What does it mean to be an American? by Fiona Tierney

"A hundred houses, at once conventional and grotesque, crouching under a sullen, overhanging sky and a lusterless moon. In the foreground four solemn men in dress suits are walking along the sidewalk with a stretcher on which lies a drunken woman in a white evening dress. Her hand, which dangles over the side, sparkles cold with jewels. Gravely the men turn in at a house - the wrong house. But no one knows the woman’s name and no one cares”

fionatierney — 2024-05-30 12:46:22 UTC

This quote shows the fakeness of the high society life of West Egg. It shows a dark side to this life by describing an ugly beauty. There's a moon, but it isn't shining; there's a rich lady with fancy jewelry, but in an unflattering moment. This quote shows the ugly side of the American dream.

"At the present day he is so great that he lunches frugally at high prices. His fame has spread through the land as a man who carved his way to fortune with no help but his undaunted pluck, his tireless energy, and his sterling integrity."

fionatierney — 2024-06-02 22:51:34 UTC

This quote shows the hypocritical side of the American dream. The subject of this quote lied his way to success. He became successful because he pretended to be a lawyer and got lucky, helping out his "client." This quote is showing that the American dream will reward someone even if they didn't work that hard to get it, or even deserved it. The American dream displayed in this quote is contradicting the American dream we all know.

"In the six months that followed my release, I went to more than 50 job interviews. Every time, my criminal background acted as an automatic disqualifier. As a person with a record, I was constantly defined by the darkest chapter in my life. Anytime I tried to get ahead, I found myself having to answer for mistakes I made when I was a teenager."

fionatierney — 2024-06-02 23:31:17 UTC

This quote shows the unfairness of the American dream for people who made a mistake and were incarcerated. After getting out of prison, someone might work really hard to find stability and some success, a quality that it takes to achieve the American dream, but the mere fact that they were previously incarcerated and committed a crime undermines all their hard work. This quote shows the fact that you can try hard and be motivated enough, but still get trapped behind your past. Lots of times, the American dream favors those who haven't had any bumps in the road.

"All a man had to do was to keep his head, and he was all right. Any man who was a man could travel alone. But it was surprising, the rapidity with which his cheeks and nose were freezing. And he had not thought his fingers could go lifeless in so short a time."

fionatierney — 2024-06-03 12:09:22 UTC

This quote is from a short story about a man who believes he can survive by himself in the Alaskan wilderness, but he is very unprepared. He believes that he can fend for himself without the help of anyone else, but he underestimates the dangers and believes that he will be fine. This quote shows how he is surprised by the adverse affects of the cold air; he wasn't expecting them. This quote is showing that the American ideal of self-reliance isn't always a smart way to live; it can lead to people believing that they can rely on themselves, even if they aren't prepared and don't know as much as they should.

"Who said the free? Not me?/Surely not me? The millions on relief today?/The millions shot down when we strike?/The millions who have nothing for our pay?/For all the dreams we've dreamed/And all the songs we've sung/And all the hopes we've held/And all the flags we've hung,/The millions who have nothing for our pay-/Except the dream that's almost dead today."

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 00:34:33 UTC

This poem criticizes the view of America as equal for all and the land of the free. These lines reference patriotism while also listing disadvantages that millions of people face. Hughes does this to show that while millions of Americans have dreams, hopes, and patriotism, that doesn't mean they are all equally free. America is known as the "land of the free." Hughes is showing that this isn't true for everyone; that America isn't the same for everyone living in it.

"When the Khalils get arrested for selling drugs, they either spend most of their life in prison, another billion-dollar industry, or they have a hard time getting a real job and probably start selling drugs again. That's the hate they're giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That's Thug Life."

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 12:39:50 UTC

This quote shows the unfairness of the American prison system. It shows that even if you get out of prison, something that should be a joyous occasion, you are still in danger of getting thrust back into the life that go you there. Many people are not able to escape the crime life because their time in prison, and possibly their skin color too, prevents them from getting hired. They don't have a chance to change their lives because they need to go back to what they were doing before to survive.

"It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it."

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 13:33:43 UTC

Many Americans interpret the freedom that they have as giving them the freedom to do whatever they want, even if it's dangerous. This need to be free and happy all the time can lead to people taking risks and getting themselves in trouble. White middle-high class men are more susceptible to these ideas because they already lead comfortable lives and don't need to worry about many things. They get bored and maybe tired of their lives and want something more.

"The world continued to instruct: Do not love for they will disappear, do not trust for you will be betrayed, do not stand up for you will be swatted down. Still he heard those higher imperatives: Love and that love will be returned, trust in the righteous path and it will lead you to deliverance, fight and things will change."

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 13:46:04 UTC

This quote shows the struggle between believing that the world will not get better and believing that you can make the world better. Elwood struggles with this throughout the whole story. In the beginning, he wants to do all he can to help the civil rights movement, believing he can help things change; but after being at Nickel for a little bit, he is disillusioned and doesn't see that he has any power. He doesn't believe that he can love the people who hurt him and believe that things can get better. Elwood has a hard time believing that America will ever help black people and be a place for them.

"America's comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all of America, in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind!"

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 13:52:28 UTC

This quote offers a way to make America better for all people. It offers a solution to the problems presented in the other quotes of this padlet. It has an optimistic feel about making America better and helping everybody, leaving no one behind. Biden is saying that the ideals of America can lead America to a better future and work for everyone.

"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"

fionatierney — 2024-06-04 14:01:32 UTC

King is saying that even though America is a difficult place to live in for African Americans, he believes that American ideals will rise up and they will overcome these hardships. He is drawing attention to the fact that America was founded on the principles of everyone being equal. He wants to motivate black people to believe in their place in America and show the rest of America that black people belong there. The American dream belongs to everyone, no matter their color.