Wednesday 27 November 2013

Contemporary statement of the American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that anyone can achieve the best opportunities, through the notion of hard work. Ragged Dick as a text deals with this notion with the portrayal of a young boy who goes from working and living on the streets to achieving his dream of owning his own space and having a good job. Dick has much luck along the way, which helps him to gain his happy outcome eventually, which can be seen as a challenge to the American Dream, indicating that it is perhaps it is lucky circumstances and being in the right place at the right time which is the key to achieving the American Dream. Nevertheless Ragged Dick is a useful text which suggests that the American Dream can really be achieved by even those it seems hopeless and likely for.

One contemporary example of the American Dream is the film Legally Blonde (2001) which stars Reece Witherspoon.


Legally Blonde is about a girl whose boyfriend breaks up with her, so to get him back she works really hard to get into Harvard Law School. This film shows the American Dream, as Elle, the lead character gets into one of the most prestigious schools in the country and becomes an outstanding lawyer, despite being unlikely to. She achieves this through hard work and determination, proving that anyone can really achieve anything if they put their mind to it. This relates to the ideas portrayed in Ragged Dick, as both lead characters are advocates of the unlikely success story, proving that the American Dream is accessible to all who wish to seek it, all you need is the believe in yourself and from others to earn it.

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