection of home ownership, flexible work schedules, paid medical leave, health care reform, and the end of the recession. Some of these things like protection of home ownership and flexible work schedules pertain to the, especially because in Sri Lanka, money was a significant factor that ruled their lives. Like many immigrants, they were against Donald Trump during the 2016 elections. He called for a wall between our country and Mexico, and repeatedly demeaned minorities and immigrants. I remember he was a topic of humor at my house and my parents did not believe he would be elected. Instead they supported Clinton because she focused on the rights of minorities of different races, women, the LGBTQ community, and more. She also fought for affordable healthcare. This fight for the little voices in America was exactly what my parents were looking for in a president. When she did not win, I remember their devastation and disappointment in our country. They had believed in America ́s ability to elect a man that helps the minorities. At some point during this election, my parent ́s views on minorities and diversity rubbed off on me and I began strongly believing in them. This shows the power of immigrant ́s past hardships. These issues tend to appeal to them because they understand their effects and they have empathy for the people affected by them. This has made my parents ́ view of the American Dream geared towards having a financially stable family and a place where discrimination is not tolerated.

I was brought up to be modest, intuitive, hardworking, and resourceful. These qualities reflect the values my parents held when in Sri Lanka.These values are stressed greatly because they had to be resourceful with their limited resources. They also had to work hard and persevere in order to make it to America, and they had to do this all with respect and modesty to their parents and to those around them. They believe those values are the most important in achieving the American Dream because that is what worked for them.

These political and social views that are influenced by immigration all contribute to the ideas of one ́s American Dream. In my parents' case, their American Dream was having the opportunity to get a top-notch education, get a stable and enjoyable job in order to fulfill their personal desires and to raise a happy family. The struggles that troubled them on this journey to achieve their American Dream are what defined their social and political views. My wish is that other people also recognize the persistence of immigrants and appreciate what they do for America. The respect and honor that I have for the struggles my parents and relatives went through to make a life for my family and me is reflective of my creed.

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Immigration and its Effects on the American Dream

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Immigration influences one's ideas about the American Dream. As the daughter of immigrants I have been able to see and get a second-hand experience of how my parents ́ hardships and battle scars have affected their political and social views.

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Living the American Dream: Pooja Mahajan

In the Ted Talk shown above, Pooja explains her personal experience with trying to obtain the glamorized American Dream. She explains in detail hardships surrounding her job, being mocked for being a woman and even being separated from her significant other in hopes of being closer to this "dream".

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Does the American Dream still exist? In this talk, Pooja inspires the listeners to reevaluate the meaning of the American Dream by sharing her personal story of moving to the United States for pursuing the American Dream and failing to achieve it, or not.

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This art piece illustrates the ultimate challenge for attaining the American Dream for all walks of life. Not only is the American Dream a personal challenge for individuals to obtain, but also goes into different sociodemographic issues that contribute to the inequality of reaching it. The idea of the American Dream glamorizes a reality without showing the steps in which it is possible to obtain. The people who are cracking under the bricks may be facing one of these sociodemographic controversies such as; income, gender, race, etc. However, people automatically will assume they cant achieve success because an individuals lack of drive without considering outside factors.

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The American Dream....ers by Adele Soll Aronson
This photograph represents the diversity between what is romanticized through the media versus the reality of a large majority of Americans. The "dreamers" seen below are the ones who are dreaming of being able to obtain or afford the reality just above them.

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https://poets.org/anthology/american-dream
Let America Be America Again
By Langston Hughes

The poem Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes significance is important because it reminds the audience what our original values as a nation where, which was the idea of having a truly "free" country. No matter who walked land, everyone had their own dream without any restrictions and the expectation was just to have full freedom. The author mentions the factors that hold us back from reaching full freedom whether it be; income, race, violence, gender, etc that  divide everyone from their ideas of freedom and success. Ultimately, our society did not "sign up" for this version of America and it should be redefined to what the word freedom actually used to mean.